March 7, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the requirement of section 3506 (c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 which provides opportunity for public comment on new or revised data collections, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) will publish periodic summaries of proposed data collections. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information has practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the RRB's estimate of the burden of the collection of the information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden related to the collection of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Effective March 23, 2008, we are reinstating New Hampshire as a ``prototype'' State in the disability redesign tests we are conducting under the authority of our regulations. We are also reinstating Maine and Vermont as States that use ``single decisionmakers'' under the same authority. These three States stopped participating in the disability redesign tests on August 1, 2006, when they began to participate in the Disability Service Improvement (DSI) initiative that we have been testing in our Boston region since that date. On January 15, 2008, we published a final rule in the Federal Register suspending the Federal Reviewing Official review level of the DSI process. The final rule will be effective on March 23, 2008. Therefore, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont will resume their participation in the disability redesign tests on the effective date of the final rule.

The Department of Commerce (``Department'') is currently conducting the 2006/2007 administrative review of the antidumping duty order on silicon metal from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). The period of review (``POR'') for this administrative review is June 1, 2006, through May 31, 2007. Fifteen companies reported that they had no shipments of subject merchandise during the POR; therefore, we are preliminarily rescinding our review of these companies. We preliminarily determine that three companies, Hunan Provincial Import & Export Group Co (PRC) (``Hunan Provincial''), Gather Hope Int'l Co., Ltd. (``Gather Hope''), and Alloychem Impex Corp. (``Alloychem''), have failed to cooperate by not acting to the best of their ability to cooperate with the Department's requests for information and, as a result, should be assigned a rate based on adverse facts available (``AFA''). If these preliminary results are adopted in our final results of these reviews, we will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') to assess antidumping duties on entries of subject merchandise during the POR for which the importer-specific assessment rates are above de minimis. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results. We will issue the final results no later than 120 days from the date of publication of this notice.

The Draft Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2006 is available for public review. Annual U.S. emissions for the period of time from 1990 through 2006 are summarized and presented by source category and sector. The inventory contains estimates of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) emissions. The inventory also includes estimates of carbon fluxes in U.S. agricultural and forest lands. The technical approach used in this report to estimate emissions and sinks for greenhouse gases is consistent with the methodologies recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and reported in a format consistent with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reporting guidelines. The Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2006 is the latest in a series of annual U.S. submissions to the Secretariat of the UNFCCC.

Under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, (5 U.S.C. Appendix, as amended), the Government in the Sunshine Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended), and 41 CFR 102-3.65, the Department of Defense gives notice that it is renewing the charter for the U.S. Army Science Board (hereafter referred to as the Board). The Board is a discretionary federal advisory committee established by the Secretary of Defense to provide the Department of Defense, the Secretary of Army, the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology), the Chief of Staff of the Army, and Army Commanders independent advice and recommendations on scientific, technical, manufacturing, acquisition and logistics processes. The Board, in accomplishing its mission: (a) Provides sound recommendations for Army leaders in support of Soldiers, warfighters, and national defense; (b) conducts science and technology initiatives; and (c) provides invaluable and unbiased technical advice on science and technology systems, products, and applications. The Board shall be composed of not more than 100 members, who are distinguished members of the scientific, technical, and manufacturing fields. Board members appointed by the Secretary of Defense, who are not federal officers or employees, shall serve as Special Government Employees under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 3109. Board members shall be appointed on an annual basis by the Secretary of Defense, and shall serve a term not to exceed three years. The Secretary of the Army or designed representative, along with the Secretary of Defense may extend a member's term on the Board. The Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology) shall select the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from the total Board membership. Board members shall with the exception of travel and per diem for official travel, serve without compensation. The Board shall be authorized to establish subcommittees, as necessary and consistent with its mission, and these subcommittees or working groups shall operate under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the Government in the Sunshine Act of 1976, and other appropriate federal regulations. Such subcommittees or workgroups shall not work independently of the chartered Board, and shall report all their recommendations and advice to the Board for full deliberation and discussion. Subcommittees or workgroups have no authority to make decisions on behalf of the chartered Board nor can they report directly to the Department of Defense or any federal officers or employees who are not Board members.

This action is a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) to EPA's June 30, 2006, notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) revising the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting requirements for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), in response to the order issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Waterkeeper Alliance et al. v. EPA, 399 F.3d 486 (2d Cir. 2005). In the June 2006 NPRM, EPA proposed to require only CAFOs that discharge or propose to discharge to seek coverage under a permit. In this SNPRM, EPA is proposing a voluntary option for CAFOs to certify that the CAFO does not discharge or propose to discharge based on an objective assessment of the CAFO's design, construction, operation, and maintenance. The June 2006 proposal also discussed the terms of the nutrient management plan (NMP) that would need to be incorporated into NPDES permits. This SNPRM proposes a framework for identifying the terms of the NMP and three alternative approaches for addressing rates of application of manure, litter, and process wastewater when identifying terms of the NMP to be included in the permit. This supplemental proposal focuses solely on certification and terms of the NMP and is not opening any other provisions of the June 2006 proposal and existing NPDES regulations or Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for public comment.

The Department of the Navy hereby gives notice of its intent to grant to Newport Engineering and Science Company, a revocable, nonassignable, partially exclusive license to practice throughout the United States the Government-owned inventions described in U.S. Pat. App. Ser. No. 11/296,722 COATING TO REDUCE FRICTION ON SKIS AND SNOWBOARDS filed on December 8, 2005.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the specified Bell Helicopter Textron Canada (BHTC) helicopters. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The Aviation Authority of Canada with whom we have a bilateral agreement states in the MCAI:

Under the paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), and as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is inviting the general public or other Federal agencies to comment on this proposed continuing information collection. The National Science Foundation (NSF) will publish periodic summaries of the proposed projects. Comments: Comments are invited on (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Foundation, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Foundation's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

We are revising an earlier proposed airworthiness directive (AD) for certain transport category airplanes identified above. The original NPRM would have required modifying the fuel boost pumps. The original NPRM resulted from a fuel boost pump found with blown thermal fuses and a fractured thrust washer. This action revises the original NPRM by referring to new service information, which would require more work. We are proposing this supplemental NPRM to prevent failure of the fuel boost pumps, which could lead to the potential of ignition sources inside fuel tanks. This condition, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could result in fuel tank explosions and consequent loss of the airplane.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the animal drug regulations to reflect approval of a supplemental new animal drug application (NADA) filed by Fort Dodge Animal Health, Division of Wyeth. The supplemental NADA provides for a revision to the labeling of cephapirin benzathine intramammary infusion administered to dairy cows entering their dry period for the treatment of mastitis.