July 24, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Salary Council will meet on September 5 and September 30, 2008, at the times and location shown below. The Council is an advisory body composed of representatives of Federal employee organizations and experts in the fields of labor relations and pay policy. The Council makes recommendations to the President's Pay Agent (the Secretary of Labor and the Directors of the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management) about the locality pay program for General Schedule employees under section 5304 of title 5, United States Code. The Council's recommendations cover the establishment or modification of locality pay areas, the coverage of salary surveys, the process of comparing Federal and non-Federal rates of pay, and the level of comparability payments that should be paid. The September 5 meeting will be devoted to reviewing information and hearing testimony about existing locality pay area boundaries and the establishment of new locality pay areas. The Council will conduct its other business including reviewing the results of pay comparisons and formulating its recommendations to the President's Pay Agent on pay comparison methods, locality pay rates, and locality pay area boundaries for 2010 at the September 30 meeting. Both meetings are open to the public. Please contact the Office of Personnel Management at the address shown below if you wish to submit testimony or present material to the Council at the meetings.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), on behalf of the Department of the Interior (DOI), as the natural resource trustee, announces the release for public review of the Draft Natural Resource Damage Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (RP/EA) for the Cherokee County Superfund Site, Cherokee County, Kansas. The Draft RP/ EA presents the Service's overall approach and preferred restoration alternatives that compensate for impacts to natural resources caused by the release of hazardous substances from former mining activities in Cherokee County, Kansas.

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Act) expanded the geographic scope of the AMA Program to include the State of Hawaii. The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) administers AMA under the general supervision of the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), who is one of the vice presidents of CCC. CCC announces the availability of an additional $2.5 million of technical and financial assistance funds in fiscal year (FY) 2008 to participating States. AMA is available to States which have historically low participation in the Federal crop insurance program. These States are: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Hawaii. Under AMA, a participant may use financial assistance to adopt conservation practices that will reduce or mitigate risks to their agricultural enterprises. AMA is authorized by Section 524(b) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1524(b)), and administered under regulations found at 7 CFR part 1465. NRCS will, at a later date, formally amend the final rule located in 7 CFR part 1465 to add Hawaii as an area which is eligible for AMA assistance.

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning an existing final regulation, CO-45-91 (TD 8529), Limitations on Corporate Net Operating Loss Carryforwards. (Sec. 1.382-9).

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 1120-PC, U.S. Property and Casualty Insurance Company Income Tax Return.

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Forms 8109 and 8109-B, Federal Tax Deposit Coupon, and Form 8109-C, FTD Address Change.

This rule extends the duration of first- and third-class medical certificates for certain individuals. A first-class medical certificate is required when exercising airline transport pilot privileges and at least a third-class medical certificate when exercising private pilot privileges. Certain conforming amendments to medical certification procedures and some general editorial amendments are also adopted. The intent of this action is to improve the efficiency of the medical certification program and service provided to medical certificate applicants.

The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. Information collection is the Annual Performance Report on financial and physical development progress for HUD-administered Small Cities Program funds for non-entitlement Community Development Block Grant, (CDBG) funding for CDBG funds awarded prior to FY2000 in the State of New York.

The United States Mint is setting the price for the 2008 American Buffalo One Ounce Gold Proof Coin. Pursuant to the authority that 31 U.S.C. 5111(a) and 5112(a)(11), & (q) grant the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue gold coins, and to prepare and distribute numismatic items, the United States Mint will mint and issue American Buffalo One Ounce Gold Proof Coins. In accordance with 31 U.S.C. 5112(q)(5) & 9701(b)(2)(B), the United States Mint is setting the price of these coins to reflect recent increases in the market price of gold, as follows:

We (Fish and Wildlife Service, Service) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC. This IC is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2008. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The proposed information collection requirement described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

The Superior National Forest is planning to charge fees at fifteen camping areas. Fees are assessed based on the level of amenities and services provided, cost of operation and maintenance, market assessment, and public comment. The fees listed are only proposed and will be determined upon further analysis and public comment. Funds from fees would be used for the continued operation and maintenance of these recreation sites. The following fifteen camping areas (all currently free use sites) are being proposed as fee sites: Baker Lake, Toohey Lake, Fourmile Lake, Hogback Lake, Kawishiwi Lake, Section 29 Lake, Silver Island Lake, White Pine Lake, Wilson Lake, Poplar River, Whitefish Lake, Harriet, Clara Lake, Cascade River and Eighteen Lake. These camping areas have many of the same amenities offered at the more developed campgrounds on the Superior National Forest and will be priced in accordance to the amenities provided at that site. A financial analysis is being completed to determine fee rates. The proposed fee to help maintain this site would be approximately $8 per campsite per night, and $4.00 per one additional vehicle per campsite. The fee season for these camping areas would start in early to mid May coinciding with the fishing season opener and would continue to the end of the field season in late September.

The Teton Basin Ranger District of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest will begin charging $100.00 for the overnight rental of Driggs Cabin. Rentals of other cabins and guard stations on the Caribou-Targhee National Forest have shown that the public appreciates and enjoys the availability of this type of facility. Funds from the rental will be used for the continued operation and maintenance of the Driggs Cabin.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to publish notice of permit applications received to conduct activities regulated under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. NSF has published regulations under the Antarctic Conservation Act at Title 45 Part 670 of the Code of Federal Regulations. This is the required notice of permit applications received.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is granting rehearing and clarification, in part, of a final rule amending its regulations to codify restrictions on affiliate transactions between franchised public utilities that have captive customers, or that own or provide transmission service over jurisdictional transmission facilities, and their market-regulated power sales affiliates or non-utility affiliates.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) requests supplemental comments on the scope and form of the reporting requirements under the expanded blanket authorization established in Order No. 708-A, which amends section 33.1(c)(12) of the Commission's regulations.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) proposes to revise its Snow Assistance and Severe Winter Storm Policy. The current policy provides the procedures and requirements for FEMA in making recommendations to the President for either a declaration of emergency or a major disaster resulting from a snowstorm. This proposed policy would maintain the current policy requirement that a county experience a ``record or near-record'' snowfall, but also would require that the State meet the requirements of a major disaster declaration. It would stipulate that the Governor must direct execution of the State emergency plan and the State must demonstrate that the capabilities of the State to effectively respond to the event are or will be exceeded. States and communities requesting aid also would be required to submit an estimate of eligible public assistance costs (estimate of public assistance divided by county and State populations, respectively), including snow assistance costs for a 48-hour period that meet or exceed the county and statewide per capita cost threshold. These proposed criteria are used by FEMA solely for consideration in making recommendations to the President and do not bind the ability of the President, in his discretion, to make declarations of emergencies or major disasters.