November 3, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to the Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. 552b(e)(3)), of the regular meeting of the Farm Credit Administration Board (Board).

Pursuant to Section 10 (a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (Pub. L. 92-463), as amended, and Section 166(h)(4) of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) [29 U.S.C. 2911(h)(4)], notice is hereby given of the next meeting of the Native American Employment and Training Council (NAETC), as constituted under WIA.

OTS is revising its rules implementing section 19(e) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA), which prohibits any person who has been convicted of any criminal offense involving dishonesty, breach of trust, or money laundering (or who has agreed to enter into a pretrial diversion or similar program in connection with a prosecution for such an offense) from holding certain positions with respect to a savings and loan holding company (SLHC). Specifically, OTS is extending the expiration date of a temporary exemption granted to persons who held positions with respect to a SLHC as of the date of the enactment of section 19(e). The revised expiration date for the temporary exemption is March 31, 2009.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published a direct final rule amending our medical regulations to designate weight management counseling (individual and group sessions) as a service that is not subject to VA's co-payment requirements. VA received no significant adverse comments concerning this rule or its companion substantially identical proposed rule published on the same date. This document confirms that the direct final rule became effective on June 16, 2008. In a companion document in this issue of the Federal Register, we are withdrawing as unnecessary that proposed rule.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is proposing to amend its adjudication regulations concerning presumptive service connection for a certain disease based on the most recent National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Institute of Medicine committee report, ``Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2006 (Update 2006).'' This proposed amendment is necessary to implement a decision of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs that there is a positive association between exposure to herbicides used in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam era and the subsequent development of AL amyloidosis. The intended effect of this proposed amendment is to establish presumptive service connection for AL amyloidosis based on herbicide exposure.

This document adopts, with changes, a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) interim final rule that implemented provisions of the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 concerning disclosure of information to organ, tissue and eye procurement organizations. The regulation will provide authority for VA to provide individually-identifiable VA medical records of veterans or dependents of veterans who are deceased or whose death is imminent to representatives of organ procurement organizations, eye banks, and tissue banks to determine whether the patients are suitable potential donors. This document modifies the interim final rule to clarify the definition of ``near death'' and to correct a grammatical error in the definition of ``procurement organization.'' This document also clarifies that eye bank and tissue bank registration with FDA must have an active status.

On September 30, 2008, the Department of Commerce (the Department) received a request to conduct a new shipper review of the antidumping duty order on circular welded carbon steel pipes and tubes from Thailand. In accordance with section 751(a)(2)(B) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), and 19 CFR 351.214(d), we are initiating a new shipper review of Pacific Pipe Public Company, Limited (Pacific Pipe), the exporter and producer that requested the new shipper review, for the period of review March 1, 2008 through September 30, 2008.

The Department expects to hold competitions for grants under the above-referenced Title VI programs for FY 2009 and FY 2010. This notice provides information about a two-day technical assistance workshop to assist institutions of higher education interested in preparing grant applications for new awards under these programs. The International Education Programs Service staff, other Department staff, as well as guest speakers, will present information about the purpose of the Title VI programs, the selection criteria used to evaluate grant applications, data collection and performance reporting requirements, evaluation, the peer review process, submitting applications on the Grants.gov Apply site, guidance for preparing the application narrative and budget, competition priorities, if any, and other technical assistance topics. Although the Department has not yet announced application deadline dates in the Federal Register, the Department is conducting this workshop to provide potential applicants with information they will need for preparing grant applications for competitions we expect to conduct for FY 2009 and FY 2010 new awards. Specific requirements for these competitions will be published in separate Federal Register notices. This notice announces the technical assistance workshop only.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that a proposed collection of information has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for emergency processing under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the PRA). The proposed collection of information concerns the burden hours required for the Animal Generic Drug User Fee Cover Sheet, Form FDA 3728 and the timeframe requirement under the Animal Generic Drug User Fee Act of 2008 (AGDUFA) (21 U.S.C. 379j-21) for implementing the new user fee cover sheet Form FDA 3728.

In accordance with section 751(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (``the Act''), the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') is automatically initiating a five-year review (``Sunset Review'') of the antidumping duty orders listed below. The International Trade Commission (``the Commission'') is publishing concurrently with this notice its notice of Institution of Five-year Review which covers the same orders.

NMFS announces its request for applications for the 2009 shark research fishery from commercial shark fishermen with a directed or incidental permit. The shark research fishery allows for the collection of fishery-dependent data for future stock assessments while also allowing NMFS and commercial fishermen to conduct cooperative research to meet the shark research objectives for the Agency. The only commercial vessels authorized to land sandbar sharks are those participating in the shark research fishery. Shark research fishery permittees may also land non-sandbar large coastal sharks (LCS), small coastal sharks (SCS), and pelagic sharks. Commercial vessels not participating in the shark research fishery may only land non-sandbar LCS, SCS, and pelagic sharks. Commercial shark fishermen who are interested in participating in the shark research fishery need to submit a completed Shark Research Fishery Permit Application in order to be considered. Generally, these permits will be valid through December 31, 2009, unless otherwise specified, subject to the terms and conditions of individual permits.

NMFS announces that fish quotas and an effort allocation are available for harvest by U.S. fishermen in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area. This action is necessary to make available to U.S. fishermen a fishing privilege on an equitable basis.

This is an amendment of the Presidential declaration of a major disaster for Public Assistance Only for the Commonwealth of Kentucky (FEMA-1802-DR), dated 10/09/2008. Incident: Severe wind storm associated with Tropical Depression Ike. Incident Period: 09/14/2008 through 09/15/2008. Effective Date: 10/21/2008. Physical Loan Application Deadline Date: 12/08/2008. Economic Injury (EIDL) Loan Application Deadline Date: 07/09/2009.

This is an amendment of the Presidential declaration of a major disaster for Public Assistance Only for the State of Oklahoma (FEMA-1803-DR), dated 10/09/2008. Incident: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding. Incident Period: 09/12/2008 through 09/19/2008. Effective Date: 10/24/2008. Physical Loan Application Deadline Date: 12/08/2008. Economic Injury (EIDL) Loan Application Deadline Date: 07/09/2009.

This document designates six program carriage complaints for a hearing to resolve the factual disputes with respect to the claims and to return a recommended decision and a recommended remedy, if necessary, to the Commission by December 9, 2008.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the purpose of this notice is to announce that the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) has renewed the charter for the Standards Board for a two-year period through October 27, 2010. The Standards Board is a Federal advisory committee under the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is reducing the cost-of-living allowance (COLA) rates received by certain white-collar Federal and U.S. Postal Service employees in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau, Alaska. The rate reductions are the result of living-cost surveys conducted by OPM in Alaska and the Washington, DC area in 2006. Based on the survey results, OPM is reducing the COLA rates for Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau from 24 percent to 23 percent. OPM is also issuing a minor clarification regarding the Alaska COLA area boundaries to make clear the 50-mile area radius is by the shortest route using paved roads.

The Administrator, Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern), has prepared Current and Revised 2008 Power Repayment Studies that show the need for an increase in annual revenues to meet cost recovery criteria. Such increased revenues are required primarily due to increases in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' operations and maintenance estimates. The Administrator has developed a proposed Sam Rayburn Dam rate schedule, which is supported by a power repayment study, to recover the required revenues. Beginning January 1, 2009, the proposed rates would increase annual revenues approximately 14.3 percent from $3,456,696 to $3,949,872.