December 8, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is announcing the discontinuation of further regulatory action on Draft Regulatory Guide (DG) DG-1216, ``Plant-Specific Applicability of Transition Break Size Specified in 10 CFR 50.46a,'' and its withdrawal. Draft Regulatory Guide DG-1216 was a proposed new regulatory guide written to provide implementing guidance for a proposed rule ``Risk-Informed Changes to Loss-of-Coolant Accident Technical Requirements,'' (Emergency core cooling system (ECCS) rulemaking)) that provided a voluntary, alternate approach for evaluating the performance of an ECCS. The NRC is discontinuing further regulatory action on the DG and not publishing the DG in final form because the NRC has discontinued the underlying rulemaking.

NMFS has received a revised application for ITRs from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), on behalf of oil and gas industry operators. The specified activity considered in the application is geophysical survey activity conducted in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), over the course of five years from the date of issuance. Pursuant to regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is announcing receipt of BOEM's request for the development of regulations governing the incidental taking of marine mammals. NMFS invites the public to provide information, suggestions, and comments on BOEM's application.

The JSC hereby publishes Supplementary Materials accompanying the MCM as amended by Executive Orders 13643, 13669, 13696, 13730, and 13740. These changes have not been coordinated within the Department of Defense under DoD Directive 5500.1, ``Preparation, Processing and Coordinating Legislation, Executive Orders, Proclamations, Views Letters and Testimony,'' June 15, 2007, and do not constitute the official position of the Department of Defense, the Military Departments, or any other Government agency. These Supplementary Materials have been approved by the JSC and the General Counsel of the Department of Defense, and shall be applied in conjunction with the rule with which they are associated. The Discussion is effective insofar as the Rules it supplements are effective, but may not be applied earlier than the date of publication in the Federal Register.

This is a Notice of the Presidential declaration of a major disaster for the State of Minnesota (FEMA-4290-DR), dated 11/29/2016. Incident: Severe Storms and Flooding. Incident Period: 09/21/2016 through 09/24/2016. Effective Date: 11/29/2016. Physical Loan Application Deadline Date: 01/30/2017. Economic Injury (EIDL) Loan Application Deadline Date: 08/29/2017.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, 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 a revision of a currently approved information collection. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments concerning the collection of Public Assistance customer satisfaction survey responses and information for assessment and improvement of the delivery of disaster assistance to States, Local and Tribal governments, and eligible non-profit organizations.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the Commonwealth of Virginia (FEMA-4291-DR), dated November 2, 2016, and related determinations.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of North Carolina (FEMA-4285-DR), dated October 10, 2016, and related determinations.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO) is announcing a meeting of the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Advisory Committee (BFRAC). The committee is being convened to consider issues involving barriers for beginning farmers and ranchers, including lending and access to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs, resources, and land. The members will continue deliberations on recommendations to be prepared for USDA Secretarial consideration as discussed during the recent in- person meeting held in Cleveland, Ohio, September 29-30, 2016.

The Department of Homeland Security is giving concurrent notice of a newly established system of records pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974 for the ``Department of Homeland Security/United States Coast Guard-031 USCG Law Enforcement (ULE) System of Records'' and this proposed rulemaking. In this proposed rulemaking, the Department proposes to exempt portions of the system of records from one or more provisions of the Privacy Act because of criminal, civil, and administrative enforcement requirements.

This regulation establishes tolerances for residues of dicamba in or on cotton, gin byproducts; cotton, undelinted seed; soybean, forage; and soybean, hay. Monsanto Company requested these tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is correcting a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on November 18, 2016. The document promulgated new regulations to reduce waste of natural gas from venting, flaring, and leaks during oil and natural gas production activities on onshore Federal and Indian (other than Osage Tribe) leases. The regulations also clarify when produced gas lost through venting, flaring, or leaks is subject to royalties, and when oil and gas production may be used royalty-free on-site. This document corrects several minor errors that were introduced by the Office of the Federal Register during formatting, as well as one erroneous cross-reference, in the text of the final rule.

The Secretary amends the regulations implementing academic assessment requirements under title I, part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to implement changes to the ESEA by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) enacted on December 10, 2015.

In accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposes to establish a new system of records, to be numbered and titled: SORN 09- 25-0225 ``NIH Electronic Research Administration (eRA) Records, HHS/ NIH/OD/OER,'' which will be related to, but separate from, the system of records covered in SORN 09-25-0036 ``NIH Extramural Awards and Chartered Advisory Committee (IMPAC II), Contract Information (DCIS), and Cooperative Agreement Information, HHS/NIH.'' The new system of records will cover records used by NIH throughout the research and development award lifecycle, from application to scientific peer review, post-award monitoring, and close-out. Elsewhere in today's Federal Register, NIH has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to exempt confidential source- identifying material in the new system of records (i.e., material that would inappropriately reveal the identities of referees who provide letters of recommendation and peer reviewers who provide written evaluative input and recommendations to NIH about particular funding applications under an express promise by the government that their identities in association with the written work products they authored and provided to the government will be kept confidential) from certain requirements of the Privacy Act, specifically, from the provisions pertaining to providing an accounting of disclosures, access and amendment and notification. The exemptions and the promises of confidentiality are necessary to protect the integrity of NIH extramural peer review and award processes and ensure that NIH efforts to obtain accurate and objective assessments and evaluations of funding applications from referees and peer reviewers is not hindered. The exemptions will become effective when NIH publishes a Final Rule, which will not occur until the 60-day comment period provided in the NPRM has expired and any comments received on the NPRM (or on this System of Records Notice) have been addressed.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier, Inc. Model DHC-8-102, -103, and -106 airplanes, Model DHC- 8-200 series airplanes, and Model DHC-8-300 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by several occurrences of loss of airspeed data on both pilot and co-pilot air speed indicators due to the accumulation of ice on the pitot probes caused by inoperative pitot probe heaters. This AD requires replacing the existing circuit breakers in the pitot heater system. We are issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This document contains temporary regulations under section 987 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) relating to the recognition and deferral of foreign currency gain or loss under section 987 with respect to a qualified business unit (QBU) in connection with certain QBU terminations and certain other transactions involving partnerships. This document also contains temporary regulations under section 987 providing: an annual deemed termination election for a section 987 QBU; an elective method, available to taxpayers that make the annual deemed termination election, for translating all items of income or loss with respect to a section 987 QBU at the yearly average exchange rate; rules regarding the treatment of section 988 transactions of a section 987 QBU; rules regarding QBUs with the U.S. dollar as their functional currency; rules regarding combinations and separations of section 987 QBUs; rules regarding the translation of income used to pay creditable foreign income taxes; and rules regarding the allocation of assets and liabilities of certain partnerships for purposes of section 987. Finally, this document contains temporary regulations under section 988 requiring the deferral of certain section 988 loss that arises with respect to related-party loans. The text of these temporary regulations also serves as the text of the proposed regulations set forth in the Proposed Rules section in this issue of the Federal Register. In addition, in the Rules and Regulations section of this issue of the Federal Register, final regulations are being issued under section 987 to provide general guidance under section 987 regarding the determination of the taxable income or loss of a taxpayer with respect to a QBU.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier, Inc. Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of cracked and corroded barrel nuts found at the mid-spar location of the horizontal-stabilizer-to-vertical-stabilizer attachment joint. This AD requires repetitive detailed inspections of each barrel nut and cradle, a check of the bolt torque of the preload indicating (PLI) washers, and corrective action if necessary. We are issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.