Agencies and Commissions July 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, the information collection associated with the Commission's Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, Report and Order and Declaratory Ruling (2007 TRS Cost Recovery Order). This notice is consistent with the 2007 TRS Cost Recovery Order, which stated that the Commission would publish a document in the Federal Register announcing the effective date of the rule.

The Board is publishing final rules amending Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act and Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act. The goals of the amendments are to protect consumers in the mortgage market from unfair, abusive, or deceptive lending and servicing practices while preserving responsible lending and sustainable homeownership; ensure that advertisements for mortgage loans provide accurate and balanced information and do not contain misleading or deceptive representations; and provide consumers transaction-specific disclosures early enough to use while shopping for a mortgage. The final rule applies four protections to a newly-defined category of higher-priced mortgage loans secured by a consumer's principal dwelling, including a prohibition on lending based on the collateral without regard to consumers' ability to repay their obligations from income, or from other sources besides the collateral. The revisions apply two new protections to mortgage loans secured by a consumer's principal dwelling regardless of loan price, including a prohibition on abusive servicing practices. The Board is also finalizing rules requiring that advertisements provide accurate and balanced information, in a clear and conspicuous manner, about rates, monthly payments, and other loan features. The advertising rules ban several deceptive or misleading advertising practices, including representations that a rate or payment is ``fixed'' when it can change. Finally, the revisions require creditors to provide consumers with transaction-specific mortgage loan disclosures within three business days after application and before they pay any fee except a reasonable fee for reviewing credit history.

This document provides the public notice of the delegation of authority for certain investment activities by the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to the Deputy Administrator, the Chief of Staff and the Agency Licensing Committee.

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), the Federal Communications Commission invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on the following information collection(s). Comments are requested concerning (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act that does not display a valid OMB control number.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the issues raised in a petition for rulemaking submitted by David Lochbaum, on behalf of the Union of Concerned Scientists, in the ongoing ``Power Reactor Security Requirements'' rulemaking. The petitioner requested that the NRC amend its regulations to require that licensees implement procedures to ensure that when information becomes known to a licensee about an individual that would prevent that individual from gaining unescorted access to the protected area of a nuclear power plant, the licensee will implement measures to ensure the individual does not enter the protected area, whether escorted, or not; and, when sufficient information is not available to a licensee about an individual to determine whether the criteria for unescorted access are satisfied, the licensee will implement measures to allow that individual to enter the protected area only when escorted at all times by an armed member of the security force who remains in periodic communication with security supervision.

Pursuant to statute (see below), the Commission monitors U.S. imports of fresh or chilled tomatoes and fresh or chilled peppers, other than chili peppers, for the purpose of expediting an investigation under certain U.S. safeguard laws, should an appropriate petition be filed. As part of that monitoring, the Commission has instituted investigations under section 332 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1332) for the purpose of compiling data on trade and the domestic industry. The Commission is in the process of preparing its reports for the period ending June 30, 2008, and is seeking input from interested members of the public. The Commission expects to make its reports available to the public in electronic form on the Commission's Web site in November 2008.

Notice is hereby given of meetings of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Name: Larry Wortzel, Chairman of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The Commission is mandated by Congress to investigate, assess, evaluate and report to Congress annually on the U.S.-China economic and security relationship. The mandate specifically charges the Commission to prepare a report to the Congress ``regarding the national security implications and impact of the bilateral trade and economic relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China [that] shall include a full analysis, along with conclusions and recommendations for legislative and administrative actions * * *'' Purpose of Meetings: Pursuant to this mandate, the Commission will meet in Washington, DC on August 14, September 24-25, October 6-7, and October 20-22, 2008, to consider the first and later rounds of drafts of material for its 2008 Annual Report to Congress that have been prepared for its consideration by the Commission staff, and to make modifications to those drafts that Commission members believe are needed. Topics to be Discussed: The Commissioners will be considering draft Report sections addressing the following topics: The United States-China trade and economic relationship, including the relationship's current status; significant changes during 2008; the control of China's economy by its government, and the effect of that control on the United States. The implications of China's Sovereign Wealth Fund; seafood imports from China into Louisiana and the U.S. Gulf Coast; and R&D activities in China and resulting technology transfers to China for the U.S. economy and security. China's Activities Directly Affecting U.S. Security Interests, including China's proliferation policies and practices and China's space and cyber activities. China's Energy and Environmental Policies and Activities, including bilateral and multilateral energy and environment agreements; and China's efforts pertaining to climate change. China's Foreign and Regional Activities and Relationships in East Asia including those pertaining to Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, and to its own special administrative region of Hong Kong. China's Media and Information Controls China's Compliance with the U.S.-China Memorandum of Understanding on China's Use of Prison Labor

Notice is hereby given of the order of succession in the absence of the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) (collectively, the agencies) propose a new risk-based capital framework (standardized framework) based on the standardized approach for credit risk and the basic indicator approach for operational risk described in the capital adequacy framework titled ``International Convergence of Capital Measurement and Capital Standards: A Revised Framework'' (New Accord) released by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. The standardized framework generally would be available, on an optional basis, to banks, bank holding companies, and savings associations (banking organizations) that apply the general risk-based capital rules.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), with the cooperation of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Land Quality Division, is issuing for public comment a Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (Draft GEIS) that identifies and evaluates on a programmatic basis, the potential environmental impacts from the construction, operation, aquifer restoration, and decommissioning at in-situ leach (ISL) uranium milling facilities located in particular regions of the western United States. The Draft GEIS addresses environmental issues common to ISL milling facilities to aid in making more efficient environmental reviews of individual site-specific ISL license applications. The NRC anticipates that nearly 75 percent of new license applications for uranium milling received by the agency within the next several years will propose use of the ISL process. By addressing common issues associated with environmental reviews of ISL facilities, the NRC will use the GEIS to provide a starting point in the staff's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses for site-specific license applications for new ISL facilities. Additionally, the NRC staff plans to use the GEIS, along with applicable previous site-specific environmental review documents, in its NEPA analysis for the restart or expansions of existing ISL facilities. In its review of individual ISL license applications, the NRC would evaluate the site-specific data to determine whether relevant sections of the GEIS could be incorporated by reference into the site-specific environmental review. Additionally, the NRC would determine whether aspects of the site and/or the applicant's proposed activities are consistent with those evaluated in the GEIS or are such that additional analysis in specific topic areas would be required. As such, the subsequent site-specific NEPA reviews (i.e., either environmental assessments or environmental impact statements) will tier from the analyses of common issues evaluated in the GEIS and address the unique attributes of individual sites. To encourage broad participation in the preparation of the GEIS, the NRC staff has scheduled a series of public meetings in potentially affected regions of the four states (Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, and New Mexico) where uranium milling companies have indicated to the NRC their desire to pursue uranium recovery using the ISL process. The purpose of these meetings will be for the NRC staff to present an overview of the Draft GEIS and to accept oral and written public comments on the Draft GEIS from interested members of the public. The meeting dates, times, and locations are listed below: Meeting Date: August 25, 2008, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Meeting Location: Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center, 305 N. 27th Street, Spearfish, SD 57783, Phone (605) 642-4683. Meeting Date: August 27, 2008, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Meeting Location: Chadron State College, Student Center Ballroom, 1000 Main Street, Chadron, NE., 69337, Phone (308) 432-6380. Meeting Date: August 29, 2008, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Meeting Location: Weston Senior Center, 627 Pine Street, Newcastle, WY 82701, Phone (307) 746-4903. Meeting Date: September 8, 2008, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Meeting Location: Best Western Inn & Suites, 3009 West Highway 66, Gallup, NM, Phone (505) 722-2221. Meeting Date: September 9, 2008, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Meeting Location: Best Western Inn & Suites, 1501 East Santa Fe Ave., Grants, NM, 87020, Phone (505) 287-7901. Meeting Date: September 11, 2008, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Meeting Location: Hilton Albuquerque, 1901 University Boulevard NE., Albuquerque, NM, Phone (505) 884-2500. Meeting Date: September 23, 2008, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Meeting Location: Best Western Ramkota Hotel, 800 N. Poplar, Casper, WY, Phone (307) 266-6000. Meeting Date: September 25, 2008, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Meeting Location: Best Western Tower West Lodge, 109 North U.S. Highway 14 &16, Gillette, WY, 82716, Phone (307) 686-2210. For each meeting, members of the NRC staff will be available for informal discussions with members of the public from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The formal meeting and associated NRC presentation will begin at 7 p.m. For planning purposes, those who wish to present oral comments at a particular meeting are encouraged to pre-register no later than one week (7 days) prior to the meeting by contacting either Tarsha Moon of the NRC at 1-800-368-5642, extension 7843 or Antoinette Walker-Smith of the NRC at 1-800-368-5642, Extension 6390. Interested persons also may register to speak at the meetings. Depending on the number of speakers for a meeting, each speaker may be limited in the amount of time allocated for their comments so that all speakers will have an opportunity to offer comments. The NRC will issue a Final GEIS after considering both oral and written public comments on the Draft GEIS.

The Commission requests comments on a joint channel substitution proposed by Pacifica Broadcasting Company (``PBC'') and Oceania Christian Church (``OCC''). PBC is the permittee of KALO-DT, DTV channel *10, Honolulu, Hawaii. OCC is the permittee of KUPU-DT, channel 38, Waimanalo, Hawaii. PBC and OCC requests the substitution of DTV channel *38 for channel *10 at Honolulu, Hawaii and DTV channel 15 for channel 38 at Waimanalo, Hawaii.

The SBA is issuing this notice to announce the location, date, time and agenda for the next meeting of the National Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Advisory Board.

This is an amendment of the Presidential declaration of a major disaster for Public Assistance Only for the State of Oklahoma (FEMA-1775-DR), dated 07/09/2008. Incident: Severe Storms and Flooding. Incident Period: 06/03/2008 through 06/20/2008. Effective Date: 07/18/2008. Physical Loan Application Deadline Date: 09/08/2008.

This notice announces GSA Federal Management Regulation (FMR) Bulletin B-18 which provides guidance to Federal agencies on the use of voluntary consensus standards in managing the personal property assets under their control. This bulletin is discretionary to executive agencies. GSA Bulletin FMR B-18 may be found at www.gsa.gov/ fmrbulletin.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has submitted the following information collection requirement to OMB for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. The full submission may be found at: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ PRAMain. This is the second notice for public comment; the first was published in the Federal Register at 73 FR 24615, and no comments were received. NSF is forwarding the proposed renewal submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance simultaneously with the publication of this second notice. Comments regarding (a) whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology should be addressed to: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for National Science Foundation, 72517th Street, NW., Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, and to Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 295, Arlington, Virginia 22230 or send e-mail to splimpto@nsf.gov. Comments regarding these information collections are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of this notification. Copies of the submission may be obtained by calling 703-292-7556. NSF may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information that such persons are not required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.