Agencies and Commissions January 14, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid 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 (PRA) that does not display a valid control number. 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.

In accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act, as amended, this notice announces the renewal of an existing computer matching program that SSA is currently conducting with HHS/ACF/OCSE.

Notice is hereby given that a complaint was filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission on December 15, 2008, under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, 19 U.S.C. 1337, on behalf of O2 Micro International Ltd. of the Cayman Islands and O2 Micro Inc. of Santa Clara, California. A letter supplementing the complaint was filed on December 24, 2008. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 based upon the importation into the United States, the sale for importation, and the sale within the United States after importation of certain cold cathode fluorescent lamp (``CCFL'') inverter circuits and products containing same that infringe certain claims of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,417,382; 6,856,519; 6,809,938; and 7,120,035. The complaint further alleges that an industry in the United States exists as required by subsection (a)(2) of section 337. The complainants request that the Commission institute an investigation and, after the investigation, issue exclusion orders and cease and desist orders.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is issuing a final rule to redefine the geographic boundaries of the Buffalo, NY, and Pittsburgh, PA, appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas. The final rule redefines McKean and Warren Counties, PA, and the Allegheny National Forest portions of Elk and Forest Counties, PA, from the Pittsburgh wage area to the Buffalo wage area. These changes are based on a consensus recommendation of the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC) to best match the above counties to a nearby FWS survey area. FPRAC recommended no other changes in the geographic definitions of the Buffalo and Pittsburgh wage areas.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a proposed rule that would redefine the geographic boundaries of several appropriated fund Federal Wage System wage areas for pay-setting purposes. Based on recent reviews of Metropolitan Statistical Area boundaries in a number of wage areas, OPM proposes redefinitions affecting the following wage areas: Birmingham, AL; Denver, CO; Wilmington, DE; Washington, DC; Atlanta, GA; Columbus, GA; Macon, GA; Chicago, IL; Bloomington-Bedford-Washington, IN; Indianapolis, IN; Louisville, KY; Baltimore, MD; Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg, MD; St. Louis, MO; Southern Missouri; Omaha, NE; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, PA; Eastern South Dakota; Richmond, VA; and Milwaukee, WI.

The Commission is adopting revisions to its oil and gas reporting disclosures which exist in their current form in Regulation S-K and Regulation S-X under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as well as Industry Guide 2. The revisions are intended to provide investors with a more meaningful and comprehensive understanding of oil and gas reserves, which should help investors evaluate the relative value of oil and gas companies. In the three decades that have passed since adoption of these disclosure items, there have been significant changes in the oil and gas industry. The amendments are designed to modernize and update the oil and gas disclosure requirements to align them with current practices and changes in technology. The amendments concurrently align the full cost accounting rules with the revised disclosures. The amendments also codify and revise Industry Guide 2 in Regulation S-K. In addition, they harmonize oil and gas disclosures by foreign private issuers with the disclosures for domestic issuers.