January 18, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published in the Federal Register of September 2, 2004, a direct final rule to incorporate exemptions one, two, and three of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) into FDA's public information regulations. The purpose was to implement more comprehensively the exemptions contained in FOIA. The comment period closed November 16, 2004. FDA is withdrawing the direct final rule because the agency received significant adverse comment.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announces a meeting of the NASA Solar System Exploration Strategic Roadmap Committee.

OCRM published a document in the Federal Register of January 5, 2005, announcing dates of the public scoping meetings pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The document contained an incorrect action, summary, and dates.

The Office of the Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a public meeting on February 2, 2005, to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items that will be discussed at the Thirty-seventh Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex). The 37th Session of the CCFH will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 14-19 March, 2005. The Acting Under Secretary and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the agenda items that will be discussed at this forthcoming session of the CCFH.

The Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretary) published in the Federal Register on August 17, 2004 proposed uniform guidelines for conducting elections of Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committees, pursuant to section 10708 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-171) (the 2002 Farm Bill). The notice provided a thirty-day period for public comments. As a result of numerous requests, the public comment period was extended until October 16, 2004, in a Federal Register notice published September 22, 2004. After analysis of the comments received, the Secretary is now issuing the final uniform guidelines for conducting FSA County Committee elections.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has notified EPA that it has adopted four sets of amendments to the California ZEV regulation. By letter dated September 23, 2004, CARB requested that EPA confirm that its aggregated amendments from the four rulemakings as they affect model years 2003-2006 are within the scope of previous waivers of preemption issued by EPA. CARB also requests that EPA issue a new waiver of preemption for the aggregated amendments to the extent they are applicable to the 2007 and subsequent model years. This notice announces that EPA has tentatively scheduled a public hearing concerning California's requests and that EPA is accepting written comment on the requests.

NMFS published in the Federal Register of January 4, 2005, a final rule containing final specifications for the 2005 and 2006 summer flounder fisheries and for the 2005 scup and black sea bass fisheries. Inadvertently, Table 4 of the final rule contained an incorrect Winter I period scup possession limit. This document corrects that error.

NMFS publishes this final rule to implement measures previously approved, but not implemented under Framework 16 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan (Scallop FMP) and Framework 39 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP (Multispecies FMP) (Joint Frameworks). The implementation of these measures was delayed, pending approval of reporting and recordkeeping requirements by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This final rule allows general category scallop vessels to fish in the Northeast (NE) multispecies closed area access program implemented as part of the Joint Frameworks, provided that they comply with new recordkeeping and reporting requirements. OMB has approved the reporting and recordkeeping requirements for vessels with general category scallop permits, as required under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).

The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) is issuing this proposed rule as part of its implementation of Title I of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (Act). The Act established a temporary Terrorism Insurance Program (Program) under which the Federal Government will share the risk of insured loss from certified acts of terrorism with commercial property and casualty insurers until the Program ends on December 31, 2005. This proposed rule is a clarification that, for purposes of calculating insurer deductibles and meeting the requirements for claiming the Federal share of compensation for insured losses, affiliations are to be determined based on the insurer's circumstances as of the date of the first certified act of terrorism in a Program Year.

The Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC) will hold a plenary meeting on February 11, 2005, at the U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230, in Room 3407. The ETTAC will discuss Tsunami Relief efforts and how environmental technologies companies can assist with the efforts, as well as continuing discussions on trade liberalization in environmental goods and services. The meeting is open to the public and time will be permitted for public comment. Written comments concerning ETTAC affairs are welcome anytime before or after the meeting. Minutes will be available within 30 days of this meeting. The ETTAC is mandated by Public Law 103-392. It was created to advise the U.S. government on environmental trade policies and programs, and to help it to focus its resources on increasing the exports of the U.S. environmental industry. ETTAC operates as an advisory committee to the Secretary of Commerce and the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC). ETTAC was originally chartered in May of 1994. It was most recently rechartered until May 30, 2006. For further information phone Joseph Ayoub, Office of Environmental Technologies Industries (ETI), International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce at (202) 482-0313 or 5225. This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to OEEI at (202) 482-5225.