February 1, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This is a notice of the Presidential declaration of a major disaster for the State of Indiana (FEMA-1573-DR), dated January 21, 2005, and related determinations.

This notice amends the notice of an emergency declaration for the State of Ohio (FEMA-3198-EM), dated January 11, 2005, and related determinations.

This notice announces a change to the application requirements when applying to become an Importer or Broker Account so as to access the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Secure Data Portal (``ACE Portal'') or to participate in any ACE test. Specifically, applicants seeking to establish importer or broker accounts so as to access the ACE Portal, or to participate in any ACE test, are no longer required to provide a statement certifying participation in the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). Participation in C-TPAT has never been a requirement to establish a carrier account.

Four public hearings on proposed rules amendments have been canceled and one public hearing has been extended for a second day. The following public hearings on proposed rules amendments have been canceled: Evidence Rules in New Haven, Connecticut, on January 27, 2005; Bankruptcy Rules in Washington, DC., on February 3, 2005; and in San Francisco, California, on February 7, 2005; and Criminal Rules in Washington, DC., on February 4, 2005. The following public hearing on proposed rules amendments has been extended for a second day: The public hearing on proposed amendments to the Civil Rules, in Washington, DC., has been extended one additional day. The hearings will be held on February 11 and 12, 2005. The hearings on each day will be held at 8:30 a.m., in the Judicial Conference Center of the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, One Columbus Circle, NE. [Original notice of all five hearings appeared in the Federal Register of September 13, 2004.]

This document provides required notice of substantive rules issued by the Coast Guard and temporarily effective between October 1, 2004 and December 31, 2004, that were not published in the Federal Register. This quarterly notice lists temporary special local regulations, security zones, safety zones, and regulated navigation areas, all of limited duration for which timely publication in the Federal Register was not possible.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collections and their expected burden. The Federal Register document with a 60-day comment period was published on September 29, 2004 [69 FR 58219].

This document announces a public meeting in which the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and members of the Performance-Based Operations Aviation Rulemaking Committee (PARC) will discuss the activities of the PARC since the Federal Aviation Administrator chartered the group in February 2004.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a moving and fixed security zone around cruise ships entering, departing, mooring or anchoring at the Port of Fredericksted in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. These proposed regulations are designed to protect cruise ships at this port. All vessels, with the exception of cruise ships, would be prohibited from entering a moving and fixed security zone around each cruise ship without the express permission of the Captain of the Port San Juan or designated representative.

The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. HUD is requesting continued approval to require an application for acceptance of products for use in structures approved for mortgages or loans insured under the National Housing Act. Under the established Technical Suitability of Products (TSP) program, manufacturers (sponsors) of nonstandard housing-related materials, products, or structural housing systems must apply to HUD for a determination of technical acceptance. The two major categories of acceptance are: (1) Structural building systems, subsystems, and components; and (2) structural and nonstructural materials and products.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) owns, or has an interest in, irrigation facilities located on various Indian reservations throughout the United States. We are required to establish rates to recover the costs to administer, operate, maintain, and rehabilitate those facilities. We request your comments on the proposed rate adjustments.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) seeks comments on its intention to request an extension of two currently approved information collections. OPM uses the two collections, a Price Survey and a Background Survey, to gather data it uses to determine cost-of-living allowances the Government provides to certain Federal employees in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. OPM conducts Price Surveys in the Washington, DC, area on an annual basis and once every 3 years in each allowance area on a rotating basis. Prior to these surveys, OPM conducts Background Surveys that are similar to the Price Survey, but much more limited in scope. OPM uses the results of the Background Surveys to prepare for the Price Surveys.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to amend the regulations promulgated under the Endangered Species Act (ESA or Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) to add a new subsection to govern certain activities with U.S. captive-bred populations of three antelope species that have been proposed for listing as endangered, should they become listed. These specimens are the scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah), addax (Addax nasomaculatus), and dama gazelle (Gazella dama). For U.S. captive-bred live specimens, embryos, gametes, and sport- hunted trophies of these three species, this proposed rule would authorize certain otherwise prohibited activities that enhance the propagation or survival of the species. International trade in specimens of these species will continue to require permits under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). We have prepared a draft Environmental Assessment of the impact of this proposed rule under regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The Service seeks data and comments from the public on this proposed rule and the draft Environmental Assessment.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS or the Department) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) are issuing final regulations to establish a new human resources management system within DHS, as authorized by the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The affected subsystems include those governing basic pay, classification, performance management, labor relations, adverse actions, and employee appeals. These changes are designed to ensure that the Department's human resources management system aligns with its critical mission requirements without compromising the statutorily protected civil service rights of its employees.