February 11, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Social Security Administration (SSA), with the concurrence of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), proposes to issue regulations that would supplement, for officers and employees of SSA, the OGE Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. The proposed regulations would set forth prohibitions and prior approval requirements for certain outside employment and other outside activities for all SSA employees, and would set forth additional prior approval requirements for SSA Administrative Law Judges.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is correcting a notice that appeared in the Federal Register of January 5, 2005 (70 FR 824). The document provided the agency's annual comprehensive list of guidance documents. The list provided information on current guidance documents and those that have been withdrawn. The document was published with some inadvertent errors. This document corrects those errors.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of an upcoming meeting of the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee (the Committee) to be held via telephone conference. This meeting is open to the general public, which may participate by following the instructions below.

Pursuant to 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) subpart 8364, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces its intentions to close certain BLM-administered public lands to all types of motor vehicle use during the period of January 1 through April 30, annually. This seasonal closure is needed to protect public lands and resources and to minimize stress to wintering elk, moose, pronghorn antelope and mule deer. This seasonal closure affects public lands located within the Raymond Mountain Wilderness Study Area (WSA), Slate Creek, Rock Creek, and Bridger Creek winter ranges. Except for travel on highways or county roads, motorized vehicle travel within these areas will be allowed only by written authorization from the Kemmerer Field Manager. Personnel of the BLM, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, U.S. Department of Agriculture-APHIS & Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and law enforcement personnel are exempt from this closure only when performing official duties. Operators of existing oil and gas facilities may perform maintenance and pumping, as approved, and livestock operators may perform permitted activities.

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) and associated regulations, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in cooperation with the State of Wyoming, announces the availability of a DEIS that evaluates, analyzes, and discloses to the public direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of a proposal to continue to develop a natural gas field by increasing the density of well locations by drilling additional wells. This practice is known as ``infill'' drilling. The Jonah Infill Drilling Project (JIDP) area is located approximately 32 miles southeast of Pinedale and 28 miles northwest of Farson, Sublette County, Wyoming. The JIDP area is approximately 30,200 acres in Townships 29 and 30 North, Range 114 West, 6th Principal Meridian. The DEIS analyzes a proposal made by EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., (EnCana) and BP America Production Company (BP), referred to collectively as ``the Companies,'' to increase development of Federal natural gas resources in an area known as the Jonah Field. The Companies' proposal includes drilling up to 3,100 natural gas wells from existing and new well pads, at a minimum well pad density of 64 well pads per aliquot section (1 wellpad/10 acres), and at a rate of 250 wells per year. The infill drilling is expected to be concentrated in a 21,000 acre portion of the Jonah Field. The proposed life of project (LOP) is 70 to 80 years with the majority of drilling and development activities to occur within the first 8 to 12 years following approval. The proposal also includes constructing or upgrading associated ancillary transportation and transmission facilities within the 30,200 acres project area. The total project area is comprised of: Approximately 28,280 acres of Federal surface and mineral estate administered by the BLM; 1,280 acres of State of Wyoming surface and minerals; and 640 acres of private surface ownership with Federal mineral (split estate). Under the provisions of NEPA, the State of Wyoming assisted in the preparation of the DEIS as a cooperating agency.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, as amended), notice is hereby given that the Acquisition Advisory Panel established in accordance with the Services Acquisition Reform Act of 2003 will meet on February 28, 2005 at 9 a.m., eastern time. Location for the meeting will be the Rachel Carson Room in the basement of the Department of Interior, 1849 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20240. While the meeting is open to the public, building security and limited seating require you to provide your name to the Designated Federal Officer (DFO) (contact information listed below) by Thursday, February 24, 2005. You will need a photo identification to enter the building. The public entrance to the building is the C Street entrance. However, the E Street entrance is reserved for individuals with disabilities requiring an accessible entrance to the building. Please let the DFO know in advance if you will require the accessible entrance. The panel's statutory charter is to review Federal contracting laws, regulations, and government-wide policies, including the use of commercial practices, performance-based contracting, performance of acquisition functions across agency lines of responsibility, and government-wide contracts. Since this meeting will be the first time the panel members discuss substantive procurement- related issues, it is anticipated that a broad range of topics falling under their statutory charter will be discussed. Subgroups or working groups, as referenced in the Panel's Bylaws and operating procedures, may be established to research specific procurement-related areas in order to eventually make a recommendation to the panel. A draft agenda will be available from the DFO, upon request, in advance of the meeting.

EPA has received a specific exemption request from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry to use the pesticide carbofuran (CAS No. 563-66-2) to treat up to 300,000 acres of rice to control rice water weevil. The applicant proposes the use of an active ingredient which has been the subject of a Special Review and is intended for a use that has been the subject of the Special Review. EPA is soliciting public comment before making the decision whether or not to grant the exemption.

This amendment supersedes an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for Bell Helicopter Textron, A Division of Textron Canada (BHTC) Model 222, 222B, 222U, and 230 helicopters, that currently requires a visual check of each main rotor grip (grip) and pitch horn assembly without disassembling the main rotor hub assembly (hub assembly), and a visual inspection at specified intervals of each affected grip and pitch horn assembly for a crack using a 10-power or higher magnifying glass. If a crack is found, the existing AD requires replacing each unairworthy grip or pitch horn with an airworthy part before further flight. This amendment requires those same actions, and also requires an additional inspection of the grip and pitch horn assembly for a crack in the disassembled hub assembly, and replacing any cracked part with an airworthy part. This amendment is prompted by the determination that an additional enhanced inspection is needed to ensure the integrity of the hub assembly. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent failure of the grip or pitch horn and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

The FAA is superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD), which applies to certain Boeing Model 767 series airplanes. That AD currently requires repetitive detailed and eddy current inspections of the aft pressure bulkhead for damage and cracking, and repair if necessary. This new AD also requires one-time detailed and high frequency eddy current inspections of any ``oil-can'' located on the aft pressure bulkhead, and related corrective actions if necessary. An ``oil-can'' is an area on a pressure dome web that moves when pushed from the forward side. This AD is prompted by reports of cracking at ``oil-can'' boundaries on the aft pressure bulkhead. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking of the aft pressure bulkhead, which could result in rapid depressurization of the airplane and possible damage or interference with the airplane control systems that penetrate the bulkhead, and consequent loss of controllability of the airplane.

This Notice identifies unutilized, underutilized, excess, and surplus Federal property reviewed by HUD for suitability for possible use to assist the homeless.