July 7, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the public comment period for the proposal to designate critical habitat for the southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) to allow all interested parties to comment on the proposed critical habitat designation under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); the draft economic analysis; draft environmental assessment; and the associated required determinations discussed below. Comments previously submitted on the October 12, 2004, proposed rule (69 FR 60705), and the December 13, 2004 (69 FR 72161), March 31, 2005 (70 FR 16474), and April 28, 2005 (70 FR 21988), publications, need not be resubmitted as they have been incorporated into the public record and will be fully considered in preparation of the final rule.

NMFS announces its intent to develop recovery plans for 16 ESUs of Pacific salmon and steelhead in the Northwest listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and requests information from the public. NMFS is required by the ESA to develop and implement recovery plans for the conservation and survival of listed species. NMFS is working with state, Federal, tribal and local entities in Washington, Oregon and Idaho to produce draft recovery plans by December 2005.

The Coast Guard is removing an established security zone in the Port of Port Lavaca-Point Comfort. Under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, owners or operators of local facilities are required to take specific action to improve facility security. As such, a security zone around local facilities will no longer be necessary under normal conditions. This final rule removes an established security zone.

In this document, the Commission modifies its rules governing minor changes to low power FM (LPFM) authorized facilities and minor technical amendments to LPFM applications. The Commission clarifies the definition of locally originated programming for purposes of resolving mutually exclusive LPFM applications. The Commission also establishes standards for waiver of the LPFM 18-month construction deadline and the prohibition on assignment of LPFM authorizations or transfer of control of LPFM permittees or licensees. The Commission imposes a six-month freeze on the grant of FM translator new station construction permits.

This action establishes a Class E Surface Area to replace existing Class D airspace at South Lake Tahoe, CA.

NMFS is clarifying emergency regulations that closed portions of Federal waters of the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and southern New England to the harvest of bivalve shellfish due to the presence of the toxin that causes Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP). This correction will allow for the collection and testing of samples for the toxin that causes PSP. In addition, this rule will correct the effective date for the definition of a ``Category 1 herring vessel'' and reinstate a prohibition on the sale of certain haddock that was inadvertently overwritten by the emergency rule.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2 office is issuing this notice of intent to delete the Jones Sanitation Superfund Site (Site), located in Hyde Park, New York from the National Priorities List (NPL) and requests public comment on this action. The NPL is Appendix B of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), 40 CFR part 300, which EPA promulgated pursuant to section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended. The EPA and the State of New York, through the Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), have determined that potentially responsible parties have implemented all appropriate response actions. Moreover, EPA and NYSDEC have determined that the Site poses no significant threat to public health or the environment. In the ``Rules and Regulations'' Section of today's Federal Register, we are publishing a direct final notice of deletion for the Jones Sanitation Superfund Site without prior notice of this action because we view this as a noncontroversial revision and anticipate no significant adverse comment. We have explained our reasons for this action in the preamble to the direct final deletion. If we receive no significant adverse comment(s) on this notice of intent to delete or the direct final notice of deletion or other notices we may issue, we will not take further action on this notice of intent to delete. If we receive significant adverse comment(s), we will withdraw the direct final notice of deletion and it will not take effect. We will, as appropriate, address all public comments. If, after evaluating public comments, EPA decides to proceed with deletion, we will do so in a subsequent final deletion notice based on this notice of intent to delete. Any parties interested in commenting must do so at this time. For additional information, see the direct final notice of deletion which is located in the Rules section of this Federal Register.

On April 15, 2004, we, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced nationwide designations under the 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). That action designated several counties in the Syracuse area as unclassifiable. The counties in the Syracuse area included in the designation were Onondaga, Madison, Cayuga and Oswego in the State of New York. This action proposes to redesignate the above counties to attainment. We are soliciting comments on this proposed action.

The Copyright Office of the Library of Congress is publishing the royalty rates for the retransmission of digital over-the-air television broadcast signals by satellite carriers under the statutory license.

The Commission has considered further its adoption of amendments to rules under the Investment Company Act of 1940 to require investment companies (``funds'') that rely on certain exemptive rules to adopt certain governance practices. The reconsideration responds to a decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit remanding to us for further consideration two issues raised by the rulemaking.

The NCUA Board is continuing its review of its regulations to identify outdated, unnecessary, or unduly burdensome regulatory requirements imposed on federally-insured credit unions pursuant to the Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1996 (EGRPRA). Today, NCUA requests comments and suggestions on ways to reduce burden in regulations that govern directors, officers, and employees and that establish rules of procedure, consistent with our statutory obligations. All comments are welcome. We will analyze the comments received and propose burden reducing changes to our regulations where appropriate. Some suggestions for burden reduction might require legislative changes. Where legislative changes would be required, we will consider the suggestions in recommending appropriate changes to Congress.

On December 21, 1983, the Department of Energy (DOE) published in the Federal Register a final rule governing the price competitive sales of petroleum from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in the event that the SPR is drawn down to respond to a severe energy supply interruption or to meet obligations of the United States under the Agreement on an International Energy Program. The final rule provides for the publication and periodic update, as an appendix to the rule, of Standard Sales Provisions (SSPs) containing or describing contract clauses, terms and conditions of sale, and performance and financial responsibility measures, which may be used for particular sales of SPR petroleum. First published in interim final form on January 20, 1984, the SSPs have since been updated several times, with the latest version published in the Federal Register on October 8, 1998 (63 FR 54196). As provided in the rule, DOE is now issuing revised SSPs for use in an SPR drawdown.