August 16, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

An open meeting of the Wage & Investment Reducing Taxpayer Burden (Notices) Issue Committee of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel will be conducted (via teleconference). The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel is soliciting public comments, ideas and suggestions on improving customer service at the Internal Revenue Service.

On August 10, 2005, the Extraordinary Challenge Committee (ECC) issued its decision in the matter of Certain Softwood Lumber Products from Canada, Secretariat File No. ECC-2004-1904-01USA.

The designation of Liberia for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will expire on October 1, 2005. This Notice extends the designation of Liberia for 12 months, until October 1, 2006, and sets forth procedures necessary for nationals of Liberia and aliens having no nationality who last habitually resided in Liberia with TPS to re- register and to apply for an extension of their employment authorization documents (EADs) for the additional 12-month period. Re- registration is limited to persons who registered under the current designation (which was announced on August 25, 2004). Certain nationals of Liberia (or aliens having no nationality who last habitually resided in Liberia) who previously have not applied for TPS under the current designation may be eligible to apply under the late initial registration provisions.

In accordance with the requirements in Title 33 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 127.009, the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) Long Island Sound, is preparing a Letter of Recommendation as to the suitability of Long Island Sound for liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine traffic. This Letter of Recommendation will encompass the marine safety and security aspects associated with the proposed Broadwater LNG facility. The letter of recommendation is in response to a Letter of Intent submitted by Broadwater Energy, a joint venture of Shell Oil and TransCanada Corporation, to construct and operate an offshore floating, storage and regasification unit (FSRU) for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the New York State waters of Long Island Sound. Because the proposed facility would be located in state waters, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the lead Federal agency for this proposed project. The COTP Long Island Sound is soliciting written comments and related material, and will join FERC at four public meetings seeking comments, pertaining specifically to maritime safety and security aspects of the proposed LNG facility. In preparation for issuance of a letter of recommendation and the completion of certain other regulatory mandates, the COTP Long Island Sound will consider comments received from the public as input into the Coast Guard's assessment of potential waterway safety and port security issues associated with the proposed facility.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing a series of public meetings entitled ``Vision 2006A Conversation With the American Public,'' in three cities. This forum will be an open format in which consumers can interact directly with the agency's leadership to discuss what is on the public's mind. It will also be an opportunity for the agency to update the public on current agency programs, engage the public in discussion, and obtain consumer input on specific issues. We may use the public input we receive to evaluate and to propose modifications, if necessary, to our programs and activities.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), this notice announces that the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs, has submitted the collection of information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden; it includes the actual data collection instrument.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Maritime Administration's (MARAD's) intention to request extension of approval for three years of a currently approved information collection.

The President adjusted the rates of basic pay and locality payments for certain categories of Federal employees effective in January 2005. This notice documents those pay adjustments for the public record.

EPA proposes to approve the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the state of Iowa for the purpose of approving the 2001 and 2004 updates to the Linn County Air Quality Ordinance, Chapter 10, Air Quality. These revisions will help to ensure consistency between the applicable local agency rules and Federally- approved rules, and ensure Federal enforceability of the applicable parts of the local agency air programs.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This is a request for a new collection. Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below.

The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB or ``the Board'') is revising its regulation governing actions filed by an administrative law judge (ALJ) who alleges a constructive removal under 5 U.S.C. 7521. The revision repeals the standard stated by the regulation for establishing such a removal in light of the Board's determination in recent cases that the ALJ must show involuntary separation from the position of ALJ. As discussed below, the revised standard for establishing the constructive removal of an ALJ is addressed in the Board's cases and will not be incorporated in the revised regulation, which is retained solely to provide procedural guidance for ALJ- initiated actions alleging violation of section 7521.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondents' burden, invites the general public to take this opportunity to comment on this proposed information collection as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A). Currently, the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness (OOSLGCP) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed new collection, Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Application.

This rule would increase the assessment rate and change the assessable unit established for the Kiwifruit Administrative Committee (Committee) for the 2005-06 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.002 per pound of kiwifruit to $0.045 per 9-kilo volume-fill container or equivalent of kiwifruit. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of kiwifruit grown in California. Authorization to assess kiwifruit handlers enables the Committee to incur expenses that are reasonable and necessary to administer the program. The fiscal period begins August 1 and ends July 31. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

The Acting Director, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of the Chief Information Officer, invites comments on the proposed information collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.