August 18, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are proposing to amend the regulations governing the importation of meat and other edible animal products by allowing, under certain conditions, the importation of whole cuts of boneless beef from Japan. We are proposing this action in response to a request from the Government of Japan and after conducting an analysis of the risk that indicates that such beef can be safely imported from Japan under the conditions described in this proposal.

The Coast Guard is establishing temporary special local regulations during the ``Patuxent River Air Expo 2005'', an event to be held over the waters of the lower Patuxent River near Solomons, Maryland. These special local regulations are necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the event. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic in portions of the Patuxent River during the event.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish special local regulations during the ``Liberty Grand Prix'', a power boat race to be held on the waters of the Delaware River adjacent to Philadelphia, PA and Camden, NJ. These special local regulations are necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the event. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic between the Walt Whitman and Benjamin Franklin bridges in the Delaware River during the power boat race.

This rule identifies communities, where the sale of flood insurance has been authorized under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), that are scheduled for suspension on the effective dates listed within this rule because of noncompliance with the floodplain management requirements of the program. If the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) receives documentation that the community has adopted the required floodplain management measures prior to the effective suspension date given in this rule, the suspension will not occur and a notice of this will be provided by publication in the Federal Register on a subsequent date.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain EMBRAER Model ERJ 170 airplanes. This proposed AD would require replacing the very high frequency (VHF) antenna located in position 1 of the fuselage with a new, improved VHF antenna. This proposed AD results from a report of the loss of all voice communications due to a lightning strike damaging all the VHF antennas. We are proposing this AD to prevent the loss of voice communication, which when combined with the complexity of the national airspace system, could result in reduced flightcrew situational awareness, increased flightcrew workload, and increased risk of human error, and consequent reduced ability to maintain safe flight and landing of the airplane.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are removing the plant Helianthus eggertii (Eggert's sunflower) from the List of Endangered and Threatened Plants pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), because recovery actions have secured a number of populations and identified additional populations not previously known. Therefore, the threatened designation no longer correctly reflects the current status of this plant. This action is based on a review of all available data, which indicate that the species is now protected on Federal, State, and county lands; is more widespread and abundant than was documented at the time of listing; and is more resilient and less vulnerable to certain activities than previously thought. Due to the recent development of a management plan for H. eggertii, a management plan for the barrens/woodland ecosystem, and an Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan at the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering and Development Center, on whose land a significant number of sites/populations occur, new management practices will include managing for, and monitoring the areas that contain, this species. Occurrences of H. eggertii are also found on six other Federal, State, or county lands, five of which now have conservation agreements with us to protect, manage, and monitor the species. The remaining site is jointly owned by the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission and The Nature Conservancy and has a dedicated conservation easement and a management plan in place to protect H. eggertii. At the time of listing, there were 34 known H. eggertii sites occurring in 1 county in Alabama, 5 counties in Kentucky, and 8 counties in Tennessee. The species was not defined in terms of ``populations'' at that time. Increased knowledge of H. eggertii and its habitat has resulted in increased success in locating new plant sites. Presently, there are 287 known H. eggertii sites (making up 73 populations) distributed across 3 counties in Alabama, 9 counties in Kentucky, and 15 counties in Tennessee. Consequently, H. eggertii is not likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range and, therefore, is no longer considered to be threatened.