August 22, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Export Trading Company Affairs (``ETCA''), International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce, has received an application from The Great Lakes Fruit Exporters Association, LLC (``GLFEA'') to amend its Export Trade Certificate of Review (``Certificate''). This notice summarizes the proposed amendment and requests comments relevant to whether the Certificate should be issued.

The purpose of this notice is to publish the names of those IRS employees who will be serving as members on IRS' FY2005 SES Performance Review Board(s).

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Crab Plan Team will meet in Anchorage, AK.

This notice corrects the docket number identified in the August 17, 2005 publication of a notice to initiate proceedings to hold hearings in the appropriate locations in Indiana on the issue of the location of the boundary between the Eastern and Central Time Zones in Indiana.

An open meeting of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel Earned Income Tax Credit Issue Committee 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.

This final rule implements Framework 17 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan (Framework 17), which was developed and submitted by the New England Fishery Management Council (Council) and approved by NMFS. Framework 17 requires that vessels issued a general category scallop permit and that intend to land over 40 lb (18.14 kg) of shucked, or 5 bu (176.2 L) of in-shell scallops, install and operate vessel monitoring systems (VMS). Framework 17 also allows general category scallop vessels with VMS units to turn off (power-down) their VMS units after they have offloaded scallops and while they are tied to a fixed dock or mooring. Finally, Framework 17 revises the broken trip adjustment provision for limited access scallop vessels fishing in the Sea Scallop Area Access Program. The intent of this action is to provide more complete monitoring of the general category scallop fleet, to reduce VMS operating costs, and to eliminate a provision that may have a negative influence on vessel operator decisions at sea and facilitate safety.

NMFS announces the end of the 2005 primary season for the Pacific whiting (whiting) shore-based sector at 2100 local time (l.t.) August 18, 2005, because the allocation is projected to be reached. This action is intended to keep the harvest of whiting at the 2005 allocation levels.

Following receipt on August 9, 2005 of a request from the United States Trade Representative (USTR) under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1332 (g)), the Commission instituted investigation No. 332-471, Advice Concerning Possible Modifications to the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences, 2005 Special Review on Watches. Background: As requested by the USTR, in accordance with sections 503(a)(1)(A), 503(e), and 131(a) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (1974 Act), and under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930, the Commission will provide advice with respect to the probable economic effect on U.S. industries producing like or directly competitive articles and on consumers of the elimination of U.S. import duties for all beneficiary developing countries under the GSP for the following HTS subheadings: 9102.11.10, 9102.11.25, 9102.11.30, 9102.11.45, 9102.19.20, 9102.19.40, and 9102.91.40. In providing its advice on these articles, the USTR asked that the Commission assume that the benefits of the GSP would not apply to imports that would be excluded from receiving such benefits by virtue of competitive need limits specified in section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Act. In his letter, the USTR also requested that the Commission provide advice concerning other modifications to the GSP as part of the 2005 review. The Commission will provide that advice in November 2005 in its report on investigation No. 332-470, Advice Concerning Possible Modifications to the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences, 2005 Review. In addition, as requested by the USTR, the Commission will provide advice with respect to HTS subheadings 9102.11.10, 9102.11.25, 9102.11.30, 9102.11.45, 9102.19.20, 9102.19.40, and 9102.91.40, as to the probable economic effect on United States industries (defined for watches and watch bands, straps and bracelets as those located in the United States and United States insular possessions) manufacturing or assembling watches, watch bands, straps or bracelets of the elimination of U.S. import duties under the GSP program. In addition to advice on the probable economic effect on these industries as a single geographic unit, the Commission will also provide separate advice on the probable economic effect of such action on the watch manufacturing and assembly industry and the watch band, strap, and bracelet manufacturing and assembly industry and for each geographic area (the United States and the United States insular possessions). As requested, the Commission will also provide, to the extent possible, data and analysis on the following factors for the most recent three year period for the United States industries (as defined above) manufacturing or assembling watches or manufacturing or assembling watch bands, straps or bracelets: annual production, capacity, capacity utilization, domestic shipments, exports, inventories, employment, wages, financial experience (including prices), the potential decline in output, market share, profits, productivity and return on investment, the potential negative effects on cash flow, the ability to raise capital and investment, any rapid increases in import penetration and the likelihood that such penetration will rise to an injurious level, factors affecting domestic prices, and any other factors that the Commission deems relevant. The Commission will also provide data for the most recent three-year period, to the extent possible, on the following factors for current and potential foreign producers: current and potential production capacity and capacity utilization, domestic shipments, and exports to the United States and other markets. As requested by the USTR, the Commission will seek to provide its advice no later than February 17, 2006.

The proposed information collection requirement described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

In accordance with Sections 3 and 6 of the Clean Diamond Trade Act of 2003 (Pub. L. 108-19) and Section 2 of Executive Order 13312 of July 29, 2003, the Department of State is identifying all the Participants eligible for trade in rough diamonds under the Act, and their respective Importing and Exporting Authorities, and revising the previously published list of July 29, 2004 (69 FR 47977-47978, August 6, 2004).

This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as lead agency, with the cooperation of the Oglala Sioux Tribe (Tribe), intends to gather the information necessary to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed reconstruction of BIA Route 27 near Wounded Knee, South Dakota. The BIA intends to coordinate the preparation of this EIS with consultations under the National Historic Preservation Act. The purpose of the proposed action is to improve the roadway to current safety standards. This notice also announces a public scoping meeting to identify potential issues, alternatives and content to be considered in the EIS.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the public comment period on the external review draft document titled, ``Approaches for the Application of Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) Models and Supporting Data in Risk Assessment'' (EPA/600/R-05/043A), by 45 days. On July 28, 2005, EPA published a Federal Register notice (70 FR 43692) announcing: (1) The public availability of the draft document; (2) the beginning of a 30-day public comment period; and (3) an anticipated external peer-review workshop. EPA is extending the public comment period to October 14, 2005, in response to requests for extension of the comment period. EPA intends to make comments received by the end of the extended public comment period (October 14, 2005) available to Versar, Inc., an EPA contractor for external scientific peer review, for the external peer review panelists prior to the anticipated workshop. The U.S. EPA will consider all comments received by October 14, 2005, in preparing a final report. EPA still expects Versar, Inc., to convene a panel of experts and organize and conduct an external peer-review workshop. This workshop will be announced in a separate Federal Register notice, once EPA is notified by Versar, Inc., of the date and location for the workshop. The public comment period and the external peer-review workshop are separate processes that will provide opportunities for all interested parties to comment on the document. In preparing a final report, EPA will consider any public comments that EPA receives in accordance with this notice.

Notice of availability for a 45 day review and comment period is hereby given for the Draft Institutional Controls Data Standard. The Draft Institutional Control (IC) Data Standard provides a structure for defining the elements required for describing IC information. It provides information about the implementation, monitoring, enforcement, and termination of instruments (via the IC Event) as well as the objectives they meet, associated locations, affiliates and their roles/responsibilities relevant to the IC, cleanup actions (via the IC Event), technologies, and the documentation related to each of the aforementioned subsets of data. States and U.S. EPA completed a technical review of this standard in the Fall of 2004.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing Final rules that revise the table of reduction factors for early commencing dates of survivor annuities for spouses of separated employees who die before the date on which they would be eligible for unreduced deferred annuities, and to revise the annuity factor for spouses of deceased employees who die in service when those spouses elect to receive the basic employee death benefit in 36 installments under the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) Act of 1986. These rules are necessary to conform the tables to the previously published economic assumptions adopted by the Board of Actuaries.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, May 22, 1995), this notice announces that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for reclearance of an information collection. SF 2817, Life Insurance Election, is used by Federal employees and assignees (those who have acquired control of an employee/annuitant's coverage through an assignment or ``transfer'' of the ownership of the life insurance). Clearance of this form for use by active Federal employees is not required according to the Paperwork Reduction Act (Pub. L. 98-615). The Public Burden Statement meets the requirements of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3). Therefore, only the use of this form by assignees, i.e. members of the public, is subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act. Approximately 100 SF 2817 forms are completed annually by assignees. Each form takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. The annual estimated burden is 25 hours. For copies of this proposal, contact Mary Beth Smith-Toomey on (202) 606-8358, FAX (202) 418-3251 or via e-mail to mbtoomey@opm.gov. Please include a mailing address with your request.