August 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2005. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

The EPA is proposing to grant a petition submitted by Saturn Corporation (Saturn) to exclude or ``delist'' wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) sludge generated from conversion coating on aluminum at Saturn's integrated automotive assembly facility located at 100 Saturn Parkway in Spring Hill, Tennessee, from the requirements of the hazardous waste regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). This exclusion would be valid only when the sludge is disposed of in a Subtitle D landfill that is permitted, licensed, or registered by a state to manage industrial solid waste. The EPA used the Delisting Risk Assessment Software (DRAS) in the evaluation of the potential impact of the petitioned waste on human health and the environment. The EPA bases its proposed decision to grant the petition based on an evaluation of waste-specific information provided by Saturn. This proposed decision, if finalized, conditionally excludes the petitioned waste from the requirements of the RCRA hazardous waste regulations. If finalized, the EPA would conclude that Saturn's petitioned waste is nonhazardous with respect to the original listing criteria and that there are no other factors that would cause the waste to be hazardous.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2005. This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

This regulation establishes four exemptions from the requirement of a tolerance for residues of lactic acid, 2-ethylhexyl ester or ethylhexyl lactate when used as an inert ingredient (solvent) in or on growing crops, when applied to raw agricultural commodities after harvest, or to animals. Purac America, Inc. submitted a petition to EPA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA), requesting an exemption from the requirement of a tolerance. This regulation eliminates the need to establish a maximum permissible level for residues of lactic acid, 2-ethylhexyl ester.

This document affirms an amendment to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adjudication regulation regarding the definition of ``date of receipt'' authorizing the Under Secretary for Benefits to establish exceptions to the general rule when a natural or man-made event interferes with the channels through which the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) ordinarily receives correspondence, resulting in extended delays in receipt of claims, information, or evidence from claimants served by VBA. Currently, VBA receives correspondence through its 57 Regional Offices and through the Appeals Management Center, which develops claims on appeal to the Board of Veterans Appeals. The intended effect is to ensure that claimants served by the affected VBA office or offices are not deprived of potential entitlement to benefits because of unexpected delays or impediments not caused by the claimants.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Research and Development's National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) is reviewing and, as appropriate, revising the EPA document, Air Quality Criteria for Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants, EPA-600/ AP-93/004aF-cF, published in 1996. Today's Federal Register notice announces the availability of a second external review draft of the revised ozone air quality criteria document (AQCD).

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2005. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

The Department of Health and Human Services, with the concurrence of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), is amending the HHS regulation that supplements the OGE Standards of Ethical Conduct. This final rule adopts, with certain revisions, the changes made to 5 CFR part 5501 in the interim final rule that was published on February 3, 2005, at 70 FR 5543. After considering comments to that rulemaking, this final rule: Clarifies the definition of an ``employee of a component;'' Amends the outside activity prior approval requirements applicable to employees of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH); Revises prior approval information collection requirements and the waiver provision applicable to the outside activities prohibitions; Removes professional associations and other science and health-related organizations from the list of entities with which NIH employees are prohibited from engaging in outside activities; Adds exceptions to the NIH outside activities prohibition for delivering a class lecture as part of a regularly scheduled university course, serving on data and safety monitoring boards and grant and scientific review committees, and presenting in Grand Rounds; Limits the prohibition on holding financial interests in substantially affected organizations to senior NIH employees, their spouses, and minor children only, permits investments in such organizations that do not exceed $15,000, and allows holdings capped at $50,000 in sector mutual funds that concentrate their investments in the securities of substantially affected organizations; and Revises the outside award limitations for senior NIH employees by applying an official responsibility test for matters potentially involving an award donor. In addition, the financial disclosure reporting requirements specified in new part 5502 that were added by the interim final rule of February 3, 2005, at 70 FR 5543, and amended by an interim final rule that was published on June 28, 2005, at 70 FR 37009, are adopted as final, subject to certain amendments. The requirement to file a supplemental disclosure of financial interests in substantially affected organizations is refocused to apply to NIH employees who file a public or confidential financial disclosure report and other NIH employees who are designated as investigators in an NIH clinical research protocol approved by an institutional review board. The due date for the initial report is also changed.

OSHA solicits public comment concerning its request for an extension of the information collection requirement contained in its Standard on Permit-Required Confined Spaces (29 CFR 1910.146).

Notice is hereby given that Guam Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources (DAWR), 142 Dairy Road, Mangilao, Guam 96913, has been issued a permit to take green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles for purposes of scientific research.

This emergency rule, implemented under the authority of the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery management plan (FMP), establishes a salmon conservation zone for the primary Pacific whiting (whiting) fishery, shoreward of a boundary line approximating the 100-fm (183-m) depth contour. Under this rule, fishing for Pacific whiting within the salmon conservation zone is prohibited.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed continuing information collections. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), this notice seeks comments concerning the renewal of FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Biennial Report forms (FEMA Form 81-28, FEMA Form 81-29, FEMA Form 81-29A). Under 44 CFR 59.22(b)(2), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires that communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) submit an annual or biennial report describing the progress made during the year in the implementation and enforcement of floodplain management regulations. Currently, FEMA has determined that this data will be collected on a biennial reporting cycle and the data collection is now referred to as the Biennial Report.

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), are announcing receipt of a proposed amendment to the Texas regulatory program (Texas program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Texas proposes to revise its fish and wildlife habitat revegetation guidelines by adding technical standards for reclaiming mined land to habitat suitable for bobwhite quail and other grassland bird species and by making associated changes to existing guidelines. Texas intends to revise its program to encourage reclamation practices that are suitable for grassland bird species. This document gives the times and locations that the Texas program and proposed amendment to that program are available for your inspection, the comment period during which you may submit written comments on the amendment, and the procedures that we will follow for the public hearing, if one is requested.

As a part of its review of regulations under section 2222 of the Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-208, Sept. 30, 1996) (EGRPRA), the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) is issuing a final rule, which reduces regulatory burden on savings associations by updating and revising various application and reporting requirements. Specifically, the final rule: modifies the branch office and agency office application and notice requirements, harmonizes publication and public comment procedures for various applications and notices, and revises the meeting procedures. The final rule also eliminates various obsolete rules.

The public is invited to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species and marine mammals.

The public is invited to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species and marine mammals.

In this document, the Commission concludes that because speed of answer is central to the provision of ``functionally equivalent'' telecommunications relay service (TRS), and video relay service (VRS) is now widely usedif not the preferred form of TRS, VRS providers must provide service in compliance with the speed of answer rule adopted to be eligible for compensation from the Interstate TRS Fund. The rule establishes for the first time, mandatory speed of answer requirement for VRS, requires VRS to be officered 24/7, and permit VRS providers to be compensated for providing VRS mail. Also, in this document, the Commission closes TRS Docket No. CC 98-67.

The Department of Health and Human Services, as part of its continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the IHS is providing a 60-day advance opportunity for public comment on a proposed extension of current information collection activity to be submitted to the office of Management and Budget for review.

The Threat Reduction Advisory Committee will meet in closed session on Thursday, November 3, 2005, at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), and on Friday, November 4, 2005 in the Pentagon, Washington, DC. The mission of the Committee is to advise the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics) on technology security, combating weapons of mass destruction, chemical and biological defense, transformation of the nuclear weapons stockpile, and other matters related to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's mission. In accordance with Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix II), it has been determined that this Committee meeting concerns matters listed in 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(1), and that accordingly the meeting will be closed to the public.

Pursuant to Public Law 92-463, notice is hereby given of a forthcoming meeting of the National Security Education Board Group of Advisors. The purpose of the meeting is to review and make recommendations to the Board concerning requirements established by the David L. Boren National Security Education Act, Title VIII of Public Law 102-183, as amended. The National Security Education Board Group of Advisors meeting is open to the public. The delay of this notice resulted from the short time-frame needed to coordinate the schedules of the various officials whose participation was judged essential to a meaningful public discussion.

On June 30, 2005, the EIA issued a Federal Register notice (70 FR 37798) soliciting comments on EIA's Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program (Form EIA-1605). Upon further consideration, EIA has decided to cancel the request for comments on the proposed revised form and instructions for the Program.