2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for the renewal of a currently approved information collection. 14 CFR Part 61 requires airmen to notify the FAA of any conviction or administrative action resulting from any alcohol or drug related motor vehicle offense within 60 days of the offense. A notice was published in the Federal Register announcing our intention to request renewal of this collection on September 6, 2005, vol 70, 171, pages 53039-53040.

The FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for a new information collection. The FAA has undertaken an effort to improve aviation safety by collecting data on pilots' training and experience with transport category rudder control systems. A Federal Register notice for public comment was published on April 12, 2005, vol 70, 69, page 19144.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the following public meeting: Regulatory Process for Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices (Ventricular Assist Devices). The topics of discussion are the agency's activities regarding the regulation and approval of circulatory support devices used for temporary support in pediatric patients. Date and Time: The public meeting will be held on January 20, 2006, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The agency is requiring registration by December 30, 2005. Location: The public meeting will be held at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, rm. 20B, 9200 Corporate Blvd., Rockville, MD 20850. Contact: Eric Chen, Center for Devices and Radiological Health (HFZ-450), Food and Drug Administration, 9200 Corporate Blvd., 301-443- 8262, ext. 146, e-mail: eac@cdrh.fda.gov, or Michael Berman (HFZ-170), 12725 Twinbrook Pkwy., 301-827-4744, e-mail: mrb@cdrh.fda.gov. If you need special accommodations due to a disability, please contact Eric Chen, at least 7 days in advance of the meeting. Registration: There is no fee to attend the workshop; however, because space is limited, registration is required. Please submit registration information (including name, title, firm name, address, e- mail address, telephone number, and fax number) by December 30, 2005 (see Contact). Background information for the workshop will be available to the public on the Internet at https://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ meetings/012006workshop/.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is providing notice that it has approved a supplemental new animal drug application (NADA) filed by Elanco Animal Health. The approved NADA provides for the veterinary prescription use of an injectable solution of tilmicosin phosphate for respiratory disease in cattle and sheep. This supplemental NADA adds user safety information to product labeling.

FRA is amending a portion of the accident reporting regulations. Specifically, FRA is amending the method for calculating the monetary threshold for reporting rail equipment accidents/ incidents. The amendment is necessary because, in 2001, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) ceased collecting and publishing railroad wage data used by FRA in the calculation. Consequently, FRA has had to seek a new source of publicly-available data. In the new formula, FRA uses wage data collected and maintained by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) in place of the unavailable BLS wage data. As equipment data remain available from the BLS, there is no change to the source of the equipment component of the reporting threshold. The purpose of the rule is to ensure and maintain comparability between different years of accident data by having the threshold keep pace with any increases or decreases in equipment and labor costs so that each year accidents involving the same minimum amount of railroad property damage are included in the reportable accident counts. In addition, FRA is using the newly established formula to calculate a new accident/incident monetary reporting threshold for calendar year 2006. This final rule increases the monetary threshold for reporting rail equipment accidents/incidents from $6,700 to $7,700, and applies to accidents and incidents involving railroad property damage that occur on or after January 1, 2006.

The EPA is extending the comment period a second time for an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) published on August 31, 2005 (70 FR 51694). The first extension of comment period published in the Federal Register on October 13, 2005 (70 FR 59680). In the August 31, 2005, document, EPA solicited comments, data and information for determining how to calculate the reduction in volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions achieved in ozone nonattainment and maintenance areas from the implementation of rules which limit the VOC content of architectural coatings (commonly referred to as architectural industrial maintenance, or AIM, coatings). In addition to submitting comments, data and information, interested parties may also request to meet with EPA to present their recommended approaches and rationales. Pursuant to requests of the Ozone Transport Commission and the California Air Resources Board and to allow more time in general, EPA is extending the comment period an additional 60 days to February 16, 2006.

EPA proposes to approve revisions to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted by the state of Iowa. These revisions include the general rulemaking that Iowa completes for the purpose of updating various rules, making clarifications and other minor revisions. EPA is also proposing approval of revisions to the Iowa Operating Permits Program for the purpose of updating and clarifying various rules included in the general rulemaking. These revisions add new definitions, as well as an administrative correction to a previously submitted rule. Approval of these revisions will ensure consistency between the state and Federally-approved rules, and ensure Federal enforceability of the State's revised air program rules.

The Federal Election Commission is amending its rules to revise the method by which State, district and local party committees (collectively ``State party committees'') may pay salaries and wages of employees who spend 25 percent or less of their compensated time in a month on Federal election activity or activity in connection with Federal elections (``Federal-related activity'' or ``Federal-related activities''). These final rules implement the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Shays v. FEC, which held that the Commission had not provided an adequate explanation for its former rules under the Administrative Procedure Act. The Commission is also changing its requirements regarding the method State party committees use to pay for employees' fringe benefits and clarifying its rules regarding the use of funds raised in joint Federal and non-Federal fundraising events. Further information is provided in the Supplementary Information that follows.

This document revises an earlier proposed airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain McDonnell Douglas Model MD-90-30 airplanes, that would have required repetitive inspections and functional tests of the static port heater assemblies, an inspection of the static port heaters and insulators, and corrective actions if necessary. This new action revises the proposed AD by adding repetitive inspections of the static port heaters and insulators and revising the functional test of the static port heater assemblies. The actions specified by this new proposed AD are intended to prevent an electrical short of the static port heater from sparking and igniting the insulation blanket adjacent to the static port heater, which could result in smoke and/or fire in the cabin area. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing Model 777-200 series airplanes. This proposed AD would require installing a new washer between the lower wing surface and the jam nut of the sump drain valve assembly. This proposed AD results from fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer. We are proposing this AD to prevent energy from a lightning strike on the bushing for the sump drain valve from arcing to the inside of the center fuel tank wall, which could create an ignition source in the fuel tank and result in a fuel tank explosion.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mojave Southern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet as indicated below.

This action corrects an error in the airspace description contained in a Final Rule that was published in the Federal Register on Thursday, November 17, 2005 (70 FR 69646). Airspace Docket No. 04-AAL- 06.

This action establishes Class E airspace at Tok Junction, AK to provide adequate controlled airspace to contain aircraft executing two new Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs). This rule results in new Class E airspace upward from 700 feet (ft.) and 1,200 ft. above the surface at Tok Junction Airport, AK.

This action establishes Class E airspace at Nondalton, AK to provide adequate controlled airspace to contain aircraft executing one new Standard Instrument Approach Procedure (SIAP) and one Departure Procedure (DP). This rule results in new Class E airspace upward from 700 feet (ft.) above the surface at Nondalton Airport, AK.

This document corrects the final rule, ``Hazardous Materials Training Requirements'' published in the Federal Register of October 7, 2005.

DoD is revising the name of 48 CFR Chapter 2 from ``Department of Defense'' to ``Defense Acquisition Regulations System, Department of Defense.'' This change will facilitate the Government's implementation of the Federal Document Management System, as it will permit the DoD regulations issued under 48 CFR Chapter 2 to be indexed separately from other DoD regulations.

DoD has issued a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to update text pertaining to contract financing. This rule is a result of a transformation initiative undertaken by DoD to dramatically change the purpose and content of the DFARS.

NMFS issues this final rule, correcting amendment to the regulations governing the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands crab fisheries. This action is necessary to clarify procedures and to correct discrepancies provided in a previous rulemaking. This final rule is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) King and Tanner Crabs (FMP), the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), and other applicable law.

In this final rule, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is amending its regulations to implement the repeal of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 and the enactment of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2005, by adding a new subchapter and part to its regulations and removing its exempt wholesale generator rules as they are no longer necessary.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to designate a total of approximately 633 river miles (mi) (1018.7 kilometers (km)) of critical habitat for spikedace and loach minnow. Proposed critical habitat is located in New Mexico and Arizona. We hereby solicit data and comments from the public on all aspects of this proposal, including data on economic and other impacts of the designation. We may revise this proposal prior to final designation to incorporate or address new information received during public comment periods.

EPA is finalizing certain requirements associated with the Federal on-board diagnostic (OBD) system regulations. On June 17, 2003, EPA published both a direct final rule and a concurrent notice of proposed rulemaking (68 FR 35972 and 68 FR 35830 respectively) to amend and revise certain provisions of the Federal OBD regulations. EPA published the direct final rule believing that no adverse comments would be received. However, due to the receipt of an adverse comment, EPA published a partial withdrawal notice on August 14, 2003 (68 FR 48561) withdrawing two specific regulatory amendments included in the direct final rule. The direct final rule, absent those two withdrawn provisions, became effective on August 18, 2003. The purpose of this action is to finalize the portion of the direct final rule that was withdrawn with the revisions suggested by the commenters and to clarify several smaller issues that were raised by industry during the comment period.