2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Marine Fisheries Service publishes IFQ standard prices for the IFQ Cost Recovery Program in the halibut and sablefish fisheries of the North Pacific. This action is intended to provide holders of halibut and sablefish IFQ permits information to calculate the payments required for IFQ cost recovery fees due by January 31, 2006.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher/processor vessels using hook-and-line gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2005 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod specified for catcher/processor vessels using hook-and-line gear in the BSAI.

EPA is proposing to approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Maine. This revision establishes requirements to reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from architectural and industrial maintenance coatings. The intended effect of this action is to propose approval of these requirements. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

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 January 31, 2006. 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 agency is proposing to amend our air brake standard to improve the stopping distance performance of truck tractors. Based on current safety trend data and brake system technologies for truck tractors, we are proposing to reduce the required stopping distance for these vehicles by 20 to 30 percent. We have tentatively concluded that truck tractors are capable of achieving a reduction in stopping distance within this range with existing technologies. We also discuss research and request comment concerning improving the braking performance of other types of heavy vehicles, i.e., trailers, straight trucks, and buses. The agency may address improved braking performance for these other vehicles in a future rulemaking.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for the Chicago New Year's Celebration fireworks display. This safety zone is necessary to protect vessels and spectators from potential airborne hazards during a planned fireworks display over Lake Michigan. The safety zone is intended to restrict vessels from a portion of Lake Michigan off Chicago, Illinois.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is revising and updating its Circulars 4702.1, ``Title VI Program Guidelines for Urban Mass Transit Administration Recipients'' and 4704.1 ``Equal Employment Opportunity Program Guidelines for Grant Recipients.'' FTA is seeking input from interested parties on this document, including examples of problems with compliance, best practices for compliance, and proposals for changes to these circulars. Upon consideration of the comments, FTA will issue revised circulars and will seek additional comments on the revised documents.

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 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 Trinity County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet at the Trinity County Office of Education in Weaverville, California, on January 10, 2006. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss proposed projects under Title II of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self- Determination Act of 2000.

Pursuant to the publication requirement in title 42, United States Code (U.S.C.), section 14616, Article VI(e), the Compact Council (Council), established by the National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact (Compact) Act of 1998, is providing public notice of the attached combined Security and Management Control Outsourcing Standard (Outsourcing Standard) established by the Council.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Boeing Model 727, 727C, 727-100, and 727-100C series airplanes. This proposed AD would require repetitive inspections for cracks in the body skin and bear strap at the upper and lower hinge cutouts of the mid-cabin galley doorway, along the upper fastener row of the stringer 14R lap splice, and in the doorstop fitting adjacent to the upper hinge cutout; and corrective action if necessary. This proposed AD also provides for optional terminating action for certain inspections. This proposed AD results from reports of skin and bear strap cracking at the upper and lower hinge cutout and along the upper fastener row of the stringer 14R lap splice, and cracking in the doorstop fitting adjacent to the upper hinge cutout. There are also reports of cracking on airplanes previously modified to prevent such cracking. We are proposing this AD to find and fix fatigue cracking of the fuselage, which could result in reduced structural integrity and consequent rapid decompression of the airplane.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the opening of a public comment period to update the 1997 status review for the Queen Charlotte goshawk (Accipiter gentilis laingi), a subspecies of the northern goshawk that lives in the temperate rainforests of Southeast Alaska and insular British Columbia. This update has been initiated in response to a recent Court order remanding a previous 12- month finding with instructions to determine if Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, is a significant portion of this goshawk's range and, if so, to determine whether the bird is endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. This public comment period will allow all interested parties an opportunity to provide information on the status of the subspecies throughout its range, thereby assisting us in evaluating the significance of the Vancouver Island population of the goshawk in relation to the taxon as a whole.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that a proposed collection of information has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that, as required by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the agency has filed with the Library of Congress the annual reports of those FDA advisory committees that held closed meetings during fiscal year 2005.

We are proposing amendments to the proxy rules under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that would provide an alternative method for issuers and other persons to furnish proxy materials to shareholders by posting them on an Internet Web site and providing shareholders with notice of the availability of the proxy materials. Copies would be available to shareholders on request, at no cost. The proposed amendments are intended to put into place processes that would provide shareholders with notice of, and access to, proxy materials while taking advantage of technological developments and the growth of the Internet and electronic communications. Issuers that rely on the proposed amendments would be able to lower costs of proxy solicitations that ultimately are borne by shareholders. The proposed amendments also would apply to a soliciting person other than the issuer, which we anticipate might reduce the costs of engaging in a proxy contest. Today's proposals would not apply to business combination transactions. These proposals also would not affect the availability of any existing method of furnishing proxy materials.

This is a final rule to amend the NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) to revise clause 1852.217-70 Property Administration and Reporting to change the name of ``NASA-Defense Purchase Request'' to ``NASA- Interagency Purchase Request'' and to replace the term ``Military Department'' to ``servicing agency'' in order to permit the use of this clause in interagency acquisitions with military departments and civilian agencies.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``Commission'' or ``CFTC'') is proposing to amend Commission regulations to require that commodity pool annual financial reports submitted by commodity pool operators (``CPOs'') to the National Futures Association (``NFA'') be filed electronically. Commodity pool annual reports filed with a registered futures association (currently, the NFA is the sole registered futures association) must contain a manually signed oath or affirmation under Commission regulations and no provision exists for electronic filing of annual reports with NFA. The NFA has recently petitioned the Commission to amend its regulations to require mandatory electronic filing of commodity pool annual reports. The Commission has considered the NFA petition and is hereby proposing to amend Commission regulations: (i) To require CPOs to file a commodity pool annual report with NFA electronically, with the required oath or affirmation to be made through compliance with NFA's electronic filing procedures; (ii) to require CPOs to maintain for five years a manually signed copy of each annual report and to maintain records of how certain key financial balances submitted to NFA were compiled from the annual report; (iii) to eliminate the requirement that the annual report filed with NFA be manually signed. Further, the Commission is proposing additional amendments to clarify certain aspects of the Commission's regulations applicable to CPOs with respect to financial reporting, Specifically, the Commission is proposing amendments that would: explicitly state that commodity pool monthly and/or quarterly account statements distributed to participants must be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; clarify that COPs must file a notification of a change in a public accountant for a commodity pool with the Commission and with NFA; clarify that a reference to ``segregation'' with respect to a statement required to be made in an accountant's letter refers to the prohibition on commingling of funds of a commodity pool with the assets of any other person; and require that notifications concerning CPOs' election of fiscal years for commodity pools other than the calendar year or changes in fiscal year be filed solely with NFA and not the Commission. Annual reports to pool participants may continue to be provided as they have been previously, either through hard-copy distribution via postal mail or electronically if the pool participant consents thereto.

The Economic Development Administration (``EDA'') published an interim final rule in the Federal Register on August 11, 2005. EDA is publishing this interim final rule to effect those changes to the August 11, 2005 interim final rule specified in the conference report, accompanying the FY 2006 Science, State, Justice, Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in this interim final rule have the meanings ascribed to them in the August 11, 2005 interim final rule.

EPA is proposing to take action on certain modifications to the reformulated and conventional gasoline regulations. Based on experience gained since the promulgation of these regulations, EPA proposed these modifications along with various others in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published on July 11, 1997. In final rules published on December 31, 1997 and December 28, 2001, EPA took final action on several of the modifications proposed in the July 11, 1997 NPRM. Today's action proposes to take action on many of the remaining modifications in the 1997 NPRM. The modifications in today's proposed rule would correct technical errors, clarify certain provisions, and codify guidance previously issued by the Agency. This rule also would make several minor technical corrections to the RFG rule which were not included in the July 11, 1997 proposal, and make two minor technical corrections to the Tier 2 gasoline sulfur rule. The emissions benefits achieved from the RFG and conventional gasoline programs would not be reduced as a result of this proposed rule.