2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Labor (Department) is proposing this rule to implement the requirements of the Social Security Act (SSA) and the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) that limit a state's payment of unemployment compensation (UC) only to individuals who are able and available (A&A) for work. This rule would apply to all state UC laws and programs.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') is adopting amendments to its rules and Form 25 to streamline the procedures for removing from listing, and withdrawing from registration, securities under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Exchange Act''). The final rules require all issuers and national securities exchanges seeking to delist and/or deregister a security in accordance with the rules of an exchange and the Commission to file the amended Form 25 in an electronic format with the Commission on the EDGAR database. The final rules also provide that the Form 25 serves as an exchange's notice to the Commission under Section 19(d) of the Exchange Act. Finally, the final rules exempt, on a permanent basis, standardized options and security futures products traded on a national securities exchange from Section 12(d) of the Exchange Act. The amendments serve to reduce regulatory burdens on the exchanges and issuers, and to make the delisting and deregistration process more transparent and efficient in the interest of investors and the public.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Airbus Model A300-600 series airplanes. This AD requires an inspection for evidence of chafing between the hydraulic flexible hose and the ram air turbine (RAT) hub, and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. This AD is prompted by reports of holes in the RAT hub cover. We are issuing this AD to prevent a hole in the RAT hub cover. A hole in the RAT hub cover could allow water to enter the RAT governing mechanism, freeze during flight, and jam the governing mechanism. In addition, the metal particles that result from chafing between the hydraulic flexible hose and the RAT could mix with the lubricant grease and degrade the governing mechanism. In an emergency, a jammed or degraded RAT could result in its failure to deploy, loss of hydraulic pressure or electrical power to the airplane, and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane.

The Cost Accounting Standards Board (CASB), Office of Federal Procurement Policy, invites public comments on proposed amendments to the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) 412, ``Cost accounting standard for composition and measurement of pension cost,'' and CAS 415, ``Accounting for the cost of deferred compensation.'' These proposed amendments address issues concerning the recognition of the costs of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) under Government cost-based contracts and subcontracts. These proposed amendments provide criteria for measuring the costs of ESOPs and their assignment to cost accounting periods. The allocation of a contractor's assigned ESOP costs to contracts and subcontracts is addressed in other Standards. The proposed amendments also specify that accounting for the costs of ESOPs will be covered by the provisions of CAS 415, ``Accounting for the cost of deferred compensation'' and not by any other Standard.

This document requests comments on the economic impact of the Chemical Weapons Convention Regulations (CWCR) on small business entities, pursuant to the requirements of Section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA). The comments sought in this document should be directed to the impact of the CWCR on small business entities, only. The public does not need to re-submit previous comments made during the comment period that closed on February 7, 2005, for the proposed CWCR published on December 7, 2004.

The Bureau of Industry and Security is publishing this final rule to make nuclear grade graphite intended for non-nuclear end uses subject to the Export Administration Regulations' licensing jurisdiction, and imposes a license requirement for exports and reexports to destinations of concern for nuclear proliferation reasons. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is discontinuing such jurisdiction in a corresponding final rule published in this same issue of the Federal Register. This transfer of jurisdiction and the imposition of license requirements only to destinations of concern for nuclear proliferation reasons are intended to remove the licensing burden on exporters of nuclear grade graphite intended for non-nuclear end uses to most destinations.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a revision to the New Jersey State Implementation Plan (SIP) for ozone concerning the control of volatile organic compounds. The SIP revision consists of amendments to Subchapter 23 ``Prevention of Air Pollution From Architectural Coatings'' of 7:27 of the New Jersey Administrative Codes, which are needed to meet the shortfall in emissions reduction identified by EPA in New Jersey's 1-hour ozone attainment demonstration SIP. The intended effect of this action is to approve a control strategy required by the Clean Air Act, which will result in emission reductions that will help achieve attainment of the national ambient air quality standard for ozone.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing Model 767-300 and -300F series airplanes. This proposed AD would require a one-time operational test of the pilots' seat locks and the seat tracks to ensure that the seats lock in position and the seat tracks are aligned correctly; and re-alignment of the seat tracks, if necessary. This proposed AD is prompted by reports indicating that a pilot's seat slid from the forward to the aft-most position during acceleration and take-off. We are proposing this AD to prevent uncommanded movement of the pilots' seats during acceleration and take-off of the airplane, and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Aerospatiale Model ATR72 airplanes. This proposed AD would require a one-time general visual inspection for contamination of the surface of the upper arms of the main landing gear (MLG) secondary side brace assemblies; and repetitive eddy current inspections for cracking of the upper arms, and related specified and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD also would mandate eventual replacement of aluminum upper arms with steel upper arms, which would end the repetitive inspections. This proposed AD is prompted by two reports of rupture of the upper arm of the MLG secondary side brace due to fatigue cracking. We are proposing this AD to prevent cracking of the upper arms of the secondary side brace assemblies of the MLG, which could result in collapse of the MLG during takeoff or landing, damage to the airplane, and possible injury to the flightcrew and passengers.

We are issuing these final rules to reflect in our regulations four self-implementing provisions in the Social Security Protection Act of 2004 (SSPA). One provision adds two States (Kentucky and Louisiana) to a list of States that are permitted to divide public employee retirement systems based on whether the State and/or local employees in positions under the systems want Social Security and/or Medicare coverage or not. The other three provisions make technical corrections to the Social Security Act (the Act) and the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) regarding various Social Security coverage issues.

An examination of controlled airspace for Columbia Regional Airport, MO, has revealed a discrepancy in the legal description of the Class E airspace area beginning at 700 feet above the surface. This action corrects that discrepancy by incorporating the coordinates of the Columbia Regional Airport ILS Localizer. Extensions to this Class E airspace area are described in relation to the Columbia Regional Airport ILS Localizer, therefore the coordinates for this facility must be included in the legal description to bring the airspace area into compliance with FAA directives.

This action amends the Class E airspace at Blairstown, NJ. Controlled airspace extending upward from 700 feet Above Ground Level (AGL) is needed to contain aircraft operating into Blairstown Airport, Blairstown, NJ, under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is correcting the single-ingredient roxarsone Type A medicated article that may be used to formulate three-way, combination drug Type C medicated broiler chicken feeds containing semduramicin, virginiamycin, and roxarsone under a new animal drug application (NADA) recently approved for Phibro Animal Health. FDA is also amending the animal drug regulations to reflect two roxarsone Type A medicated articles approved under separate new animal drug applications (NADAs) for different conditions of use. This action is being taken to improve the accuracy of the agency's regulations.

The Coast Guard proposes to temporarily change the regulations that govern the operation of the Route 35 Bridge, at New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway (NJICW) mile 1.1, across Manasquan River, at Brielle, New Jersey. The bridge will be closed to navigation on three four-month closure periods beginning from 8 a.m. November 1, 2006 until 5 p.m. March 1, 2007; from 8 a.m. on November 1, 2007 until 5 p.m. March 1, 2008; and from 8 a.m. on November 1, 2008 until 5 p.m. March 1, 2009. The extensive structural, mechanical, and electrical repairs and improvements necessitate these closures.

The Federal Election Commission is amending its rules regarding contributions to the separate segregated fund (``SSF'') of a trade association by employee-stockholders and executive and administrative personnel of corporations that are members of the trade association (collectively, ``solicitable class employees''). The revised rules will no longer prohibit corporate members of a trade association from using a payroll deduction or check-off system for employee contributions to the trade association's SSF. Instead, these final rules will allow a corporate member of a trade association to provide incidental services to collect and forward contributions from its solicitable class employees to the SSF of the trade association, including use of a payroll deduction or check-off system, upon written request of the trade association. These final rules will also require any member corporation that provides incidental services for contributions to a trade association's SSF, as well as the corporation's subsidiaries, divisions, branches and affiliates, to provide the same services for contributions to the SSF of any labor organization that represents members working for the corporation, or the corporation's subsidiaries, divisions, branches or affiliates, upon written request of the labor organization and at a cost not to exceed actual expenses incurred. Additional information appears in the Supplementary Information that follows.

In this document, we conclude a proceeding to collect $280,098,000 in regulatory fees for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005. These fees are mandated by Congress and are collected to recover the regulatory costs associated with the Commission's enforcement, policy and rulemaking, user information, and international activities. We also deny the petition for reconsideration filed by Cingular Wireless LLC of the Commission's FY 2004 Report and Order.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) export/import regulations in 10 CFR part 110 are being revised to remove the NRC's export licensing requirements for nuclear grade graphite for non- nuclear end use. The purpose of this change is to remove from NRC export licensing jurisdiction nuclear materials which are not of significance from a nuclear proliferation perspective. The responsibility for the licensing of exports of nuclear grade graphite for non-nuclear end use will be transferred to the Department of Commerce (DOC). The DOC is publishing elsewhere in this Federal Register a final rule that places such exports under its jurisdiction.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain McDonnell Douglas airplanes identified above. This AD requires repetitive functional tests for noisy or improper operation of the exterior emergency control handle assemblies of the mid, overwing, and aft passenger doors, and corrective actions if necessary. This AD also provides for optional terminating action for the repetitive tests. This AD is prompted by a report that the exterior emergency control mechanism handles were inoperative on a McDonnell Douglas Model MD-11 airplane. We are issuing this AD to prevent failure of the passenger doors to operate properly in an emergency condition, which could delay an emergency evacuation and possibly result in injury to passengers and flightcrew.

By this document, the Wireline Competition Bureau extends the reply comment deadline. Due to the voluminous and complex record received in the initial round of comments, the Bureau agreed with Petitioners filing motions for extensions of time that it may be extremely difficult for parties to review and respond to the comments by the reply comment deadline. In the interest of developing a thorough and complete record in this proceeding, the Bureau grants the Petitioners' request, and hereby extends the reply comment deadline. This extension should allow parties adequate time to review and respond to the record in this proceeding.

In this action, EPA is proposing to correct an error in the incorporation by reference provisions in the approval of revisions to the Rules for the Control of Air Pollution in Idaho (IDAPA 58.01.01) published on January 16, 2003 (68 FR 2217). This correction would remove the list of State toxic air pollutants from the definition of ``regulated air pollutant'' in the EPA-approved Idaho State implementation plan.

We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that amended the regulations concerning the importation of animals and animal products to prohibit or restrict the importation of birds, poultry, and unprocessed birds and poultry products from regions that have reported the presence of the H5N1 subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza and to establish additional permit and quarantine requirements for U.S. origin pet birds and performing or theatrical birds and poultry returning to the United States. The interim rule was necessary to prevent the introduction of highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype H5N1 into the United States.

Changes have been made to the telephone number of the Federal Labor Relations Authority's Washington Regional Office, and the telephone and fax numbers of the Boston Regional Office. Accordingly, it is necessary to amend 5 CFR Chapter XIV to reflect the changes.

An examination of the controlled airspace for Meade Municipal Airport, KS has revealed a discrepancy in the size of the Class E airspace area. In addition, the Meade, KS Non Directional Beacon (NDB) was decommissioned on June 29, 2004 and subsequently the NDB Runway 17 Instrument Approach Procedure was cancelled effective June 8, 2005. This action modifies the Class E5 airspace area beginning at 700 feet above the surface by removing the reference to the Meade, KS NDB from the legal description, deleting the airspace area extension and increasing the radius from a 6.5-mile radius to a 7.5 mile radius of the airport. This actions brings the Class E5 airspace area into compliance with FAA directives.

This action corrects several errors in the airspace descriptions of a final rule published in the Federal Register on June 22, 2005 (70 FR 36016), Airspace Docket No. 05-AAL-04.