January 23, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is withdrawing the proposed rule published on May 25, 2005 (70 FR 30042) which proposed to establish a procedure for modifying the scheduled operational hours at the Lake Washington Ship Canal, Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Seattle, Washington. The proposed rule would have permitted the District Engineer to change the scheduled operational hours of the locks following issuance of a public notice and after providing a 30-day comment period for any proposed change. The Corps has determined that there is no present need to implement changes in the operation of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. The Corps intends to initiate rulemaking in the future if circumstances necessitate instituting a change in the schedule or other parameters of Locks operation.

DoD is proposing to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to update requirements for DoD contractors to establish and maintain earned value management systems (EVMS). The rule revises the dollar thresholds at which EVMS requirements are applied and eliminates requirements for contractors to submit cost/schedule status reports under DoD contracts.

This document proposes to adopt as a final rule order language contained in the interim final rule published in the Federal Register on September 26, 2005, concerning pooling standards of the Mideast milk marketing order. This document also sets forth the final decision of the Department and is subject to approval by producers. A separate decision will be issued that will address proposals to deter the de- pooling of milk, transportation credits and clarification of the Producer definition.

The Coast Guard proposes to amend the Regulated Navigation Areas for Savannah River, Georgia. Two new berths have been created at the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility on the Savannah River and the current regulation only addresses facility and vessel requirements when an LNG vessel is underway, or is moored parallel to the navigational channel outside of the slip. The current regulation is no longer adequate and the proposed changes address the addition of the new berths and requirements for three different mooring situations.

On November 1, 2005, at 70 FR 65838, EPA published a document concerning the Nashville, Tennessee area's second 10-year maintenance plan for the 1-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard. The new 2016 motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) were incorrectly stated in one location in the publication. This document corrects this incorrect reference.

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

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

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

In this final rule, the Forest Service is selecting Producer Price Indices (PPI) for use by the Chief of the Forest Service to determine whether there has been a drastic reduction in wood prices warranting market-related contract term additions. The indices selected in this final rule replace certain PPI indices that were discontinued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) after December 2003. An interim final rule and request for comments was published in the Federal Register on June 29, 2005 (70 FR 37266). In this final rule, the Forest Service makes appropriate changes, reflecting public comments and its own analysis of the replacement indices. A detailed summary of Forest Service responses to public comments is available for review as provided in the Addresses section of this notice.

This final rule amends requirements in the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) pertaining to the examination, testing, certification, and transportation of lighters and lighter refills. This action will clarify regulatory requirements and, where appropriate, decrease the regulatory burden, while continuing to provide for the safe transportation of lighters and lighter refills in commerce.