January 30, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS proposes to approve and implement changes to the Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan (Plan) for the International Pacific Halibut Commission's (IPHC or Commission) regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California (Area 2A). NMFS proposes to update the tribal season in the Plan to reflect recent IPHC season date-setting trends. NMFS also proposes to implement the portions of the Plan and management measures that are not implemented through the IPHC, which includes the sport fishery management measures for Area 2A, the flexible inseason management provisions in Area 2A, fishery election in Area 2A, and Area 2A non-treaty commercial fishery closed areas. NMFS proposes to codify all but the sport fishery management measures for Area 2A, at 50 CFR part 300, subpart E. These actions are intended to enhance the conservation of Pacific halibut, to protect yelloweye rockfish and other overfished groundfish species from incidental catch in the halibut fisheries, and to provide greater angler opportunity where available.

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for Rolls-Royce plc (RR) models RB211-535E4-37, RB211- 535E4-B-37, RB211-535C-37, RB211-535E4-B-75, RB211-535E4-C, and RB211- 22B-02 turbofan engines. That AD currently requires inspecting certain high pressure (HP) turbine discs, manufactured between 1989 and 1999, for cracks in the rim cooling air holes, and, if necessary, replacing the discs with serviceable parts. This proposed AD would require the same inspections, and would reduce the compliance times for eddy current inspection (ECI) for the RR RB211-22B-02 engines. This proposed AD results from the manufacturer reducing their recommended compliance times for inspections on RB211-22B-02 engines. We are proposing this AD to prevent possible disc failure, which could result in an uncontained engine failure and damage to the airplane.

This action proposes to modify the boundaries of the Restricted Area R-3002 range complex at Fort Benning, GA. The U.S. Army proposed these modifications as a result of a land exchange agreement between Fort Benning and the City of Columbus, GA. Specifically, the proposal would eliminate restricted airspace over a parcel of land that has been transferred from the Army to the City of Columbus. The proposal would also add new restricted airspace over a parcel of land to the south of the current restricted area complex, that was ceded by the City to the Army. In addition, a portion of the southwest section of R-3002, within the existing restricted airspace, would be redesignated as a separate restricted area, R-3002G, to better accommodate instrument approach procedures at Lawson Army Air Field (AAF). The internal boundaries between restricted area subdivisions would also be realigned slightly to permit more efficient scheduling and utilization of the range complex. Finally, the names of the controlling agency and using agency for the restricted areas would be changed to reflect their current titles.

This advance notice of proposed rulemaking provides interested parties with the opportunity to comment on the characteristics and requirements proposed by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for a new capital investment program. This new program, ``Small Starts'', is a discretionary grant program for public transportation capital projects that run along a dedicated corridor or a fixed guideway, have a total project cost of less than $250 million, and are seeking less than $75 million in Small Starts program funding. This Small Starts program is a component of the existing New Starts program, but will offer project sponsors an expedited and streamlined application and review process. Consistent with the intent and provisions of the new public transit statute, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity ActA Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), FTA hopes to simplify the planning and project development process for proposed Small Starts projects in a number of ways. In addition to the reduced number of evaluation measures specified in SAFETEA-LU, the process may be further simplified by allowing small projects to conduct alternatives analysis with a reduced set of alternatives, allowing evaluation measures for mobility and cost-effectiveness to be developed without having to rely on complicated travel demand modeling procedures in some cases, and possibly defining some classes of low-cost improvements that are pre- approved as effective and cost-effective in certain contexts.

On December 17, 2004, HUD published an interim rule implementing certain regulations for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Credit Watch Termination Initiative. Under the initiative, FHA systematically reviews the early default and claim rates of mortgagees that have been approved to participate in the FHA single family mortgage insurance programs. Mortgagees with excessive default and claim rates are considered to be on Credit Watch status and, in cases of more severe performance deficiencies, HUD may terminate the mortgagee's loan origination approval authority. Credit Watch status constitutes a warning to a mortgagee that its default and claim rates are in excess of permissible levels and that failure to achieve improvement may lead to the termination of its origination approval agreement. The final rule follows publication of the December 17, 2004, interim rule, takes into consideration the public comments received on the interim rule, and makes no changes at this final rule stage.

We are amending the regulations by adding Argentina to the list of regions considered free of exotic Newcastle disease. We have conducted a risk evaluation and have determined that Argentina has met our requirements for being recognized as free of this disease. This action eliminates certain restrictions on the importation into the United States of poultry and poultry products from Argentina. We are also adding Argentina to the list of regions that, although declared free of exotic Newcastle disease, must provide an additional certification to confirm that any poultry or poultry products offered for importation into the United States originate in a region free of exotic Newcastle disease and that, prior to importation into the United States, such poultry or poultry products were not commingled with poultry or poultry products from regions where exotic Newcastle disease exists.

The Office of Personnel Management is issuing a final rule to change the timing of local wage surveys in the Harrison, Mississippi, nonappropriated fund Federal Wage System wage area. The purpose of this change is to avoid conducting future surveys in this area during the hurricane season.

This action summarizes the results under the criteria contained in section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), of an Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) review of Marketing Order No. 989, regulating the handling of raisins produced from grapes grown in California.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have agreed to withdraw the proposed rule, FAR case 2003-008, Share-in-Savings Contracting, which was published in the Federal Register on July 2, 2004. The rule proposed amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) as it pertains to types of contracts and acquisition of information technology to address the inclusion of Share-in-Savings (SIS) contracting. However, the SIS concept was not reauthorized by Congress.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary security zone on the Detroit River, Detroit, Michigan. This zone is intended to restrict vessels from a portion of the Detroit River in order to ensure the safety of up to 450,000 people expected to attend Super Bowl XL at Ford Field as well as related events at Cobo Hall, Hart Plaza and the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit.

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.

This document contains final regulations providing an alternative method of valuing assets for purposes of apportioning expenses under the tax book value method of Sec. 1.861-9T. The alternative tax book value method, which is elective, allows taxpayers to determine, for purposes of apportioning expenses, the tax book value of all tangible property that is subject to a depreciation deduction under section 168 by using the straight line method, conventions, and recovery periods of the alternative depreciation system under section 168(g)(2). The alternative tax book value method is intended to minimize basis disparities between foreign and domestic assets of taxpayers that may arise when taxpayers use adjusted tax basis to value assets under the tax book value method of expense apportionment. These final regulations may affect taxpayers that are required to apportion expenses under section 861.