January 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The February 14 - 16, 2006, Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel (FIFRA SAP) meeting to consider the Review of Worker Exposure Assessment Methods has been rescheduled.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, we) is proposing to revise its requirements for cochineal extract and carmine by requiring their declaration on the label of all food and cosmetic products that contain these color additives. The proposed rule responds to reports of severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, to cochineal extract and carmine-containing food and cosmetics and would allow consumers who are allergic to these color additives to identify and thus avoid products that contain these color additives. This proposed action also responds, in part, to a citizen petition submitted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). With regard to drug products, FDA plans to initiate rulemaking to implement the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 (FDAMA) (Pub. L.105-115) provisions that require declaration of inactive ingredients for drugs. The FDAMA provisions have already been implemented for over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.

The National Park Service (NPS) is terminating preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the General Management Plan, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Oklahoma. A Notice of Intent to prepare the EIS for the Chickasaw National Recreation Area General Management Plan was published in Vol. 67, No. 184, of the September 23, 2002, Federal Register (59530). The National Park Service has since determined that an Environmental Assessment (EA) rather than an EIS is the appropriate environmental documentation for the general management plan.

This gives notice of OPM decisions granting authority to make appointments under Schedules A, B, and C in the excepted service as required by 5 CFR 6.6 and 213.103.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) publishes notice at least once monthly of certain Federal agency requests for records disposition authority (records schedules). Once approved by NARA, records schedules provide mandatory instructions on what happens to records when no longer needed for current Government business. They authorize the preservation of records of continuing value in the National Archives of the United States and the destruction, after a specified period, of records lacking administrative, legal, research, or other value. Notice is published for records schedules in which agencies propose to destroy records not previously authorized for disposal or reduce the retention period of records already authorized for disposal. NARA invites public comments on such records schedules, as required by 44 U.S.C. 3303a(a).

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), USDA, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are sponsoring a public meeting on March 14, 2006. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States positions that will be discussed at the Seventh Session of the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products (CCMMP) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Queenstown, New Zealand, March 27-April 1, 2006. The Under Secretary for Food Safety, AMS and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 7th Session of CCMMP and to address items on the agenda.

This notice grants the Mercedes-Benz, U.S.A. LLC (``MBUSA'') application for a temporary exemption from the requirements of S5.5.10 of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment. In accordance with 49 CFR Part Sec. 555.6(b), the basis for the grant is to facilitate the development and field evaluation of new motor vehicle safety feature providing a level of safety at least equal to that of the standard. Pursuant to Sec. 555.6(b)(5), MBUSA is permitted to sell not more than 2,500 exempted vehicles in any twelve-month period of the exemption. Because the exemption period is 24 months, this grant affects up to a total of 5,000 vehicles.

The purpose of this Notice is to make available to the public the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) derived from the Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding the Cherry Hill Material Extraction and Transport Project on Elmendorf Air Force Base. Included in the FONSI is a Finding of No Practicable Alternative that addresses wetland loss. The objective of this Project is to extract and transport suitable fill material for the Port of Anchorage Intermodal Expansion (Expansion). The Expansion will improve and enhance the existing dock and terminal capability at the Port to facilitate the transportation of goods and people within the State of Alaska.

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.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined the regulatory review period for ENABLEX and is publishing this notice of that determination as required by law. FDA has made the determination because of the submission of an application to the Director of Patents and Trademarks, Department of Commerce, for the extension of a patent which claims that human drug product.

This document grants in full the petition of Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC., (MBUSA) in accordance with Sec. 543.9(c)(2) of 49 CFR part 543, Exemption from the Theft Prevention Standard, for the E-Line Chassis vehicle line beginning with model year (MY) 2006. This petition is granted because the agency has determined that the antitheft device to be placed on the line as standard equipment is likely to be as effective in reducing and deterring motor vehicle theft as compliance with the parts-marking requirements of the Theft Prevention Standard.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of South Dakota (FEMA-1620-DR), dated December 20, 2005, and related determinations.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has submitted the following information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The submission describes the nature of the information collection, the categories of respondents, the estimated burden (i.e., the time, effort and resources used by respondents to respond) and cost, and includes the actual data collection instruments FEMA will use. Title: National Fire Department Census. OMB Number: 1660-0070. Abstract: Many data products and reports exist that contain fragmented or estimated information about fire department demographics, and capabilities, but there is no single reference source today that aggregates this data to provide a complete and accurate profile of fire departments in the United States. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) \1\ receives many requests for information related to fire departments, including total number of departments, number of stations per department, population protected, apparatus and equipment status. The USFA is working to identify all fire departments in the United States to develop and populate a national database that will include information related to demographics, capabilities and activities. The database will be used by USFA to guide programmatic decisions, provide the Fire Service and the public with information about fire departments, to produce mailing lists for USFA publications and other materials. In the first year of this effort, information was collected from 16,000 fire departments. Since the first year of the collection, an additional 8,000 departments have registered with the census for a total of 24,000 fire departments. This leaves an estimated 9,000 departments still to respond. Additionally, fire departments already registered with the census will be contacted once every five years to provide updates or changes to their census data so that USFA can keep the database as current as possible. Fire departments are able to complete the census form on-line through the USFA Web site, or by filling out a paper census form and faxing the completed form, or sending it in a return envelope.

This is a notice of the Presidential declaration of a major disaster for the State of Texas (FEMA-1624-DR), dated January 11, 2006, and related determinations.

FEMA gives notice that we are increasing the statewide per capita threshold for recommending cost share adjustments for disasters declared on or after January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2006.