February 9, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FMCSA announces its decision to renew the exemptions from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for 6 individuals. FMCSA has statutory authority to exempt individuals from vision standards if the exemptions granted will not compromise safety. The agency has concluded that granting these exemptions will provide a level of safety that will be equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety maintained without the exemptions for these commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is requesting nominations of individuals to the Census Advisory Committee on the Hispanic Population. The Census Bureau will consider nominations received in response to this notice, as well as from other sources. The SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice provides Committee and membership criteria.

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is requesting nominations of individuals to the Census Advisory Committee on the African American Population. The Census Bureau will consider nominations received in response to this notice, as well as from other sources. The SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice provides Committee and membership criteria.

As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network invites comment on a proposed renewal, without change, to information collections found in regulations requiring futures commission merchants, introducing brokers, banks, savings associations, credit unions, certain non-federally regulated banks, mutual funds, and broker-dealers, to develop and implement customer identification programs reasonably designed to prevent those financial institutions from being used to facilitate money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities. This request for comment is being made pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A).

This document denies the petition for rulemaking submitted by Mr. Bernard Cox, requesting that NHTSA amend the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard for rearview mirrors to require manufacturers to install a mirror of unit magnification (a flat mirror) on the passenger's side of multipurpose passenger vehicles (MPVs) and trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4,536 kg (10,000 pounds) or less when such vehicles are equipped with a tow hitch package. Accordingly, manufacturers of MPVs, trucks, and buses (other than school buses) with a GVWR of 4,536 kg (10,000 pounds) or less continue to have the option of installing either a flat mirror or a convex mirror on the passenger's side of the vehicle provided that either mirror meets the applicable requirements of the standard.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of the draft guidance entitled ``Class II Special Controls Guidance Document: Intervertebral Body Fusion Device.'' It was developed as a special control to support the reclassification of intervertebral body fusion devices that contain bone grafting material from class III (premarket approval) into class II (special controls). This draft guidance document describes a means by which these intervertebral body fusion devices may comply with the requirement of special controls for class II devices. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is publishing a proposed rule to reclassify the intervertebral body fusion device that contains bone grafting material from class III into class II (special controls) and retain those that contain any therapeutic biologic (e.g., bone morphogenic protein) in class III. This draft guidance is not final, nor is it in effect at this time.

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the Federal Consulting Group within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Customer Satisfaction Survey.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical regulations describe veterans who are eligible to receive health care from VA in the United States. This document amends VA medical regulations to provide eligibility for VA hospital care, nursing home care, and outpatient services for any Filipino Commonwealth Army veteran, including those recognized by authority of the U.S. Army as belonging to organized Filipino guerilla forces, and for any veteran of the new Philippine Scouts, provided that any such veteran resides in the U.S. and is either a citizen of the U.S. or is lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence. Under this regulatory provision, these certain veterans are eligible for VA hospital care, nursing home care, and outpatient medical services in the United States in the same manner and subject to the same terms and conditions as apply to U.S. veterans.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190 section 102(3)(c)), the National Park Service (NPS) is preparing a General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for the Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites located in the town of Hyde Park, Dutchess County, New York. Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites is an administrative entity formed by the National Park Service to manage three separately established national historic sites: Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, and Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site. Together the sites embrace 777 acres of federally owned land along the east bank of the Hudson River. Planners in the National Park Service Northeast Region will prepare the GMP/ EIS with assistance from advisors and consultants. The GMP/EIS will propose a long-term approach (15 to 20 years) to managing Roosevelt- Vanderbilt National Historic Sites that is consistent with the sites' mission, NPS policy, and other laws and regulations. As required by law and policy, during the planning process, the team will formulate a range of alternatives for natural and cultural resource protection, visitor use and interpretation, and operations. The EIS will assess the impacts of the alternative management strategies to be described in the plan. The team will invite the public to share their thoughts and ideas related to the management of the national historic sites early in the planning process and throughout the preparation of the GMP/EIS through public meetings, the Internet, and other media. Specifically, the team will seek public comment at the draft GMP/EIS phase. Following public review processes outlined under National Environmental Protection Act, the final plan will become official through the approval of a Record of Decision, which will authorize implementation of the preferred alternative. The Record of Decision is expected to be completed in 2008.

Ispat Inland Mining (Ispat) has applied to the St. Paul District, Corps of Engineers (Corps) for a permit to discharge dredged or fill material into wetlands to facilitate the construction and operation of a taconite mine consisting of two conventional open pits in a deposit known as the East Reserve (formerly known as the J&L East Reserve) between Biwabik and McKinley in St. Louis County, MN. The combined area of the two open pits would be 364 acres. The proposed pits contain an estimated 116,000,000 long tons of ore. The ore would be hauled by truck approximately 1.9 miles on a proposed new haul road spur and then an additional 5.5 miles on an existing haul road to Ispat's currently permitted and operating Minorca taconite processing facility north of Virginia, MN. Tailing waste would be disposed of in Ispat's currently permitted and operating Minorca and Upland tailings basins. The mining process would require the construction of overburden, waste rock, and lean ore stockpiles on the north side of the proposed pits. The total stockpile area would cover approximately 375 acres. Project plans call for the mining of an average of just over six million long tons of crude ore per year over the proposed 18-year life of the mine. The project would allow mining operations and taconite processing at the Minorca Plant to continue until 2024. The project would require the discharge of dredged or fill material into approximately 75.7 acres of wetlands. While some of the wetlands may be isolated, the majority of the wetlands are adjacent to an unnamed tributary to the Embarrass River, which is a tributary to the St. Louis River, which is a navigable water of the U.S., or the wetlands are adjacent to an unnamed tributary to the Pike River, which is a navigable water of the United States. Ispat proposes to utilize wetland credits from the existing Ispat Inland wetland mitigation bank in Aitkin County, MN to compensate for the lost wetland functions and values that would be caused by the proposed project. The discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States requires a permit issued by the Corps under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The final environmental impact statement will be used as a basis for the permit decision and to ensure compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a currently approved information collection requirement concerning the Central Contractor Registration database. The clearance currently expires on June 30, 2006. Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of functions of the FAR, and whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways in which we can minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through the use of appropriate technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing a final rule to reclassify hepatitis A virus (HAV) serological assays from class III (premarket approval) into class II (special controls). FDA is taking this action after reviewing a reclassification petition submitted by Beckman Coulter, Inc. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is announcing the availability of the guidance document entitled ``Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff: Class II Special Controls Guidance Document: Hepatitis A Virus Serological Assays'' that will serve as the class II special control for these devices.

Section 402 of title 23 of the United States Code requires the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate uniform guidelines for State highway safety programs. NHTSA is seeking comments on proposed amendments to six (6) of the existing guidelines to reflect program methodology and approaches that have proven to be successful and are based in sound science and program administration. The guidelines the agency proposes to revise are as follows: Guideline No. 3 Motorcycle Safety, Guideline No. 8 Impaired Driving, Guideline No. 14 Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety, Guideline No. 15 Traffic Enforcement Services (formerly Police Traffic Services), Guideline No. 19 Speed Management (formerly Speed Control), and Guideline No. 20 Occupant Protection. NHTSA believes the proposed revisions will provide more accurate, current and detailed guidance to the States. The revised guidelines will be made publicly available on the NHTSA Web site.

This notice announces a meeting of the Arizona Resource Advisory Council (RAC). The business meeting will be held on March 2, 2006, in Tucson, Arizona, at the Doubletree HotelTucson Reid Park located at 445 South Alvernon Way. It will begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 4:30 p.m. The agenda items to be covered include: Review of the December 6, 2005 Meeting Minutes; BLM State Director's Update on Statewide Issues; Presentation on Geo-TourismNational Geographic and Sonoran Institute Partnership, Updates on the Recreation Resource Advisory Committees, Recreation Use Fees, Saginaw Hill, and Arizona Land Use Planning; RAC Questions on Written Reports from BLM Field Managers; Field Office Rangeland Resource Team Proposals; RAC Discussion on the Annual Work Plan Review; Reports by the Standards and Guidelines, Recreation, Off- Highway Vehicle Use, Public Relations, Land Use Planning and Tenure, and Wild Horse and Burro Working Groups; Reports from RAC members; and Discussion of future meetings. A public comment period will be provided at 11:30 a.m. on March 2, 2006, for any interested publics who wish to address the Council.

In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on proposed data collection projects, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. Comments are invited on (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is requesting nominations of individuals to the Census Advisory Committee on the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Population. The Census Bureau will consider nominations received in response to this notice, as well as from other sources. The SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice provides Committee and membership criteria.