March 15, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined the regulatory review period for RELPAX 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.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announces the availability of approximately $1 million in competitive grant funds for fiscal year 2006 to increase domestic consumption of agricultural commodities by expanding direct producer-to-consumer market opportunities. Examples of direct producer-to-consumer market opportunities include new farmers markets, roadside stands, community supported agriculture programs, and other direct producer-to-consumer infrastructures. AMS hereby requests proposals from eligible entities from the following categories: (1) Agricultural cooperatives, (2) local governments, (3) nonprofit corporations, (4) public benefit corporations, (5) economic development corporations, (6) regional farmers' market authorities, and (7) tribal governments. The maximum award per grant is $75,000. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, AMS has received emergency approval of a new information approval.

On November 29, 1999, the President signed into law the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act (the ``Act''), Pub. L. 106-113, Appendix I, Title IV, Subtitle G, 113 Stat. 1501A-572, which, among other things, established two Public Advisory Committees to review the policies, goals, performance, budget and user fees of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with respect to patents, in the case of the Patent Public Advisory Committee, and with respect to trademarks, in the case of the Trademark Public Advisory Committee, and to advise the Director on these matters. The USPTO is requesting nominations for three (3) members to each Public Advisory Committee for terms of three years that begin from date of appointment.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 203, ``Relief or Reduction in Royalty Rates.''

The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant Regional Administrator), has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application submitted by the Mount Desert Oceanarium (MDO), Southwest Harbor, ME, contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The EFP would allow one fishing vessel to fish for, retain, and land small numbers of regulated fish species, and several unmanaged fish and invertebrate species, for the purpose of public display. The Assistant Regional Administrator has made a preliminary determination that the activities authorized under this EFP would be consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) for these species. However, further review and consultation may be necessary before a final determination is made to issue an EFP. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed EFPs.

The FTC intends to conduct consumer research to examine the effectiveness of the FTC's current energy labeling requirements for consumer products and obtain information about alternatives to those labels. This activity is part of the Commission's efforts to examine the current labeling program, as required by section 137 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-58). Before gathering this information, the FTC is seeking public comments on its proposed consumer research. Comments will be considered before the FTC submits a request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.

USDA Rural Development administers rural utilities programs through the Rural Utilities Service. USDA Rural Development announces its fiscal year (FY) 2006 funding and application window for the Household Water Well System (HWWS) Grant Program. The HWWS Grant Program is authorized under Section 6012 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (The Act), Public Law 107-171. The Act authorizes USDA Rural Development to make grants to qualified private non-profit organizations to establish lending programs for household water wells. For FY 2006, the HWWS grant funding available is $990,000. The non-profit organizations will use the grants to make loans to individuals to construct or upgrade a household water well system for an existing home. The organizations must contribute an amount equal to at least 10 percent of the grant request to capitalize the loan fund. Applications may be submitted in paper or electronic format. The HWWS Grant Program regulations are contained in 7 CFR part 1776.