April 14, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NMFS, (Assistant Administrator) has renewed the affirmative finding for the Republic of Ecuador under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This affirmative finding will allow yellowfin tuna harvested in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) in compliance with the International Dolphin Conservation Program (IDCP) by Ecuadorian-flag purse seine vessels or purse seine vessels operating under Ecuadorian jurisdiction to be imported into the United States. The affirmative finding was based on review of documentary evidence submitted by the Republic of Ecuador and obtained from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and the U.S. Department of State.

The DOT seeks views on regulatory implementation of changes made by SAFETEA-LU to the TIFIA statute. All interested persons are invited to offer views at two public meetings.

FMCSA announces its decision to exempt 19 individuals from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR). The exemptions will enable these individuals to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce without meeting the vision standard prescribed in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10). The Agency has concluded that granting these exemptions will provide a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety maintained without the exemptions for these CMV drivers.

The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. PHAs with specific types of Moving to Work demonstration agreements submit an MTW annual plan and annual report in lieu of the standard annual and 5 year PHA plans. The MTW annual Plan and Report will inform HUD, its residents and the public of the PHA's mission for serving the needs of low-income and very low-income families, and the PHA's strategy for addressing those needs.

This notice is a request for proposals (RFP) for system development and design of enhanced human service transportation models. The USDOT seeks up to 10 local communities to carry out detailed development and design of coordinated human service transportation systems that utilize Intelligent Transportation Systems capabilities. The expected results from Phase 1 include up to 10 ``deployment- ready,'' replicable and scalable system detailed designs for enhanced human service transportation delivery models in communities representing a variety of operational environments and scenarios.

The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the General Management Plan (GMP) for Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site, Kentucky. This document will be available for public review and comment pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and NPS policy in Director's Order Number 2 (Park Planning) and Director's Order Number 12 (Conservation Planning, Environmental Impact Analysis, and Decision-making). The document provides a framework for management, use, and development options for the historic site by the NPS for the next 15 to 20 years. The document describes four management alternatives for consideration, including a no-action alternative, and analyzes the environmental impacts of those alternatives for the Birthplace unit and the Boyhood Home unit. The Birthplace unit of the historic site is located in the city of Hodgenville, Kentucky and the Boyhood Home unit is located 10 miles northeast of the Birthplace unit.

The Coast Guard proposes the establishment of a safety zone in support of the Shore Thing and Independence Day Fireworks Display occurring on June 30, 2006 on the Chesapeake Bay, Norfolk, VA. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic on the Chesapeake Bay as necessary to protect mariners from the hazards associated with fireworks displays.

We are advising the public that an environmental assessment has been prepared for a proposed field trial using three transgenic grass lines. The trial consists of tall fescue plants that are genetically engineered for hygromycin resistance and that express the marker beta-glucuronidase; Italian ryegrass plants that are genetically engineered for hygromycin resistance; and Italian ryegrass plants that are genetically engineered to lower the expression of the pollen allergen gene, Lol p1, that are also hygromycin resistant, and express the marker beta-glucuronidase. The purpose of the field trial is to study pollen viability, outcrossing, and hybridization between the two types of grasses. The study will also examine the effect of down- regulating the Lol p1 gene. Data gained from this field experiment will also be used to evaluate current confinement practices for these species of transgenic grasses. After assessment of the application, review of the relevant scientific information, and consideration of comments provided by the public, we have concluded that these field tests will not present a risk of introducing or disseminating a plant pest. We have completed an environmental assessment and have concluded that these field tests will not have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment. Based on its finding of no significant impact, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared for these field tests.

The Department of Labor (the Department), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA 95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This helps to ensure that the Department can properly assess the impact of its information collection requirements on respondents and minimize the reporting burden (in both time and financial resources) on the public and that the public can clearly understand the Department's collection instruments and provide the requested data in the desired format. Currently, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is soliciting comments on a proposed extension of the information collection provisions in Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption (PTE) 2004-07, which concerns publicly traded shares of beneficial interest in real estate investment trusts structured under State law as business trusts. A copy of the information collection request (ICR) may be obtained by contacting the office listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA 95). This program helps to ensure that the Department can properly assess the impact of its information collection requirements on respondents and minimize the reporting burden (in both time and financial resources) on the public and that the public can clearly understand the Department's information collection instruments and provide the requested data in the desired format. Currently, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is soliciting comments on a proposed extension of the information collection provisions of Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption 97-41, Collective Investment Funds Conversion Transactions. A copy of the Information Collection Request (ICR) may be obtained by contacting the office listed in the Addresses section of this notice.

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c) (2)(A)]. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed extension of ``General Inquiries to State Agency Contacts.'' A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the Addresses section of this notice.

New Jersey has scheduled special elections to fill the U.S. House of Representatives seat in the Thirteenth Congressional District vacated by Senator Robert Menendez. Committees required to file reports in connection with the Special Primary Election on June 6, 2006, shall file a 12-day Pre-Primary Report. Committees required to file reports in connection with both the Special Primary and Special General Election on November 7, 2006, shall file a 12-day Pre-Primary Report, a 12-day Pre-General Report, and a 30-day Post-General Report.

Pursuant to the provisions of Part 404 of Title 37, code of Federal Regulations, which implements Public Law 96-517, as amended, the Department of the Air Force announces its intention to grant Hetero Technology Integration Solutions, Incorporated (HTiS), a corporation of New Hampshire, having a place of business at Newburyport, Massachusetts, an exclusive license in any right, title and interest the Air Force has in: a. U.S. Patent No. 5,472,914 issued 5 Dec 95, entitled ``Wafer Joined Optoelectronic Integrated Circuits and Method,'' Serial No. 274,882 and filed 14 Jul 94, by Eric A. Martin, Kenneth Vaccaro, Joseph P. Lorenzo, and Andrew Davis; b. U.S. Patent No. 5,557,120 issued 17 Sep 96, entitled ``Wafer Joined Optoelectronic Integrated Circuits,'' Serial No. 443,915 and filed 17 May 95, by Eric A. Martin, Kenneth Vaccaro, Joseph P. Lorenzo, and Andrew Davis; c. U.S. Patent No. 5,639,673 issued 17 Jun 97, entitled ``Transparent Ohmic Contacts for Schottky Diode Optical Detectors on Thin and Inverted Epitaxial Layers,'' Serial No. 486,442 and filed 8 Jun 95, by Kenneth Vaccaro, Eric A. Martin, Stephen Spaziani, and Andrew Davis; and d. U.S. Patent No. 5,689,125 issued 18 Nov 97, entitled ``Cadmium Sulfide Interface Layers for Improving III-V Semiconductor Device Performance and Characteristics,'' Serial No. 489,601 and filed 12 Jun 95, by Kenneth Vaccaro, Andrew Davis, Helen M. Dauplaise, and Joseph P. Lorenzo.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a, as amended, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) is proposing in this notice the addition of a new system of records; the bifurcation of an existing system of records; the deletion of a duplicative system of records; and revisions to preexisting systems of records, including the addition of new routine uses.