May 16, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking nominations for members of an AHRQ-convened Workgroup on risk adjustment specifically aimed at the AHRQ Quality Indicators (QIS). This Workgroup is being formed as part of a structured approach for evaluating risk-adjustment and the appropriateness of hierarchical modeling methodology for the AHRQ Quality Indicators at the area and/or provider levels. The Workgroup will evaluate appropriate technical and methodological approaches currently available, and will also discuss and suggest strategies as to what risk adjustment approach(s), if any, would best fit AHRQ QI user needs. As part of this effort and using the AHRQ QIs, the Workgroup member will be addressing several key issues for the development of a risk adjustment methodology, including but not limited to: Statistical and methodological issues related to the development and validation of risk adjusted models that predict patient outcomes using administrative data, and are suitable for assessing quality at different levels (individual hospital, State, region). Methods for comparing the performance of hierarchical methods with previously employed methods based on administrative data to improve predictive and discriminant ability, and overall fit. Appropriate use of sub-sampling techniques for model validation. Computation of confidence intervals for assessing provider-specific and State-level performance in comparison to national summary statistics (means or percentiles). For additional information about the AHRQ QIs, please visit the AHRQ Web site at https://www.qualityindicators.ahrq.gov. Specifically, the AHRQ QIs Risk Adjustment Workgroup will consist of up to 9 individuals who are familiar with different risk adjustment methodologies including hierarchical modeling approaches. The Workgroup will have a series of conference calls to discuss the technical and policy issues surrounding risk adjustment for the AHRQ QIs and will then assist AHRQ in developing a report that will aim to summarize the discussions and suggestions of the workgroup, which will be made available for public comment.

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 Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval.

NMFS apportions amounts of the non-specified reserve of groundfish to the Alaska plaice initial total allowable catch (ITAC) in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to allow the fishery to continue operating. It is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the fishery management plan for the BSAI.

The Energy Policy Act of 1992 (the Act) (Pub. L. 102-486) requires that the Secretary of the Interior administer a Federal program to regulate coalbed methane development in states where coalbed methane development has been impeded by disputes or uncertainty over ownership of coalbed methane gas. As required by the Act, the Department of the Interior, with the participation of the Department of Energy, developed a List of Affected States to which this program would apply (58 FR 21589, April 22, 1993). Section 1339 of the Act provides three mechanisms by which a state may be removed from the List of Affected States. The List of Affected States is currently comprised of the States of Kentucky and Tennessee. Section 387 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-58) provided a three-year period for state action to seek removal from the List of Affected States, including action taken prior to enactment of that Act (August 8, 2005). In 2004, the Kentucky General Assembly passed and the Governor signed a coalbed methane law, codified as Chapter 349 of Kentucky Revised Statutes. The law created a state authority and procedures to facilitate coalbed methane development. It further explicitly sought, in subsection 349.005(4)(e), deletion of Kentucky from the List of Affected States. We find that this Kentucky statute fulfills two of the Act's Section 1339 removal standards: (a) A law requesting removal and (b) a law permitting and encouraging the development of coalbed methane. Therefore, the State of Kentucky is officially removed from the List of Affected States.

The National Security Agency hereby gives notice of its intent to grant University of Michigan a revocable, nonassignable, exclusive, license to practice the following Government-Owned invention as described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/683,559 entitled: ``Ion Trap on a Semiconductor Chip,'' filed 23 May 2005, in the field of cryptography. The above-mentioned invention is assigned to the United States Government as represented by the National Security Agency.

The Fresno County Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Prather, California. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the 2007 project submittal process and timeline regarding the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-393) for expenditure of Payments to States Fresno County Title II funds.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Learjet Model 45 airplanes. This AD requires a review of airplane maintenance records to determine whether inspections identified by certain inspection reference numbers (IRNs) have been done. If any IRN has not been done, this AD requires doing an inspection of the inside of the wet wing fuel areas and the fuel pump screens for tape and adhesive tape residue, cleaning the low pressure fuel filter, determining whether tape or adhesive residue is present, doing an inspection of the filter for damage before installation, and applicable corrective actions if necessary. In addition, this AD requires sending the review and inspection results to the FAA. This AD results from reports of tape found in the wing fuel tanks. We are issuing this AD to prevent blocked fuel passages and fuel pump screens and the inability of the flightcrew to transfer fuel from one wing tank to the other tank due to tape in the wing fuel tanks, which could result in a fuel imbalance and consequent failure of an engine; and to prevent contaminated fuel pump screens, engine fuel controls, and fuel nozzles, due to tape adhesive dissolving in the fuel, which could result in potential erroneous readings of the fuel quantity indication system.

The Forest Supervisor of the Wasatch-Chache National Forest gives notice of the agency's intent to prepare an environmental impact statement on a proposal for vegetation treatment over approximately 4,000 acres of vegetation in the 21,000 acre Big Creek project area in the Bear River Range in northeastern Utah. The project area is approximately 50 miles northeast of Ogden, Utah and is located at the headwaters of the Big Creek watershed. The vegetation types to be treated include aspen-conifer, conifer, and sagebrush communities that are not in properly functioning condition. Methods include prescribed fire, timber harvest, mechanical treatment, and herbicide application.

This document amends Department of Homeland Security regulations pertaining to the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection's field organization by establishing a new port of entry in the Tri- Cities area of the States of Tennessee and Virginia, including the Tri- Cities Regional Airport. The new port of entry includes the same geographical boundaries of the current Customs and Border Protection User Fee Port No. 2082, which encompasses Sullivan County, Tennessee; Washington County, Tennessee; and Washington County, Virginia. The user-fee status of Tri-Cities Regional Airport, located in Blountville, Tennessee, is terminated. These changes will assist the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection in its continuing efforts to provide better service to carriers, importers and the general public.

This document contains a correction to final regulations (TD 9243), that was published in the Federal Register on Thursday, January 26, 2006 (71 FR 4276). This final regulation amends the income tax regulations under various provisions of the Internal Revenue Code to account for statutory mergers and consolidations.

The National Security Agency hereby gives notice of its intent to grant Visa USA, Inc. a revocable, nonassignable, partially exclusive, license to practice the following Government-Owned invention as described in U.S. Patent No. 6,947,978 entitled: ``Method for Geolocating Logical Network Addresses'', issued September 20, 2005, and Patent Application Serial Number 11/145,237 entitled: ``Method to Detecting Intermediary Communications Device,'' filed May 24, 2005, both in the field of credit card transactions over the Internet. The above-mentioned invention is assigned to the United States Government as represented by the National Security Agency.

The Office of Government Ethics is issuing a final rule amending the executive branch regulation regarding confidential financial disclosure. The amendments, once effective January 1, 2007, will change the dates of the annual reporting period; change the annual filing date; clarify the criteria for designating confidential filers; narrow the information required to be reported; create a separate ``report contents'' section for confidential reports; and highlight an existing provision regarding alternative financial conflict of interest review systems. In addition, the final rule includes new examples to illustrate these changes, and some technical amendments. This rule also makes one minor conforming amendment to the OGE branchwide financial interests regulation.

EPA is taking direct final action to approve revisions to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), Pima County Department of Environmental Quality (PCDEQ), and Pinal County Air Quality Control District (PCAQCD) portions of the Arizona State Implementation Plan (SIP). These revisions concern particulate matter (PM-10) emissions from open burning. We are approving local rules that regulate this emission source under the Clean Air Act as amended in 1990 (CAA or the Act).

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is granting a petition submitted by Bayer Material Science LLC (Bayer) to exclude (or delist) a certain solid waste generated by its Baytown, TX plant from the lists of hazardous wastes. This final rule responds to the petition submitted by Bayer to delist K027, K104, K111, and K112 spent carbon generated from the facility's waste water treatment plant. After careful analysis and use of the Delisting Risk Assessment Software (DRAS), EPA has concluded the petitioned waste is not hazardous waste. This exclusion applies to 7,728 cubic yards per year of the spent carbon.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) announces its intention to competitively award cooperative agreements to establish community-based work incentives planning and assistance projects in every State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (Throughout this announcement, the term ``'State''' will be used to refer to all U.S. States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.) The purpose of these projects is to disseminate accurate information to beneficiaries with disabilities (including transition- to-work aged youth) about work incentives programs and issues related to such programs, to enable them to make informed choices about working and whether or when to assign their Ticket to Work, as well as how available work incentives can facilitate their transition into the workforce. The ultimate goal of the work incentives planning and assistance projects is to assist SSA beneficiaries with disabilities succeed in their return to work efforts.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Airbus Model A310-200 and -300 series airplanes. This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking of the flap transmission shafts, and replacing the transmission shafts if necessary. This AD also provides an optional terminating action for the repetitive inspections. This AD results from reports of longitudinal cracks due to stress corrosion in the transmission shafts between the power control unit (PCU) and the torque limiters of the flap transmission system. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracking of the flap transmission shaft, which could compromise shaft structural integrity and lead to a disabled flap transmission shaft and reduced controllability of the airplane.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier Model BD-100-1A10 airplanes. This AD requires an inspection for signs of arcing or heat damage of the electrical connections of the terminal blocks, ground studs, and the end of the wires and surrounding insulation for the windshield and side window anti-ice systems; and repairing any arced or damaged electrical connection. This AD also requires re-torquing electrical connections of the terminal blocks and ground studs for the windshield and side window anti-ice systems. This AD results from an in-service incident involving smoke and odor in the cockpit. We are issuing this AD to prevent loose electrical connections that could arc and overheat, and cause wiring damage of the windshield and side window anti-ice systems. Such wiring damage could result in smoke and/or fire in the flight compartment.