May 22, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to evaluate proposed public transportation improvements in the Houston metropolitan area. The area being studied, known as the University Corridor, extends approximately ten miles from the vicinity of the University of HoustonCentral Campus to the Uptown/Galleria area in southwest Houston. METRO is proposing to construct an electric-powered light rail transit line on one of several possible alignments in the corridor. The EIS will examine and evaluate a number of transit alternatives including a Transportation Systems Management Alternative and various Build Alternatives, consisting of light rail vehicles powered from overhead wires, by an internal diesel-electric system, or by an alternative fuel hybrid-electric system and alignment options within the corridor; and any additional alternatives generated by the scoping process. The location and design of needed ancillary facilities, such as maintenance facilities, will also be considered. Scoping of the EIS will be accomplished through a series of public meetings and stakeholder meetings, through correspondence with interested persons, organizations, and Federal, State, and local agencies, and through posting a scoping information packet on the internet and distributing the packet in hardcopy upon request.

Section 199(a)(6) of the Workforce Investment Act, Pub. L. 105-220, 112 Stat. 1059 (1998), repealed the Airline Employee Protection Program, originally established pursuant to Section 43 of the Airline Deregulation Act, Pub. L. 95-504, 92 Stat. 1705 (1978), and subsequently codified at 49 U.S.C. 42101-42106. In accordance with the provisions of the Workforce Investment Act, the Department of Labor (Department) is issuing this final rule to rescind its regulations established by 29 CFR Part 220, to administer the Airline Employee Protection Program.

We are amending the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation into the continental United States of peppers from the Republic of Korea under certain conditions. As a condition of entry, the peppers will have to be grown in approved insect-proof, pest-free greenhouses and packed in pest-exclusionary packinghouses. In addition, the peppers will have to be safeguarded against pest infestation during their movement from the production site to the packinghouse and from the packinghouse to the continental United States. This action will allow for the importation of peppers from the Republic of Korea into the continental United States while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests.

This notice announces the revision to the boundary of Big Thicket National Preserve to include the parcel of land known as Tract 223-09. The United States will acquire this tract from The Conservation Fund upon the revision of the boundary. The National Park Service has determined that this boundary revision is necessary and that the acquisition of this tract would make a significant contribution to the purposes for which the preserve was created.

The Advisory Committee was established by Pub. L. 98-181, November 30, 1983, to advise the Export-Import Bank on its programs and to provide comments for inclusion in the reports of the Export-Import Bank of the United States to Congress. Time and Place: Wednesday, June 7, 2006, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The meeting will be held at Ex-Im Bank in the Main Conference Room 1143, 811 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20571. Agenda: This meeting will focus on the Congressionally mandated Competitiveness Report which focuses on how Ex-Im Bank's programs compare with their major G-7 ECA counterparts during 2005, as well as identifying certain related emerging issues. Public Participation: The meeting will be open to public participation, and the last 10 minutes will be set aside for oral questions or comments. Members of the public may also file written statement(s) before or after the meeting. If you plan to attend, a photo ID must be presented at the guard's desk as part of the clearance process into the building, and you may contact Teri Stumpf to be placed on an attendee list. If any person wishes auxiliary aids (such as a sign language interpreter) or other special accommodations, please contact, prior to June 1, 2006, Terri Stumpf, Room 1203, 811 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20571, Voice: (202) 565-3502 or TDD (202) 565-3377. Further Information: For further information, contact Teri Stumpf, Room 1203, 811 Vermont Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20571, (202) 565-3502.

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent (i.e., employer) burden, conducts a preclearance 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 (PRA-95) [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. Currently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed extension of the Information Collection Request (ICR) for the OSHA Data Initiative. A copy of the proposed ICR can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addresses section of this notice.

The Fremont and Winema Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Klamath Falls Oregon, for the purpose of evaluating and recommending resource management projects for funding in 2007, under the provisions of Title II of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self- Determination Act of 2000.

This is a notice of proposed rulemaking by the Department of Homeland Security, specifically by the Transportation Security Administration and the United States Coast Guard. If promulgated, this rule would implement the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program in the maritime sector. Under this program, merchant mariners holding an active License, Merchant Mariner Document, or Certificate of Registry and workers who require unescorted access to secure areas at maritime facilities or on vessels must undergo a security threat assessment, and, if found to not pose a security threat, obtain a Transportation Worker Identification Credential. Persons without Transportation Worker Identification Credentials will not be granted unescorted access to secure areas at affected maritime facilities or on vessels. Under this proposed rule, the Coast Guard seeks to amend its regulations on vessel and facility security to require the use of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential as an access control measure. It is also proposing to amend its regulations covering merchant mariners to incorporate the requirement to obtain a Transportation Worker Identification Credential. In a separate rulemaking action published elsewhere in this edition of the Federal Register, the Coast Guard also is proposing to consolidate existing licensing and documentation regulations to minimize duplicative or redundant identification or background check requirements. The Transportation Security Administration proposes amending its security threat assessment standards that currently apply to commercial drivers authorized to transport hazardous materials in commerce to also apply to merchant mariners and workers who require unescorted access to secure areas on vessels and at port facilities. These proposed amendments also relate to the notification an employer receives when an employee who holds a hazardous materials endorsement or a Transportation Worker Identification Credential is determined to pose a security threat. The Transportation Security Administration also is proposing regulations dealing with the enrollment of port workers into the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program. In addition, the Transportation Security Administration is proposing a fee, as authorized under the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2004, to pay for the costs related to the issuance of the Transportation Worker Identification Credentials under this rule. This rulemaking would enhance the security of ports by requiring background checks on persons and establishing a biometric access control system to prevent those who pose a security threat from gaining unescorted access to secure areas of ports. This rulemaking implements the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, which requires that credentialed merchant mariners and workers with unescorted access to secured areas of vessels and facilities be subject to a security threat assessment and receive a biometric credential needed to access secured areas.