July 10, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA proposes to approve the State Implementation Plan (SIP) and Operating Permits Program revisions submitted by the state of Nebraska. This action revises monitoring requirements which were found to be less stringent than the applicable Federal rule; adds permits-by- rule provisions, which would provide a streamlined approach for issuing construction/operating permits for hot mix asphalt plants and small animal incinerators' and deletes the chemical compound ethylene glycol monobutyl ether from the list of regulated hazardous air pollutants in Appendices II and III. Approval of these revisions will ensure consistency between the state and Federally-approved rules, and ensure Federal enforceability of the state's revised air program rules.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of New Jersey. This revision establishes an updated ten-year carbon monoxide (CO) maintenance plan for the Nine Not-Classified Areas in the State (the City of Atlantic City, the City of Burlington, the Borough of Freehold, the Town of Morristown, the Borough of Penns Grove, the City of Perth Amboy, the Borough of Somerville, the Toms River Area, and the City of Trenton) and Camden County. In addition, this action approves revisions to the CO, NOX, VOC, and PM2.5 motor vehicle emissions budgets for Northern New Jersey. Finally, this notice approves revisions to the general conformity budget for McGuire Air Force Base and the 2002 ozone, PM2.5, and CO base year emissions inventories, where applicable. The Nine Not Classified Areas and Camden County were redesignated to attainment of the CO National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) on February 5, 1996 and maintenance plans were also approved at that time. By this action, EPA is approving the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's (New Jersey) second maintenance plans for these areas because they provide for continued attainment of the CO NAAQS for an additional ten years. The intended effect of this rulemaking is to approve a SIP revision that will insure continued maintenance of the CO NAAQS.

EPA is proposing partial approval of revisions to the prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) and nonattainment new source review (NSR) construction permit programs of the State of Indiana. On December 31, 2002, EPA published revisions to the federal PSD and nonattainment NSR regulations. These revisions are commonly referred to as ``NSR Reform'' regulations and became effective on March 3, 2003. These regulatory revisions include provisions for baseline emissions determinations, actual-to-future actual methodology, Plantwide Applicability Limits (PAL), Clean Units, and Pollution Control Projects (PCP). On June 24, 2005, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued its ruling on challenges to the December 2002 NSR reform revisions. Although the Court did uphold most of EPA's rules, it vacated both the Clean Unit and the PCP provisions. In addition, the Court remanded to EPA provision that requires recordkeeping and reporting for sources that elect to use the actual- to-projected actual emission test only where there is a reasonable possibility that a project may result in a significant net emissions increase. IDEM is seeking partial approval for rules to implement the NSR Reform provisions that have not been vacated by the June 24, 2005, court decision. This action affects major stationary sources in Indiana that are subject to or potentially subject to the PSD or nonattainment NSR construction permit program.

The Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) has determined, based on the best information currently available, that energy conservation standards for certain single-phase, capacitor- start, induction-run, small electric motors are technologically feasible and economically justified, and would result in significant energy savings. This determination initiates the process of establishing, by notice and comment rulemaking, test procedures and energy conservation standards for this equipment.

NMFS announces an adjustment to the ending date of the annual closure of the shrimp fishery in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off Texas. The closure is normally from May 15 to July 15 each year. For 2006, the closure began on May 15, and will end at 30 minutes after sunset on July 10. The Texas closure is intended to prohibit the harvest of brown shrimp during their major emigration from Texas estuaries to the Gulf of Mexico so the shrimp may reach a larger, more valuable size and to prevent the waste of brown shrimp that would be discarded in fishing operations because of their small size.

This rule identifies communities, where the sale of flood insurance has been authorized under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), that are scheduled for suspension on the effective dates listed within this rule because of noncompliance with the floodplain management requirements of the program. If FEMA receives documentation that the community has adopted the required floodplain management measures prior to the effective suspension date given in this rule, the suspension will not occur and a notice of this will be provided by publication in the Federal Register on a subsequent date.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission or FCC) adopts rules that make interim modifications to the existing approach for assessing contributions to the federal universal service fund (USF or Fund) in order to provide stability while the Commission continues to examine more fundamental reform. First, the Commission raises the interim wireless safe harbor from its current 28.5 percent level to 37.1 percent. Second, the Commission establishes universal service contribution obligations for providers of interconnected voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service. These rules are essential for securing the viability of universal servicea fundamental goal of communications policy as expressed in the Communications Actin the near-term.

This final rule sets forth the standards that will be adopted by the Postal ServiceTM to implement the electronic data and automated processes of the Electronic Verification System (eVS) for permit imprint Parcel Select[supreg] manifest mailings and eliminate current paper-driven and manual processes used for such mailings. This required change will also extend to Standard Mail[supreg] machinable parcels and parcels from other Package Services subclasses (Bound Printed Matter, Library Mail, or Media Mail[supreg]) that are authorized to be commingled with permit imprint Parcel Select parcels.