August 9, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document provides changes of date and location for a public hearing on proposed regulations under sections 871 and 881 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) relating to the exclusion from gross income of portfolio interest paid to a nonresident alien individual or foreign corporation.

This document contains final regulations providing guidance on certain issues under section 411(d)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code (Code), including the interaction between the anti-cutback rules of section 411(d)(6) and the nonforfeitability requirements of section 411(a). These regulations also provide a utilization test under which certain plan amendments are permitted to eliminate or reduce certain early retirement benefits, retirement-type subsidies, or optional forms of benefit. These regulations generally affect sponsors of, and participants and beneficiaries in, qualified retirement plans.

An open meeting of the Area 7 Committee of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel will be conducted (via teleconference). The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) is soliciting public comments, ideas, and suggestions on improving customer service at the Internal Revenue Service. The TAP will use citizen input to make recommendations to the Internal Revenue Service.

An open meeting of the Taxpayer Assistance Center Committee of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel will be conducted (via teleconference). The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) is soliciting public comments, ideas, and suggestions on improving customer service at the Internal Revenue Service.

This final rule revokes under section 408(e)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) the existing exemptions from the requirement of a tolerance for residues of certain inert ingredients because there are insufficient data to make the determination of safety required by FFDCA section 408(b)(2), or because they are redundant and, therefore, are not necessary. In addition, EPA has identified substances within certain of these tolerance exemptions that meet the definition of low-risk polymers and is establishing new tolerance exemptions for them. The revocation actions in this document contribute towards the Agency's tolerance reassessment requirements under FFDCA section 408(q), as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996. By law, EPA is required by August 2006 to reassess the tolerances that were in existence on August 2, 1996. The regulatory actions in this document pertain to the revocation of 130 tolerance exemptions which are counted as tolerance reassessment toward the August 2006 review deadline.

The Audio Division, on its on motion, deletes Channel 228A at Leadville, Colorado to resolve existing distance spacing conflicts. It is Commission policy to refrain from maintaining an allotment in instances were there are no bona fide expressions of interest.

At the request of Charles Crawford, the Audio Division allots Channel 253A at Lometa, Texas, as that community's second local FM transmission service. To accommodate the Lometa allotment, Channel 235A is substituted for vacant Channel 252A at Richland Springs, Texas. Channel 253A is allotted at Lometa with a site restriction of 11.7 kilometers (7.3 miles) northwest of the community at coordinates 31-18- 45 NL and 98-26-45 WL. Channel 235A is substituted for vacant Channel 252A at Richland Springs, at Petitioner's requested site 9.4 kilometers (5.8 miles) southwest of the community at coordinates 31-12-30 NL and 99-00-45 WL. A filing window period for Channel 253A at Lometa will not be opened at this time. Instead, the issue of opening this allotment for auction will be addressed by the Commission in a subsequent Order.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all McDonnell Douglas Model MD-90-30 airplanes. This AD requires installing a clamp, bonding jumper assembly, and attaching hardware to the refueling manifold in the right wing refueling station area. This AD results from fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer. We are issuing this AD to prevent arcing on the in-tank side of the fueling valve during a lightning strike, which could result in an ignition source that could ignite fuel vapor and cause a fuel tank explosion.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing Model 747-200B, 747-200C, 747-200F, 747-300, and 747SR series airplanes. This AD requires doing repetitive inspections of engine struts 1 through 4, as applicable, for heat discoloration, cracking, buckling, or wrinkling. This AD also requires doing a conductivity test to detect the extent of the heat damage and an inspection to detect cracking of the heat-discolored, buckled, or wrinkled area; and repair; if necessary. This AD results from reports of heat damage and cracking of the skin and internal structure adjacent to and aft of the precooler exhaust vent on several engine struts. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracking, buckling, wrinkling, or heat damage of the skin and internal structure of the engine struts, which could result in extensive damage to the engine struts and consequent possible separation of an engine from the airplane during flight.

EPA is revoking, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) section 408(e)(1), the existing exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for residues of the inert ingredient ``Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol'' (THFA) under 40 CFR 180.910, and establishes a limited tolerance for THFA under 40 CFR 180.1263. The regulatory action contributes toward the Agency's tolerance reassessment requirements under FFDCA section 408(q), as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996. By law, EPA is required by August 2006 to reassess the tolerances that were in existence on August 2, 1996. This regulatory action counts as a tolerance reassessment toward the August 2006 review deadline.

EPA is revoking, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) section 408(e)(1), the existing exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for residues of the inert ingredient ``Mono- and bis-(1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluoroalkyl) phosphates where the alkyl group is even numbered and in the C6-C12 range'' under 40 CFR 180.920. The regulatory action contributes toward the Agency's tolerance reassessment requirements under FFDCA section 408(q), as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996. By law, EPA is required by August 2006 to reassess the tolerances that were in existence on August 2, 1996. This regulatory action counts as a tolerance reassessment toward the August 2006 review deadline.

EPA announces the availability of draft guidance for implementing the water quality criterion for methylmercury and requests comments on the draft guidance. The draft document provides technical guidance to states, territories, and authorized tribes exercising responsibility under Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(c) on how to use EPA's fish tissue-based methylmercury criterion recommendation in developing their own water quality standards for methylmercury and in implementing these standards in Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. The guidance document does not impose any legally binding requirements on any entity. It provides various technical and policy approaches to implementing the criterion. These approaches are recommendations only. States, territories and authorized tribes may choose to implement other technically-sound approaches that are consistent with the CWA and EPA's implementing regulations.

The Del Norte County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet on August 14 and 15, 2006, in Crescent City, California.The purpose of the meeting is to review and vote on FY 2007 proposed title II projects under Public Law 106-393, H.R. 2389, the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, also called the ``Payments to States'' Act.

This notice announces the appointment of members to the Financial Management Service (FMS) Performance Review Board (PRB).

The Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee is publishing Civilian Personnel Per Diem Bulletin Number 248. This bulletin lists revisions in the per diem rates prescribed for U.S. Government employees for official travel in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands and Possessions of the United States. AEA changes announced in Bulletin Number 194 remain in effect. Bulletin Number 248 is being published in the Federal Register to assure that travelers are paid per diem at the most current rates.

The Mobile District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), intends to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to address the potential impacts associated with actions to comprehensively address hurricane and storm damage reduction, prevention of saltwater intrusion, preservation of fish and wildlife, prevention of erosion, and other related water resource purposes in coastal Mississippi. These actions are related to the consequences of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005. The Corps will forward recommendations to Congress authorized by the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2006 (Pub. L. 109-148) dated December 30, 2005. The EIS will be used as a basis for ensuring compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District announces its decision to maintenance dredge the following Federal navigation channels in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts: the Main Ship Channel upstream of Spectacle Island to the Inner Confluence, the upper Reserved Channel, the approach to the Navy Dry Dock, a portion of the Mystic River, and a portion of the Chelsea River (previously permitted). Maintenance dredging of the navigation channels landward of Spectacle Island is needed to remove shoals and restore the Federal navigation channels to their authorized depths. Dredged material suitable for unconfined open water disposal will be disposed at the Massachusetts Bay Disposal Site; material not suitable for unconfined open water disposal will be disposed in confined aquatic disposal (CAD) cell(s) located within the navigation channels. Major navigation channel improvements (deepening) were made in 1999 through 2001 in the Reserved Channel, the Mystic River, Inner Confluence, and the Chelsea River. A Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared in June 1995 for this previous navigation improvement project (Boston Harbor Navigation Improvement ProjectBHNIP) identified selected use of CAD cells in the Mystic River, Inner Confluence, and Chelsea River for disposal. A Supplemental Draft and Final EIS was prepared for this maintenance dredging project and built on the lessons learned from the previous improvement project. A new CAD cell for the proposed maintenance project will be constructed in the Mystic River (previously permitted) and in the Main Ship Channel just below the Inner Confluence.

This announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for an airspace proposal in the Ft. Campbell, KY area. The airspace proposal is required for the establishment of Helicopter Aerial Refueling routes utilizing United States Army helicopters and United States Air Force and/or Marine Corp airplanes to conduct air-to- air refueling training. In order to use these routes on a recurring basis they are required to be published in the Department of Defense publication system therefore requiring an environmental study. The EA assesses the potential environmental impacts of all areas that underlie the flight routes. There are six routes in the proposal which will be utilized by an U.S. Army tenant unit of Ft. Campbell, KY.

This notice is published in accordance with section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Meeting notice is hereby given for the Quachita-Ozark Resource Advisory Committee pursuant to Section 205 of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act of 2000, Public Law 106-393. Topics to be discussed include: general information, including status of the proposed reauthorization of the Act, proposed new Title II projects, updates on current or completed Title II projects, renewal of committee member terms and committee member recruitment needs and, if appropriate, next meeting date and agenda.