October 12, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The EPA is proposing to approve a revision to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for New York's motor vehicle enhanced inspection and maintenance (I/M) program which includes the adoption of a statewide On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) program. New York has made revisions to Title 6 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations (NYCRR), Part 217, ``Motor Vehicle Enhanced Inspection and Maintenance Program Requirements,'' and Title 15 NYCRR Part 79, ``Motor Vehicle Inspection Regulations,'' to comply with EPA regulations and to improve performance of its I/M program. The intended effect of this action is to maintain consistency between the State-adopted rules and the federally approved SIP and to approve a control strategy that will result in emission reductions that will help achieve attainment of the national ambient air quality standard for ozone.

The Coast Guard is establishing special local regulations during the ``Red Bull Flugtag Baltimore'', a marine event to be held October 21, 2006 on the waters of the Patapsco River, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD. These special local regulations are necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the event. This action is intended to temporarily restrict vessel traffic in a portion of the Baltimore Inner Harbor during the event.

The Coast Guard is announcing that it is adding three more public meetings to its current schedule of public meetings to discuss issues relating to the proposed permanent safety zones located in the Great Lakes to conduct live gunnery training exercises. These meetings will be open to the public and are in addition to the four currently scheduled public meetings.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all McDonnell Douglas Model 717-200 airplanes. This proposed AD would require inspecting the power conversion distribution unit (PCDU) to determine its part number, and modifying certain PCDUs. This proposed AD is prompted by reports of failed PCDUs, the loss of an electrical bus, and the presence of a strong electrical burning odor in the flight deck and forward cabin. We are proposing this AD to prevent the loss of an electrical bus due to a PCDU failure, which could result in an abnormally long time for all flight deck displays to reconfigure, and consequent emergency landing.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 & 440) airplanes. This proposed AD would require inspecting for discrepancies of the activation mechanism of certain chemical oxygen generators, and corrective action if necessary. This proposed AD results from several incidents, on certain airplane models, of incorrect installation of the release pin into the safety pin hole of the activation mechanism of the chemical oxygen generator; this resulted in failure to activate the chemical oxygen generator when required. A separate incident occurred on a different airplane model during deployment of the cabin oxygen system, which resulted in failure of the release pin to activate the oxygen generator at a flight attendant station. We are proposing this AD to prevent failure of the activation mechanism of the chemical oxygen generator, which could result in the unavailability of supplemental oxygen and possible incapacitation of passengers and cabin crew during an in-flight decompression.

In this document, the Commission denies a petition for reconsideration of the Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) equipment certification requirements for ship station equipment that were adopted in the Sixth Report and Order in PR Docket No. 92-257. The Commission concludes that there is no compelling justification for adopting domestic AIS equipment certification standards that diverge from the international standards. In support of this conclusion, the Commission notes that any such departure from the international standards would delay AIS deployment in the United States, discourage voluntary AIS carriage, and create other problems, including difficulties in AIS coordination with maritime authorities of other nations.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) requests additional comment on issues pertaining to maritime Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). AIS is an important tool for enhancing maritime safety and homeland security. Having determined in the Report and Order in this proceeding that VHF maritime Channels 87B and 88B should be allocated for exclusive AIS use, in keeping with the international allocation of those channels for AIS, the Commission now seeks comment on whether the designation of those channels for ASIS should be effective throughout the Nation or, as the Commission initially proposed, only in the nine maritime VHF public coast (VPC) service areas (VPCSAs). The Commission asks commenters to consider, in this regard, the United States Coast Guard's plans to develop satellite AIS tracking capabilities. Second, the Commission requests comment on equipment standards and other issues pertaining to AIS base stations. Finally, the Commission requests comment on a proposed standard for authorizing Class B AIS devices.

NMFS is closing directed fishing for groundfish by vessels using trawl gear in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), except for directed fishing for pollock by vessels using pelagic trawl gear in those portions of the GOA open to directed fishing for pollock. This action is necessary because the 2006 Pacific halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) limit specified for vessels using trawl gear in the GOA has been reached.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Atka mackerel in the Western Aleutian District of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2006 Atka mackerel total allowable catch (TAC) in the Western Aleutian District of the BSAI.

Human factors are the leading cause of train accidents, accounting for 38 percent of the total in 2005. Human factors also contribute to employee injuries. The proposed rule would establish greater accountability on the part of railroad management for administration of railroad programs of operational tests and inspections, and greater accountability on the part of railroad supervisors and employees for compliance with those railroad operating rules that are responsible for approximately half of the train accidents related to human factors. Furthermore, this rulemaking is intended to supplant the need for Emergency Order 24, which requires special handling, instruction and testing of railroad operating rules pertaining to hand-operated main track switches in non-signaled territory.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are revising critical habitat for the Perdido Key beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus trissyllepsis) and Choctawhatchee beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus allophrys) and designating critical habitat for the St. Andrew beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus peninsularis) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In total, approximately 6,193 acres (ac) (2,506 hectares (ha)) are being designated as critical habitat for the three subspecies. This action adds approximately 135 ac (44 ha) to the amount of currently designated critical habitat for the Perdido Key beach mouse and 1,629 ac (659 ha) to the area designated for the Choctawhatchee beach mouse. The critical habitat is located in Baldwin County, Alabama; and Escambia, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, and Gulf Counties, Florida.