December 14, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Secretary of the Interior has determined that an area of 36,398 acres within the Irvine Ranch in Orange County, California meets the criteria for national significance and has designated this site a National Natural Landmark.

Notice is hereby given to National Endowment for the Arts employees, former employees and applicants for Federal employment about the rights and remedies available under the antidiscrimination, whistleblower protection, and retaliation laws applicable to them.

On December 8, 2006, a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Thorn Salvage Recovery Project on the Blue Mountain Ranger District of the Malheur National Forest, was published in the Federal Register (71 FR 71120). Forest Service has decided to cancel the preparation of this EIS. The NOI is hereby rescinded.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to amend its regulations on access to investigational new drugs for the treatment of patients. The proposed rule would clarify existing regulations and add new types of expanded access for treatment use. Under the proposal, expanded access to investigational drugs for treatment use would be available to individual patients, including in emergencies; intermediate-size patient populations; and larger populations under a treatment protocol or treatment investigational new drug application (IND). The proposed rule is intended to improve access to investigational drugs for patients with serious or immediately life- threatening diseases or conditions, who lack other therapeutic options and who may benefit from such therapies.

The Export-Import Bank, as a part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on the proposed information collection as required by the Paperwork Reduction act of 1995. The purpose of the survey is to fulfill a statutory mandate (The Export- Import Bank Act of 1945, as amended, 12 U.S.C. 635) which directs Ex-Im Bank to report annually to the U.S. Congress any action taken toward providing export credit programs that are competitive with those offered by official foreign export credit agencies. The Act further stipulates that the annual report on competitiveness should include the results of a survey of U.S. exporters and U.S. commercial lending institutions which provide export credit to determine their experience in meeting financial competition from other countries whose exporters compete with U.S. exporters. Accordingly, Ex-Im Bank is requesting that the proposed survey (EIB No. 00-02) be sent to approximately 60 applicants of Ex-Im Bank's medium- and long-term programs. The revised survey is similar to the previous survey, as it asks bankers and exporters to evaluate the competitiveness of Ex-Im Bank's programs vis-[aacute]-vis foreign export credit agencies. However, it has been modified in order to account for newer policies and to capture enough information to provide a better analysis of our competitiveness. In addition, the survey will be available on Ex-Im Bank's website, www.exim.gov, with recipients encouraged to respond on-line as well.

NMFS issues final specifications for the 2007 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries. This final rule specifies allowed harvest limits for both commercial and recreational fisheries, including commercial scup possession limits. This action prohibits federally permitted commercial vessels from landing summer flounder in Delaware in 2007 due to continued quota repayment from previous year's overages. The actions of this final rule are necessary to comply with regulations of implementing the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) as well as to ensure compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson- Stevens Act). The intent of this action is to establish harvest levels and other management measures to ensure that target fishing mortality rates (F) or exploitation rates, as specified for these species in the FMP, are not exceeded. In addition, this action implements measures that ensure continued rebuilding of the overfished scup stock and end overfishing in the summer flounder fishery.

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS)) is seeking applications for the following vacant seats on its Sanctuary Advisory Council (council): Boating, Citizen-at-Large (upper Keys), Diving (alternate), Citizen-at-Large (middle Keys, alternate), Conservaiton & Environment (alternate), Recreational Fishing, Recreational Fishing (alternate), Research & Monitoring (alternate), Elected Official (alternate), Charter Fishing (sports). Applicants are chosen based upon their particular expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying; community and professional affiliations; philosophy regarding the protection and management of marine resources; and possibly the length of residence in the area affected by the sanctuary. Applicants who are chosen as members should expect to serve three-year terms, pursuant to the Council's charter.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) gives notice as required by 42 CFR Sec. 83.12(e) of a decision to evaluate a petition to designate a class of employees at Dow Chemical Company, Madison, Illinois, to be included in the Special Exposure Cohort under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000. The initial proposed definition for the class being evaluated, subject to revision as warranted by the evaluation, is as follows: Facility: Dow Chemical Company. Location: Madison, Illinois. Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All Atomic Weapons Employer employees who were monitored, or should have been monitored, for exposure to ionizing radiation while working for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, either solely under this employment or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees in the Special Exposure Cohort. Period of Employment: January 1, 1957 through December 21, 1960.

Pursuant to 36 CFR 51.23, public notice is hereby given that the National Park Service proposes to extend the following expiring concession contracts for a period of up to one year, or until each time as a new contract is executed, whichever occurs sooner.

This final rule amends the agency's regulation on anthropomorphic test devices to add specifications and qualification requirements for the 5th percentile adult female crash test dummy, called the SID-IIs Build Level D (``SID-IIs'') test dummy. The SID-IIs dummy is instrumented in the head, thorax, abdomen and pelvis, which enables it to assess in a comprehensive manner the performance of vehicles in protecting small-stature occupants in side impacts. NHTSA plans to use the SID-IIs dummy in an upgraded Federal motor vehicle safety standard on side impact protection.

The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) is amending Appendix A to Subpart B of 12 CFR part 1750 Risk-Based Capital, (Risk-Based Capital Regulation). The amendments are intended to enhance the accuracy and transparency of the calculation of the risk-based capital requirement for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) and to update the Risk-Based Capital Regulation to incorporate approved new activities treatments.