December 21, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is assigning new, unique code numbers to charitable organizations that participate in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). The number of participating charitable organizations is increasing and will soon exceed the number of codes available under the current CFC coding procedure. In addition, the assignment of new, unique code numbers will allow OPM to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the CFC by assisting in future promotion of the use of electronic giving technology and future revision to geographic restrictions to donor giving.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is establishing January 1, 2010, as the uniform compliance date for food labeling regulations that are issued between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2008. FDA periodically announces uniform compliance dates for new food labeling requirements to minimize the economic impact of label changes. On March 14, 2005, FDA established January 1, 2008, as the uniform compliance date for food labeling regulations that issued between March 14, 2005, and December 31, 2006.

We (Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. The ICR, which is summarized below, describes the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost. This ICR is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2006. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. However, under OMB regulations, we may continue to conduct or sponsor this information collection while it is pending at OMB.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden and cost.

The Regional Administrator of Region 6 today proposes to reissue the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permit for the Western Portion of the Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico (No. GMG290000) for discharges from existing and new dischargers and New Sources in the Offshore Subcategory of the Oil and Gas Extraction Point Source Category as authorized by section 402 of the Clean Water Act. The permit, previously reissued on October 7, 2004, and published in the Federal Register at 69 FR 60150, authorizes discharges from exploration, development, production, and transmission facilities located in and discharging to Federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico seaward of the outer boundary of the territorial seas off Louisiana and Texas. Discharges of produced water to Federal waters from facilities located in the territorial seas are also authorized when all conditions of the permit are met. The following changes to the expiring permit are proposed to be made as a part of the permit reissuance. Requirements to comply with new cooling water intake structure regulations are included. Sub-lethal effects are required to be measured for whole effluent toxicity testing. New test methods are allowed for monitoring cadmium and mercury in stock barite. Clarifications have been added to the permit requirements for: Types of activities covered; pit cleaning and other wash water; end of well monitoring; sediment toxicity test averaging; the drilling fluids discharge rate limitation; discharges associated with dual gradient drilling; toxicity testing for miscellaneous discharges; and calculation of the produced water critical dilution for toxicity testing. Other minor changes in wording are also proposed to clarify EPA's intent regarding the permit's requirements.

The Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration (MARAD) announce the availability of material supplementing the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Northeast Gateway Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port License Application. The supplementary material corrects omissions in the FEIS.

In this notice, HUD announces the establishment of an Office of Hearings and Appeals within the Office of the Secretary.

The proposed information collection requirement described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

This notice is issued in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209(c)(1) and 37 CFR 404.7(a)(1)(i). NASA hereby gives notice of its intent to grant an exclusive license in the United States to practice the invention described and claimed in U.S. Patent No. 6,027,954, Gas Sensing Diode and Method of Manufacturing; U.S. Patent No. 6,291,838, Gas Sensing Diode Comprising SiC; and U.S. Patent No. 6,763,699, Gas Sensors Using SiC Semiconductors and Method of Fabrication to Makel Engineering, Inc., having its principal place of business in Chico, California. The patent rights in these inventions have been assigned to the United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The prospective exclusive license will comply with the terms and conditions of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.7.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

On January 3, 2006, the Department of Commerce initiated and the International Trade Commission instituted a sunset review of the antidumping duty order on silicon metal from Brazil. As a result of the review, the International Trade Commission determined that revocation of the order on silicon metal from Brazil would not be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury to an industry in the United States within a reasonably foreseeable time. Therefore, the Department of Commerce is revoking this antidumping duty order.

The Department of Commerce (Department) removes its regulations implementing the government-wide common rule on nonprocurement debarment and suspension, currently codified at Title 15, and adopts the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) guidance at Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) published as interim final guidance in the Federal Register on August 31, 2005, as revised by the issuance of a final rule in the Federal Register on November 15, 2006. This regulatory action implements the OMB's initiative to streamline and consolidate all federal regulations on nonprocurement debarment and suspension into one part of the CFR. The Department does not intend to modify any of its current policy.

We are giving notice of a meeting of the General Conference Committee of the National Poultry Improvement Plan.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is publishing this notice to inform accredited certifying agents and producers and handlers certified to the National Organic Program (NOP) of AMS' intention to release notices of noncompliance, and the identity of each entity which has been suspended or revoked, as well as the reasons for these actions. The release of these materials complies with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in which any information that is not protected from disclosure by a FOIA exemption must be provided to the public.

This amendment adopts miscellaneous amendments to the required IFR (instrument flight rules) altitudes and changeover points for certain Federal airways, jet routes, or direct routes for which a minimum or maximum en route authorized IFR altitude is prescribed. This regulatory action is needed because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System. These changes are designed to provide for the safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace under instrument conditions in the affected areas.

The Coast Guard is changing the regulations governing six bridges across Bayou Lafourche, south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), and one bridge across Bayou Lafourche, north of the GIWW, in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana. The Lafourche Parish Council has requested that the six bridges below the GIWW remain closed to navigation at various times on weekdays during the school year and the one bridge north of the GIWW open on four hours advanced notification at night. These closures will facilitate the safe, efficient movement of staff, students and other residents within the parish.

The public is invited to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species.

The following permits were issued.

The public is invited to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species and/or marine mammals.