2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This proposed rule would amend the regulations governing the selection and functions of Farm Service Agency (FSA) State and county committees in accordance with the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as amended (the Act).

On June 21, 2006, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (``Board'') published for public comment the Consultation paper on intraday liquidity management and payment system risk policy. The Board is extending the comment period for the consultation paper by 90 days.

Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) is hereby providing notice of employee rights and protections under the Notification and Federal Employees Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (the No FEAR Act) to its employees, including employees of the District of Columbia Pretrial Services Agency, an independent entity within CSOSA.

Pursuant to Section 102 (2) (C) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Kanab Field Office announces its intent to prepare an EIS and is soliciting public comments regarding issues and resource information on the potential impacts of a proposal to primarily surface mine Federal coal in the vicinity of Alton, Utah as requested by Alton coal Development LLC (Alton LLC) in LBA case number UTU 081895 and in conformance with the provisions of 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3425.1.

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) is announcing an opportunity for producers to participate in a production data workshop. The purpose of the workshop is to gather comments and input from a variety of stakeholders and the public. Information about the workshop, registration, and the agenda is available on our Web site at https:// www.mrm.mms.gov/ReportingServices/ETFormProd.htm.

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 FHWA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval to renew an information collection, which is summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is extending the comment period on the ``Draft Guidance for Industry, Clinical Laboratories, and FDA Staff on In Vitro Diagnostic Multivariate Index Assays.'' The agency announced the availability of this draft guidance in the Federal Register of September 7, 2006 (71 FR 52800). The initial comment period closes on December 6, 2006. To provide interested persons additional time to review and submit comments on the draft guidance, the agency has decided to extend the comment period.

The Board, under 49 U.S.C. 10502, exempts the trackage rights described in Montana Rail Link, Inc.Trackage Rights ExemptionBNSF Railway Company, STB Finance Docket No. 34911 (STB served Oct. 13, 2006) (MRL Trackage Rights) \1\ to permit them to expire on or about December 31, 2010, in accordance with the agreement of the parties, subject to the employee protective conditions set forth in Oregon Short Line R. Co.AbandonmentGoshen, 360 I.C.C. 91 (1979).

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) announces a meeting of the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress. The committee advises NARA on the full range of programs, policies, and plans for the Center for Legislative Archives in the Office of Records Services.

The FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve a new information collection. The New England Region Aviation Expo database performs conference registration and helps plan the logistics and non-pilot courses for the expo.

NMFS proposes to amend regulations governing the U.S. Atlantic swordfish fishery to enable a more thorough utilization of the U.S. North Atlantic swordfish quota. The U.S. North Atlantic swordfish quota is derived from the recommendations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and is implemented under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA). For the past several years, the U.S. Atlantic swordfish fishery has not fully harvested its available quota. The objective of this proposed action is to provide a reasonable opportunity for U.S. vessels to fully harvest the ICCAT-recommended U.S. North Atlantic swordfish quota, as specified in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, in recognition of the improved stock status of North Atlantic swordfish. This proposed rule would increase swordfish retention limits for Incidental swordfish permit holders, and modify recreational swordfish retention limits for HMS Charter/headboat and Angling category permit holders. The proposed rule would also modify HMS limited access vessel upgrading restrictions for pelagic longline (PLL) vessels. These actions are necessary to address persistent underharvests of the domestic swordfish quota, while continuing to minimize bycatch to the extent practicable, so that swordfish are harvested in a sustainable, yet economically viable manner.

This gives notice of OPM decisions granting authority to make appointments under Schedules A, B, and C in the excepted service as required by 5 CFR 6.6 and 213.103.

The U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science is holding an open business meeting to discuss Commission programs and administrative matters. Commissioners will review programs related to the Commission's strategic initiatives. Each of the Commission's task forces will share progress reports and the Commission will discuss future directions and activities. Topics will include: (1) American Corners; (2) Initiatives (Consumer Health Update, Battle of the Books, Family Literacy, Appraisal/Assessment, Aging); and (3) Policy Issues (Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response, Digitization). Date and Time: NCLIS Business MeetingDecember 11, 2006, 9 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.; December 12, 2006, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as the discovery of propeller control cables with a defective crimping. Two cable ends were found uncrimped at the factory after an engine run-up test, and one cable end was also found uncrimped on the first 100 hour aircraft maintenance check. The proposed AD would require actions that are intended to address the unsafe condition described in the MCAI.

The Ravalli County Resource Advisory Committee will be meeting to discuss the 2066 projects and hold a short public forum (question and answer session). The meeting is being held pursuant to the authorities in the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463) and under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-393). The meeting is open to the public.

The Colville National Forest, USDA Forest Service, will prepare an EIS (environmental impact statement) on a proposal to sell the old Curlew Ranger Station administrative site, a 3-acre parcel including buildings, located on the south side of Curlew, in Ferry County, Washington. The parcel and buildings are no longer needed to meet public service or Forest Service mission requirements. The Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act of 2005 authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to sell administrative sites that are no longer needed for National Forest System purposes. Project implementation is scheduled for Fiscal Year 2007. This project is not associated with the proposed Secure Rural Schools Land Sale Initiative. The Colville National Forest invites written comments and suggestions on the scope of the analysis. The agency will give notice of the full environmental analysis and decision-making process so interested and affected people may participate and contribute to the final decision.

Pursuant to its authority under the Susquehanna River Basin Compact, Pub. L. 91-575, 84 Stat. 1509 et seq. (the ``Compact'') and its Regulations for Review of Projects, 18 CFR parts 803, 804 and 805, the SRBC will hold a public hearing to consider approval of certain water resources projects listed below, including two projects involving diversions, at its meeting to be held on December 5, 2006 at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel and Convention Center, 1150 Camp Hill By- Pass, Camp Hill, Pa. 17011, beginning at 1 p.m. Also to be considered as part of this same public hearing will be (1) A final rule making action (see proposed rules, Federal Register, July 7, 2006, page 38692), (2) incorporation of the final rule making action into the SRBC Comprehensive Plan for Management and Development of the Water Resources of the Susquehanna River Basin; and (3) a revision of the Commission's current project fee schedule to make certain annual adjustments to that schedule and to conform the fee schedule to the final rule making action. Opportunity to appear and comment: Interested parties may appear at the above hearing to offer written or oral comments to the Commission on the listed projects or the other matters to be schedule for action at the hearing. Written comments may also be submitted to the electronic and regular mail addresses listed below. The chair of the Commission reserves the right to limit oral statements at the hearing in the interest of time and to otherwise control the course of the hearing.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to revise currently designated critical habitat for the tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We originally designated critical habitat for the tidewater goby on November 20, 2000 (65 FR 69693). We are proposing to revise the critical habitat for the tidewater goby to a total of approximately 10,003 acres (ac) (4,050 hectares (ha)). This is an increase of approximately 8,422 ac (3,408 ha) from the currently designated critical habitat. In the previous rule, critical habitat was only designated in Orange and San Diego Counties due to uncertainty over the future listing status of tidewater goby populations to the north. The proposed revised critical habitat is located in Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles Counties, California.

This final rule sets forth requirements for how hospitals must notify Medicare beneficiaries who are hospital inpatients about their hospital discharge rights. Notice is required both for original Medicare beneficiaries and for beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and other Medicare health plans subject to the MA regulations. (For purposes of this preamble, these entities will collectively be known as ``Medicare health plans''). Hospitals will use a revised version of the Important Message from Medicare (IM), an existing statutorily required notice, to explain the discharge rights. Hospitals must issue the IM within 2 days of admission, and must obtain the signature of the beneficiary or his or her representative. Hospitals will also deliver a copy of the signed notice prior to discharge, but not more than 2 days before the discharge. For beneficiaries who request an appeal, the hospital will deliver a more detailed notice.