2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the Washington Cherry Marketing Committee (Committee) for the 2006-2007 and subsequent fiscal periods. The Committee is responsible for local administration of the marketing order regulating the handling of sweet cherries grown in designated counties in Washington. Specifically, this rule decreases the assessment rate from $0.75 to $0.50 per ton for Washington sweet cherries handled under the marketing order. Authorization to assess cherry handlers enables the Committee to incur expenses that are reasonable and necessary to administer the program. The fiscal period for the marketing order begins April 1 and ends March 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended or terminated.

This action proposes to revise Class E airspace at Barter Island, AK. Two new Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) are being developed and one SIAP is being amended for the Barter Island Airport. Adoption of this proposal would result in amending Class E airspace upward from 700 feet (ft.) and 1,200 ft. above the surface at Barter Island, AK.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is confirming the effective date of July 3, 2006, for the direct final rule that was published in the Federal Register on April 18, 2006 (71 FR 19806). This direct final rule amended the NRC's regulations to revise the BNG Fuel Solutions Corporation (FuelSolutionsTM) cask system listing to include Amendment No. 4 to Certificate of Compliance (CoC) No. 1026.

This document corrects the final rule published on June 6, 2006, amending the regulations for the Marketing Assistance Loan (MAL) and Loan Deficiency Payment (LDP) Program of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). A correction is needed because an amendatory instruction inadvertently amended the wrong paragraphs.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim final rule to bring the sections of the Peanut Promotion, Research and Information Order (Order), into conformity with changes that have occurred since the implementation of the Order with regard to the collection of assessments. This order is issued under the authority of the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996. This rule continues in effect changes to the Order provisions on assessments and the deletion of a number of obsolete definitions.

Technical information or comments are requested on the proposed Base (1% annual-chance) Flood Elevations (BFEs) and proposed BFE modifications for the communities listed below. The BFEs and modified BFEs are the basis for the floodplain management measures that the community is required either to adopt or to show evidence of being already in effect in order to qualify or remain qualified for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

This interim rule lists communities where modification of the Base (1% annual-chance) Flood Elevations (BFEs) is appropriate because of new scientific or technical data. New flood insurance premium rates will be calculated from the modified BFEs for new buildings and their contents.

This rule identifies communities, where the sale of flood insurance has been authorized under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), that are scheduled for suspension on the effective dates listed within this rule because of noncompliance with the floodplain management requirements of the program. If FEMA receives documentation that the community has adopted the required floodplain management measures prior to the effective suspension date given in this rule, the suspension will not occur and a notice of this will be provided by publication in the Federal Register on a subsequent date.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) proposes to amend its regulations requiring the reporting of natural gas pipeline service interruptions to add a requirement that jurisdictional natural gas pipelines report damage to pipeline facilities that results in loss of or reduction in service through such facilities, and when service through such facilities has been restored. The Commission also proposes to amend its regulations to eliminate references to reporting by telegraph and to require reporting by e-mail or, as currently provided, by facsimile. The Commission further proposes to amend its regulations to change, from 20 to 30 days, the time by which a company must file with the Commission a copy of any incident report required by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Commission invites public comments on these proposed revisions, which the Commission has determined are needed to ensure timely identification of damage to the nation's natural gas infrastructure as the result of hurricanes or other causes.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), have determined that it is appropriate to remove Agave arizonica (Arizona agave) from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. This determination is based on a thorough review of all available data, which indicate that this plant is not a discrete taxonomic entity and does not meet the definition of a species under the Act. Evidence collected subsequent to the listing indicates that plants attributed to Agave arizonica do not constitute a distinct species but rather are individuals that have resulted from recent and sporadic instances of hybridization between two species. Current taxonomic practice is not to recognize such groups of individuals as a species. Since Agave arizonica is not recognized as a species, it no longer qualifies for protection under the Act.

This action revises Class E airspace at Huslia, AK to provide adequate controlled airspace to contain aircraft executing one new and two amended Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs). This rule results in revised Class E airspace revised upward from 700 feet (ft.) and 1,200 ft. above the surface at Huslia, AK.

The U.S. Army will soon be changing the name of Fort (Ft.) Wainwright Army Airfield (AAF) to Ladd AAF. This action amends the airport name accordingly for each of the Class D and Class E airspace descriptions in FAA Order 7400.9N.

On March 22, 2006, EPA published a direct final rule to approve a PM10 State Implementation Plan (SIP) maintenance plan revision for the La Grande, Oregon nonattainment area and to redesignate the area from nonattainment to attainment for PM10. PM10 air pollution is suspended particulate matter with a nominal diameter less than or equal to a nominal ten micrometers. We stated in the direct final rule that if EPA received adverse comment, we would publish a timely withdrawal of the direct final rule. We received adverse comment on the direct final rule, and, therefore, in a separate action, are withdrawing our direct final rule. In a parallel notice of proposed rulemaking, also published on March 22, 2006, we stated that if we received adverse comments we would address all public comments in a subsequent final rule based on the proposed rule. This final action addresses the adverse comments we received and finalizes our approval of the SIP revision and redesignation request for the La Grande PM10 nonattainment area.

EPA is finalizing approval of a revision to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (District) portion of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). This revision was proposed in the Federal Register on March 29, 2006. The revision adds qualifying electric generating facilities to the list of stationary sources that are allowed to use emission reduction credits from a bank of credits maintained by the District. We are approving the revision of a local District rule that was approved in 1996 under the Clean Air Act as amended in 1990 (CAA or the Act).

NMFS announces that the Administrator, Northeast (NE) Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), is modifying the gear restrictions for the U.S./Canada Management Area to require all limited access NE multispecies vessels fishing on a NE multispecies day-at-sea (DAS) with trawl gear in the Eastern U.S./Canada Area to use a haddock separator trawl. A projection based on available catch and discard information indicates that 30 percent of the total allowable catch (TAC) for Georges Bank (GB) cod specified for the Eastern U.S./Canada Area will be harvested by June 20, 2006. This catch rate could result in the harvest of the available TAC specified for GB cod before the end of the 2006 fishing year on April 30, 2007. This action is intended to slow the catch of GB cod in the Eastern U.S./Canada Area to prolong access to the Eastern U.S./Canada Area and to prevent the GB cod TAC specified for the Eastern U.S./Canada Area from being exceeded during the 2006 fishing year. This action is authorized by the regulations implementing Amendment 13 to the NE Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP) under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

This rulemaking proposes to add the one-year London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) as an acceptable index for the rate of HUD-insured Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) products. Under current regulations, only the weekly average yield of U.S. Treasury securities, adjusted to a constant maturity of one year (commonly referred to as the Constant Maturity Treasury index (CMT)), may be used to adjust interest rates on HUD-insured ARMs.

NMFS closes the commercial fishery for deep-water grouper (misty grouper, snowy grouper, yellowedge grouper, warsaw grouper, and speckled hind) in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico. NMFS has determined that the deep-water grouper quota for the commercial fishery will have been reached by June 26, 2006. This closure is necessary to protect the deep-water grouper resource.

The Department of State (the Department) is proposing new regulations to implement the certification and declaration provisions of the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (the Convention) and the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (the IAA) with respect to adoption and custody proceedings taking place in the United States. This proposed regulation would govern the application process for Hague Convention Certificates and Hague Convention Declarations in cases involving emigration of a child from the United States. It would also establish a process for seeking certification, for purposes of Article 23 of the Convention, that an adoption done in the United States following a grant of custody in a Convention country of origin was done in accordance with the Convention.

This rule provides a formula for computing liability under section 4063(b) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (``ERISA'') when there is a substantial cessation of operations by an employer as described by section 4062(e) of ERISA. That section provides, among other things, that when a section 4062(e) event occurs, liability arises under section 4063 of ERISA. However, the method described in section 4063 for determining liability is impracticable when applied to a section 4062(e) event. This rule, which is narrow in scope, provides a practicable and transparent formula for calculating employer liability when a section 4062(e) event occurs. This rulemaking is part of the PBGC's ongoing effort to streamline regulation and improve administration of the pension insurance program.

DoD has issued an interim rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to implement the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement with respect to El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The Free Trade Agreement waives the applicability of the Buy American Act for some foreign supplies and construction materials and specifies procurement procedures designed to ensure fairness.

DoD is proposing to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to update text addressing procedures for processing of contractor claims submitted under DoD contracts. This proposed rule is a result of a transformation initiative undertaken by DoD to dramatically change the purpose and content of the DFARS.

DoD has issued an interim rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to implement Section 344 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006. Section 344 extends, through September 30, 2007, the period during which contractor performance of security-guard functions at military installations or facilities is authorized to fulfill additional requirements resulting from the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.

EPA is proposing to remove the limited status of its approval of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision that requires all major sources of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) to implement reasonably available control technology (RACT). EPA is proposing to convert its limited approval of Pennsylvania's VOC and NOX RACT regulations to full approval because EPA has approved or is currently conducting rulemaking to approve all of the case-by-case RACT determinations submitted by Pennsylvania for the affected sources. In prior final rules, EPA has previously fully approved Pennsylvania's VOC and NOX RACT regulations for the Philadelphia-Wilmington- Trenton, and Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley areas. EPA is now proposing to convert its limited approval of Pennsylvania's VOC and NOX RACT regulations as they apply in the remainder of the Commonwealth to full approval because EPA has approved or is currently conducting rulemaking to approve all of the case-by-case RACT determinations submitted by Pennsylvania for the affected sources in the remainder of the Commonwealth. Final action converting the limited approval to full approval shall occur once EPA has completed rulemaking to approve either (1) the case-by-case RACT proposals for all sources subject to the RACT requirements currently known in the remainder of the State, outside of the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas; or (2) for a sufficient number of sources such that the emissions from any remaining subject sources represent a de minimis level of emissions. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act).

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for CFM International CFM56-5 and -5B series turbofan engines. That AD currently requires exhaust gas temperature (EGT) harness replacement or the establishment of an EGT baseline and trend monitoring. That AD also requires replacement, if necessary, of certain EGT harnesses and EGT couplings as soon as a slow and continuous EGT drift downward is noticed after the effective date of that AD. This proposed AD would require the same actions but for an increased population of affected EGT harnesses. This proposed AD results from CFM International adding subsequently certified engine models to the list of engines that could have affected harnesses installed. We are proposing this AD to prevent unexpected deterioration of critical rotating engine parts due to higher than desired engine operating EGTs.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing proposed regulations to rewrite certain sections of the Federal regulations in plain language. These regulations require Federal agencies to provide employees entering leave without pay (LWOP) status, or whose pay is insufficient to cover their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) premium payments, written notice of their opportunity to continue their FEHB coverage. Employees who want to continue their enrollment must sign a form agreeing to pay their premiums directly to their agency on a current basis, or to incur a debt to be withheld from their future salary. The purpose of this proposed regulation is to rewrite the existing regulations to ensure that employees who are entering LWOP status, or whose pay is insufficient to pay their FEHB premiums, are fully informed when they decide whether or not to continue their FEHB coverage.