February 2, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Under the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 201 Evaluation Program, the General Services Administration (GSA) publishes this notice of intent that it will no longer fund product/service evaluations as of April 3, 2007. Overall impact on the FIPS 201 Evaluation Program is minimal with respect to operations. Product/ service evaluations will continue to be performed and approved through the current fully operational laboratory and future qualified laboratories; however, fees for evaluations will be borne on a cost- reimbursable basis by the Supplier. Instruction on how to obtain product/service evaluations and an estimated fee structure will be posted at: (https://fips201ep.cio.gov/index.php).

This document contains a correction to final regulations (TD 9300) that were published in the Federal Register on Friday, December 8, 2006 (71 FR 71040) designed to eliminate regulatory impediments to the electronic filing of certain income tax returns and other forms.

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 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 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.

This amendment establishes, amends, suspends, or revokes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and/or Weather Takeoff Minimums for operations at certain airports. These regulatory actions are needed because of the adoption of new or revised criteria, or because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System, such as the commissioning of new navigational facilities, addition of new obstacles, or changes in air traffic requirements. These changes are designed to provide safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace and to promote safe flight operations under instrument flight rules at the affected airports.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) announces the availability of the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) concerning the Criminal Alien Requirement VI (CAR VI). The BOP is seeking flexibility in managing its current shortage of beds by contracting for those services with non-federal facilities to house federal inmates. This approach provides the BOP with flexibility to meet population capacity needs in a timely fashion, conform with federal law, and maintain fiscal responsibility, while successfully attaining the mission of the BOP. Initially, the BOP proposed to contract with multiple public and private corporations to house approximately 7,000 Federal, low-security, adult male, non-U.S. citizen, criminal aliens in existing Contractor-Owned/Contractor- Operated facilities located in Arizona, California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, or Texas. The awards would be granted to the responsible offerors whose offers are found to be most advantageous to the Government. Five existing facilities, have been offered in response to the BOP's solicitation for services. The five responses provided a combined total of 10,243 beds. Environmental impacts of each facility have been evaluated in a combined Environmental Assessment (EA) based primarily on information provided by the Offerors. The EA evaluated the full effects of the potentially available of 10,243 inmate beds.

The Coast Guard is changing the drawbridge operations for the Illinois Central Railroad Drawbridge across the Upper Mississippi River at Mile 579.9, at Dubuque, Iowa. Under the rule, the drawbridge shall open on signal if at least 24 hours advance notice is given from 12:01 a.m., on February 2, 2007 until 8 a.m., on March 15, 2007. This rule allows time for making upgrades to critical mechanical components and perform scheduled annual maintenance/repairs to the bridge and pier protection.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, as lead agencies, announce the fnal Bison and Elk Management Plan (Plan) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park/John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway (Grand Teton National Park) is available. The final Plan/EIS was prepared pursuant to the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 668dd, et. seq.); the National Park Service Management Policies of 2006; and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The final Plan/EIS was prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service; the Bureau of Land Management (BLM); and the State of Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD). The final Plan/EIS describes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's and the National Park Service's proposal for management of the Jackson bison and elk populations within their respective jurisdictions for 15 years, beginning at the issuance of a Record of Decision (ROD) on the final Plan/EIS. The effects of six alternatives for the management of bison and elk populations for the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park are disclosed in the final Plan/ EIS.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is issuing a new part 2520 on nonprocurement debarment and suspension in title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). This new part is NSF's implementation of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) guidance provided at 2 CFR part 180. In light of the new part 2520, NSF removes 45 CFR part 620, the part containing its implementation of the government-wide common rule on nonprocurement debarment and suspension. The new part in 2 CFR serves the same purpose as the common rule, but in a simpler way. NSF also is amending a provision in its research misconduct rule (45 CFR part 689) to update the reference to NSF's nonprocurement debarment and suspension regulations. This final rule is part of OMB's initiative to streamline and consolidate all federal regulations on nonprocurement debarment and suspension. It is an administrative simplification that makes no substantive change in NSF policy or procedures for nonprocurement debarment and suspension.

Because EPA has received adverse comments, the Agency is withdrawing the direct final rule excepting from the definitions of ``pesticide chemical'' and ``pesticide chemical residue'' under section 201(q) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) food packaging (e.g., paper and paperboard, coatings, adhesives, and polymers) that is treated with a pesticide. The rule was published on December 6, 2006 (71 FR 70667) (FRL-8084-2). We stated in that direct final rule that if EPA received adverse comment by January 5, 2007, the Agency would publish a timely withdrawal in the Federal Register. We subsequently received adverse comment on that direct final rule and are therefore withdrawing the rule. EPA may issue a notice of proposed rulemaking in a future edition of the Federal Register to initiate action to repromulgate the rule provisions that are being withdrawn today. In any such action, EPA would address the adverse comments it received on the direct final rule.

NOAA publishes this notice to extend the solicitation period for applications for the California Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program, Adult and Community Watershed Education in the Monterey Bay which was originally announced in the Federal Register on December 27, 2006. The solicitation period for this program was extended to provide the public more time to submit proposals.