March 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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

Notice is hereby given that Dorian S. Houser, Ph.D., Biomimetica, 7951 Shantung Drive, Santee, CA 92071 has been issued a permit to conduct research on marine mammals.

Under the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) Program, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) awards grants on a formula basis to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) to address the unique needs of rural school districts. In this notice, we establish the deadline for submission of fiscal year (FY) 2007 SRSA grant applications. If an eligible LEA submitted an application for SRSA grant funds in a prior year, it is considered to have met the application requirement based on its previously submitted application and does not have to submit a new application to the Department to receive its FY 2007 SRSA grant award. An eligible LEA that is required to submit an application (in other words, an LEA that did not submit an application in a prior year) must do so by the deadline in this notice in order to receive its grant award by September 30, 2007. An eligible LEA that is required to submit an application and does not do so by the deadline in this notice might not receive its grant award until after September 30, 2007. Application Deadline: June 1, 2007, 4:30 p.m. Eastern time.

In accordance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, which provides opportunity for public comment on new or revised data collections, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) will publish periodic summaries of proposed data collections. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information has practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the RRB's estimate of the burden of the collection of the information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden related to the collection of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Title and purpose of information collection: Request for Internet Services, OMB 3220-0198. The RRB uses a Personal Identification Number (PIN)/Password system that allows RRB customers to conduct business with the agency electronically. As part of the system, the RRB collects information needed to establish a unique PIN/Password that allows customer access to RRB Internet-based services. The information collected is matched against records of the railroad employee that are maintained by the RRB. If the information is verified, the request is approved and the RRB mails a Password Request Code (PRC) to the requestor. If the information provided cannot be verified, the requestor is advised to contact the nearest field office of the RRB to resolve the discrepancy. Once a PRC is obtained from the RRB, the requestor can apply for a PIN/ Password online. Once the PIN/Password has been established, the requestor has access to RRB Internet-based services. The RRB estimates that approximately 14,040 requests for PRCs and PIN/Passwords are received annually and that it takes 5 minutes per response to secure a PRC and 1.5 minutes to establish a PIN/Password. Completion is voluntary, however, the RRB will be unable to provide a PRC or allow a requestor to establish a PIN/Password (thereby denying system access), if the requests are not completed. The RRB proposes non-burden impacting, editorial changes to the PRC and PIN/Password screens. Additional Information or Comments: To request more information or to obtain a copy of the information collection justification, forms, and/or supporting material, please call the RRB Clearance Officer at (312) 751-3363 or send an e-mail request to Charles.Mierzwa@RRB.gov. Comments regarding the information collection should be sent to Ronald J. Hodapp, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 N. Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092 or Ronald.Hodapp@RRB.GOV. Comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

The EPA is approving volatile organic compound (VOC) rules for Formel Industries, Inc. (Formel) as a revision to the Illinois State Implementation Plan (SIP) for ground level ozone. On December 12, 2001 EPA approved an adjusted standard for Formel. At that time Formel, a flexographic printer in Cook County, Illinois, was given an adjusted standard because Illinois determined it was not technically feasible or economically reasonable for Formel to meet the VOC control requirements for flexographic printers. Illinois is now withdrawing the adjusted standard because Formel has installed a catalytic oxidizer that allows it to meet the VOC control requirements. This control device will reduce VOC emissions from Formel. VOC is an ozone precursor, so the VOC emissions reduction from Formel should help reduce ozone levels in Cook County, Illinois.

EPA is proposing to find that the Phoenix Planning Area (Phoenix nonattainment area) and the Owens Valley Planning Area (Owens Valley nonattainment area) did not attain the 24-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for particulate matter of 10 microns or less (PM-10) by the deadline mandated in the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act), December 31, 2006. These proposed findings are based on monitored air quality data for the PM-10 NAAQS from 2004 through September 2006. Several Indian tribes have reservations located within the boundaries of the Phoenix and Owens Valley nonattainment areas. EPA implements CAA provisions for determining whether such areas have attained the NAAQS by the applicable attainment deadline in these reservations. EPA is also proposing that these areas have failed to attain the PM-10 NAAQS. Thus, this proposed rule could potentially affect these tribes. Accordingly, EPA has notified the affected tribal leaders of this proposed rule and is inviting consultation with interested tribes. If EPA finalizes, after public notice and comment, these failure to attain findings, Arizona and California must submit by December 31, 2007, plan provisions that provide for attainment of the PM-10 NAAQS and that achieve 5 percent annual reductions in PM-10 or PM-10 precursor emissions as required by CAA section 189(d).

In response to a request from a viticulture industry group, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau extends the comment period for Notice No. 71, Proposed Establishment of the Paso Robles Westside Viticultural Area, a notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register on January 24, 2007, for an additional 30 days.

The IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management, invites comments on the proposed information collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

We are advising the public that the United States District Court for the Northern District of California has vacated the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS') June 2005 determination of nonregulated status with respect to the Monsanto Company and Forage Genetics International alfalfa lines designated as events J101 and J163, which have been genetically engineered for tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate. The effect of this action is that those alfalfa events, known as Roundup Ready alfalfa, are once again considered regulated articles under APHIS' regulations in 7 CFR part 340 and the requirements pertaining to regulated articles under those regulations will once again apply to the subject alfalfa and its progeny. This notice also advises Roundup Ready alfalfa sellers and growers that no Roundup Ready alfalfa seed may be planted after March 30, 2007; that only seed purchased by growers before March 12, 2007, may be planted by March 30, 2007; and that all sales of Roundup Ready alfalfa seed are prohibited pending the Court's issuance of permanent injunctive relief.

The Board has approved the second quarter 2007 rail cost adjustment factor (RCAF) and cost index filed by the Association of American Railroads. The second quarter 2007 RCAF (Unadjusted) is 1.147. The second quarter 2007 RCAF (Adjusted) is 0.537. The second quarter 2007 RCAF-5 is 0.511.

As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on the proposed information collection for Food Stamp Program Regulations, Part 275Quality Control. Specifically, this is the burden associated with the collection of information for the sampling plan, the arbitration process, and the good cause process. This proposed collection is a revision of a collection currently approved under OMB No. 0584-0303.

The provisions of the final rule entitled Senior Farmers? Market Nutrition Program Regulations published on December 12, 2006, contained information collection requirements that required approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This document announces the approval date of the provisions contained in the final rule and amends the final rule to include the OMB Control Number assigned to the information collection burden.

This notice announces a hospital's request for a waiver from entering into an agreement with its designated organ procurement organization (OPO), in accordance with section 1138(a)(2) of the Social Security Act (the Act). This notice requests comments from OPOs and the general public for our consideration in determining whether we should grant the requested waiver.