May 11, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We recently published a final rule amending the cut flowers regulations to establish specific requirements for the importation of cut flowers that are hosts of chrysanthemum white rust (CWR) from countries where the disease is known to occur. The final rule had an effective date of May 3, 2007. In order to allow affected exporters of cut flowers and the national plant protection organizations of countries where CWR is known to occur additional time to make necessary preparations to comply with certain new inspection and certification procedures that will be required as a result of the final rule, we are staying a portion of the amended regulations for 30 days from the effective date of our final rule.

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. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR that is abstracted below describes the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of an upcoming meeting of the National Board for Education Sciences. The notice also describes the functions of the Committee. Notice of this meeting is required by Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act and is intended to notify the public of their opportunity to attend. This notice is being posted in the Federal Register less than 15 days prior to the Board's meeting due to challenges in coordinating Board member schedules to attend the meeting.

The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. OTS is soliciting public comments on the proposal.

On September 29, 2006, the Commonwealth of Kentucky (Kentucky), through the Kentucky Division for Air Quality (KDAQ), submitted a request to redesignate the Kentucky portion of the bi-state Huntington-Ashland 8-hour ozone nonattainment area to attainment for the 8-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS); and to approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision containing a maintenance plan for the Kentucky portion of the bi-state Huntington- Ashland area. The bi-state Huntington-Ashland 8-hour ozone nonattainment area is comprised of one county in Kentucky (Boyd County) and two counties in West Virginia (Cabell and Wayne counties). In this action, EPA is proposing to approve Kentucky's 8-hour ozone redesignation request for Boyd County, which is the Kentucky portion of the bi-state Huntington-Ashland 8-hour ozone nonattainment area. Additionally, EPA is proposing to approve the 8-hour ozone maintenance plan for Boyd County, Kentucky, including the state motor vehicle emission budgets (MVEBs) for nitrogen oxides (NOX) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This proposed approval of Kentucky's redesignation request is based on EPA's determination that Kentucky has demonstrated that Boyd County, Kentucky has met the criteria for redesignation to attainment specified in the Clean Air Act (CAA), including the determination that the entire (both the Kentucky and West Virginia portions) Huntington-Ashland 8-hour ozone nonattainment area has attained the 8-hour ozone standard. On May 17, 2006, the State of West Virginia submitted a redesignation request and maintenance plan for the West Virginia portion (Cabell and Wayne counties) of this 8- hour ozone area. EPA has taken action on West Virginia's redesignation request and maintenance plan through a separate action. The final rulemaking approving the West Virginia submittal was published in the Federal Register on September 15, 2006. In this action, EPA is also providing the status of its transportation conformity adequacy determination for the new MVEBs for 2018 that are contained in the 8- hour ozone maintenance plan for Boyd County, Kentucky. MVEBs for Cabell and Wayne counties in West Virginia are included in the West Virginia submittal.

The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is taking actions to ensure adequate availability of commercial warehouse storage space for the 2007 crops and for producers seeking warehouse-stored marketing assistance loans for eligible commodities. CCC is announcing authorization, under certain conditions, of emergency and temporary storage for the 2007 crops of wheat, corn, sorghum and feed grains, and temporary storage for the 2007 crops of soybeans, rice and other commodities deemed storable by CCC. The authorizations include agricultural commodities stored by warehouse operators licensed under the U.S. Warehouse Act (USWA) and those warehouse operators who store commodities pledged as collateral for Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) marketing assistance loans and issue warehouse receipts for such commodities in emergency or temporary storage.

The U.S. Department of Labor (``DOL'' or ``Department''), Office of Disability Employment Policy (``ODEP'''), announces the availability of up to $1.7 million to fund a cooperative agreement to establish the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition and Employment for Youth with Disabilities with a 24-month period of performance. In addition, this initiative may be funded for up to three (3) additional option years at approximately $1,000,000 per year, depending on performance, identified need and the availability of future funding. Over the last 10 years, a number of federal and state efforts to improve access to transition planning and services to improve education, employment, and community living outcomes for youth with disabilities have emerged. As a result, there has been some improvement in indicators relevant to the successful transition of youth with disabilities, including increases in graduation rates, increases in enrollment in postsecondary education, and increases in the number of youth entering the workforce. While this progress is encouraging, education and employment outcomes for youth with disabilities continue to lag substantially behind that of their peers without disabilities. To address this situation, ODEP is funding a national technical assistance center to build capacity within and across both generic and disability-specific youth service delivery systems to help youth with disabilities successfully transition from high school to post-secondary education and/or employment in high-demand career areas. Effectively addressing the complex and significant barriers to employment faced by youth with disabilities transitioning into the adult world requires the use of multiple strategies and the active involvement of many stakeholders, including Federal, State and local governments, non- governmental organizations, and employers. This Center will conduct research, disseminate information, and provide technical assistance to a wide range of stakeholders on topics relevant to improving post-school outcomes for youth with disabilities including, but not limited to: Effective practices, such as the emerging use of individual learning or graduation plans, for aligning and improving the education and workforce development systems to better meet employer demand; Innovative service strategies which workforce development, and secondary and postsecondary programs and systems can utilize to better meet the needs of transitioning youth; Professional development strategies for practitioners who work with youth; and Effective models of multi-disciplinary interagency collaboration and systems coordination needed to support youth in achieving positive post-school outcomes through comprehensive service delivery consistent with the Guideposts for Success, see https:// www.dol.gov/odep/categories/youth/. The Guideposts for Success serves as a conceptual framework on improving transition outcomes for youth with disabilities.

The Committee is proposing to add to the Procurement List a product and services to be furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities. Comments Must Be Received on or Before: June 10, 2007.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)(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. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

The EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office is announcing a public teleconference of the SAB Environmental Economics Advisory Committee (EEAC) to discuss its draft advisory report to EPA regarding issues in valuing mortality risk reduction.

This final rule suspends mandatory circle hook requirements for participants in Atlantic billfish fishing tournaments through December 31, 2007. Circle hook requirements will be reinstated unchanged effective 12:01 a.m., January 1, 2008. The suspension is intended to increase post-release survival rates of Atlantic billfish in the long-term by providing an additional phase-in period during which Atlantic billfish tournament anglers can become more proficient and familiar with circle hooks and their ecological benefits, respectively.