June 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces a public meeting of the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee (MedCAC) (Committee). Among other things, the Committee provides advice and recommendations about whether scientific evidence is adequate to determine whether certain medical items and services are reasonable and necessary under the Medicare statute. This meeting will consider the evidence on the diagnostic criteria for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in Medicare beneficiaries who may be candidates for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy and alternatives to facility-based polysomnography (PSG) in the diagnosis of OSA, including home sleep testing devices and clinical diagnosis without the use of sleep testing. This meeting is given under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. 2, section 10(a)).

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``Commission'') is proposing to amend Part 21 of its regulations relating to special calls for information. The proposed amendments would: add to the types of information specified in Sec. 21.02, which must be furnished upon special call, information regarding exchanges of futures for physical commodities or for derivatives positions, and information regarding delivery notices issued and stopped; and delegate to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight and the Director's delegatees, the ability to issue special calls pursuant to sections 21.01 and 21.02.

Recent legislation alters the postal ratemaking process, and tasks the Postal Regulatory Commission with developing regulations to implement this process. This document invites public comment, in advance of formulating substantive rule proposals, on establishing service standards and performance measurement for market dominant products.

This Notice identifies unutilized, underutilized, excess, and surplus Federal property reviewed by HUD for suitability for possible use to assist the homeless.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), as amended; and the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Nevada Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) to consider whether or not to grant a right-of- way for groundwater development facilities. This notice announces the opening of the comment period on the DEIS.

Section 1871(a)(3)(A) of the Social Security Act (the Act) requires us to publish a Medicare final rule no later than 3 years after the publication date of the proposed rule. This notice announces an extension of the timeline for publication of a Medicare final rule in accordance with section 1871(a)(3)(B) of the Act, which allows us to extend the timeline for publication of final rules under exceptional circumstances.

This document amends the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') regulations on an interim basis to implement the duty-free provisions of the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (``HOPE'') Act of 2006.

Under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (5 U.S.C., Appendix, as amended) and the Sunshine in the Government Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended) the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announce the following advisory board meeting: Name of Committee: Veterans' Advisory Board on Dose Reconstruction (VBDR). Dates of Meeting: September 19-20, 2007. Location: Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Multi Conference Center B and C, Room 2446, 820 S. Damen Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60612. Time: Wednesday, September 19, 2007, from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:30-5:15 p.m. with a public comment session from 1:30-2:30 p.m., and Thursday, September 20, 2007, from 8:30-11 a.m. and 12:15-12:45 p.m. with a public comment session from 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Purpose of Meeting: To obtain, review and evaluate information related to the Board mission to provide guidance and oversight of the dose reconstruction and claims compensation programs for veterans of U.S.-sponsored atmospheric nuclear weapons tests from 1945-1962; veterans of the 1945-1946 occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan; and veterans who were prisoners of war in those regions at the conclusion of World War II. In addition, the advisory board will assist the VA and DTRA in communicating with the veterans. Meeting Agenda: On Wednesday, the meeting will open with an introduction of the Board. The following briefings will be presented: ``A Review of Probability of Causation and Its Use in a Compensation Scheme for Nuclear Industry Workers in the United Kingdom'' by Dr. Richard Wakeford; ``An Atomic Veterans Experience on Nuclear Weapons Tests in 1958'' by Mr. John C. Taschner; ``Revised Quality Plan for the NTPR Enterprise'' by Dr. Richard Toohey; ``Status of the Jackson VA Regional Office'' by Ms. Carol Sullivan and Ms. Laraine Borden; ``A Report from Subcommittee 5 on Alternative Methods for Dose Reconstruction'' by Dr. Ronald Blanck; ``NTPR Dose Reconstruction and Veterans Communication Activities'' by Dr. Paul Blake; and ``VA Radiation Claims Compensation Program for Veterans'' by Mr. Thomas Pamperin. On Thursday, the four subcommittees established during the inaugural VBDR session will report on their activities since March 2007. The subcommittees are the ``Subcommittee on DTRA Dose Reconstruction Procedures'', the ``Subcommittee on VA Claims Adjudication Procedures'', the ``Subcommittee on Quality Management and VA Process Integration with DTRA Nuclear Test Personnel Review Program'', and the ``Subcommittee on Communication and Outreach.'' The Board will close with a discussion of the Subcommittee reports, future business and meeting dates. Meeting Accessibility: Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended, and 41 CFR 102-3.140 through 102-3.165, and the availability of space this meeting is open to the public. Seating is limited by the size of the meeting room. All persons must sign in legibly at the registration desk. Written Statements: Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.105(j) and 102- 3.140(c), interested persons may submit a written statement for consideration by the Veterans' Advisory Board on Dose Reconstruction. Written statements should be no longer than two type-written pages and must address: The issue, discussion, and recommended course of action. Supporting documentation may also be included as needed to establish the appropriate historical context and to provide any necessary background information. Individuals submitting a written statement must submit their statement to the Board at 7910 Woodmont Ave., Suite 400, Bethesda, MD 20814-3095, at any point; however, if a written statement is not received at least 10 calendar days prior to the meeting, which is the subject of this notice, then it may not be provided to or considered by the Veterans' Advisory Board on Dose Reconstruction until its next open meeting. The Chairperson will review all timely submissions with the Designated Federal Officer, and ensure they are provided to members of the Veterans' Advisory Board on Dose Reconstruction members before the meeting that is the subject of this notice. After reviewing the written comments, the Chairperson and the Designated Federal Officer may choose to invite the submitter of the comments to orally present their issue during an open portion of this meeting or at a future meeting. The Chairperson, in consulting with the Designated Federal Officer, may, if desired, allot a specific amount of time for members of the public to present their issues for review and discussion by the Veterans' Advisory Board on Dose Reconstruction. Public Comments: The September 19-20, 2007 meeting is open to the public, approximately one hour each day will be reserved for public comments on issues related to the task of the Veterans' Advisory Board on Dose Reconstruction, and speaking time will be assigned on a first- come, first-served basis. The amount of time per speaker will be determined by the number of requests received, but is nominally five minutes each. All persons who wish to speak at the meeting must sign in legibly at the registration desk. Questions from the public will not be considered during this period. Speakers who wish to expand on their oral statements are invited to submit written statements to the Veterans' Advisory Board on Dose Reconstruction at 7910 Woodmont Ave., Suite 400, Bethesda, MD 20814-3095.

This document establishes regulations to address data breaches regarding sensitive personal information that is processed or maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The regulations implement certain provisions of Title IX of the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006, which require promulgation of these regulations as an interim final rule.

It has been determined by the NRCS State Conservationist for Virginia that changes must be made in the NRCS State Technical Guide specifically in practice standard: 382, Fence. This practice will be used to plan and install conservation practices on cropland, pastureland, woodland, and wildlife land.

The Deschutes Provincial Advisory Committee will meet on July 11, 2007, starting at 8 a.m. at the Deschutes National Forest Supervisor's Office at 1001 SW. Emkay Drive, Bend, Oregon, for a field trip to the Bend-Ft. Rock and Crescent Ranger Districts. The purpose of the trip is to monitor the Dilman and Five Buttes Projects to obtain feedback from members. The trip is scheduled to end at 5 p.m. in Bend. All Deschutes Province Advisory Committee Meetings are open to the public and an open public forum is scheduled from 3 to 3:30 p.m.

The U.S. Forest Service (FS) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on a proposed action that implements certain aspects of the Pueblo de San Ildefonso Claims Settlement Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-286). Portions of the Act considered in this analysis include mandated transfer of certain National Forest System lands to the Pueblo de San Ildefonso (about 7,058 acres), the Pueblo of Santa Clara (about 740 acres), and Los Alamos County (about 631 acres). Lands would be conveyed in exchange for an appraised monetary value. The legislation also requires the Forest Service to offer for purchase six parcels of National Forest System lands to Los Alamos County near the community (totaling about 324 acres), and to reconstruct Forest Road (FR) 416v to a high-clearance, Level 2 standard. Although these proposed actions have been mandated by the Act, the Santa Fe National Forest will conduct a National Environmental Policy Act environmental analysis to disclose the impacts of these actions, and to fully describe any discretionary actions that may also be included as part of the land transfers called for in the Act. However, under the Act, discretion is limited. A map of the area is located at the following Forest Service Web site: https://www.fs.fed.us/r3/sfe/projects/.

We are proposing to amend the citrus canker regulations to modify the conditions under which fruit may be moved interstate from a quarantined area. Under this proposed rule, we would eliminate the requirement that the groves in which the fruit is produced be inspected and found free of citrus canker, and instead require that fruit produced in the quarantined area be treated with a surface disinfectant treatment in a packinghouse operating under a compliance agreement and that each lot of finished fruit be inspected at the packinghouse and found free of visible symptoms of citrus canker. We would, however, retain the current prohibition on the movement of fruit from a quarantined area into commercial citrus-producing States. These proposed changes would relieve some restrictions on the interstate movement of fresh citrus fruit from Florida while maintaining conditions that would help prevent the artificial spread of citrus canker.