June 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This final rule makes administrative changes to the NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) to clarify the requirements for award fee evaluation factors and to add a requirement for a documented cost/benefit analysis when an award fee contract is used.

This document contains a correction to final regulations (TD 9329) that were published in the Federal Register on Thursday, June 14, 2007 (72 FR 32794) affecting taxpayers that file Federal income tax returns. They simplify, clarify, or eliminate reporting burdens and also eliminate regulatory impediments to the electronic filing of certain statements that taxpayers are required to include on or with their Federal income tax returns.

This document contains corrections to a notice of proposed rulemaking (REG-143797-06) that was published in the Federal Register on Friday, June 1, 2007 (72 FR 30501) providing guidance on employer comparable contributions to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) under section 4980G in instances where an employee has not established an HSA by December 31st and in instances where an employer accelerates contributions for the calendar year for employees who have incurred qualified medical expenses.

On October 19, 2006, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) issued a Final Rule amending its regulations to expand the scope and scale of activities that may be undertaken pursuant to blanket certificate authority and clarifying that existing Commission policies permit natural gas companies to charge different rates to different classes of customers.\1\ The Commission proposes to further amend its regulations to modify the landowner notification requirements and require a noise survey following the completion of projects involving compressor facilities undertaken pursuant to blanket certificate authority. The proposed regulatory revisions should enhance public participation in the Commission's consideration of proposed projects and ensure that compressor projects completed under blanket certificate authority will not have a significant adverse environmental impact.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (Department) is issuing this Interim Final Rule establishing new performance accountability measures for the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). New measures are necessary due to the 2006 Amendments to Title V of the Older Americans Act. Specifically, this rule amends 20 CFR part 641 Subpart G Performance Accountability and corresponding definitions found in Subpart APurpose and Definitions. This notice also solicits public comment on this Interim Final Rule which the Department will consider when it issues a Final Rule.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is withdrawing the document soliciting comments on its proposal to amend the voluntary United States Standards for Grades of Table Grapes (European or Vinifera Type). After reviewing and considering the comments received, the agency has decided not to proceed with this action.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by an airworthiness authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as an obstruction at the cargo compartment fire extinguisher system drier metering unit (DMU) inlet, affecting the system effectiveness and, consequently, making the fire extinguishing capability at those compartments inadequate should a fire erupt. We are issuing this AD to require actions to correct the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 and DC-10-30F airplanes. This AD requires installing Teflon sleeving around the fuel pump wire harness inside the conduit in the aft supplemental fuel tank. This AD results from fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer. We are issuing this AD to prevent the potential of ignition sources inside fuel tanks, which, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could result in fuel tank explosions and consequent loss of the airplane.

This proposed rule would allow CMS to charge revisit user fees to health care facilities cited for deficiencies during initial certification, recertification, or substantiated complaint surveys. Consistent with the President's long-term goal to promote quality of health care and to cut the deficit in half by fiscal year (FY) 2009, the FY 2007 Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) budget request included both new mandatory savings proposals and a requirement that user fees be applied to health care providers that have failed to comply with Federal quality of care requirements. The ``Revisit User Fees'' would affect only those providers or suppliers for which CMS has identified deficient practices and requires a revisit to assure that corrections have been made. The fees are estimated at $37.3 million annually and would recover the costs associated with the Medicare Survey and Certification program's revisit surveys. The fees would take effect on the date of publication of the final rule, and would be available to CMS until expended.

NMFS issues a proposed rule for substantial revisions to recordkeeping and reporting (R&R) requirements. This proposed rule would also change a variety of fisheries permits provisions. Several definitions would be changed. Further, this proposed rule also revises a Sitka Pinnacles Marine Reserve closure provision and a groundfish observer provision regarding at-sea vessel-to-vessel transfers. This proposed rule would change certain crab provisions, including fee calculations. Detailed information on these changes is presented in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below. These actions are intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and to further the goals and objectives of the Alaska fishery management programs.

EPA is announcing that the comment period on the proposed rule amendments for the Standards of Performance for Petroleum Refineries, published on May 14, 2007, is being extended until August 27, 2007.

NMFS proposes a regulation to implement the annual harvest guideline for Pacific sardine in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the Pacific coast for the fishing season of January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2007. This harvest guideline has been calculated according to the regulations implementing the Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and establishes allowable harvest levels for Pacific sardine off the Pacific coast.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is publishing its proposed List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2008, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The proposed LOF for 2008 reflects new information on interactions between commercial fisheries and marine mammals. NMFS must categorize each commercial fishery on the LOF into one of three categories under the MMPA based upon the level of serious injury and mortality of marine mammals that occurs incidental to each fishery. The categorization of a fishery in the LOF determines whether participants in that fishery are subject to certain provisions of the MMPA, such as registration, observer coverage, and take reduction plan requirements.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region II is issuing a notice of intent to delete the Mannheim Avenue Dump Superfund Site (Site) located in Galloway Township, New Jersey from the National Priorities List (NPL) and requests public comments on this notice of intent. The NPL, promulgated pursuant to section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended, is found at Appendix B of 40 CFR part 300, which is the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). The EPA and the State of New Jersey, through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, have determined that all appropriate response actions under CERCLA, including operation and maintenance and five-year reviews, have been completed. However, this deletion does not preclude future actions under Superfund. In the ``Rules and Regulations'' Section of today's Federal Register, we are publishing a direct final notice of deletion of the Mannheim Avenue Dump Superfund Site without prior notice of intent to delete because we view this as a noncontroversial revision and anticipate no adverse comment. We have explained our reasons for this deletion in the preamble to the direct final deletion. If we receive no adverse comment(s) on this notice of intent to delete or the direct final notice of deletion, we will not take further action on this notice of intent to delete. If we receive adverse comment(s), we will withdraw the direct final notice of deletion and it will not take effect. We will, as appropriate, address all public comments in a subsequent final deletion notice based on this notice of intent to delete. We will not institute a second comment period on this notice of intent to delete. Any parties interested in commenting must do so at this time. For additional information, see the direct final notice of deletion which is located in the Rules section of this Federal Register.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or we) proposes to amend the regulations for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (refuge) that pertain to existing programs for migratory game bird hunting, upland game hunting, big game hunting, and sport fishing. These changes would take effect with the 2007-2008 season and would implement the recently completed Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for the refuge. This amendment would replace current refuge regulations found at 50 CFR 32.32 (Illinois), place the proposed regulations at 50 CFR 32.42 (Minnesota) to match the State listing with the location of the refuge headquarters, and cross reference those regulations in 50 CFR 32.34 (Iowa) and 32.69 (Wisconsin).

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as:

This document corrects the docket number to a proposed rule published in the Federal Register of Thursday, June 14, 2007, regarding Requirements for Amateur Rocket Activities.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for the Westport PAL Fireworks in Westport, CT. The safety zone is necessary to protect the life and property of the maritime community from the hazards posed by the fireworks display. Entry into or movement within this safety zone during the enforcement period is prohibited without approval of the Captain of the Port, Long Island Sound.

The Department of Health and Human Services (``HHS'' or the ``Department'') adopted, by an interim final rule, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance at 2 CFR part 180 on nonprocurement debarment and suspension including some provisions specific to HHS. Public comment on this action was solicited in a Federal Register notice dated March 1, 2007. No comments were received; therefore, the Department makes no changes to its interim final rule and it remains in effect as of March 1, 2007. Pursuant to the requirements in OMB guidance, HHS makes final the following regulatory actions: Removes its existing regulation on nonprocurement debarment at 45 CFR part 76, establishes a new part 376 in title 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) adopting OMB's guidance and adding provisions specific to HHS, and revises the reference in 45 CFR 74.13 to reflect the new citation to 2 CFR part 376.

The EPA is providing notice that it has responded to 4 petitions for reconsideration of a final rule published in the Federal Register on April 28, 2006. The rule promulgated Federal implementation plans (FIPs) for the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) and responded to a petition from North Carolina that was submitted under section 126 of the Clean Air Act (CAIR FIPs-Section 126 Rule). Subsequent to publishing the rule, EPA received 4 petitions for reconsideration from ARRIPA (dated June 26, 2006), Colver Power Project (dated June 27, 2006), the State of North Carolina (dated June 26, 2006), and Southern Environmental Law Center (on behalf of Southern Environmental Law Center, Sierra Club, and Environment North Carolina) (dated June 27, 2006). The EPA considered the petitions and supporting information along with information contained in the rulemaking docket (Docket No. EPA-OAR-HQ-2004-0076) in reaching a decision on the petitions. EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson denied the petitions for reconsideration in separate letters to the petitioners dated February 27, 2007 to ARRIPA and to Colver Power Project and dated May 7, 2007 to Southern Environmental Law Center and to the State of North Carolina. The letters explain EPA's reasons for the denials.

The Department of Labor's Employment Standards Administration/ Wage and Hour Division undertook a review of the Family and Medical Leave Act (``FMLA'' or the ``Act'') and its regulations, and published a Request for Information (``RFI'') in the Federal Register on December 1, 2006 (71 FR 69504). The RFI asked the public to assist the Department by furnishing information about their experiences with the Act and comments on the effectiveness of the FMLA regulations. More than 15,000 comments were submitted in response to the RFI. The following report summarizes comments the Department received from its RFI.

In this document, the Commission rescinds the procedures it adopted in 2001 on an emergency, interim basis to require the filing or re-filing of certain documents electronically (i.e., by facsimile or e- mail), by overnight delivery, or by hand delivery to the Commission's Capitol Heights, Maryland location. Filings will no longer be accepted by e-mail or facsimile, unless specifically authorized by the Commission's rules.

The General Services Administration (GSA), Office of Governmentwide Policy (OGP), plans to establish the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Standard Mileage Rate for moving purposes as the rate at which agencies will reimburse an employee for using a privately owned vehicle (POV) for relocation. The FTR and any corresponding documents may be accessed at GSA's website at https://www.gsa.gov/ftr.