October 15, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS proposes to amend the regulations governing minimum performance standards of fishing gear proposed for use in both the NE multispecies Regular B DAS Program and the Eastern U.S./Canada Haddock SAP. Under the current regulations, the only fishing gear allowed for use in the Eastern U.S./Canada Haddock SAP and the only trawl gear allowed for use in the Regular B DAS Program is a properly configured haddock separator trawl. The purpose of this rule is to ultimately provide greater flexibility to fishermen participating in these programs.

The Postal ServiceTM is making several minor revisions to its regulations governing the purchasing of property and services to comply with certain findings and suggestions of the Government Accountability Office, and to clarify a variety of procedural matters.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or we) is publishing migratory bird subsistence harvest regulations in Alaska for the 2008 season. This proposed rule establishes regulations that prescribe dates when harvesting of birds may occur, species that can be taken, and methods and means excluded from use. These regulations were developed under a Co-management process involving the Service, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and Alaska Native representatives. These regulations enable the continuation of customary and traditional subsistence uses of migratory birds in Alaska. The rulemaking is necessary because the regulations governing the subsistence harvest of migratory birds in Alaska are subject to annual review. This rulemaking proposes region-specific regulations that go into effect on April 2, 2008, and expire on August 31, 2008.

This rule prescribes special early and late season migratory bird hunting regulations for certain tribes on Federal Indian reservations, off-reservation trust lands, and ceded lands. This responds to tribal requests for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (hereinafter Service or we) recognition of their authority to regulate hunting under established guidelines. This rule allows the establishment of season bag limits and, thus, harvest at levels compatible with populations and habitat conditions.

Black coral resources in the Au'au Channel, Hawaii, have declined, possibly due to fishing pressure and an alien invasive soft coral. Current fishing regulations require minimum sizes for the harvest of living black coral colonies of 48 inches (122 cm) in height or one inch (2.54 cm) in stem diameter. Current regulations also exempt certain fishermen from the minimum stem diameter requirement, allowing the harvest of black coral with a smaller \3/4\ inch (1.91 cm) stem diameter by anyone who had reported black coral harvests to the State of Hawaii within the five years prior to April 17, 2002. This final rule removes that exemption to reduce the impacts of fishing on Au'Au Channel black coral resources.

The Commander, Eighth Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the BNSF Railway Company Swing Bridge across the Charenton Drainage and Navigational Canal, mile 0.4, at Baldwin, St. Mary Parish, LA. This deviation provides for the bridge to remain closed to navigation for 5 days with three hour openings each day to conduct maintenance repairs to the drawbridge.

This proposed rule would revise HUD's regulations that apply to pet ownership in HUD-assisted housing for the elderly and persons with disabilities by conforming the exceptions for animals that assist persons with disabilities to those that apply to HUD's public housing programs, as defined in section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is proposing to amend the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule in order to provide increased clarity, to tailor requirements to particular industry sectors, and to streamline certain requirements for a facility owner or operator subject to the rule. Specifically, EPA is proposing to: Exempt hot-mix asphalt; exempt pesticide application equipment and related mix containers used at farms; exempt heating oil containers at single-family residences; amend the facility diagram requirement to provide additional flexibility for all facilities; amend the definition of ``facility'' to clarify the flexibility associated with describing a facility's boundaries; define ``loading/unloading rack'' to clarify the equipment subject to the provisions for facility tank car and tank truck loading/unloading racks; provide streamlined requirements for a subset of qualified facilities; amend the general secondary containment requirement to provide more clarity; amend the security requirements for all facilities; amend the integrity testing requirements to allow a greater amount of flexibility in the use of industry standards at all facilities; amend the integrity testing requirements for containers that store animal fat or vegetable oil and meet certain criteria; streamline a number of requirements for oil production facilities; and exempt completely buried oil storage tanks at nuclear power generation facilities. These changes tailor requirements to particular industries for easier and increased compliance, resulting in greater protection of human health and the environment. EPA is also providing clarification in the preamble to this proposed rule on additional issues raised by the regulated community.

NMFS is opening directed fishing for groundfish by vessels using trawl gear in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local time, October 10, 2007. This action is necessary to fully use the 2007 Pacific halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) limit specified for vessels using trawl gear in the GOA.