November 8, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Surface Transportation Board (Board) has reviewed the submission filed October 5, 2007, by Canadian Pacific Railway Corporation (CPRC), Soo Line Holding Company, a Delaware Corporation and indirect subsidiary of CPRC (Soo Holding), Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation (DM&E), and Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad Corporation, a wholly owned rail subsidiary of DM&E (IC&E). The submission is styled as an application seeking Board approval under 49 U.S.C. 11321-26 of the acquisition of control of DM&E and IC&E by Soo Holding (and, indirectly, by CPRC). This proposal is referred to as the ``transaction,'' and, for ease, CPRC, Soo Holding, DM&E, and IC&E are referred to collectively as ``Applicants.'' The Board finds that the transaction would be a ``significant transaction'' under 49 CFR 1180.2(b). The Board's rules at 49 CFR 1180.4(b) require that applicants give notice 2 to 4 months prior to the filing of an application in a ``significant'' transaction. Because Applicants did not file the required prefiling notification before their October 5 submission seeking Board approval of this ``significant'' transaction, and did not pay the filing fee for a ``significant'' transaction, their submission cannot be treated as an application at this time. The Board will, however, consider the October 5 submission a prefiling notification and publish notice of it in the Federal Register, which has the effect of permitting Applicants to perfect their application, and provide any supplemental materials or information, on or after December 5, 2007. When filing a prefiling notification, merger applicants in a ``significant'' transaction must propose a procedural schedule for Board review of their proposed transaction. As part of their tender of an application for a ``minor'' transaction, Applicants had proposed a procedural schedule that tracks the statutory deadlines for processing ``minor'' applications. Because the Board finds the proposed transaction to be ``significant,'' Applicants must file with the Board no later than November 13, 2007, a revised proposed procedural schedule that reflects the Board's determination that this is a ``significant'' transaction. The Board will promptly seek public comments on a proposed procedural schedule, with comments due 10 days after publication of the proposed procedural schedule in the Federal Register. Section 1180.4(b) also calls for merger applicants to indicate in their prefiling notification the year to be used for the impact analysis required in ``significant'' transactions. In their October 5 submission, Applicants cite the 2005 Carload Waybill Sample in their market analysis. The Board therefore designates 2005 as the year to be used for impact analysis in the application. In addition, Applicants must submit the difference between the filing fee for a ``minor'' transaction (which Applicants already have paid) and the fee for a ``significant'' transaction when they perfect their application on or after December 5, 2007.

The MMS will hold a workshop to discuss the possible need to develop a new regulation allowing for a Suspension of Operations, specifically related to high pressure or high temperature equipment needed for safe drilling, completion, or production operations. This Suspension of Operations would allow for an extension of a lease when the modification of existing technology is considered necessary in order to operate in frontier areas due to unexpected high temperatures or high pressures encountered on your lease. This type of Suspension of Operations would not apply to the initial design, development, or manufacturing of new technology. Workshop Date: January 23, 2008, beginning at 9 a.m. Workshop Location:The workshop will be held at the Gulf of Mexico Regional Office, Minerals Management Service, Room 111, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394. All interested parties are invited to attend.

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) has adopted final amendments to its Regulation A to reflect the Board's approval of a decrease in the primary credit rate at each Federal Reserve Bank. The secondary credit rate at each Reserve Bank automatically decreased by formula as a result of the Board's primary credit rate action.

The Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the US17-264 Bridge, at mile 37.2, across Tar River at Washington, NC. This deviation allows the drawbridge to remain closed to navigation to facilitate sandblasting and painting operations.

This document contains proposed regulations under sections 401(k), 401(m), 402(c), 411(a), 414(w), and 4979(f) of the Internal Revenue Code relating to automatic contribution arrangements. These proposed regulations will affect administrators of, employers maintaining, participants in, and beneficiaries of eligible plans that include an automatic contribution arrangement under section 401(k)(13), 401(m)(12), or 414(w).

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

The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does not display a valid control number. Comments are requested concerning (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

This final rule amends FAA regulations for certification and operations of transport category airplanes. These changes are necessary to help ensure continued safety of commercial airplanes. They improve the design, installation, and maintenance of airplane electrical wiring systems and align those requirements as closely as possible with the requirements for fuel tank system safety. This final rule organizes and clarifies design requirements for wire systems by moving existing regulatory references to wiring into a single section of the regulations specifically for wiring and by adding new certification rules. It requires holders of type certificates for certain transport category airplanes to conduct analyses of their airplanes and make necessary changes to existing Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) to improve maintenance procedures for wire systems. It requires operators to incorporate ICA for wiring into their maintenance or inspection programs. And finally, this final rule clarifies requirements of certain existing rules for operators to incorporate ICA for fuel tank systems into their maintenance or inspection programs.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard invite interested members of the smart card technology community, vendors of biometric card readers, and the general public to meet in Washington, DC to discuss the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Reader Hardware and Card Application Specification. The meeting will be open to the public and will also be available by teleconference.

The meeting of the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) scheduled for November 8, 2007 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. is cancelled. Notice of this meeting was published in the October 12, 2007, Federal Register at 58110-58111.

The DoD Advisory Group on Electron Devices (AGED) announces a closed session meeting.

The FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) revision of a current information collection. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on August 15, 2007, vol. 72, no. 157, pages 45861-45862. The FAA collects information from airport sponsors and planning agencies in order to administer the Airports Grants Program.

The FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) revision of a current information collection. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on August 15, 2007, vol. 72, no. 157, page 45864. FAR Part 43 prescribes the rules governing maintenance, rebuilding, and alteration of aircraft and aircraft components, and is necessary to ensure this work is performed by qualified persons, and at proper intervals.

This rule streamlines the Farm Service Agency's (FSA) regulations governing its direct Farm Loan Programs. The final rule simplifies and clarifies FSA's direct loan regulations; implements the recommendations of the USDA Civil Rights Action Team; meets the objectives of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; and separates FSA's direct Farm Loan Programs regulations from the Rural Development mission area's loan program regulations.

This document confirms the effective date of the direct final rule which revises Class E airspace at Lee's Summit, MO.