November 14, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FRA is updating its announcement of RSAC's Working Group activities to reflect its current status.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a request to renew an existing approved Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This ICR, entitled TSCA Section 4 Test Rules, Consent Orders, Test Rule Exemptions, and Voluntary Data Submission and identified by EPA ICR No. 1139.08 and OMB Control No. 2070-0033, is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2008. Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Trawl Rationalization Tracking and Monitoring Committee (TRTMC) will hold a working meeting, which is open to the public.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scientific and Statistical Committee in November, 2007 to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

The U.S. Marine Corps is deleting a system of records notice from its inventory of records systems subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a).

The Deputy Secretary of Energy confirmed and approved Rate Order No. WAPA-135 and Rate Schedules P-SED-F9 and P-SED-FP9, placing firm power and firm peaking power rates from the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin ProgramEastern Division (P-SMBPED) of the Western Area Power Administration (Western) into effect on an interim basis. The provisional rates will be in effect until the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) confirms, approves, and places them into effect on a final basis or until they are replaced by other rates. The provisional rates will provide sufficient revenue to pay all annual costs, including interest expense, and repay power investment and irrigation aid within the allowable periods.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) is amending its employee protection regulations to clarify the Commission's authority to impose a civil penalty upon a non-licensee contractor or subcontractor of a Commission licensee, or applicant for a Commission license who violates the NRC's regulations by discriminating against employees for engaging in protected activity. The NRC is also amending its employee protection regulations related to the operation of Gaseous Diffusion Plants to conform with the NRC's other employee protection regulations and to allow the NRC to impose a civil penalty on the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC or Corporation), as well as a contractor or subcontractor of USEC.

FMCSA announces that it has published an opportunity to apply for FY2008 MCSAP High Priority and New Entrant grant funding on the grants.gov Web site (https://www.grants.gov).

NRC will convene a meeting of the Independent External Review Panel to Identify Vulnerabilities in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Materials Licensing Program from November 27 through November 30, 2007. A sample of agenda items to be discussed during the public session includes: (1) History of the NRC's ``good faith'' presumption in the licensing process; (2) pre-licensing guidance; and (3) specific, general, and import/export licensing procedures and processes. A copy of the agenda for the meeting can be obtained by e- mailing Mr. Aaron T. McCraw at the contact information below. Purpose: Initiate the panel's assessment of the NRC's licensing program beginning with an examination of the NRC's ``good faith'' presumption and specific procedures and processes of the licensing program. Date and Time for Closed Sessions: November 30, 2007, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. This session will be closed so that NRC staff and the Review Panel can discuss safeguards information and pre-decisional information pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(3) and 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(9)(B), respectively. Date and Time for Open Sessions: November 27, 2007, from 2 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.; and November 28-29, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Address for Public Meeting: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Two White Flint North Building, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. Specific room locations will be indicated for each day on the agenda. Public Participation: Any member of the public who wishes to participate in the meeting should contact Mr. McCraw using the information below.

FinCEN is inviting the public to nominate financial institutions and trade groups for membership on the Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group. New members will be selected for three-year membership terms.

The Office of Thrift Supervision is considering requiring savings associations to file quarterly Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income (Call Report) instead of the Thrift Financial Report (TFR) currently filed. This ANPR solicits comments identifying information that the thrift industry and the public would need to analyze a proposal to convert from the TFR to the Call Report used by other federal banking regulators and to amend any OTS rules that would be affected by such a change. At the end of the comment period, OTS will review the comments and conduct any research needed to compile the identified information. OTS plans to publish a second notice containing the requested information and solicit comments on whether to convert to the Call Report.

The Committee is extending through December 19, 2007 the period for making a determination on whether to request consultations with Honduras regarding imports of cotton, wool and man-made fiber socks (merged Category 332/432 and 632 part).

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is issuing this final rule amending its regulations for gaining access to critical energy infrastructure information (CEII). The final rule reflects comments filed in response to the September 21, 2006 notice seeking public comment on proposed changes to the Commission's CEII rules. The final rule: Modifies non-disclosure agreements; modifies the Commission's process to allow the CEII Coordinator to respond to CEII requests by letter; provides landowners access to alignment sheets for the routes across or in the vicinity of their properties; includes a fee provision; limits the portions of forms and reports the Commission defines as containing CEII; eliminates as a category of documents the Non-Internet Public designation; and provides that the Commission will seek a requester's date and place of birth on a case-by-case basis rather than require that information with every request for CEII. Finally, the request for social security numbers is being eliminated.

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 8849, Claim for Refund of Excise Taxes.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``Commission'') has amended Commission Regulation 3.10 concerning the registration of firms located outside the U.S. that are engaged in intermediating commodity interest transactions on U.S. designated contract markets (``DCMs'') and U.S. derivative transaction execution facilities (``DTEFs'').\1\ The amended regulation codifies past actions of the Commission or its staff to permit certain foreign firms that limit their customers to foreign customers, and submit U.S. DCM and DTEF business on behalf of those customers for clearing on an omnibus basis through a registered futures commission merchant (``FCM''), to be exempt from registration as an FCM pursuant to section 4d of the Commodity Exchange Act (``Act''). The amended regulation similarly extends the relief from registration to those foreign persons acting in the capacity of an introducing broker (``IB''), commodity trading advisor (``CTA'') and commodity pool operator (``CPO'') solely on behalf of foreign customers.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), at the request of the Department of Justice (DoJ), in order to require contractors to have a code of ethics and business conduct, establish and maintain specific internal controls to detect and prevent improper conduct in connection with the award or performance of Government contracts or subcontracts, and to notify contracting officers without delay whenever they become aware of violations of Federal criminal law with regard to such contracts or subcontracts.

This document extends the comment period for the above- referenced NPRM, which proposes the adoption of a new airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to all McDonnell Douglas Model DC-9-81 (MD- 81), DC-9-82 (MD-82), DC-9-83 (MD-83), DC-9-87 (MD-87), and MD-88 airplanes. The NPRM would require repetitive inspections for cracking of the overwing frames from stations 845 to 905 (MD-87 stations 731 to 791), left and right sides, and corrective actions if necessary. The NPRM results from reports of cracked overwing frames. This extension of the comment period is necessary to ensure that all interested persons have ample opportunity to submit any written relevant data, views, or arguments regarding the NPRM.

NMFS proposes specifications for the 2008 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries and provides notice of three conditionally approved projects that will be requesting Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) as part of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Research Set-Aside (RSA) program. The implementing regulations for the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) require NMFS to publish specifications for the upcoming fishing year for each of these species and to provide an opportunity for public comment. Furthermore, regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson- Stevens Act) require a notice to be published to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for EFPs. The intent of this action is to establish harvest levels that assure that the target fishing mortality rates (F) or exploitation rates specified for these species in the FMP are not exceeded and to allow for rebuilding of the stocks as well as to provide notice of EFP requests, all in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

This notice announces the 20th meeting of the American Health Information Community Electronic Health Records Workgroup in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. No. 92-463, 5 U.S.C., App.)

This is Supplement No. 3 to the Treasury Department Circular 570, 2007 Revision, published July 2, 2007, at 72 FR 36192.