December 13, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of State is amending the Voluntary Disclosure provisions of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) by imposing a 60-calendar day deadline after the initial notification to submit a full disclosure, in order to ensure timely submissions; and by clarifying what identifying information should be provided, as well as who should sign the voluntary disclosure in cases of a major violation, a systemic pattern of violations, or in the absence of an effective compliance program, in order to improve the government's ability to assess and respond to the national security and foreign policy consequences of any export violation. These amendments will provide integrity to the voluntary disclosure process, but involve only minor changes to the current voluntary disclosure process.

This document contains a notice of pendency before the Department of Labor (the Department) of a proposed class exemption from certain prohibited transaction restrictions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act or ERISA). If granted, the proposed exemption would relieve a plan fiduciary from engaging in a transaction that constitutes a prohibited furnishing of services to an employee benefit plan. The exemption would apply to a plan fiduciary who enters into (or extends or renews) a written contract or arrangement for the provision of services to an employee benefit plan by a service provider to the plan when the resulting contract or arrangement between the plan and the service provider fails to constitute a ``reasonable contract or arrangement'' due to the service provider's failure to comply with its contractual obligation to disclose certain information as required by 29 CFR Sec. 2550.408b- 2(c)(1), as amended (``disclosure obligations''). The proposed exemption, if granted, would also affect participants and beneficiaries of employee benefit plans to the extent such plans enter into any contracts or arrangements for ``necessary services'' with entities that do not provide sufficient disclosures to the plan to enable the responsible plan fiduciary to determine that there is a ``reasonable contract or arrangement'' that complies with ERISA section 408(b)(2).

Under 49 U.S.C. 10502, the Board is granting a petition for exemption from the prior approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 11323 et seq., for The Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCSR), a Class I rail carrier, to acquire and operate a 2.23-mile rail line owned by Columbus and Greenville Railway Company (CAGY), a Class III rail carrier, subject to CAGY's reservation of nonexclusive limited local trackage rights.\1\ The rail line extends between, at one end, a connection between KCSR's Artesia Subdivision and CAGY's main track near KCSR milepost 230.4 and, at the other end, two connections between CAGY's main track and KCSR's Louisville Subdivision near KCSR milepost 88.5, near West Point, MS.\2\

The EPA is approving a revision to the Illinois State Implementation Plan (SIP) to incorporate site-specific Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) regulations for the Corrosion Inhibiting (CI) packaging production facility of Cromwell-Phoenix, Incorporated (Cromwell- Phoenix) located in Alsip, Illinois (Cook County). The EPA is approving an adjusted standard from Illinois' paper coating regulations for Cromwell-Phoenix's CI packaging production facility.

This rule amends Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) for operations at certain airports. These regulatory actions are needed because of changes in the National Airspace System, such as the commissioning of new navigational facilities, adding of new obstacles, or changing air traffic requirements. These changes are designed to provide safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace and to promote safe flight operations under instrument flight rules at the affected airports.

The OCC, Board, FDIC, OTS, NCUA, and FTC (Agencies) are publishing for comment proposed regulations and guidelines to implement the accuracy and integrity provisions in section 312 of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACT Act).\1\ The proposed regulations and guidelines would implement the requirement that the Agencies issue guidelines for use by furnishers regarding the accuracy and integrity of the information about consumers that they furnish to consumer reporting agencies and prescribe regulations requiring furnishers to establish reasonable policies and procedures for implementing the guidelines. The Agencies also are publishing for comment proposed regulations to implement the direct dispute provisions in section 312. The proposed regulations would implement the requirement that the Agencies issue regulations identifying the circumstances under which a furnisher must reinvestigate disputes about the accuracy of information contained in a consumer report based on a direct request from a consumer.

Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 207 (Patents) and 37 CFR part 404 (U.S. Government patent licensing regulations), EPA hereby gives notice of its intent to grant, for a specific field of use, an exclusive, royalty-bearing, revocable license to practice the invention described and claimed in the U.S. Patent No. 6,821,425, entitled ``Biomass Concentrator Reactor,'' issued November 23, 2004, and all corresponding patents issued throughout the world, and all reexamined patents and reissued patents granted in connection with such patent, to Purestream ES, L.L.C. of Walton, Kentucky. The invention was announced as being available for licensing in the October 11, 2007 issue of the Federal Register (72 FR 57937). The proposed exclusive license will contain appropriate terms, limitations, and conditions to be negotiated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.5 and Sec. 404.7 of the U.S. Government patent licensing regulations. EPA will negotiate the final terms and conditions and grant the exclusive license, unless within 15 days from the date of this notice EPA receives, at the address below, written objections to the grant, together with supporting documentation. The documentation from objecting parties having an interest in practicing the above patents should include an application for an exclusive or nonexclusive license with the information set forth in 37 CFR 404.8. The EPA Patent Attorney and other EPA officials will review all written responses and then make recommendations on a final decision to the Director or Deputy Director of the National Risk Management Research Laboratory, who have been delegated the authority to issue patent licenses under EPA Delegation 1-55.

The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of a second meeting of RTCA Special Committee 215, Aeronautical Mobile Satellite (Route) Services, Next Generation Satellite Services and Equipment.

This action establishes Class E Airspace near the High School at Montrose, PA. Controlled airspace 700 feet above the surface of the Earth is required to support a new Area Navigation (RNAV) Global Positioning System (GPS) Special Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP) that has been developed for medical flight operations. This action enhances the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations by providing the required controlled airspace to protect for this approach at Montrose, PA.