December 28, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA expressed environmental concerns about air quality impacts and the; mitigation measures proposed under the Preferred Alternative (Alternative C) not being able to fully address significant environmental impacts associated with travel and recreation management issues. Consequently, EPA recommends specific environmentally- protective mitigation measures be included in the final EIS.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Crab Committee will meet January 9-10, 2008, in Anchorage, AK.

Section 423(c) of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2703 note), requires the United States International Trade Commission to determine annually the amount (expressed in gallons) that is equal to 7 percent of the U.S. domestic market for fuel ethyl alcohol during the 12-month period ending on the preceding September 30. This determination is to be used to establish the ``base quantity'' of imports of fuel ethyl alcohol with a zero percent local feedstock requirement that can be imported from U.S. insular possessions or CBERA-beneficiary countries. The base quantity to be used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the administration of the law is the greater of 60 million gallons or 7 percent of U.S. consumption, as determined by the Commission. For the 12-month period ending September 30, 2007, the Commission has determined the level of U.S. consumption of fuel ethyl alcohol to be 6.46 billion gallons; 7 percent of this amount is 452.5 million gallons (these figures have been rounded). Therefore, the base quantity for 2008 should be 452.5 million gallons.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has instituted a formal enforcement proceeding relating to a cease and desist order issued at the conclusion of the above-captioned investigation.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing regulations to permit FDA Center Directors to grant exceptions or alternatives to certain regulatory labeling requirements applicable to human drugs, biological products, or medical devices that are or will be included in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). Under this rule, the appropriate FDA Center Director may grant an exception or alternative to such labeling requirements if he or she determines that compliance with the requirements could adversely affect the safety, effectiveness, or availability of specified lots, batches, or other units of human drugs, biological products, or medical devices that are or will be included in the SNS, including not only those that are approved, licensed, or cleared for marketing, but also those that are investigational. A grant of an exception or alternative under these regulations will include any safeguards or conditions deemed appropriate by the FDA Center Director to ensure that the labeling of such products includes information for the safe and effective use of the products given their anticipated circumstances of use. This rule will facilitate the safety, effectiveness, and availability of appropriate medical countermeasures in the event of a public health emergency.

This is a recommended decision regarding proposed amendments to Marketing Order No. 981 (order), which regulates the handling of almonds grown in California. Two amendments were proposed by the Almond Board of California (Board), which is responsible for local administration of the order. These proposed amendments would: authorize the establishment of specific outgoing quality requirements for different markets; and authorize the establishment of container marking and labeling requirements. The proposals are intended to provide additional flexibility in administering the quality control provisions of the order and provide the industry with additional tools to aid in the marketing of almonds. This recommended decision invites written exceptions on the proposed amendments.

The Federal Housing Finance Board (Finance Board) has adjusted the cap on average total assets that defines a ``Community Financial Institution'' and the limits on annual compensation for Federal Home Loan Bank (Bank) directors based on the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) as published by the Department of Labor (DOL). These changes take effect on January 1, 2008.

In accordance with Section 102(a)(4)(C) of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Reform Act of 1989, this announcement notifies the public of funding decisions made by the Department for funding under the FY 2006 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Public Housing (PH) Family Self-Sufficiency Program funding for Fiscal Year 2006. This announcement contains the consolidated names and addresses of those award recipients selected for funding based on demonstrated performance.

The proposed information collection requirement described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

This NOAA is issued in connection with the calendar year 2008 tax credit allocation round of the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program, as authorized by Title I, subtitle C, section 121 of the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-554) and amended by section 221 of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (Pub. L. 108-357), section 101 of the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 108-357), and Division A, section 102 of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-432) (the Act). Through the NMTC Program, the Fund provides authority to CDEs to offer an incentive to investors in the form of tax credits over seven years, which is expected to stimulate the provision of private investment capital that, in turn, will facilitate economic and community development in Low- Income Communities. Through this NOAA, the Fund announces the availability of $3.5 billion of NMTC authority authorized by the Act. In this NOAA, the Fund addresses specifically how an entity may apply to receive an allocation of NMTCs, the competitive procedure through which NMTC Allocations will be made, and the actions that will be taken to ensure that proper allocations are made to appropriate entities.

This special condition is issued for the Bell Helicopter Model 429 helicopters. These helicopters will have novel or unusual design features associated with installing electrical and electronic systems that perform critical functions, including an Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) and a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC). The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards to protect systems that perform critical control functions, or provide critical displays, from the effects of high-intensity radiated fields (HIRF). This special condition contains the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to ensure that critical functions of systems will be maintained when exposed to HIRF.