2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce our 12-month finding for a petition to list the Colorado River cutthroat trout (CRCT) (Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus) as a threatened species throughout its range in the United States, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. After a thorough review of all available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the CRCT as either threatened or endangered is not warranted at this time. We ask the public to continue to submit to us any new information that becomes available concerning the status of or threats to the subspecies. This information will help us to monitor and encourage the ongoing conservation of this subspecies.

With this action, EPA is allocating essential use allowances for import and production of Class I stratospheric ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) for calendar year 2007. Essential use allowances enable a person to obtain controlled Class I ODSs as part of an exemption to the regulatory ban on the production and import of these chemicals, which became effective as of January 1, 1996. EPA allocates essential use allowances for exempted production or import of a specific quantity of Class I ODSs solely for the designated essential purpose. The allocations in this action total 167.0 metric tons (MT) of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) for use in metered dose inhalers (MDIs) for 2007.

EPA is proposing to allocate essential use allowances for import and production of Class I ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) for calendar year 2008. Essential use allowances enable a person to obtain controlled Class I ODSs as part of an exemption to the regulatory ban on the production and import of these chemicals, which became effective as of January 1, 1996. EPA allocates essential use allowances for exempted production or import of a specific quantity of Class I substances solely for the designated essential purpose. The proposed allocations total 27.0 metric tons (MT) of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) for use in metered dose inhalers (MDIs) for 2008.

We are proposing to amend the user fee regulations by adjusting the fees charged for export certification of plants and plant products. We are proposing to increase these user fees for fiscal years 2007 through 2012 to reflect the anticipated costs associated with providing these services during each year. We are also proposing to add a new user fee for Federal export certificates for plants and plant products that an exporter obtains from a State or county cooperator in order to recover our administrative costs associated with that service. Finally, we are proposing to make several nonsubstantive changes to the regulations for clarity. These proposed changes would enable us to properly recover the costs of providing export certification services for plants and plant products.

We are amending the black stem rust quarantine and regulations by adding four varieties to the list of rust-resistant Berberis species or cultivars in the regulations. This action will allow for the interstate movement of these newly developed varieties without unnecessary restrictions.

The Coast Guard has established permanent safety zones for annual events in the Captain of the Port Lake Michigan zone. This rule will restrict vessels from portions of water and shore areas during events that pose a hazard to public safety. The safety zones established by this final rule are necessary to protect spectators, participants, and vessels from the hazards associated with fireworks displays, air shows, and other events.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reclassifying intervertebral body fusion devices that contain bone grafting material, from class III (premarket approval) into class II (special controls), and retain those that contain any therapeutic biologic (e.g., bone morphogenic protein) in class III. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is announcing the availability of a guidance document that will serve as the special control for this device. This reclassification is based upon on the recommendation of the Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Devices Panel (the Panel).

This amendment establishes, amends, suspends, or revokes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and/or Weather Takeoff Minimums for operations at certain airports. These regulatory actions are needed because of the adoption of new or revised criteria, or because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System, such as the commissioning of new navigational facilities, addition of new obstacles, or changes in 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.

This amendment adopts miscellaneous amendments to the required IFR (instrument flight rules) altitudes and changeover points for certain Federal airways, jet routes, or direct routes for which a minimum or maximum en route authorized IFR altitude is prescribed. This regulatory action is needed because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System. These changes are designed to provide for the safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace under instrument conditions in the affected areas.

The Secretary proposes to amend the Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan) Program, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, and William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program regulations. The Secretary is amending these regulations to strengthen and improve the administration of the loan programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

The EPA is proposing to correct and clarify parts of a recent final rule published on October 17, 2006, that amended the ambient air monitoring requirements for criteria pollutants. The proposed changes include several instances where the wording in the preamble and regulatory text were not completely consistent, several regulatory text passages that contained some imprecise language, two instances of regulatory text omission, an outdated address reference, and numerous publication errors in tables and equations. EPA is also proposing to allow EPA Regional Administrators to approve departures from the minimum number of PM10 monitors otherwise specified in the rule. In the ``Rules and Regulations'' section of this Federal Register, we are taking direct final action on the amendments because we view the amendments as non-controversial and anticipate no adverse comments. If we receive no adverse comments, we will take no further action on this proposed rule.

NMFS issues this advance notice of proposed rulemaking to announce that it is developing certification procedures to address illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing activities and bycatch of protected living marine resources pursuant to the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act (Moratorium Protection Act). NMFS is seeking advance public comment on the development of these procedures and on the sources and types of information to be considered in the process. NMFS plans to arrange for one or more opportunities to obtain public input on the certification procedures. Dates and locations of any such opportunities will be published in the Federal Register at a later date.

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

The Commander, First Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the Wantagh State Parkway Bridge, across Goose Creek, at mile 16.1, at Jones Beach, New York. This deviation will test a change to the drawbridge operation schedule to determine whether a permanent change to the schedule is needed. This deviation will allow the bridge to open on signal if at least a half-hour notice is given to the New York State Department of Transportation, except that, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays, the draw shall be opened every hour on the half-hour after at least a half-hour notice is given. The bridge need not open from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on the Fourth of July for fireworks display.

The Commander, First Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the Meadowbrook State Parkway Bridge across Sloop Channel at mile 12.8, at Hempstead, New York. This deviation will test a change to the drawbridge operation schedule to determine whether a permanent change to the schedule is needed. This deviation will allow the bridge to open on signal if at least a half-hour notice is given to the New York State Department of Transportation, except that, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays, the draw shall open every hour, on the hour, if at least a half-hour notice is given. In addition, the bridge need not open from 9:30 p.m. to midnight on June 30, 2007 and the rain date July 1, 2007, if needed, and from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on July 4, 2007, for the annual fireworks displays.

This notice proposes special conditions for the Boeing Model 787-8 airplane. This airplane will have novel or unusual design features when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. These novel or unusual design features are associated with carbon fiber reinforced plastic used in the construction of the fuselage. For these design features, the applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for impact response characteristics to ensure survivable crashworthiness. These proposed special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards. Additional special conditions will be issued for other novel or unusual design features of the Boeing 787-8 airplanes.

This notice proposes special conditions for the Boeing Model 787-8 airplane. This airplane will have novel or unusual design features when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. These design features include wing fuel tanks constructed of carbon fiber composite materials. These proposed special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards. Additional special conditions will be issued for other novel or unusual design features of the Boeing Model 787-8 airplanes.

FMCSA amends its regulations concerning parts and accessories necessary for safe operation in response to a petition for reconsideration filed by the Truck Manufacturers Association. As requested by a petitioner, this amendment resolves an inconsistency between FMCSA's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

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

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Boeing Model 727 airplanes. This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracks of the body skin, doubler, and bear strap at the forward edge of the upper and lower hinge cutouts of the forward entry door, related investigative actions, and corrective action if necessary. This AD also requires a preventive modification. This AD results from reports of skin and bear strap cracks at hinge cutouts of the forward entry door. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracks in the skin, doubler, and bear strap at the hinge cutouts of the forward entry door, which could result in rapid decompression of the airplane.

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

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) that supersedes AD 2006-23-02, which applies to certain Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) (Type Certificate (TC) No. 3A20 and TC No. A24CE formerly held by Raytheon Aircraft Corporation and Beech) Models C90A, B200, B200C, B300, and B300C airplanes. AD 2006-23-02 currently requires you to inspect the flight controls for improper assembly or damage, and if any improperly assembled or damaged flight controls are found, take corrective action. Since we issued AD 2006-23-02, we have determined the need to add airplane serial numbers that were not previously included in the applicability. Consequently, this AD retains the actions of AD 2006-23-02 and adds airplane serial numbers to the applicability. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct improperly assembled or damaged flight controls, which could result in an unsafe condition by reducing capabilities of the flight controls and lead to loss of control.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) is proposing to amend its regulations to provide for expedited (and in this case, ``interlocutory'') review by the Commission of orders on requests by potential parties for access to certain sensitive unclassified non-safeguards information (SUNSI) and Safeguards Information (SGI).

The Bureau of Industry and Security is revising the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by amending a general order published in the Federal Register on June 5, 2006 and later amended on September 6, 2006 to add nine additional persons. The general order imposed a license requirement for exports and reexports of all items subject to the EAR where the transaction involved Mayrow General Trading (``Mayrow'') or entities related, as specified in that general order. The order also prohibited the use of License Exceptions for exports or reexports of any items subject to the EAR involving such entities. This rule will expand the general order and add sixteen additional persons to it. Pursuant to the expansion, the general order will cover: (i) Persons regarding whom the U.S. Government possesses information of affiliation or relationship to Mayrow; and (ii) other persons regarding whom the U.S. Government possesses information concerning the acquisition or attempted acquisition of commodities capable of being used to construct IEDs, as well as persons who are related to or affiliated with such persons. The order will apply to persons specifically listed who fit within either of these two groups. To reflect this expansion, this rule will update the heading of the general order to use the term ``persons''. In total, pursuant to this expansion, this rule will add the following sixteen persons to the general order, listed in alphabetical order: Al-Faris; Ali Akbar Yahya; Amir Mohammad Zahedi; EKT Electronics; Encyclopedia Electronics Center; Frank Lam; GBNTT; Majid Seif; Mohammed Katranji; Neda Industrial Group; Nedayeh Micron Electronics; Sayed-Ali Hosseini; Speedy Electronics Ltd.; United Sources Industrial Enterprises; Vast Solution Sdn Bhd.; and Y-Sing Components Limited.

On December 19, 2006, EPA published, as a proposed rule, a notice of reconsideration for several aspects of the November 29, 2005, Phase 2 of the final rule to implement the 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). These issues relate to nitrogen oxide (NOX) reasonably available control technology (RACT) for electric generating units (EGUs) in Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) states and to certain new source review (NSR) provisions. The notice of reconsideration was published as a result of a petition for reconsideration which had been submitted by the Natural Resources Defense Council. In this action, EPA summarizes and responds to comments received in response to the notice of reconsideration, and EPA announces its final actions taken in response to these comments. As a result of this reconsideration process, EPA is changing the deadline for states in the CAIR region to submit EGU NOX RACT SIPs subpart 2 ozone nonattainment areas classified as moderate and above. EPA is also modifying its guidance on the issue of NOX RACT for EGUs in CAIR states.