2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Advisory Committee for the Expert Review of Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.3 (CERSAP) will hold a teleconference on Friday, December 7, 2007. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the lead agency for Climate Change Science Program Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.3 (SAP 4.3) titled, The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity. CERSAP will provide advice to the Secretary of Agriculture on the conduct of this study.

``The Great Lakes Regional Waterways Management Forum'' will hold a meeting to discuss various waterways management issues. Potential agenda items will include navigation, ballast water regulations, waterways management, Great Lakes water levels, and discussions about the agenda for the next meeting. The meeting will be open to the public.

This action removes 32 CFR Part 519, Publication of Rules Affecting the Public, published in the Federal Register, August 6, 2004 (69 FR 47766). The rule is being removed because it does not place requirements on the public but merely prescribes procedures for Army proponents to follow for rulemaking and the publishing of items in the Federal Register.

The IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management, invites comments on the proposed information collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

This document contains revisions to the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report forms, including the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan and a new Form 5500-SF, Short Form Annual Return/ Report of Small Employee Benefit Plan (Short Form 5500 or Form 5500- SF), filed for employee pension and welfare benefit plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (Code). The Form 5500 Annual Return/Report forms, including the schedules and attachments, are an important source of financial, funding, and other information about employee benefit plans for the Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, and the Internal Revenue Service (the Agencies), as well as for plan sponsors, participants and beneficiaries, and the general public. The revisions to the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report forms contained in this document, including the new Short Form 5500, are intended to streamline the annual reporting process, reduce annual reporting burdens, especially for small businesses, update the annual reporting forms to reflect current issues and agency priorities, incorporate new reporting requirements contained in the Pension Protection Act of 2006, and facilitate electronic filing. Some of the forms revisions will apply on a transitional basis for the 2008 reporting year before all of the forms revisions are fully implemented for the 2009 reporting year as part of the switch under the ERISA Filing Acceptance System (EFAST) to a wholly electronic filing system (EFAST2). The forms revisions affect employee pension and welfare benefit plans, plan sponsors, administrators, and service providers to plans subject to annual reporting requirements under ERISA and the Code.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is seeking public comments on the impact that implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, through the Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act and the Chemical Weapons Convention Regulations, has had on commercial activities involving ``Schedule 1'' chemicals during calendar year 2007. The purpose of this notice of inquiry is to collect information to assist BIS in its preparation of the annual certification to the Congress, which is required under Condition 9 of Senate Resolution 75, April 24, 1997, in which the Senate gave its advice and consent to the ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites nominations for membership on the Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee. The membership of this committee will include a balanced representation of interested persons with relevant experience to contribute to the functions of the committee and will be drawn from farm groups, conservation and environmental groups, agricultural processors and retailers, academia, citizen's groups and tribal governments. Background: In order to help EPA build a more positive and proactive relationship with the agricultural industry to protect human health and the environment, the EPA is forming a Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee. This Committee will provide advice and recommendations to the Administrator on environmental issues and programs that impact, or are of concern to, farms, ranches and rural communities. The Committee expects to meet approximately two (2) times a year, or as needed and approved by the Designated Federal Officer DFO). Meetings will be held in Washington DC and the EPA regions. Members serve on the Committee in a voluntary capacity. However, EPA may provide reimbursement for travel expenses associated with official government business. Because of the nature of the issues to be discussed, it is the intent of the Agency for the Committee to have a majority of members who are actively engaged in farming or ranching. Members may represent farmers, ranchers, and rural communities large and small, crop and livestock, commodity and specialty, regionally balancedand the rural suppliers, marketers, and processors that serve farmers, ranchers and rural communities; as well as the academic/research community who do research on environmental issues impacting agriculture, tribal agriculture groups, state and local government representatives, and environmental/conservation groups. USDA and other Federal agencies, as appropriate, will be invited to nominate members to serve as regular government employees. In selecting committee members, EPA will consider each candidate's qualifications including, but not limited to, whether the candidate is: Actively engaged in farming. Occupies a senior position within their organization. Holds leadership positions in ag-related organizations, businesses and/or workgroups. Has broad experience outside of their current position. Has experience working on issues where building consensus is necessary. Has membership in professional societies, broad-based networks or the equivalent. Has extensive experience in the environmental field dealing with agricultural issues. Provides services to producers. Is involved in processing, retailing, manufacturing and distribution of agricultural products.

NMFS is reopening the comment period to provide additional opportunity for public comment on the draft Amendment 2 to the Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and its July 27, 2007, proposed rule. More specifically, NMFS is interested in receiving comments on a modification to shark dealer weigh-out slips that would facilitate compliance with measures proposed in the draft Amendment 2 to the HMS FMP, which would require fishermen to land sharks with all fins naturally attached. Additionally, over the course of the comment period, NMFS has received suggestions on ways to modify the proposed measures to minimize impacts to fishermen. NMFS is interested in receiving additional comments regarding those suggestions. Furthermore, as is required under the current regulations and was proposed to be maintained in the July 27, 2007, proposed rule, any overharvests that occur in the 2007 or 2008 commercial shark fishery will be accounted for with the implementation of final Amendment 2 to the Consolidated HMS FMP. Thus, NMFS is reopening the comment period for 30 days to gather further public comment on these issues. The draft Amendment 2 to the Consolidated HMS FMP and its proposed rule also describe a range of other management measures that could impact fishermen and dealers for HMS fisheries.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee's (CASAC) Sulfur Oxides (SOx) Primary NAAQS Review Panel (Panel) to conduct a peer review of EPA's Integrated Science Assessment for Sulfur OxidesHealth Criteria (First External Review Draft) (EPA/600/R-07/108, September 2007) and to conduct a consultation on the EPA's Sulfur Oxides Health Assessment Plan: Scope and Methods for Exposure and Risk Assessment.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the U.S. Coast Guard intends to submit Information Collection Requests (ICRs) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requesting an extension of their approval for the following collections of information: (1) 1625-0005, Application and Permit to Handle Hazardous Materials; (2) 1625-0020, Security Zones, Regulated Navigation Areas, and Safety Zones; (3) 1625-0029, Self-propelled Liquefied Gas Vessels; (4) 1625-0031, Plan Approval and Records for Electrical Engineering RegulationsTitle 46 CFR Subchapter J; and (5) 1625-0085, Streamlined Inspection Program. Before submitting these ICRs to OMB, the Coast Guard is inviting comments as described below.

The Coast Guard is proposing to change the operating schedule for the State Route 433 (S433) pontoon span bridge across Liberty Bayou, mile 2.0, at Slidell, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. The proposed rule would allow the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, owner of the bridge, to reduce the hours of manned operation of the bridge in order to make more efficient use of personnel and operating resources.