January 15, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued for public comment a draft guide in the agency's ``Regulatory Guide'' series (DG- 5015).

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are sponsoring a public meeting on February 5, 2008. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States positions that will be discussed at the First Session of Ad Hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on the Processing and Handling of Quick Frozen Foods (TFQFF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand on February 25-29, 2008. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the First Session of TFQFF and to address items that will be on the agenda.

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the ``agencies'') may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), of which the agencies are members, has approved the agencies' publication for public comment of a proposal to extend, with revision, the Report of Assets and Liabilities of U.S. Branches and Agencies of Foreign Banks (FFIEC 002) and the Report of Assets and Liabilities of a Non-U.S. Branch That Is Managed or Controlled by a U.S. Branch or Agency of a Foreign (Non-U.S.) Bank (FFIEC 002S), which are currently approved information collections. The Board is publishing this proposal on behalf of the agencies. At the end of the comment period, the comments and recommendations received will be analyzed to determine the extent to which the FFIEC and the agencies should modify the reports. The Board will then submit the reports to OMB for review and approval.

The National Park Service published a document in the Federal Register of December 20, 2007, concerning the establishment of the Negotiated Rulemaking Advisory Committee for Off-Road Vehicle Management, Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The document contained an incorrect organizational affiliation for Ronald Bounds.

The Department of Transportation is directing all interested persons to show cause why it should not issue an order finding Multi- Aero, Inc. d/b/a Air Choice One fit, willing, and able, and awarding it commuter air carrier authorization to engage in scheduled passenger air transportation as a commuter air carrier.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is seeking comments from the public on its plan to institute a permanent deviation from a policy in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Grants Policy Directive (GPD) 3.01 governing indirect cost recovery for one of its grant programs. The GPD states ``HHS considers activities conducted by grantees that result in indirect charges a necessary and appropriate part of HHS grants, and HHS awarding offices must reimburse their share of these costs.'' Although HRSA typically reimburses grantees for their full share of administrative overhead represented in approved indirect cost rates (which can be up to 50 percent or higher), the Agency believes, in the case of its Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program (SHIP), that full recovery of overhead expenditures would be detrimental to the ability to adequately conduct the activities mandated in the authorizing legislation. The purpose of the SHIP grant program is to assist eligible small rural hospitals in implementing Prospective Payments Systems (PPS), compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, and to reduce medical errors and to support quality improvement. Funding for the SHIP grant program is routed first through the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH); they are then distributed evenly by the SORH to the individual hospitals. This process creates efficiencies because of the large number of eligible hospitals and relatively small size of each award. In fiscal year 2007, $14,508,691 was awarded to 1,622 hospitals (approximately $8,945 each) in 46 States. Thus, the SORH is the official grantee of record for the State, as the recipient of the award and fiscal intermediary for the Federal government in distributing the funds. It is in the best interest of the SHIP grant program to limit the total administrative cost recovery to 5 percent of the Federal award, thereby allowing 95 percent of available grant funds to be used to carry out the required program activities. Since the SHIP grant program began in FY 02, through FY 07, the administrative costs have been restricted. Indirect costs were not allowed and there was a five percent maximum of other costs, for administrative costs, within the grant guidance. The SORHs voluntarily decided to limit these cost categories. For FY 07, the average administrative charge was only 3.64 percent. Thus, the cap on administrative costs has worked well. Limiting administrative costs is necessary because 20 percent of SHIP grantees are located in academic settings that have established indirect cost rates in the range of 30 to 50 percent. Without a limitation on the amount of grant funds allocated for administrative costs, the SORH grantee could potentially charge its full indirect cost rate and the grant awards would be significantly less for each small rural hospital. As much as 50 percent of the grant award could be consumed by indirect costs, depending upon the host institution's indirect cost rate. This would significantly reduce the amount of funds available to initiate and maintain the activities of the grant. A limitation on administrative costs will ensure that each hospital, not an unintended source, receives the maximum amount of funding. The limitations placed on these cost categories will ensure that the majority of funding is routed to the small rural hospitals, to be used for the prescribed intents and purposes of the grant program. A continued limitation on administrative costs for future SHIP grant cycles will help to assure that small rural hospitals receive the appropriated support, necessary to carry out the objectives of the grant program. The limitation would be applicable to all grantees of the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program.

The EIA has submitted the ``Natural Gas Processing Plant Survey,'' Form EIA-757 to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and a three-year approval under section 3507(h)(1) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., at 3507(h)(1)).

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Field Office, Baker City, Oregon intends to revise a Resource Management Plan (RMP) with an associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Baker Resource Area of the Vale District and by this notice is announcing public scoping meetings. The RMP will revise the existing Baker Resource Management Plan of 1989.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is seeking comments in preparation for the renewal of the Indian Child Welfare Annual Report. The information collected will aid BIA in fulfilling the requirements of the law. This renewal meets the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The Bureau is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

We preliminarily determine that circular welded carbon quality steel pipe (``CWP'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (``LTFV''), as provided in section 733 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the ``Act''). The estimated margins of sales at less than fair value (``LTFV'') are shown in the ``Preliminary Determination'' section of this notice. Pursuant to requests from interested parties, we are postponing for 60 days the final determination and extending provisional measures from a four-month period to not more than six months. Accordingly, we will make our final determination not later than 135 days after publication of the preliminary determination.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Central Montana Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet as indicated below.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of Oklahoma (FEMA-1735-DR), dated December 18, 2007, and related determinations.