May 1, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS establishes fishery management measures for the 2008 ocean salmon fisheries off Washington, Oregon, California and the 2009 salmon seasons opening earlier than May 1, 2009. The temporary rule for emergency action (emergency rule), under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), implements the 2008 annual management measures for the west coast ocean salmon fisheries for the area from Cape Falcon, OR, to the Oregon/California Border from June 22 to August 31, 2008. The emergency rule is required because Sacramento River fall Chinook (SRFC) are projected to not meet their conservation objective of 122,000 to 180,000 natural and hatchery adult spawners established in the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan (Salmon FMP). Specific fishery management measures vary by fishery and by area. The measures establish fishing areas, seasons, quotas, legal gear, recreational fishing days and catch limits, possession and landing restrictions, and minimum lengths for salmon taken in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) (3-200 nm) off Washington, Oregon, and California. The management measures are intended to prevent overfishing and to apportion the ocean harvest equitably among treaty Indian, non-treaty commercial, and recreational fisheries. The measures are also intended to allow a portion of the salmon runs to escape the ocean fisheries in order to provide for spawning escapement and to provide for inside fisheries (fisheries occurring in state internal waters).

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.

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:

We are revising an earlier NPRM for the products listed above. This action revises the earlier NPRM by expanding the scope. 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:

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:

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), are proposing to amend our existing regulations to provide incentives to promote the remining and reclamation of eligible abandoned coal mine refuse piles. We are also considering and seeking comment on other remining incentives that were authorized by recent amendments to the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 made by the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (2006 Act).

The EPA is extending by 6 months the deadline for EPA to take action on a petition submitted by Warrick County, Indiana and the Town of Newburgh, Indiana under section 126 of the Clean Air Act (CAA). The petition requests that EPA make a finding that a power plant (Cash Creek) proposed to be built in Henderson County, Kentucky will emit air pollutants that will significantly contribute to Warrick County and Newburgh, Indiana's nonattainment with the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone and fine particulate matter, or will significantly interfere with Warrick County and Newburgh, Indiana's ability to maintain its attainment of those standards. The petition requests that EPA establish emission limitations for the proposed power plant as a result of those findings. Under the CAA, EPA is authorized to grant a time extension for responding to the petition if EPA determines that the extension is necessary, among other things, to meet the purposes of the CAA's rulemaking requirements. By this action, EPA is making that determination.

NCUA proposes to change its credit union service organization (CUSO) rule by adding two new categories of permissible CUSO activities: Credit card loan origination and payroll processing services. The proposal would also add new examples of permissible CUSO activities within existing categories and would expand the scope of two categories of services to include persons eligible for credit union membership. The proposal would impose new regulatory limits on the ability of credit unions to recapitalize their CUSOs in certain circumstances. While the CUSO rule generally only applies to federal credit unions (FCUs), the proposal would revise and extend to all federally insured credit unions the provisions ensuring that credit union regulators have access to books and records and that CUSOs are operated as separate legal entities. The proposal would also clarify that CUSOs may buy and sell participations in loans they are authorized to originate under the current rule. Finally, NCUA proposes to delete as unnecessary the section in the current rule concerning amendment requests. These amendments will clarify the rule while enhancing CUSO operations and addressing safety and soundness concerns.

The Cost Accounting Standards Board (the Board), Office of Federal Procurement Policy, has adopted a final rule to amend Cost Accounting Standard (CAS) 412, ``Cost Accounting Standard for composition and measurement of pension cost,'' and CAS 415, ``Accounting for the cost of deferred compensation.'' These amendments address issues concerning the recognition of the costs of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) under Government cost-based contracts and subcontracts. These amendments provide criteria for measuring the costs of ESOPs and their assignment to cost accounting periods. The allocation of a contractor's assigned ESOP costs to contracts and subcontracts is addressed in other Standards. The amendments also specify that accounting for the costs of ESOPs will be covered by the provisions of CAS 415, ``Accounting for the cost of deferred compensation,'' and not by any other Standard. This rulemaking is authorized pursuant to Section 26 of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Act.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are issuing a final rule to amend the regulations for the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife at 50 CFR 17.11 by designating bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the Sonoran Desert area of central Arizona as threatened under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We are also reinstating and clarifying the former special rule at 50 CFR 17.41 that applied to threatened members of this species. This action revises the CFR to reflect a March 6, 2008, court order.

This proposed rule proposes the hospice wage index for fiscal year 2009. This proposed rule also proposes to phase-out the Medicare hospice budget neutrality adjustment factor and clarify two wage index issues, pertaining to the definition of rural and urban areas and to multi-campus hospital facilities.