August 15, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's regulations on Benefits Payable in Terminated Single-Employer Plans and Allocation of Assets in Single-Employer Plans prescribe interest assumptions for valuing and paying benefits under terminating single-employer plans. This final rule amends the regulations to adopt interest assumptions for plans with valuation dates in September 2008. Interest assumptions are also published on the PBGC's Web site (https://www.pbgc.gov).

This regulation establishes a permanent tolerance for residues of forchlorfenuron in or on bushberry subgroup 13-07B requested by the IR-4 Project Headquarters, 500 College Road East, Suite 201 W, Princeton, NJ 08540. Time-limited tolerances are also being established under this regulation in support of experimental use permit 71049-EUP-4 for residues of forchlorfenuron in or on almond, cherry, fig, pear, pistachio, plum/prune requested by KIM-C1, LLC c/o Siemer and Associates, Inc. 135 W. Shaw, Suite 102, Fresno, CA 93704. The time- limited tolerances expire on December 31, 2011. IR-4 and KIM-C1, LLC requested these tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (collectively, ``Services'' or ``we'') propose to amend regulations governing interagency cooperation under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Services are proposing these changes to clarify several definitions, to clarify when the section 7 regulations are applicable and the correct standards for effects analysis, and to establish time frames for the informal consultation process.

NMFS is notifying the owners and operators of registered vessels of their assignments for the 2008 B season Atka mackerel fishery in harvest limit area (HLA) 542 and/or 543 of the Aleutian Islands subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to allow the harvest of the 2008 B season HLA limits established for area 542 and area 543 pursuant to the 2008 and 2009 harvest specifications for groundfish in the BSAI.

The FAA is amending its proposal to prohibit the filtering of some original flight recorder sensor signals. Comments to the NPRM published in November 2006 and changes in available technology have caused us to reexamine our position on data filtering. We are now proposing that certain critical data parameters may be filtered if a certificate holder can show that the data can be accurately reconstructed. This proposed rule would improve the integrity and quality of the data recorded on digital flight data recorders while giving aircraft designers and operators more flexibility in system design and operation where allowable, including an option to filter data.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to issue a regulatory issue summary (RIS) to clarify the requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 50.54(y) when licensees implement 10 CFR 50.54(x) to depart from a license condition or technical specification in an emergency. This Federal Register notice is available through the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML082120745.

This final rule announces NHTSA's determination that there are no new model year (MY) 2009 light duty truck lines subject to the parts-marking requirements of the Federal motor vehicle theft prevention standard because they have been determined by the agency to be high-theft or because they have a majority of interchangeable parts with those of a passenger motor vehicle line. This final rule also identifies those vehicle lines that have been granted an exemption from the parts-marking requirements because the vehicles are equipped with antitheft devices determined to meet certain statutory criteria.

The Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) of the Department of Labor (Department or DOL) is proposing a rule to implement priority of service in qualified job training programs prescribed in section 2(a)(1) of the Jobs for Veterans Act (JVA). The Department undertakes this rulemaking in accordance with section 605 of the Veterans' Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006, which requires the Department to implement priority of service via regulation. The Department seeks comments on this proposed rule.

This final rule corrects a subpart heading in the Code of Federal Regulations. The heading was inadvertently misstated when the FAA published the rule in November 2007.

The EPA is approving portions of revisions to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted by the State of Texas on May 13, 2005, to meet the 5% Increment of Progress (IOP) requirement for the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) nonattainment area. EPA is not taking action on the 5% IOP plan in this rulemaking. EPA is approving the 2002 base year inventory for the DFW 8-hour ozone nonattainment area. EPA is also approving emissions reductions from energy efficiency measures implemented within the DFW 8-hour ozone nonattainment area, and revisions to 30 TAC, Chapter 117, Control of Air Pollution From Nitrogen Compounds, concerning stationary reciprocating internal combustion (IC) engines operating within the DFW 8-hour ozone nonattainment area. EPA is also approving into the SIP a federal consent decree and subsequent amendments thereto concerning the Alcoa Rockdale plant in Milam County. These actions result in emissions reductions in the DFW 8-hour ozone nonattainment area and are taken in accordance with section 110 and part D of the Clean Air Act (the Act) and EPA's regulations.

Two rulemakings finalized several years ago removed regulatory language regarding the statutory authority of Aviation Safety Inspectors to access airport operations areas (AOAs), security identification display areas (SIDAs), and other secured and restricted airport areas. This final rule clarifies the authority of a properly credentialed Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI) to access AOAs, SIDAs, and other secured areas of a public-use airport allowing performance of their official duties supporting the FAA's safety mission.

The Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to amend its test procedures for battery chargers and external power supplies to include provisions for measuring standby mode and off mode energy consumption, as directed by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. DOE also proposes to add a test procedure for measuring the energy consumption of multiple-voltage external power supplies. In addition, DOE proposes to make revisions to the single-voltage external power supply test procedure. DOE also proposes to extend the current certification reporting requirements to the Class A external power supplies for which Congress established energy efficiency standards in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Finally, DOE announces a public meeting to receive comment on this proposal and the issues presented in this notice.