August 26, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In this document, we amend our Schedule of Regulatory Fees to collect $312,000,000 in regulatory fees for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, pursuant to section 9 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the Act). These fees are mandated by Congress and are collected to recover the regulatory costs associated with the Commission's enforcement, policy and rulemaking, user information, and international activities.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing final regulations to administer the Federal Employee Dental and Vision Benefits Enhancement Act of 2004, signed into law December 23, 2004. This law establishes dental and vision benefits programs for Federal employees, annuitants, and their eligible family members.

EPA is proposing to remove the limited status of its approval of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision that requires all major sources of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) to implement reasonably available control technology (RACT). EPA is proposing to convert its limited approval of Pennsylvania's VOC and NOX RACT regulations to full approval because EPA has approved all of the case- by-case RACT determinations that had been submitted by Pennsylvania such that there are no longer any such submissions pending before EPA. In prior final rules, EPA has fully approved Pennsylvania's VOC and NOX RACT regulations for the Pennsylvania portion of the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Trenton area, and for the Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley area. EPA previously proposed to convert its limited approval of Pennsylvania's VOC and NOX RACT regulations as they apply in the remainder of the Commonwealth to full approval. EPA is withdrawing that proposal and is now reproposing approval. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act).

EPA is proposing to approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This SIP revision pertains to the requirements in meeting the reasonably available control technology (RACT) under the 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). These requirements are based on the certification that previously adopted RACT controls in Pennsylvania's SIP that were approved by EPA under the 1-hour ozone NAAQS are based on the currently available technically and economically feasible controls, and that they continue to represent RACT for the 8- hour implementation purposes; the adoption of new or more stringent regulations that represent RACT control levels; and a negative declaration that certain categories of sources do not exist in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The Department of Health and Human Services proposes to promulgate regulations to ensure that Department funds do not support morally coercive or discriminatory practices or policies in violation of federal law, pursuant to the Church Amendments (42 U.S.C. 300a-7), Public Health Service (PHS) Act Sec. 245 (42 U.S.C. 238n), and the Weldon Amendment (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, Pub. L. 110- 161, Sec. 508(d), 121 Stat. 1844, 2209). This notice of proposed rulemaking proposes to define certain key terms. Furthermore, in order to ensure that recipients of Department funds know about their legal obligations under these nondiscrimination provisions, the Department proposes to require written certification by certain recipients that they will comply with all three statutes, as applicable.

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 FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to all Airbus Model A310 series airplanes. The existing AD currently requires repetitive detailed inspections to detect cracks propagating from the fastener holes that attach the left- and right-hand pick-up angles at frame 40 to the wing lower skin and fuselage panel, and corrective actions, if necessary. This proposed AD would revise the intervals for accomplishing the repetitive detailed inspections and would provide for an optional terminating modification for the repetitive inspections. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. We are proposing this AD to prevent reduced structural integrity of the airplane due to fatigue damage and consequent cracking of the pick-up angles at frame 40.

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), are announcing receipt of revisions to a previously proposed amendment to the Mississippi regulatory program (Mississippi program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Mississippi proposes a revision to its regulations regarding valid existing rights as it pertains to designation of lands as unsuitable for surface coal mining operations. Mississippi intends to revise its program to be consistent with SMCRA. This document gives the times and locations that the Mississippi program and proposed amendment to that program are available for your inspection and the comment period during which you may submit written comments on the revisions to the amendment.

This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the California Date Administrative Committee (Committee) for the 2008-09 and subsequent crop years from $0.75 to $0.60 per hundredweight of dates handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of dates grown or packed in Riverside County, California. Assessments upon date handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The crop year begins October 1 and ends September 30. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

The Commission is proposing rules on the treatment of non- public material submitted by the Postal Service. Issuance of this proposal will allow interested parties to comment on the Commission's approach to implementing a new statutory requirement.

NOAA solicits public comment on whether development of regulations implementing certain aspects of the consultation provisions of section 304(d) of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act is appropriate and, if so, what such regulations should contain to ensure the efficient application and implementation of, and compliance with, this statutory requirement.

This document requests comments on a petition for rulemaking filed by L. Dean Spencer, requesting the allotment of Channel 261A at Irvington, Kentucky, as the community's first local aural transmission service. Channel 261A can be allotted at Irvington, Kentucky at a site 13.8 kilometers (8.5 miles) northwest of the community at coordinates 37-56-52 NL and 86-24-54 WL.

The FHWA is revising its regulation for advance construction of Federal-aid projects by: (a) Removing the restriction that a State must obligate all of its allocated or apportioned funds, or demonstrate that it will use all obligation authority allocated to it for Federal- aid highways and highway safety construction, prior to the approval of advance construction projects; and (b) clarifying that advance construction procedures may be used for all categories of Federal-aid highway funds, and that any available Federal-aid funds for which a project is eligible may be used when a project is converted to a Federal-aid project. These revisions make the regulation consistent with the advance construction statute, which was amended by a provision enacted in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).

The Audio Division grants a Petition for Rule Making issued at the request of Katherine Pyeatt, proposing the allotment of Channel 291A at Dilley, Texas, as its fourth local FM aural transmission service. The reference coordinates for vacant Channel 291A at Dilley are 28-36-06 NL and 99-06-21 WL. This site is located 9.6 kilometers (6 miles) southeast of Dilley. This site is located within 320 kilometers of the Mexican border. Although concurrence has been requested for Channel 291A at Dilley, notification has not been received. If a construction permit is granted prior to the receipt of formal concurrence in the allotment by the Mexican government, the construction permit will include the following condition: ``Operation with the facilities specified for Dilley herein is subject to modification, suspension or, termination without right to hearing, if found by the Commission to be necessary in order to conform to the 1992 USA-Mexico FM Broadcast Agreement.'' Additionally, the new reference coordinates for vacant Channel 289A at Cotulla, Texas are modified to 28-22-00 NL and 99-17-00 WL. This site is located 9.1 kilometers (5.7 miles) southwest of Cotulla. This site is located within 320 kilometers of the Mexican border. Although concurrence has been requested for Channel 289A at Cotulla, notification has not been received. If a construction permit is granted prior to the receipt of formal concurrence in the allotment by the Mexican government, the construction permit will include the following condition: ``Operation with the facilities specified for Cotulla herein is subject to modification, suspension or, termination without right to hearing, if found by the Commission to be necessary in order to conform to the 1992 USA-Mexico FM Broadcast Agreement.''

In this document, we seek comment on changes to the regulatory fee schedule and methodology.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are designating revised critical habitat for the Bay checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha bayensis) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In total, approximately 18,293 acres (ac) (7,403 hectares (ha)) fall within the boundaries of the revised critical habitat designation for the Bay checkerspot butterfly. The revision to critical habitat is located in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, California. This final revised designation therefore constitutes a reduction of 1,453 ac (588 ha) from our 19,746 ac (7,990 ha) proposed revised designation of critical habitat for the Bay checkerspot butterfly published on August 22, 2007.