October 9, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA is superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD), which applies to certain Boeing Model 767-200, -300, and -400ER series airplanes. That AD currently requires an inspection to determine if the door-mounted escape slide/rafts have certain part numbers. This new AD does not retain that requirement. This new AD continues to require an inspection for excessive tension of the firing cable, and procedures for providing slack in the firing cable or rerouting the firing cable if necessary. For certain airplanes, this new AD also requires a review of the airplane maintenance records to determine if a certain service bulletin has been incorporated, or an inspection to determine if certain door-mounted escape slide/rafts are installed. This new AD also requires modification of certain escape slide/rafts. This AD results from reports of uncommanded inflation inside the airplane of a door-mounted escape slide/raft located in the passenger compartment. We are issuing this AD to prevent injury to maintenance personnel, passengers, and crew during otherwise normal operating conditions and to prevent interference with evacuation of the airplane during an emergency, due to uncommanded inflation of a door-mounted escape slide/raft.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Hawker Beechcraft Corporation Model 390 airplanes. This AD requires you to modify the cabin barometric pressure switch and cabin altitude high switch installations and perform a functional test of the switches and related systems. This AD results from the possibility of barometric pressure switch electrical connections being incorrectly connected or inadvertently disconnected. We are issuing this AD to modify the cabin barometric pressure switch and cabin altitude high switch to prevent them from becoming incorrectly connected or inadvertently disconnected, which may result in no CABIN ALT HI annunciation in the cockpit and no automatic deployment of the cabin oxygen masks. This failure could lead to incapacitation of the crew due to hypoxia with possible inability to control the airplane.

The FAA is superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD), which applies to certain Boeing Model 737-600, -700, and -800 series airplanes. That AD currently requires repetitive inspections to detect damage of the aft strut insulation blanket, and eventual replacement of the insulation blankets with new, improved blankets. This new AD adds airplanes to the applicability and requires installation of a new heat insulation blanket and new cover plate on the left and right side engine struts. This new AD does not retain the requirements of the existing AD but does terminate the requirements of the existing AD. This AD results from reports of damaged heat insulation blankets on the engine struts. We are issuing this AD to prevent exposure of the lower surface of the strut to extreme high temperatures, consequent creation of a source of fuel ignition, and increased risk of an uncontrollable fire and possible fuel tank explosion.

On September 18, 1990, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) issued a decision reaffirming and revising, in part, the five Waste Confidence findings reached in its 1984 Waste Confidence Decision. The 1984 decision and the 1990 review were products of rulemaking proceedings designed to assess the degree of assurance that radioactive wastes generated by nuclear power plants can be safely disposed of, to determine when such disposal or offsite storage would be available, and to determine whether radioactive wastes can be safely stored onsite past the expiration of existing facility licenses until offsite disposal or storage is available. The Commission has decided to again undertake a review of its Waste Confidence findings as part of an effort to enhance the efficiency of combined operating license proceedings for applications for nuclear power plants anticipated in the near future. To assure that its Waste Confidence findings are up- to-date, the Commission has prepared an update of the findings and proposes to revise two of the findings. The purpose of this notice is to seek public comment on the update and the proposed revisions. The Commission proposes that the second and fourth findings in the Waste Confidence Decision be revised as follows: Finding 2: The Commission finds reasonable assurance that sufficient mined geologic repository capacity can reasonably be expected to be available within 50-60 years beyond the licensed life for operation (which may include the term of a revised or renewed license) of any reactor to dispose of the commercial high-level radioactive waste and spent fuel originating in such reactor and generated up to that time. Finding 4: The Commission finds reasonable assurance that, if necessary, spent fuel generated in any reactor can be stored safely without significant environmental impacts for at least 60 years beyond the licensed life for operation (which may include the term of a revised or renewed license) of that reactor in a combination of storage in its spent fuel storage basin and either onsite or offsite independent spent fuel storage installations. The Commission proposes to reaffirm the remaining findings. Each finding, any proposed revisions, and the reasons for revising or reaffirming them are discussed below. In keeping with the proposed revised Findings 2 and 4, the Commission is publishing concurrently in this issue of the Federal Register proposed conforming amendments to its 10 CFR part 51 rule providing its generic determination on the environmental impacts of storage of spent fuel at, or away from, reactor sites after the expiration of reactor operating licenses.

The GSA is proposing to amend the General Services Acquisition Regulation (GSAR) to revise the language regarding requirements for administrative matters.

Almost nine years after the adoption of the original cross- border exemptions in 1999, the Commission is adopting changes to expand and enhance the utility of these exemptions for business combination transactions and rights offerings and to encourage offerors and issuers to permit U.S. security holders to participate in these transactions on the same terms as other target security holders. Many of the rule changes we are adopting today codify existing interpretive positions and exemptive orders in the cross-border area. We also are setting forth interpretive guidance on several topics. In two instances, we have extended the rule changes adopted here to apply to acquisitions of U.S. companies as well, because we believe the rationale for the changes in those instances applies equally to acquisitions of domestic and foreign companies. We also are adopting changes to allow certain foreign institutions to file on Schedule 13G to the same extent as would be permitted for their U.S. counterparts, where specified conditions are satisfied. We also are adopting a conforming change to Rule 16a-1(a)(1) to include the foreign institutions eligible to file on Schedule 13G.