December 23, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), this notice announces that the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs, will submit the collection of information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden; it includes the actual data collection instrument.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), this notice announces that the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Department of Veterans Affairs, will submit the collection of information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden and includes the actual data collection instrument.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-21), this notice announces that the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Department of Veterans Affairs, will submit the collection of information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden and includes the actual data collection instrument.

We are establishing the Occupational Information Development Advisory Panel (Panel) under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The creation of the Panel, while discretionary, is necessary and in the public interest. It will help us to perform our statutory duties. We have consulted with the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services Administration.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on the information collection associated with the evaluation of proposed propriety names by pharmaceutical firms and the submission of the data generated from those evaluations to FDA for review under a pilot program. FDA plans to begin enrollment in the pilot program by the end of fiscal year (FY) 2009.

Notice is hereby given that Dr. Kathryn A. Ono, Department of Biological Sciences, University of New England, Biddeford, ME has been issued a major amendment to Permit No. 10080-02.

The Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools proposes priorities and requirements for the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) grant program. The Assistant Deputy Secretary may use one or more of these priorities or requirements for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2009 and later years. The REMS program was established in FY 2003 to provide resources to local educational agencies (LEAs) to supportimproving and enhancing emergency management plans. Since the initial competition, the program has undergone several program refinements designed to respond to changes in the emergency management field and the identification of key emergency management priorities. In an effort to continue to refine the REMS program, we are publishing these revised priorities and requirements. We propose this action in order to focus Federal financial assistance on supporting grants that will increase the capacity of LEAs to prevent and mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. This action is also intended to focus funding on LEAs that have not previously received funding under this program and to establish other core program requirements.

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the OCC, the Board, the FDIC, and the OTS (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 Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income (Call Report) for banks, the Thrift Financial Report (TFR) for savings associations, 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), all of which are currently approved collections of information. 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 proposed revisions prior to giving final approval. The agencies will then submit the revisions to OMB for review and approval.

The Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement announces selection criteria under the Teaching American History Grant (TAH) Program. The Assistant Secretary may use these selection criteria for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2009 and later years. We take this action to provide the Secretary with the flexibility to use selection criteria (i) Established for the TAH Program in the notice of final selection criteria and other application requirements, published in the Federal Register on April 15, 2005 (70 FR 19939) (2005 Notice); (ii) from the menu of general selection criteria in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR 75.210; (iii) based on statutory provisions in accordance with 34 CFR 75.209; or (iv) from any combination of (i) through (iii) for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2009 and in subsequent years. We intend that this choice of selection criteria will provide greater flexibility to evaluate TAH Program applications.

The Department of Education (Department) gives notice that on August 20, 2008, an arbitration panel rendered a decision in the matter of Dwayne Zuppardo v. Louisiana Department of Social Services, Rehabilitation Services, Case no. R-S/06-5. This panel was convened by the Department under 20 U.S.C. 107d-1(a), after the Department received a complaint filed by the petitioner, Dwayne Zuppardo.

The Director of the Office of Ecosystem Protection, Environmental Protection AgencyRegion 1 (EPA), is issuing this Notice of Availability of Draft NPDES general permits for discharges from small MS4s to certain waters of the states of New Hampshire and Vermont, and to certain waters on Indian Country lands in the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island. These draft NPDES general permits establish Notice of Intent (NOI) requirements, prohibitions, and management practices for stormwater discharges from small MS4s. EPA is proposing to issue six general permits. Throughout this document the terms ``this permit'' or ``the permit'' will refer to all six general permits. Owners and/or operators of small MS4s that discharge stormwater will be required to submit a NOI to EPARegion 1 to be covered by the general permit and will receive a written notification from EPA of permit coverage and authorization to discharge under the general permit. The eligibility requirements are discussed in the draft permit. The small MS4 must meet the eligibility requirements of the permit prior to submission of the NOI. The draft general permits, appendices, and fact sheet are available at https://www.epa.gov/region1/npdes/stormwater/MS4_2008_NH.html.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

Using data from Management Information System annual reports, FRA has determined that the 2007 rail industry random testing positive rates were 0.56 percent for drugs and 0.18 percent for alcohol. Because the industry-wide random drug testing positive rate has remained below 1.0 percent for the last two years, the Federal Railroad Administrator (Administrator) has determined that the minimum annual random drug testing rate for the period January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009, will remain at 25 percent of covered railroad employees. In addition, because the industry-wide random alcohol testing violation rate has remained below 0.5 percent for the last two years, the Administrator has determined that the minimum random alcohol testing rate will remain at 10 percent of covered railroad employees for the period January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009.

The Commission grants a petition for rulemaking filed by Pappas Telecasting of Central Nebraska, L.P., permittee of station KHGI-DT, to substitute DTV channel 13 for post-transition DTV channel 36 at Kearney, Nebraska.

EPA is proposing to amend the Standards and Practices for All Appropriate Inquiries to reference a standard practice recently made available by ASTM International, a widely recognized standards development organization. Specifically, EPA is proposing to amend the All Appropriate Inquiries Final Rule to reference ASTM International's E2247-08 ``Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process for Forestland or Rural Property'' and allow for its use to satisfy the statutory requirements for conducting all appropriate inquiries under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). In the ``Rules and Regulations'' section of this Federal Register, EPA is amending the All Appropriate Inquiries Final Rule to reference the ASTM E2247-08 Standard as a direct final rule without a prior proposed rule. If we receive no adverse comment, we will not take further action on this proposed rule.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92- 463, notice is hereby given that the Good Neighbor Environmental Board (GNEB) will hold a public teleconference on January 8, 2009 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The meeting is open to the public. For further information regarding the teleconference and background materials, please contact Mark Joyce at the number listed below. Background: GNEB is a federal advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92463. GNEB provides advice and recommendations to the President and Congress on environmental and infrastructure issues along the U.S. border with Mexico. Purpose of Meeting: The purpose of this teleconference is to discuss and approve the Good Neighbor Environmental Board's Twelfth Report: Innovative Approaches to Addressing Environmental Problems along the U.S./Mexico Border.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (``OFAC'') is amending the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations and the Terrorism Sanctions Regulations to expand the scope of authorizations in each of those programs for the provision of certain legal services. Similarly, OFAC is amending the Foreign Terrorist Organizations Sanctions Regulations to expand the scope of a statement of licensing policy concerning payment for certain legal services.