2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice is intended to announce the Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 FMCSA safety grant opportunities and to provide schedules and directions for those grant programs posted on grants.gov (https:// www.grants.gov). FMCSA disseminates funds and oversees grants awarded in support of 11 safety programs. These programs consist of the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) Basic and Incentive grants, MCSAP New Entrant Safety Audit grants, MCSAP High Priority grants, Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Operator Safety Training grants, Border Enforcement grants (BEG), Commercial Driver's License Program Improvement (CDLPI) grants, Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS) Modernization grants, Performance and Registration Information Systems Management (PRISM) grants, Safety Data Improvement Program grants (SaDIP), and Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) grants. Each of these grant programs was provided for in the Agency's most recent authorization, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The purpose of this Notice is to provide a comprehensive source of information regarding the opportunities for funding under the FMCSA's grant programs.

FMCSA previously announced its decision to renew the exemptions from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for 34 individuals. FMCSA has statutory authority to exempt individuals from the vision requirement if the exemptions granted will not compromise safety. The Agency has reviewed the comments submitted in response to the previous announcement and concluded that granting these exemptions will provide a level of safety that will be equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety maintained without the exemptions for these commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.

Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.160 (b), a change announcement is made to a previously announced committee meeting of the Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services (hereafter referred to as the Task Force).

This action proposes to revise Class E airspace at Ketchikan, AK. Seven Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs), two Standard Instrument Departure Procedures (SIDs) and a textual Obstacle Departure Procedure (ODP) are either being drafted or amended for the Ketchikan International Airport at Ketchikan, AK. Three of the SIAPs and one SID are Special procedures for private use and are funded privately. Adoption of this proposal would result in revision of Class E airspace upward from 700 feet (ft.) and 1,200 ft. above the surface at the Ketchikan International Airport, Ketchikan, AK.

In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), together with the California Energy Commission (Energy Commission), (hereinafter jointly referred to as the Agencies) intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/Staff Assessment (EIS/SA), and a Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment, for the Stirling Energy Systems (SES) Solar Two Project (Project), a Stirling engine systems solar dish project in Imperial County, California. SES is seeking approval to construct and operate an electrical generating facility with a nominal capacity of 750 megawatts (MW), using concentrated solar thermal power. The approximately 6,500 acres of land needed to develop the Project consists of approximately 6,140 acres of BLM administered public land and approximately 360 acres of privately owned land. SES has submitted an application to the BLM requesting a right-of- way (ROW) to construct the Project and related facilities. Pursuant to the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan (1980, as amended), sites associated with power generation or transmission not identified in the CDCA Plan will be considered through the plan amendment process. Under Federal law, BLM is responsible for processing requests for rights-of-way to authorize such proposed projects and associated transmission lines and other appurtenant facilities on land it manages. BLM must comply with the requirements of NEPA to ensure that environmental impacts associated with construction, operation, and decommissioning will be identified, analyzed and considered in the application process. In the case of solar thermal power plant projects, this will be accomplished through coordination of the state and federal application processes, public participation, environmental analysis, and the preparation of Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in coordination with the Energy Commission and its Preliminary and Final Staff Assessments. Under California law, the Energy Commission is responsible for reviewing the applications for certification filed for thermal power plants over 50 MW, and also has the role of lead agency for the environmental review of such projects under the CEQA (Public Resources Code, section 25500 et seq.; and Public Resources Code, section 21000 et seq.) The Energy Commission conducts this review in accordance with the administrative adjudication provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Gov. Code, section 11400 et seq.) and its own regulations governing site certification proceedings (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 20, section 1701 et seq.), which have been deemed CEQA equivalent by the Secretary of Resources. SES Solar Two, LLC has submitted an Application for Certification (AFC) to the Energy Commission. The AFC facilitates analysis and review by staff prior to an Energy Commission decision.

OSHA solicits comments concerning its proposal to extend OMB approval of the information collection requirements contained in the Asbestos in Construction Standard (29 CFR 1926.1101).

In Accordance with 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), announcement is made of the forthcoming meeting. Name of Committee: Inland Waterways Users Board (Board). Date: November 18, 2008. Location: Chicago Marriott O'Hare, 8535 West Higgins Road, Chicago, Illinois 60631, (773-693-4444 or 800-228-9290). Time: Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the meeting is scheduled to adjourn at 1 p.m. Agenda: The Board will hear briefings on the status of the funding for inland navigation projects and studies, an assessment of the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, and a preliminary plan for a future business model for inland waterways projects.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is soliciting public comment in preparation for issuing formal comments, under the National Historic Preservation Act, to the Bureau of Land Management regarding its intent to amend a land use management plan to allow for the disposal of the land under the authority of the Recreation and Public Purpose Act for the construction of a shooting range near Bullhead City, Arizona.

This action adds services to the Procurement List to be furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities, and deletes a product from the Procurement List previously furnished by such agencies.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that a collection of information entitled ``Temporary Marketing Permit Applications'' has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared six Resource Management Plans with a single associated Final Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/ FEIS) for the Salem, Eugene, Roseburg, Coos Bay, and Medford Districts and the Klamath Falls Resource Area of the Lakeview District in western Oregon.

This document contains a minor correction to the final regulations that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published in 71 FR 78368 on December 29, 2006. The regulation relates to the Payment of Benefits to Survivors of Estates of Deceased Beneficiaries. No substantive change to the content of the regulation is being made by correcting this amendment.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is reopening the period for public comment on new rules that it originally proposed in Securities Act Release No. 8933 (June 25, 2008) [73 FR 37752 (July 1, 2008)]. The Commission proposed a rule that would, if adopted, define the terms ``annuity contract'' and ``optional annuity contract'' under the Securities Act of 1933. The proposed rule is intended to clarify the status under the federal securities laws of indexed annuities. The Commission also proposed to exempt insurance companies from filing reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 with respect to indexed annuities and other securities that are registered under the Securities Act, provided that the securities are regulated under state insurance law, the issuing insurance company and its financial condition are subject to supervision and examination by a state insurance regulator, and the securities are not publicly traded.

In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations (49 CFR part 107, subpart B), notice is hereby given that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety has received the application described herein. This notice is abbreviated to expedite docketing and public notice. Because the sections affected, modes of transportation, and the nature of application have been shown in earlier Federal Register publications, they are not repeated here. Request of modifications of special permits (e.g. to provide for additional hazardous materials, packaging design changes, additional mode of transportation, etc.) are described in footnotes to the application number. Application numbers with the suffix ``M'' demote a modification request. There applications have been separated from the new application for special permits to facilitate processing.