2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Commission or CFTC) is proposing to amend its regulations applicable to the filing of Disclosure Documents by commodity pool operators (CPOs) and commodity trading advisors (CTAs) with the National Futures Association (NFA). In response to a petition from NFA, the CFTC is proposing that CPOs and CTAs be required to file their Disclosure Documents electronically with NFA (Proposal).

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Hawker Beechcraft Corporation Model BH.125 series 600A airplanes and Model HS.125 series 700A airplanes. This proposed AD would require inspecting the wiring diagrams containing the cockpit blowers and comparing with the current airplane configuration, and reworking the wiring if necessary. This proposed AD results from a report indicating that a blower motor of the cockpit ventilation and avionics cooling system seized up and gave off smoke. We are proposing this AD to prevent smoke and fumes in the cockpit in the event that a blower motor seizes and overheats due to excessive current draw.

NMFS announces the closure of the scup commercial coastwide fishery from Maine through North Carolina for the Winter II Period. Regulations governing the scup fishery require publication of this notification to advise the coastal states from Maine through North Carolina that this quota has been harvested and to advise Federal vessel permit holders and Federal dealer permit holders that no commercial quota is available for landing scup in these states. Federally permitted commercial vessels may not land scup in these states for the remainder of the 2008 Winter II quota period (through December 31, 2008).

EPA is proposing simultaneous limited approval and limited disapproval of revisions to the applicable implementation plan for the State of Texas which relate to public participation on air permits for new and modified sources. With noted exceptions, this proposed limited approval and limited disapproval affects portions of SIP revisions submitted by Texas on December 15, 1995; July 22, 1998; and the SIP revisions submitted October 25, 1999. EPA is taking comments on this proposal and plans to follow with a final action.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for rock sole, flathead sole, and ``other flatfish'' by vessels participating in the Amendment 80 limited access fishery in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2008 halibut bycatch allowance specified for the trawl rock sole, flathead sole, and ``other flatfish'' fishery category by vessels participating in the Amendment 80 limited access fishery in the BSAI.

The Coast Guard proposes to modify the drawbridge operation regulation for the Washington State drawbridges across the Chehalis, Hoquiam, and Wishkah Rivers at Grays Harbor, Washington. The change is necessary to reduce staffing requirements during the night when openings are infrequent. The rule will do so by modifying the number of hours of advance notice required for draw openings and establishing the telephone as the only means of contact for openings at night.

Because EPA received adverse comment, we are withdrawing several provisions of the direct final rule to amend the Renewable Fuel Standard program requirements, published on October 2, 2008.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes to amend its Community Residential Care regulations to update the standards for VA approval of facilities, including standards that would be adopted for fire safety and heating and cooling systems. This rule would also establish a single 12-month duration for VA approvals and would authorize provisional approval of certain facilities. Finally, this rule would eliminate the VA statement of needed care requirement in current regulations and clarify that it is the care providers at the facility that determine the services needed by a particular veteran. VA intends that the proposed amendments would help ensure that veterans are provided appropriate care at facilities that receive VA referrals.

NMFS announces that the 2008 summer flounder commercial quota allocated to the State of New Jersey has been harvested. Vessels issued a commercial Federal fisheries permit for the summer flounder fishery may not land summer flounder in New Jersey for the remainder of calendar year 2008, unless additional quota becomes available through a transfer from another state. Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery require publication of this notification to advise New Jersey that the quota has been harvested and to advise vessel permit holders and dealer permit holders that no commercial quota is available for landing summer flounder in New Jersey.

This document proposes to revise an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for Bell Helicopter Textron Canada (BHTC) Model 206L, 206L-1, and 206L-3 helicopters with certain part-numbered tailbooms. That AD currently requires a visual inspection of the tailboom skin in the areas around the nutplates and in the areas of the tailboom drive shaft cover retention clips for cracks and corrosion using a 10-power or higher magnifying glass until the tailboom is replaced with an airworthy tailboom. This action would require the same actions as the existing AD but would allow a longer interval for the repetitive inspections if the tailboom is modified. Replacement with an airworthy tailboom other than a part-numbered tailboom affected by this proposal would constitute terminating action for the requirements of this AD. The existing AD was prompted by an accident and several reports of fatigue cracks in the tailboom skin in the areas around the nutplates for the tail rotor fairing and in the areas of the tail rotor drive shaft cover retention clips. These proposed actions are intended to prevent failure of the tailboom and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

The Commission is adding Express Mail & Priority Mail to the Competitive Product List. This action is consistent with changes in a recent law governing postal operations and a recent Postal Service request. Republication of the lists of market dominant and competitive products is also consistent with new requirements in the law.

Pursuant to section 215(d)(2) of the Federal Power Act (FPA), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposes to approve a regional Reliability Standard, BAL-004-WECC-01 (Automatic Time Error Correction), submitted to the Commission by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). As a separate action, pursuant to section 215(d)(5) of the FPA, the Commission proposes to direct WECC to develop several modifications to the regional Reliability Standard. The proposed regional Reliability Standard would require balancing authorities within the Western Interconnection to maintain interconnection frequency within a predefined frequency profile and ensure that time error corrections are effectively conducted in a manner that does not adversely affect the reliability of the Interconnection.

This action establishes Class D airspace and Class E airspace at Grayling Army Airfield, Grayling, MI. Establishment of an air traffic control tower at Grayling Army Airfield has made this action necessary for the safety of Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations at the airport. Class D airspace will revert to a Class E Surface Area during periods when the control tower is not operating. This action also corrects the required arrival extension to the Class D airspace and redesignates it as Class E4 airspace.

NCUA is submitting the following information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35. The information collection is published to obtain comments from the public.

This action proposes to amend Class E airspace for the Corpus Christi, TX, area. Controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) at Mustang Beach Airport, Port Aransas, TX; and T.P. McCampbell Airport, Ingleside, TX. Also, Class E airspace around Aransas County Airport, Rockport, TX, and San Jose Island Airport, Rockport, TX, would be incorporated into the Corpus Christi, TX, area Class E airspace. The Rockport, TX, designation is being removed under a separate rulemaking. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) aircraft operations in and around the Corpus Christi, TX, airspace area.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for CFM International S.A. CFM56-2, CFM56-3, CFM56-5A, CFM56-5B, CFM56- 5C, and CFM56-7B series turbofan engines with certain part number (P/N) and serial number (SN) high-pressure compressor (HPC) 4-9 spools installed. This proposed AD would require removing certain HPC 4-9 spools listed by P/N and SN in this proposed AD. This proposed AD results from reports of certain HPC 4-9 spools that Propulsion Technology LLC (PTLLC) improperly repaired and returned to service. We are proposing this AD to prevent cracking of the HPC 4-9 spool, which could result in possible uncontained failure of the spool and damage to the airplane.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') is adopting an interim final temporary rule under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (``Investment Company Act'' or ``Act'') to provide relief from certain provisions of the Act for those money market funds that have elected to participate in a temporary guaranty program (``Guaranty Program'' or ``Program'') established by the U.S. Department of Treasury (``Treasury Department''). The Guaranty Program includes a procedure for the orderly liquidation of money market fund assets in certain circumstances, and the interim final temporary rule will permit money market funds that commence liquidation under the Guaranty Program to temporarily suspend redemptions of their outstanding shares and postpone the payment of redemption proceeds.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council are issuing corrections to FAC 2005-29, FAR Case 2007-013, which was published in the Federal Register at 73 FR 67703 and 67704, November 14, 2008.

In this final rule, FRA is establishing procedures to enable railroad carriers to challenge rail routing decisions made by FRA's Associate Administrator for Safety (Associate Administrator) that carry out the requirements adopted in a separate rulemaking of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). In PHMSA's final rule published today, railroad carriers are required to take the following actions to enhance the safety and security of certain shipments of explosive, toxic by inhalation (TIH), and radioactive materials: Compile annual data on shipments of these materials; use the data to analyze safety and security risks along rail routes where those materials are transported; assess alternative routing options, including interchanging the traffic with other railroad carriers; seek information from State, local and tribal officials regarding security risks to high-consequence targets along or in proximity to the routes; consider mitigation measures to reduce safety and security risks, and select the practicable routes that pose the least overall safety and security risk. Under PHMSA's final rule, FRA's Associate Administrator may require a railroad carrier to use an alternative route to the route selected by the railroad carrier if the Associate Administrator determines that the carrier's route selection documentation and underlying analysis are deficient and fail to establish that the route chosen by the carrier poses the least overall safety and security risk based on the information available.

We, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), issue a final rule designating critical habitat for elkhorn (Acropora palmata) and staghorn (A. cervicornis) corals, which we listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), on May 9, 2006. Four specific areas are designated: the Florida area, which comprises approximately 1,329 square miles (3,442 sq km) of marine habitat; the Puerto Rico area, which comprises approximately 1,383 square miles (3,582 sq km) of marine habitat; the St. John/St. Thomas area, which comprises approximately 121 square miles (313 sq km) of marine habitat; and the St. Croix area, which comprises approximately 126 square miles (326 sq km) of marine habitat. We are excluding one military site, comprising approximately 5.5 square miles (14.3 sq km), because of national security impacts.

At this time, the Department of Homeland Security is issuing a final rule pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974 for the Department of Homeland Security General Training Records system of records.

NMFS proposes a regulatory amendment to revise the maximum retainable amounts (MRAs) of groundfish using arrowtooth flounder as a basis species in the Gulf of Alaska. This action would increase the MRAs from 0 percent to 20 percent for deep-water flatfish, rex sole, flathead sole, shallow-water flatfish, Atka mackerel, and skates; from 0 percent to 5 percent for aggregated rockfish; and from 0 percent to 1 percent for sablefish. The intended effect of this action is to reduce regulatory discards of otherwise marketable groundfish in the arrowtooth flounder fishery. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska, and other applicable law.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is extending the comment period on the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) published on October 30, 2008. TSA has received and decided to grant the request for an extension of the comment period for an additional sixty (60) days. The comment period will now end on February 27, 2009, instead of December 29, 2008.