March 6, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Rural Development is further delaying the effective date of the interim rule for Rural Development Guaranteed Loans, which was published on December 17, 2008, to June 1, 2009. The interim rule establishes a unified guaranteed loan platform for the enhanced delivery of four existing Rural Development guaranteed loan programs Community Facility; Water and Waste Disposal; Business and Industry; and Rural Energy for America Program, formerly known as Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvement Projects.

The Coast Guard is establishing a permanent security zone of 100 yards around the Coast Guard Base in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The security zone is needed for national security reasons to protect the public and the Coast Guard base from potential subversive acts. This rule would exclude entry into the security zone by all vessels and personnel without permission of the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port San Juan (COTP).

NMFS is implementing emergency measures to reduce the target total allowable catch (TAC) and associated days-at-sea (DAS) allocations in the Atlantic deep-sea red crab fishery, based on new scientific information. The red crab stock was assessed by the Data Poor Stocks Working Group in the fall of 2008, and a final report published in January 2009 indicates that the current estimate of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) for red crab is no longer reliable. The actions of this final rule are necessary to comply with the objectives of the Deep-Sea Red Crab Fishery Management Plan (FMP), as well as to ensure compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). This action is intended to prevent unsustainable fishing of the red crab resource.

NMFS closes the commercial fishery for king mackerel in the Florida east coast subzone. This closure is necessary to protect the Gulf king mackerel resource.

We (Food and Drug Administration (FDA)) are amending the final monograph (FM) for over-the-counter (OTC) skin protectant astringent drug products. This amendment clarifies that aluminum acetate solutions, produced by dissolving aluminum sulfate tetradecahydrate and calcium acetate monohydrate in powder or tablet form in water, are generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE) and not misbranded as astringent drug products. The amendment also describes how manufacturers should relabel these products to comply with the FM. We are issuing this amendment in response to a citizen petition (CP) that we received from a manufacturer of OTC astringent drug products. This final rule is part of our ongoing review of OTC drug products.

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to certain Fokker Model F.28 Mark 0100 airplanes. The existing AD currently requires revisions to the airplane flight manual (AFM) to include procedures to prohibit use of reverse engine thrust power settings between idle and emergency maximum and to prohibit stabilized engine operation in a certain engine speed range on the ground. This proposed AD would continue to require revising the AFM to include certain procedures. This proposed AD would also require removing the normal maximum (second) detent for the reverse-thrust control. In addition, this proposed AD would require revising the AFM to prohibit use of reverse thrust in flight and to limit operation of Max Reverse thrust. This proposed AD results from issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) 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 inadvertent operation in the prohibited stabilized engine speed range on the ground, which could result in uncontained engine fan blade failure due to high cycle fatigue cracking.