April 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is updating income levels used to identify a ``low income family'' for the purpose of determining eligibility for programs that provide health professions and nursing training for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. These various programs are included in Titles III, VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Act.

The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act requires the Postal Service to prescribe regulations for the safe transportation of hazardous materials in the mail, and to prescribe regulations for the conduct of proceedings to determine the implementation of civil penalties, clean- up costs and damages for violations of these hazardous materials regulations. Accordingly, the Postal Service is adopting new rules of practice for its Office of the Judicial Officer.

EPA is proposing to approve a July 28, 2008, request from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) that EPA find that the Milwaukee-Racine, Wisconsin (WI) nonattainment area has attained the revoked 1-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS).

EPA is proposing to approve site-specific revisions to the Minnesota sulfur dioxide (SO2) State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the Federal Cartridge Company and Hoffman Enclosures, located in the city of Anoka, Anoka County, Minnesota. On March 3, 2008, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) requested that EPA approve certain portions of joint Title I/Title V documents into the Minnesota SO2 SIP for Federal Cartridge Company and Hoffman Enclosures. The State is also requesting in this submittal that EPA rescind the Administrative Order issued to Federal Hoffman, Inc. which is currently included in Minnesota's SIP for SO2. The emissions units previously owned by Federal Hoffman, Inc., are now owned by Federal Cartridge Company and Hoffman Enclosures. Because the sulfur dioxide emission limits are being reduced, the air quality of Anoka County will be protected.

The Office of English Language Programs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA/A/L) announces an open competition for the E-Teacher Scholarship Program and Professional Development Workshop. Accredited U.S. post-secondary educational institutions or consortia of such institutions meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) may submit proposals to implement the following two components: (1) Seven different ten- to twelve-week Online, university level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) professional development courses for a total of approximately five hundred EFL teachers from throughout the world, and (2) a three-week professional development workshop for approximately twenty-six EFL professionals from diverse geographic regions of the world. For the Online courses, participants will receive university level instruction in the most recent English language teaching methods and techniques as well as an introduction to U.S. educational values and will interact with U.S. experts via innovative distance learning. The professional development workshop will provide the participants a basis for their continuing contact with U.S. counterparts in order to promote mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and other countries.

The Teacher Exchange Branch in the Office of Global Educational Programs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), U.S. Department of State, announces an open competition for a Cooperative Agreement in the amount of approximately $300,000 to support the FY 2009 U.S.-Russia Language, Technology, Math, and Science Program. This program will provide a four-week professional development program in the U.S. for secondary school teachers from Russia, followed by a two-week program in Russia for U.S. teachers and the Russian educators, and a workshop in Russia led by the Russian teachers for Russian colleagues. U.S. organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 501(c)(3) are eligible to apply.

Today the Administrator is proposing to find that greenhouse gases in the atmosphere endanger the public health and welfare of current and future generations. Concentrations of greenhouse gases are at unprecedented levels compared to the recent and distant past. These high atmospheric levels are the unambiguous result of human emissions, and are very likely the cause of the observed increase in average temperatures and other climatic changes. The effects of climate change observed to date and projected to occur in the futureincluding but not limited to the increased likelihood of more frequent and intense heat waves, more wildfires, degraded air quality, more heavy downpours and flooding, increased drought, greater sea level rise, more intense storms, harm to water resources, harm to agriculture, and harm to wildlife and ecosystemsare effects on public health and welfare within the meaning of the Clean Air Act. In light of the likelihood that greenhouse gases cause these effects, and the magnitude of the effects that are occurring and are very likely to occur in the future, the Administrator proposes to find that atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare within the meaning of Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act. She proposes to make this finding specifically with respect to six greenhouse gases that together constitute the root of the climate change problem: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride.

The Hood/Willamette Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet on Thursday, May 28, 2009. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. and will conclude at approximately 12:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Salem Office of the Bureau of Land Management Office; 1717 Fabry Road SE; Salem, Oregon; (503) 375-5646. The tentative agenda includes: (1) Recommendations on 2009 and 2010 Projects; and (2) Public Forum.

Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality Final Regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500 through 1508), and the United States Section, International Boundary and Water Commission's (USIBWC) Operational Procedures for Implementing Section 102 of NEPA, published in the Federal Register September 2, 1981 (46 FR 44083); the USIBWC hereby gives notice of availability of the Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft FONSI for Flood Control Improvements to the Arroyo Colorado Floodway, which is part of the interior floodways in the Lower Rio Grande Flood Control Project.

The Department of State published a final rule in the Federal Register on May 21, 2004 (69 FR 29222), revising Category XII(c) of the United States Munitions List. A technical error in that rule resulted in the unintended removal of language in a note after Category XII paragraph (c). This document corrects the final regulations by restoring the language in the note.

This notice announces changes made by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) and the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) to section 1882 of the Social Security Act (the Act), which governs Medicare supplemental insurance. This notice also recognizes that the Model Regulation adopted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) on September 24, 2008, is considered to be the applicable NAIC Model Regulation for purposes of section 1882 of the Act, subject to our clarifications that are set forth in this notice.

This notice announces the intention of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve the proposed information collection project: ``Building an Implementation Toolset for E-Prescribing.'' In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), AHRQ invites the public to comment on this proposed information collection.

This correcting amendment corrects a technical error in the regulations text in the final rule published in the Federal Register on December 19, 2008 (73 FR 77904) entitled, ``Disproportionate Share Hospital Payments.'' In that final rule, we set forth data elements necessary to comply with the requirements of section 1923(j) of the Social Security Act (the Act) related to auditing and reporting of disproportionate share hospital payments under State Medicaid programs. The effective date was January 19, 2009.

This Notice identifies unutilized, underutilized, excess, and surplus Federal property reviewed by HUD for suitability for possible use to assist the homeless.