May 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission will hold a public hearing as part of its regular business meeting beginning at 8:30 a.m. on June 18, 2009, in Binghamton, N.Y. At the public hearing, the Commission will consider: (1) Action on certain water resources projects; (2) action on two projects involving diversions; (3) the rescission of one previous docket approval; (4) enforcement actions against three projects; and (5) two requests for an administrative hearing on projects previously approved by the Commission. Details

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) invites comments on this information collection for which approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be requested.

FRA is reopening the comment period for the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published on December 31, 2008 (73 FR 80349) which proposed revisions to FRA regulations governing the qualification and certification of locomotive engineers. Reopening the comment period is necessary to provide interested parties the opportunity to submit comments on the information and testimony offered at the public hearing related to the NPRM that was conducted on April 14, 2009. The comment period is reopened until June 15, 2009.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), proposed in an earlier document to establish annual hunting regulations for certain migratory game birds for the 2009-10 hunting season. This supplement to the proposed rule provides the regulatory schedule, announces the Service Migratory Bird Regulations Committee and Flyway Council meetings, and provides Flyway Council recommendations resulting from their March meetings.

On April 15, 2009 the California Air Resources Board (CARB) requested that EPA find that the Ventura County ozone nonattainment area has attained the revoked 1-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). After a review of this submission and of the relevant monitoring data, EPA is proposing to make such a finding.

FRA is amending its hours of service recordkeeping and reporting regulations to ensure the creation of records that support compliance with the hours of service laws as amended by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA of 2008). This regulation will also provide for electronic recordkeeping and reporting, and will require training of employees and supervisors of those employees, who are required to complete hours of service records, or are responsible for making determinations as to excess service and the reporting of excess service to FRA as required by the regulation. This regulation is required by Section 108(f) of the RSIA of 2008.

This action establishes Class D airspace and modifies Class E airspace at Flagler County Airport in Bunnell, FL. A new Federal Contract Air Traffic Control Tower is being built for Flagler County Airport. Class D Surface airspace is required to be established and after evaluation the existing Class E airspace will be modified to facilitate a more efficient operation. This rule increases the safety and management of the National Airspace System (NAS) around Flagler County Airport.

EPA is proposing a supplemental action to the proposed amendments to the new source performance standards for coal preparation and processing plants published on April 28, 2008. The 2008 proposal, among other things, proposed to revise the particulate matter and opacity standards for thermal dryers, pneumatic coal cleaning equipment, and coal handling equipment located at coal preparation and processing plants. This supplemental action proposes to revise the particulate matter emissions and opacity limits included in the original proposal for thermal dryers, pneumatic coal-cleaning equipment, and coal handling equipment. It also proposes to expand the applicability of the thermal dryer standards so that the proposed standards for thermal dryers would apply to both direct contact and indirect contact thermal dryers drying all coal ranks and pneumatic coal-cleaning equipment cleaning all coal ranks. In addition, it proposes to establish a sulfur dioxide emission limit and a combined nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emissions limit for thermal dryers. We are also proposing to amend the definition of coal for purposes of subpart Y to include petroleum coke and coal refuse. Finally, it proposes to establish work practice standards to control coal dust emissions from open storage piles and roadways associated with coal preparation and processing plants.

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed new collection, and allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on the information required from service members to participate in the pre-discharge claims program.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) publishes this notice to request public comments on proposed categorical exclusions of actions that the agency has determined do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and, thus, should be categorically excluded from the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement under the National Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. (NEPA).

On March 19, 2009, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) issued a Proposed Policy Statement and Action Plan that, among other things, proposed an interim rate policy to encourage the development of smart grid systems. On May 19, 2009, the Commission issued a Notice Requesting Supplemental Comments regarding rate recovery for certain smart grid investments. The Commission is extending the date for filing these supplemental comments.

The OTS Mutual Savings Associations Advisory Committee (MSAAC) will convene its first meeting on Tuesday, June 9, 2009, in Conference Room 6A of the Office of Thrift Supervision, 1700 G Street, NW., Washington, DC, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The meeting will be open to the public.