July 22, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This interim rule implements section 222 in Division I of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009, Public Law 111-8 (2009 Appropriations Act). Section 222 authorizes HUD, to the extent of Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 loan guarantee authority, to provide community development loan guarantees, under section 108 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (HCD Act), to states borrowing on behalf of local governments in nonentitlement areas (governments that do not receive annual Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) from HUD). Section 108 authorizes HUD to guarantee notes issued by such nonentitlement local governments or their designated public agencies supported by the respective state's pledge of its CDBG funds. Prior to the enactment of section 222, HUD lacked authority to guarantee notes issued by states on their behalf. State officials interested in applying for a loan guarantee commitment pursuant to this new authority should take note that HUD's authority to issue such commitments will expire on September 30, 2010 (and could be fully utilized by other borrowers before that date), unless the provision continues to be included in future appropriations acts. The interim rule, however, contains language that will make the provisions implementing this new authority continue to apply, in the event that provisions equivalent to section 222 are included in future appropriations acts. Because the provisions of section 222 expand, rather than replace, existing Section 108 authority, HUD will also continue to accept nonentitlement local government issuers' state-supported applications for loan guarantee commitments.

This interim final rule implements provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that pertain to the Surety Bond Guaranty (SBG) Program. Until September 30, 2010, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is authorized to guarantee bonds on Contracts of up to $5,000,000 (or up to $10 million based upon the certification of a Federal contracting officer). SBA is further authorized, until September 30, 2010, to partially deny liability under its bond guarantee, but cannot deny liability in whole or even in part on the basis of material facts disclosed to SBA in a guarantee application submitted under the Prior Approval Program. In addition to implementing these authorities, this rule also revises the size standard for participation in the SBG Program, and makes several changes primarily for clarification purposes.

The inventions listed below are owned by an agency of the U.S. Government and are available for licensing in the U.S. in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally funded research and development. Foreign patent applications are filed on selected inventions to extend market coverage for companies and may also be available for licensing.

In accordance with section 6(f)(1) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended, EPA is issuing a notice of receipt of request by registrants to voluntarily cancel certain pesticide registrations.

The subject five-year review was initiated in May 2009 to determine whether revocation of the antidumping duty order on certain color television receivers from China would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury. On July 1, 2009, the Department of Commerce published notice that it was revoking the order effective June 3, 2009, ``{b{time} ecause the domestic interested parties did not participate in this sunset review * * *'' (74 FR 31409). Accordingly, pursuant to section 751(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1675(c)), the subject review is terminated.

PHMSA is proposing to incorporate by reference (IBR) into the pipeline safety regulations all or parts of new editions of voluntary consensus standards to allow pipeline operators to use current technology, new materials, and other industry and management practices. In this document, PHMSA also proposes to make nonsubstantive edits and clarify regulatory language in certain provisions. These proposed amendments to the pipeline safety regulations would not require pipeline operators to undertake any significant new pipeline safety initiatives.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Research Steering Committee (Committee), in August, 2009, to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (5 U.S.C., Appendix as amended), the Sunshine in the Government Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended), and 41 CFR 102-3.150, and in accordance with section 10(a)(2) of Public Law, the following meeting of the Defense Health Board (DHB) is announced:

As authorized the Immigration and Nationality Act this rule amends the definition of ``immediate family'' for the Foreign Government Official nonimmigrant visa category.

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: ``Study of Factors Influencing Consumer Choices Among Health Plans and Clinicians.'' 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 proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on September 3rd, 2008 and allowed 60 days for public comment. No comments were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. This notice differs from the 60 day notice in the following ways: (1) The number of responses has been decreased from 6,000 to 4,950, (2) the burden hours are decreased from 838 to 709, and (3) the descriptions of each experimental arm in the sections: Clinician Choice Experimental Design and Health Plan Choice Experimental Design were removed.

The Board is amending Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act, and the staff commentary to the regulation in order to implement provisions of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 that are effective on August 20, 2009. These amendments are being issued in the form of an interim final rule and primarily pertain to advance notices of rate increases and changes in terms and the time consumers are given to make their payments.

EPA issued a testing consent order that incorporated an enforceable consent agreement (ECA) for 1,2-Ethylene Dichloride (EDC) in June 2003, using authorities under section 4 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The companies subject to the ECA agreed to conduct toxicity testing in a tiered testing program that included development of pharmacokinetics and mechanistic data and a computational dosimetry model for route-to-route extrapolations. The testing program was designed to satisfy the toxicological data needs for EDC identified in a TSCA section 4 proposed test rule for a number of hazardous air pollutant chemicals. The modeling is intended to allow toxicological studies conducted using oral exposures to be interpreted so that they could also be used to predict the effects of inhalation exposures. This notice announces the completion of the program review component of the ECA for EDC. This notice also states EPA's findings and conclusion regarding the adequacy of the derived models to perform satisfactory route-to-route extrapolations, responds to comments on the Tier I Program Review Testing, and establishes revised deadlines for completion of Tier II testing and computational route-to-route dosimetry modeling for extrapolations listed under Tier II of the ECA for EDC.

The Postal Service is revising its standards for postage refunds for Express Mail[supreg] shipments of live animals in an effort to maintain the economic viability of shipping animals via Express Mail service.

In December 2008 we completed an Environmental Assessment on take of peregrine falcons for use in falconry. This notice is to inform the public of the allocation of take of nestling and migrant peregrine falcons in 2009 agreed on by the States. It also will inform interested individuals about which States will allow take of nestling or migrant peregrine falcons.

We are approving, on an interim basis, an amendment to the West Virginia regulatory program (the West Virginia program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). West Virginia revised its Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Act to effect changes concerning its alternative bonding system. The tax provisions of the amendment are intended to increase and extend the special reclamation tax, subject to biennial review by the legislature, and remove the additional tax. We are approving the increase and extension of the special reclamation tax, at the rate of fourteen and four-tenths cents per ton of clean coal mined, for deposit in the Special Reclamation Fund and the Special Reclamation Water Trust Fund, on an interim basis, with our approval becoming effective upon publication of this interim rule.