October 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning an existing final regulation, CO-93-90 (TD 8364), Corporations; Consolidated Returns-Special Rules Relating To Dispositions and Deconsolidations of Subsidiary Stock (Sec. Sec. 1.337(d)-2 and 1.1502- 20).

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning an existing final regulation, FI-59-91 (TD 8674), Debt Instructions With Original Issue Discount; Contingent Payment; Anti-Abuse Rule (Sec. Sec. 1.1275-2, 1.1275-3, 1.1275-4, and 1.275-6).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has submitted the information collection abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget for review and clearance in accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The submission describes the nature of the information collection, the categories of respondents, the estimated burden (i.e., the time, effort and resources used by respondents to respond) and cost, and the actual data collection instruments FEMA will use.

This annual notice announces Medicare's Hospital Insurance (Part A) premium for uninsured enrollees in calendar year (CY) 2010. This premium is paid by enrollees age 65 and over who are not otherwise eligible for benefits under Medicare Part A (hereafter known as the ``uninsured aged'') and by certain disabled individuals who have exhausted other entitlement. The monthly Part A premium for the 12 months beginning January 1, 2010 for these individuals will be $461. The reduced premium for certain other individuals as described in this notice will be $254.

The Postal Service is revising and adding new standards which codify that replica and inert explosive devices, and counterfeit and pirated items are nonmailable in outbound international mail.

We are amending the citrus canker regulations to modify the conditions under which fruit may be moved interstate from a quarantined area. We are eliminating the requirement that each lot of finished fruit be inspected at the packinghouse and found to be free of visible symptoms of citrus canker and removing the current prohibition on the movement of fruit from a quarantined area to commercial citrus- producing States. We are continuing to require fruit moved interstate from a quarantined area to be treated with an approved disinfectant and to be packed in a commercial packinghouse that operates under a compliance agreement. These changes will relieve some restrictions on the interstate movement of fresh citrus fruit from quarantined areas while maintaining conditions that will prevent the artificial spread of citrus canker.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is amending its test procedures for fluorescent lamp ballasts under the Energy Policy and

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is developing its third strategic plan and invites the public to provide comments on three background papers which will support the development of this plan. The papers will cover three topics: Mission, priority setting, and communications and decisionmaking. They will be publicly available through the NCCAM Web site at from on or about October 19 through November 19, 2009. The public is invited to provide comments through the NCCAM Web site.

The North Central Idaho RAC will meet in Grangeville, Idaho. The committee is meeting as authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act (Pub. L. 110-343) and in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss potential projects for the new fiscal year.

This is Supplement No. 3 to the Treasury Department Circular 570, 2009 Revision, published July 1, 2009, at 74 FR 31536.

In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations (49 CFR part 107, subpart B), notice is hereby given that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety has received the applications described herein. This notice is abbreviated to expedite docketing and public notice. Because the sections affected, modes of transportation, and the nature of application have been shown in earlier Federal Register publications, they are not repeated here. Requests for modification of special permits (e.g. to provide for additional hazardous materials, packaging design changes, additional mode of transportation, etc.) are described in footnotes to the application number. Application numbers with the suffix ``M'' denote a modification request. These applications have been separated from the new application for special permits to facilitate processing.

In this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) proposes to revise its regulations, which currently provide the FERC Form No. 556 (Form 556) that is used in the certification of qualifying status for an existing or proposed small power production or cogeneration facility. The Commission proposes to revise its regulations to remove the contents of the Form No. 556 from the regulations, and, in their place, to provide that an applicant seeking to certify qualifying facility (QF) status of a small power production or cogeneration facility must complete, and electronically file, the Form No. 556 that is in effect at the time of filing. We propose to revise and reformat the Form No. 556 to clarify the content of the form and to take advantage of newer technologies that will reduce both the filing burden for applicants and the processing burden for the Commission. We also propose to exempt generating facilities with net power production capacities of 1 MW or less from the QF certification requirement, and to codify the Commission's authority to waive the QF certification requirement for good cause. Finally, we propose to clarify, simplify or correct certain sections of the regulations.

The Commission is revising its regulations governing the interest rates used in calculating refunds. Because the Federal Reserve no longer publishes Statistical Release G. 13, which was previously referenced in the Commission's regulations, and Statistical Release G. 13 has been superseded by Statistical Release H. 15, this Final Rule revises the Commission's regulations to now reference the Federal Reserve's Statistical Release H. 15.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``CFTC'' or ``Commission'') is undertaking a review to determine whether the NWP \1\ Rockies Financial Basis (``NWR'') contract, offered for trading on the IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. (``ICE''), an exempt commercial market (``ECM'') under Sections 2(h)(3)-(5) of the Commodity Exchange Act (``CEA'' or the ``Act''), performs a significant price discovery function. Authority for this action is found in section 2(h)(7) of the CEA and Commission rule 36.3(c) promulgated thereunder. In connection with this evaluation, the Commission invites comment from interested parties.

We are proposing revisions to the Medicare Advantage (MA) program (Part C) and prescription drug benefit program (Part D) based on our continued experience in the administration of the Part C and D programs. The proposed revisions clarify various program participation requirements; specify changes to strengthen beneficiary protections; ensure that plan offerings to beneficiaries include meaningful differences; improve plan payment rules and processes; and implement new policy such as a Part D formulary policy.

This rule establishes, amends, suspends, or revokes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and associated Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures for operations at certain airports. These regulatory actions are needed because of the adoption of new or revised criteria, or because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System, such as the commissioning of new navigational facilities, adding new obstacles, or changing air traffic requirements. These changes are designed to provide safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace and to promote safe flight operations under instrument flight rules at the affected airports.