December 11, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA/PE/C) announces an open competition for grants to conduct a Professional Fellows Program in Africa, East Asia, Europe, the Near East, North Africa, South Central Asia and the Western Hemisphere.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew the exemptions from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for 10 individuals. FMCSA has statutory authority to exempt individuals from the vision requirement if the exemptions granted will not compromise safety. The Agency has concluded that granting these exemption renewals will provide a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety maintained without the exemptions for these commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.

Public housing a agencies (PHAs) are authorized, by statute, to mortgage their public housing real estate assets to secure financing to undertake development and rehabilitation of low-income housing with HUD approval. HUD has currently allowed PHAs to exercise this authority on a case-by-case basis. To streamline this process, HUD has posted on its Web site a proposed notice that proposes the terms and conditions by which PHAs may undertake such financing with HUD approval. HUD invites PHAs and interested members of the public to review this proposed notice and submit comments in accordance with the procedures provided in this Federal Register notice. HUD is seeking public comments on this proposed notice as it proceeds to formalize final guidance for the exercise of this financing authority.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of our final comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the environmental assessment for Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). In the final CCP, we describe how we will manage this refuge for the next 15 years.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), 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 this continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

PHMSA is confirming the effective date of its direct final rule, published under Docket No. PHMSA-2009-0238 (HM-224G) on October 15, 2009, to amend the Hazardous Materials Regulations by revising the quantity limitation from 25 kg ``gross'' to 25 kg ``net'' for packages of chemical oxygen generators transported aboard cargo aircraft only. The direct final rule stated that it would become effective on November 16, 2009 unless an adverse comment or notice of intent to file an adverse comment was received by November 16, 2009. PHMSA did not receive any adverse comments or notice of intent to file an adverse comment to its October 15, 2009 direct final rule.

Following receipt of a request on October 6, 2009, from the United States Trade Representative (USTR) under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1332(g)), the Commission instituted investigation No. 332-510, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Characteristics and Performance, to prepare the third in a series of three reports requested by the USTR relating to small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is extending to January 29, 2009, the comment period for the proposed rule that appeared in the Federal Register of October 1, 2009. In the proposed rule, FDA requested comments on postmarketing safety reporting requirements for combination products. The agency is taking this action in response to requests for an extension to allow interested persons additional time to submit comments.

Patent applications on the inventions listed below assigned to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, have been filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and are available for licensing.

The Coast Guard proposes a safety zone upon the navigable waters of San Diego Bay in San Diego, CA in support of the San Diego Parade of Lights Fireworks. This safety zone is necessary to provide for the safety of the participants, crew, spectators, participating vessels, and other users of the waterway. Persons and vessels are prohibited from entering into, transiting through, or anchoring within this safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port or his designated representative.

This supplemental NPRM revises an earlier proposed airworthiness directive (AD), for Honeywell International Inc. TFE731 series turbofan engines with certain second stage low-pressure compressor rotor (LPCR) discs and/or certain third stage LPCR discs installed. That proposed AD would have required removing from service certain second stage LPCR discs and/or certain third stage LPCR discs. That proposed AD resulted from a report of cracks found during a fluorescent penetrant inspection (FPI) of the disc bore. This supplemental NPRM revises the proposed AD to correct a P/N error, to clarify the applicability, and to clarify the instructions in the compliance section. This supplemental proposed AD results from a report of cracks found during an FPI of the disc bore. We are proposing this supplemental proposed AD to prevent an uncontained failure of a second stage LPCR disc and or a third stage LPCR disc due to cracks in the bore, which could result in damage to the airplane.