December 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces EPA's approval, under regulations for Cross-Media Electronic Reporting, of the State of Illinois' request to revise its EPA-authorized program to allow electronic reporting; and also provides notice of an opportunity to request a public hearing on this action.

The International Trade Administration is seeking comments on priorities for the Transatlantic Innovation Dialogue from any interested party, including industry, consumer, labor and environmental groups, trade associations, professional organizations/societies, academia, and Federal, state, and local governments. Comments will be used to identify and select projects for cooperation on innovation policy between the United States government and the European Commission.

Pursuant to section 641 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, (19 U.S.C. 1641) and the Customs Regulations (19 CFR 111.51), the following Customs broker licenses and all associated permits are cancelled without prejudice.

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.

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.

The Estuarine Reserves Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce has approved the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve Management Plan Revision.

NMFS announces that the State of Maine is transferring a portion of its 2009 commercial summer flounder quota to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. By this action, NMFS adjusts the quotas and announces the revised commercial quota for each state involved.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``Commission'') is amending its regulations that prescribe minimum adjusted net capital requirements for futures commission merchants (``FCMs'') and introducing brokers (``IBs''). The amendments: increase the required minimum dollar amount of adjusted net capital that an IB must maintain from $30,000 to $45,000; increase the required minimum dollar amount of adjusted net capital that an FCM must maintain from $250,000 to $1,000,000; amend the computation of an FCM's margin-based minimum adjusted net capital requirement to incorporate into the calculation customer and noncustomer positions in over-the-counter derivative instruments that are submitted for clearing by the FCM to derivatives clearing organizations (``DCOs'') or other clearing organizations (``cleared OTC derivative positions''); specify capital deductions for FCM proprietary cleared OTC derivative positions based on the deductions required by the Commission's regulations for FCM proprietary positions in exchange-traded futures contracts and options contracts; and amend the FCM capital computation to increase the applicable percentage of the total margin-based requirement for futures, options and cleared OTC derivative positions in noncustomer accounts to eight percent.

The Klamath National Forest will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on a proposal to promote the development of late-successional habitat, retain existing large trees, and reduce the risk of large, high severity wildfires to move toward more ecologically resilient conditions on approximately 7,245 acres of the Johnny O'Neil LSR. This project is proposed under the authority of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003. The project is located in portions of the Johnny O'Neil LSR north of the Klamath River in the Lower Horse Creek, Middle/Horse Creek and Salt Gulch sub-watersheds of the McKiimey Horse watershed. These sub-watersheds include habitat for anadromous fish and streams are listed as 3 03(d) impaired under the Clean Water Act. The legal description of the proposed project area of the Mt. Diablo Base Meridian is: T41N, R11W, Sections 15, 22-27, and 34-36; T47N, R1OW, Sections 20 and 30; T46N, R11W, Sections 1-3 and 10-15; and T46N, R1OW, Sections 6 and 18.

In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Department of the Army proposes to extend a public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness proposes to extend a public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

The Commission is noticing a recently-filed Postal Service request to change prices for a Global Direct contract. This notice provides an opportunity for the public to comment.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing changes to the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program regulations to provide for the new election opportunities for certain civilian and Defense Department employees deployed in support of a contingency operation required by Public Law 110-417; to provide for the continuation of coverage opportunities for Federal employees called to active duty required by Public Law 110-181; and to update the regulations with other changes, clarifications, and corrections.

The Department of Labor (the Department), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the reporting burden on the public and helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. Currently, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is soliciting comments on the proposed extension of the information collection provisions of Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption (PTE) 80-83. A copy of the information collection request (ICR) may be

The Department of Labor (the Department), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of information. This program helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the reporting burden on the public and helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. Currently, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is soliciting comments on a proposed extension of the current approval of information collection provisions incorporated in the Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption (PTE) 75-1, pertaining to securities and other related transactions with broker-dealers, reporting dealers and banks. A copy of the information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office shown

The Department of Labor (the Department), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the reporting burden on the public and helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. Currently, the Employee Benefits Security Administration is soliciting comments on the proposed extension of the information collection provisions of Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption (PTE) 88-59. A copy of the information collection request (ICR) may be obtained by

This rule increases the amount of cash value vouchers from $8.00 to $10.00 issued to pregnant, postpartum and partially breastfeeding women participants for the purchase of fruits and vegetables as part of the WIC food packages. In the ``WIC Food Package'' interim rule published December 6, 2007, the Department was not able to provide all women participants fruit and vegetable cash value vouchers at the level recommended by the National Academies' Institute of Medicine (IOM). To be cost neutral, only fully breastfeeding women were provided the IOM recommended amount of $10.00 per month fruit and vegetable cash value vouchers; all other women participants were provided $8.00 per month fruit and vegetable cash value vouchers. This rule amends the interim rule to provide all Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) women participants with $10.00 per month fruit and vegetable cash value vouchers, consistent with IOM's recommendations. The Fiscal Year 2010 Agriculture Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 111-80), enacted on October 21, 2009, provides the funding for this increase.

The FAA is delaying the effective date of the final rule airworthiness directive (AD) 2009-24-11, which published in the Federal Register, for an additional 30 days, from January 4, 2010 to February 3, 2010. The FAA is delaying the effective date to allow us a sufficient amount of time to make corrections to the compliance text of the final rule.