2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is amending its regulations to administer the Electric Program. This action implements the provision in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 hereinafter called the ``2008 Farm Bill,'' amending the definition of ``rural area.'' The 2008 Farm Bill revises the definition of rural to include any area other than a city, town, or unincorporated area that has a population of greater than 20,000 inhabitants. The 2008 Farm Bill also includes in the revised rural definition those service areas of borrowers having an outstanding loan under Titles I through V of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936. The intended effect is to update agency regulations to reflect current statutory authority. No adverse comments are expected.

This final rule amends the marketing agreement and order for pistachios (order). The amendments were proposed by the Administrative Committee for Pistachios (Committee), which is responsible for local administration of the order. The amendments will: Expand the production area covered under the order to include Arizona and New Mexico in addition to California; authorize the Committee to reimburse handlers for a portion of their inspection and certification costs in certain situations; authorize the Committee to recommend research projects; modify existing order authorities concerning aflatoxin and quality regulations; modify the authority for interhandler transfers of order obligations; redesignate several sections of the order; remove previously suspended order provisions, and make other related changes. The amendments are intended to improve the operation and functioning of the marketing order program.

The Commission hereby gives notice that it has instituted reviews pursuant to section 751(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1675(c)) (the Act) to determine whether revocation of the countervailing duty order on carbazole violet pigment 23 from India and the antidumping duty orders on carbazole violet pigment 23 from China and India would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury. Pursuant to section 751(c)(2) of the Act, interested parties are requested to respond to this notice by submitting the information specified below to the Commission; \1\ to be assured of consideration, the deadline for responses is December 2, 2009. Comments on the adequacy of responses may be filed with the Commission by January 15, 2010. For further information concerning the conduct of these reviews and rules of general application, consult the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, part 201, subparts A through E (19 CFR part 201), and part 207, subparts A, D, E, and F (19 CFR part 207), as most recently amended at 74 FR 2847 (January 16, 2009).

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 Form 8816, Special Loss Discount Account and Special Estimated Tax Payments for Insurance Companies.

This document proposes to temporarily delay the effective date of the November 25, 2008 final rule entitled, ``Medicaid Program; Premiums and Cost Sharing'' and the December 3, 2008 final rule entitled, ``Medicaid Program; State Flexibility for Medicaid Benefit Packages.'' Upon the review and consideration of the new provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, and the public comments received during the reopened comment period, we believe that it is necessary to revise a substantial portion of the November 25, 2008 and the December 3, 2008 final rules. To allow time to make these revisions, the Department has determined that it needs several more months to revise the rule. Accordingly, we are asking for public comment on this proposal for delaying the effective date of the final rules until July 1, 2010.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) publishes notice at least once monthly of certain Federal agency requests for records disposition authority (records schedules). Once approved by NARA, records schedules provide mandatory instructions on what happens to records when no longer needed for current Government business. They authorize the preservation of records of continuing value in the National Archives of the United States and the destruction, after a specified period, of records lacking administrative, legal, research, or other value. Notice is published for records schedules in which agencies propose to destroy records not previously authorized for disposal or reduce the retention period of records already authorized for disposal. NARA invites public comments on such records schedules, as required by 44 U.S.C. 3303a(a).

The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), on behalf of the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee of the Committee on Technology, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), will hold a workshop on November 17-18, 2009, to provide an open forum to discuss the state-of-the-art of the science related to environmental, health, and safety aspects of nanomaterials in two areas: human health and instrumentation and metrology. Nanomaterials and Human Health & Instrumentation, Metrology, and Analytical Needs are two of the five environmental, health, and safety research categories identified in the NSET Subcommittee document Strategy for Nanotechnology-Related Environmental, Health, and Safety Research (https://www.nano.gov/NNI_EHS_Research_Strategy.pdf), which was released February 14, 2008.

The Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management invites comments on the submission for OMB review as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) is publishing the list of FCA Board policy statements, which includes three changes since its last publication and one policy statement in its entirety.

On July 1, 2009, the Department of Commerce (the Department) initiated sunset reviews of the antidumping duty orders on stainless steel wire rod (SSWR) from Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea (Korea), Spain, and Taiwan, pursuant to section 751(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). The Department has conducted expedited (120-day) sunset reviews for these orders pursuant to 19 CFR 351.218(e)(1)(ii)(C)(2). As a result of these sunset reviews, the Department finds that revocation of the antidumping duty orders would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping.

This notice announces a quarterly meeting of the Practicing Physicians Advisory Council (the Council). The Council will meet to discuss certain proposed changes in regulations and manual instructions related to physicians' services, as identified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This meeting is open to the public.

EPA expressed environmental concerns about impacts to wetlands and natural areas, and requested additional information on hazardous waste, noise and vibration. Rating EC2.

This is a notice of an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) declaration for the State of California, dated 10/21/2009.

The Coast Guard proposes to update the rates for pilotage on the Great Lakes by 5.07% to generate sufficient revenue to cover allowable expenses, target pilot compensation, and return on investment. The proposed update reflects an August 1, 2010 increase in benchmark contractual wages and benefits and an adjustment for inflation. This rulemaking promotes the Coast Guard strategic goal of maritime safety.

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a separately-organized agency within the Department of Energy (DOE), announces the availability of the Draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for the Y-12 National Security Complex (Draft Y-12 SWEIS, DOE/EIS-0387). The Draft Y-12 SWEIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts of reasonable alternatives for ongoing and foreseeable future operations, facilities, and activities at Y-12. Five alternatives are analyzed: No Action Alternative (maintain the status quo); Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) Alternative; Upgrade-in-Place Alternative; Capability-sized UPF Alternative; and No Net Production/ Capability-sized UPF Alternative. DOE NNSA has prepared the Draft Y-12 SWEIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations that implement the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and DOE regulations implementing NEPA (10 CFR Part 1021). The CEQ regulations allow an agency to identify its preferred alternative or alternatives, if one or more exist, in a draft EIS (40 CFR 1502.14[e]). For the Draft Y-12 SWEIS, the Capability-sized UPF Alternative is the preferred alternative.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has officially filed the plats of survey of the lands described below in the BLM Idaho State Office, Boise, Idaho, effective 9 a.m., on the dates specified.

In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, the information collection, FCC Form 323, associated with 47 CFR Sections 73.6026 and 74.797. Therefore, these rules and FCC Form 323 will take effect on October 30, 2009. The Commission published summary documents of Report and Order, In the Matter of Promoting Diversification of Ownership in the Broadcasting Services in MB Docket Nos. 07-294, 06-121, 02-277, 04-228; MM Docket Nos. 01-235, 01-317, 00- 244; FCC 09-33 on May 27, 2009. The published summary document of the Report and Order stated that the information collection requirements required approval by OMB and that the FCC will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing the effective date. The Commission subsequently received OMB approval. This notification is consistent with that statement in the summary document, published May 27, 2009. 47 CFR 73.3615 was also included in the Report and Order. However, the Commission issued a Memorandum Opinion and Order which revised that rule section. A notice announcing the effective date of that rule section is published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.

In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, the information collection, FCC Form 323, associated with 47 CFR 73.3615. Therefore, this rule and FCC Form 323 will take effect on October 30, 2009. A summary document of the Memorandum Opinion and Order, In the Matter of Promoting Diversification of Ownership in the Broadcasting Services in MB Docket Nos. 07-294, 06-121, 02-277, 04-228; MM Docket Nos. 01-235, 01-317, 00-244; FCC 09-92 is published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. The summary document of the Memorandum Opinion and Order states that the information collection requirements have been approved by OMB and that the Commission will publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing the effective date. This notification is consistent with the statement in that document, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.

We are considering ways to quickly identify diseases and other serious medical conditions that obviously meet the definition of disability under the Social Security Act (Act) and can be identified with minimal objective medical information. We are calling this method ``Compassionate Allowances.'' In December 2007, April 2008, November 2008, and July 2009, we held Compassionate Allowance public hearings. These hearings concerned rare diseases, cancers, traumatic brain injury and stroke, early-onset alzheimer's and related dementias, respectively. This hearing is the fifth in the series. The purpose of this hearing is to obtain your views about the advisability and possible methods of identifying and implementing compassionate