February 2, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This final rule amends the regulations implementing the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) program, published on July 29, 2009 in the Federal Register under the CARS Act. The rule change allows disposal facilities an additional 90 days, for a total of 270 days, to crush or shred a vehicle traded in under the CARS program. This additional time will allow the public to benefit from the availability of lower cost used vehicle parts from vehicles traded in under the CARS program and will provide disposal facilities with an opportunity to derive more revenue from those vehicles prior to crushing or shredding.

Pursuant to the authorities in the Federal Advisory Committees Act (Pub. L. 92-463) and under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 110-343) the Modoc National Forest's Modoc County Resource Advisory Committee will meet Monday, February 22, 2010 and March 8, 2010 in Alturas, California 96101, for a business meeting. The meetings are open to the public.

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to 25 CFR 514.1(a)(3), that the National Indian Gaming Commission has adopted preliminary annual fee rates of 0.00% for tier 1 and 0.060% (.00060) for tier 2 for calendar year 2010. These rates shall apply to all assessable gross revenues from each gaming operation under the jurisdiction of the Commission. If a tribe has a certificate of self-regulation under 25 CFR part 518, the preliminary fee rate on class II revenues for calendar year 2010 shall be one-half of the annual fee rate, which is 0.030% (.00030).

The Secretary announces the tests determined to be suitable for use in the NRS.

PHMSA is proposing to adjust the statutorily-mandated registration and fee assessment program for persons who transport, or offer for transportation, certain categories and quantities of hazardous materials. PHMSA's proposal would provide that, for registration years beginning in 2010-2011, the annual fee to be paid by those registrants not qualifying as a small business or not-for-profit organization would increase from $975 (plus a $25 administrative fee) to $2,975 (plus a $25 administrative fee). The proposed fee increase is necessary to fund the national Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) grants program at its authorized level of approximately $28,000,000.

After publication of this second round notice, OGE plans to submit an unmodified OGE Form 201 Ethics Act Access Form to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval of a three-year extension under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35).

This action is a proposal to extend the existing Boulder Canyon Project (BCP) rate-setting formula and approve the proposed base charge and rates for FY 2011. Publication of this Federal Register notice begins the formal process to extend the existing rate-setting formula and the proposed base charge and rates. The proposed base charge and rates will provide sufficient revenue to pay all annual costs, including interest expense, and repayment of required investment within the allowable period.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published a notice of opportunity for public comment on ``NUREG-1934 (EPRI 1019195), Nuclear Power Plant Fire Modeling Application Guide (NPP FIRE MAG), Draft Report for Comment'' in the Federal Register (74 FR 68873) on December 29, 2009. Issues encountered during the holiday season delayed publication of NUREG-1934. In addition, the final document has been revised to correct some editorial issues resulting from the conversion to a pdf file.

Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, the IRS is issuing temporary regulations under the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA). MHPAEA prohibits group health plans providing mental health or substance use disorder benefits along with medical/surgical benefits from imposing more restrictive financial requirements or treatment limitations with respect to the mental health or substance use disorder benefits than the predominant ones imposed with respect to substantially all medical/surgical benefits. The IRS is issuing the temporary regulations at the same time that the Employee Benefits Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are issuing substantially similar interim final regulations with respect to MHPAEA for group health plans and issuers of health insurance coverage offered in connection with a group health plan under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act. The temporary regulations provide guidance to employers and group health plans relating to the group health plan mental health and substance use disorder parity requirements. The text of those temporary regulations also serves as the text of these proposed regulations. This document also withdraws the notice of proposed rulemaking relating to mental health parity requirements for group health plans that was published on December 22, 1997 (REG-109704- 97, 62 FR 66967).

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, DoD announces that the Defense Health Board (DHB or Board) will meet on March 1-2, 2010, to

Under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, (5 U.S.C. Appendix, as amended), the Government in the Sunshine Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended), and 41 CFR 102-3.50, the Department of Defense gives notice that it is renewing the charter for the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation Board of Visitors (hereafter referred to as the Board).

The Legal Services Corporation (``LSC'') intends to revise the Accounting Guide for LSC Recipients to reflect changes that have occurred since the last publication of the Accounting Guide in 1997 and is soliciting public comment on the proposed changes. The proposed revisions incorporate: (1) New internal control provisions for electronic banking transactions; (2) financial oversight concepts from the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002; (3) references to the accounting standards codification by the Financial Standards Accounting Board (FASB) released on July 1, 2009; (4) key practices to enhance fraud prevention; (5) provisions in other LSC policies, including the LSC Property Acquisition and Management Manual and LSC Program Letters; (6) revisions to accounting procedures and internal controls to reflect current best practices; (7) updated and new references to other sources of information; and (8) other changes to clarify existing provisions. The proposed revisions to the Accounting Guide for LSC Recipients (2010 edition), in redline format indicating the proposed changes to the current Accounting Guide (1997), can be located by accessing LSC's Web site at https://www.lsc.gov/pdfs/proposed_ revisions_to_accounting_guide_for_lsc_recipients.pdf.

The Acting 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.

EPA is announcing that Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG), an EPA contractor for external scientific peer review, will convene an independent panel of experts and organize and conduct an external peer- review workshop on March 3-4, 2010, to review the external review draft document titled, ``Exposure Factors Handbook 2009 Update'' (EPA/600/R- 09/052A). EPA previously announced the 60-day public comment period (ending December 7, 2009) for the draft document in the Federal Register on October 7, 2009 (74 FR 51592). The draft document was prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA's Office of Research and Development. The Exposure Factors Handbook provides information on various physiological and behavioral factors commonly used in assessing exposure to environmental chemicals. The handbook was first published in 1989 and was updated in 1997. This updated version incorporates data available since 1997 up to June 2009. It also reflects the revisions made to the Child-Specific Exposure Factors Handbook, which was updated and published in 2008. Each chapter in the revised Exposure Factors Handbook presents recommended values for the exposure factors covered in the chapter as well as a discussion of the underlying data used in developing the recommendations.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Shrimp Review Panel via conference call.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is amending its regulations governing representation and appearances by, and professional conduct of, practitioners in immigration practice before its components to: Conform the grounds of discipline and procedures regulations with those promulgated by the Department of Justice (DOJ); clarify who is authorized to represent applicants and petitioners in cases before DHS; remove duplicative rules, procedures, and authority; improve the clarity and uniformity of the existing regulations; make technical and procedural changes; and conform terminology. This rule enhances the integrity of the immigration adjudication process by updating and clarifying the regulation of professional conduct of immigration practitioners who practice before DHS.

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 Bureau of the Public Debt within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the Subscription For Purchase and Issue of U.S. Treasury Securities, State and Local Government Series.