March 26, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA is proposing to approve revisions to the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District (SJVUAPCD) portion of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). These revisions concern volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from refinery vacuum producing systems and process unit turnaround. We are approving local rules that regulate these emission sources under the Clean Air Act as amended in 1990 (CAA or the Act). We are taking comments on this proposal and plan to follow with a final action.

NMFS issues this proposed rule to implement the Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based Amendment 1 (CE-BA1) to the following South Atlantic fishery management plans (FMPs): The FMP for Coral, Coral reefs, and Live/Hard Bottom Habitats of the South Atlantic Region (Coral FMP); the FMP for the Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery off the Atlantic States (Dolphin and Wahoo FMP); the FMP for Golden Crab of the South Atlantic Region (Golden Crab FMP); the FMP for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Shrimp FMP); and the FMP for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Snapper-Grouper FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council); as well as the FMP for Coastal Migratory Pelagic (CMP) Resources (CMP FMP); and the FMP for the Spiny Lobster Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic (Spiny Lobster FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils. This proposed rule would establish Deepwater Coral Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (Deepwater Coral HAPCs) off the coast of the southern Atlantic States in which the use of specified fishing gear and methods and the possession of coral would be prohibited. Within the Deepwater Coral HAPCs, fishing zones would be created that would allow continued fishing on the historical grounds for golden crab and deepwater shrimp. In addition, CE-BA1 would update existing Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) information in the area off the southern Atlantic States, thus,

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Atka mackerel in the Central Aleutian District of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI) by vessels participating in the Amendment 80 limited access fishery. This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2010 A season allocation of Atka mackerel in this area allocated to vessels participating in the Amendment 80 limited access fishery.

Indian Affairs will conduct consultation meetings with Indian tribes to obtain oral and written comments concerning draft regulations to implement the Buy Indian Act. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice for details.

We, the Department of Commerce, issue a final rule to bring the Commerce Acquisition Regulation in alignment with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and to streamline DOC's internal policy and guidance.

Sunset of the exempted or prohibited use of substances under the National Organic Program (NOP) is required by the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA). The exemptions and prohibitions granted under the OFPA are required to be reviewed every 5 years by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The Secretary of Agriculture has authority under the OFPA to renew such exemptions and prohibitions. If they are not reviewed by the NOSB and renewed by the Secretary within 5 years of their inclusion on the National List, their authorized use or prohibition expires. This advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) announces the sunset of 37 exempted substances added to the National List for use in organic handling on June 27, 2007; the sunset of 183 continued exemptions (use) and prohibitions of substances used in organic production and handling added to the list on October 21, 2007; the sunset of 2 exemptions of one substance for continued use in organic crop and livestock production added to the national list on December 11, 2007; and the sunset of 10 exempted substances for use in organic livestock production added to the national list on December 13, 2007. This ANPR establishes June 27, 2012, October 21, 2012, December 11, 2012, and December 13, 2012, as the respective dates by which the sunset review and renewal process must be concluded. The NOP may try to conclude the sunset and renewal process for the 232 combined exempted and prohibited substances used in organic production and handling added to the National List in 2007 by the earliest respective date of June 27, 2012. This ANPR also begins the public comment process on whether the identified existing exemptions and prohibitions should be continued. Finally, this ANPR discusses how the NOP will manage the sunset review and renewal process.

This document contains corrections to the final rule governing the Forest Service's Special Use Program that was published in the Federal Register on December 24, 2009 (74 FR 68379). These corrections add phrases which were inadvertently omitted from the final rule and which are necessary to reflect properly the Forest Service's authority to revoke or suspend special use authorizations under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.

Under the Clean Air Act Section 211(o), as amended by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), the Environmental Protection Agency is required to promulgate regulations implementing changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard program. The revised statutory requirements specify the volumes of cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel that must be used in transportation fuel. This action finalizes the regulations that implement the requirements of EISA, including the cellulosic, biomass- based diesel, advanced biofuel, and renewable fuel standards that will apply to all gasoline and diesel produced or imported in 2010. The final regulations make a number of changes to the current Renewable Fuel Standard program while retaining many elements of the compliance and trading system already in place. This final rule also implements the revised statutory definitions and criteria, most notably the new greenhouse gas emission thresholds for renewable fuels and new limits on renewable biomass feedstocks. This rulemaking marks the first time that greenhouse gas emission performance is being applied in a regulatory context for a nationwide program. As mandated by the statute, our greenhouse gas emission assessments consider the full lifecycle emission impacts of fuel production from both direct and indirect emissions, including significant emissions from land use changes. In carrying out our lifecycle analysis we have taken steps to ensure that the lifecycle estimates are based on the latest and most up-to-date science. The lifecycle greenhouse gas assessments reflected in this rulemaking represent significant improvements in analysis based on information and data received since the proposal. However, we also recognize that lifecycle GHG assessment of biofuels is an evolving discipline and will continue to revisit our lifecycle analyses in the future as new information becomes available. EPA plans to ask the National Academy of Sciences for assistance as we move forward. Based on current analyses we have determined that ethanol from corn starch will be able to comply with the required greenhouse gas (GHG) threshold for renewable fuel. Similarly, biodiesel can be produced to comply with the 50% threshold for biomass-based diesel, sugarcane with the 50% threshold for advanced biofuel and multiple cellulosic-based fuels with their 60% threshold. Additional fuel pathways have also been determined to comply with their thresholds. The assessment for this rulemaking also indicates the increased use of renewable fuels will have important environmental, energy and economic impacts for our Nation.