May 7, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Model 737-200, -300, -400, and -500 series airplanes. This proposed AD would require repetitive inspections for cracking of certain fuselage frames and stub beams, and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD also provides for an optional repair, which would terminate the repetitive inspections. For airplanes on which a certain repair is done, this proposed AD would also require repetitive inspections for cracking of certain fuselage frames and stub beams, and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD results from reports of the detection of fatigue cracks at certain frame sections, in addition to stub beam cracking, caused by high flight cycle stresses from both pressurization and maneuver loads. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking of certain fuselage frames and stub beams and possible severed frames, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the frames. This reduced structural integrity can increase loading in the fuselage skin, which will accelerate skin crack growth and could result in rapid decompression of the fuselage.

This proposed rule would clarify and standardize the rules for applications by foreign air carriers and foreign persons for operations specifications and establish new standards for amendment, suspension or termination of those operations specifications. The proposed rule would also apply to foreign persons operating U.S.-registered aircraft in common carriage solely outside the United States. This action is necessary to update the process for issuing operations specifications, and it will establish a regulatory basis for current practices, such as amending, terminating or suspending operations specifications.

The Commission grants the allotment of channel 5 to Seaford, Delaware. The Commission waived the freeze on the filing of new DTV allotments to initiate this proceeding and to advance the policy, as set forth in Section 331(a) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, to allocate not less than one very high frequency commercial television channel to each State, if technically feasible.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) concludes that dramatic increases in telephone subscribership in Puerto Rico over the last several years make it unnecessary to adopt a new high-cost support mechanism for non-rural insular carriers as proposed by Puerto Rico Telephone Company. The Commission finds that the existing non-rural high-cost support mechanism, operating in conjunction with the Commission's other universal service programs, is successfully increasing telephone subscribership in Puerto Rico and satisfies the requirements of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, with respect to Puerto Rico. The Commission believes that the public would be best served by our focusing on comprehensive universal service reform, rather than developing a new non-rural insular high-cost support mechanism within the existing legacy universal service system.

This rule implements specific requirements for the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill). TAP provides disaster assistance to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or rehabilitate trees, bushes, and vines that were lost due to natural disaster. Orchardists and nursery tree growers who commercially raise trees, bushes, and vines for which there were mortality losses in excess of 15 percent, after adjustment for normal mortality, are eligible for TAP payments. Eligible losses must have occurred between January 1, 2008, and September 30, 2011. This rule specifies how the TAP payments are calculated and when producers may apply for benefits. This rule also removes regulations for prior tree disaster assistance programs.

DoD is proposing to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to implement section 815 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009. Section 815 requires acquisition plans for major weapons systems to include a plan for the preservation and storage of special tooling associated with the production of hardware for major defense acquisition programs through the end of the service life of the related weapons system.

DoD proposes to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to implement section 802(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 and section 815(a)(2) of the NDAA for FY 2008. This proposed rule implements special requirements and procedures related to the validation of a contractor's or subcontractor's asserted restrictions on technical data and computer software.

DoD proposes to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to set forth DoD Cost and Software Data Reporting system requirements for major defense acquisition programs and major automated information system programs.

This document corrects the dates section of an interim final rule published on Friday, April 23, 2010. In the interim rule, the Bureau of Prisons (Bureau) revised its regulations regarding inmate contact with the community to remove two current Bureau regulations that prohibit inmates from publishing under a byline, due to a recent court ruling invalidating Bureau regulation language containing this prohibition. The April 23, 2010, publication inadvertently omitted an effective date.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its spent fuel storage cask regulations by revising the Transnuclear, Inc. (TN), NUHOMS[supreg] HD System listing within the ``List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks'' to include Amendment No. 1 to Certificate of Compliance (CoC) Number 1030. Amendment No. 1 would modify the CoC to add Combustion Engineering 16x16 class fuel assemblies as authorized contents, reduce the minimum off-normal ambient temperature from -20 [deg]F to -21 [deg]F, expand the authorized contents of the NUHOMS[supreg] HD System to include pressurized water reactor fuel assemblies with control components, reduce the minimum initial enrichment of fuel assemblies from 1.5 weight percent uranium-235 to 0.2 weight percent uranium-235, clarify the requirements of reconstituted fuel assemblies, add requirements to qualify metal matrix composite neutron absorbers with integral aluminum cladding, delete use of nitrogen for draining the water from the dry shielded canister (DSC) and allow only helium as a cover gas during DSC cavity water removal operations, and make corresponding changes to the technical specifications.