July 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with section 6(f)(1) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended, EPA is issuing a notice of receipt of requests by the registrants to voluntarily cancel their rotenone registrations. The requests would not terminate the last rotenone products registered for use in the United States. EPA intends to grant these requests at the close of the comment period for this announcement unless the Agency receives substantive comments within the comment period that would merit its further review of the requests, or unless the registrants withdraw their requests. If these requests are granted, any sale, distribution, or use of products listed in this notice will be permitted after the registration has been cancelled only if such sale, distribution, or use is consistent with the terms as described in the final order.

In accordance with current Agency practice to describe more clearly the measurement and scope or coverage of the tolerances, EPA is proposing minor revisions to tolerance expressions for a number of pesticide active ingredients, including the insecticides chlorethoxyfos, clofentezine, cyromazine, etofenprox, fenbutatin-oxide, fosthiazate, propetamphos, and tebufenozide; the fungicides aluminum tris(O-ethylphosphonate) and fenarimol; the herbicides butylate, clethodim, clomazone, fenoxaprop-ethyl, flumetsulam, flumiclorac pentyl, fluridone, fomesafen, glufosinate ammonium, lactofen, propyzamide, quinclorac, and pyridate; and the fungicide/bactericide oxytetracycline. Also, EPA is proposing to revoke the tolerances for aluminum tris(O-ethylphosphonate) on pineapple fodder and forage because they are not considered to be significant livestock feed items, and revise specific tolerance nomenclatures for aluminum tris(O- ethylphosphonate), clethodim, flumetsulam, and fluridone. In addition, EPA will be removing several expired tolerances for aluminum tris(O- ethylphosphonate), etofenprox, propyzamide, and tebufenozide.

In accordance with the Commission's regulations, the Commission by its designee, the Executive Director, is updating its schedule of fees for the use of government lands. The yearly update is based on the most recent schedule of fees for the use of linear rights- of-way prepared by the United States Forest Service. Since the next fiscal year will cover the period from October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010 the fees in this rule will become effective October 1, 2010. The fees will apply to fiscal year 2010 annual charges for the use of government lands.

Since the amendments of October 1988, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) have required payment of an annual maintenance fee to keep pesticide registrations in effect. The fee due last January 15, 2010, has gone unpaid for 337 registrations. Section 4(i)(5)(G) of FIFRA provides that the EPA Administrator may cancel these registrations by order and without a hearing; orders to cancel all 337 of these registrations have been issued within the past few days.

This final rule implements the provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (Pub. L. 111-5) that provide incentive payments to eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs that adopt and successfully demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology. This final rule specifiesthe initial criteria EPs, eligible hospitals, and CAHs must meet in order to qualify for an incentive payment; calculation of the incentive payment amounts; payment adjustments under Medicare for covered professional services and inpatient hospital services provided by EPs, eligible hospitals and CAHs failing to demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology; and other program participation requirements. Also, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) will be issuing a closely related final rule that specifies the Secretary's adoption of an initial set of standards, implementation, specifications, and certification criteria for electronic health records. ONC has also issued a separate final rule on the establishment of certification programs for health information technology.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) has prepared Interim Guidance for Determining Subject Matter Eligibility for Process Claims in view of Bilski v. Kappos (Interim Bilski Guidance) for its personnel to use when determining subject matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. 101 in view of the recent decision by the United States Supreme Court (Supreme Court) in Bilski v. Kappos, No. 08-964 (June 28, 2010). It is intended to be used by Office personnel as a supplement to the previously issued Interim Examination Instructions for Evaluating Subject Matter Eligibility Under 35 U.S.C. 101 dated August 24, 2009 (Interim Instructions) and the memorandum to the Patent Examining Corps on the Supreme Court Decision in Bilski v. Kappos dated June 28, 2010. This guidance supersedes previous guidance on subject matter eligibility that conflicts with the Interim Bilski Guidance. Any member of the public may submit written comments on the Interim Bilski Guidance. The Office is especially interested in receiving comments regarding the scope and extent of the holding in Bilski.

The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for emergency review and approval, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for emergency review and approval, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

The proposed information collection requirement described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

The proposed information collection requirement described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has submitted an information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a 3-year renewal of OMB Control Number 1004-0137 under the Paperwork Reduction Act. This control number includes paperwork requirements in 43 CFR part 3160, which cover onshore oil and gas operations.

NMFS will hold a 3-day Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Advisory Panel (AP) meeting in September 2010. The intent of the meeting is to consider options for the conservation and management of Atlantic HMS. The meeting is open to the public.

On February 5, 2010, the Department of Commerce published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain polyester staple fiber from Taiwan. The period of review is May 1, 2008, through April 30, 2009. We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on the preliminary results. We received comments from Far Eastern Textile Limited. The final weighted- average dumping margin for Far Eastern Textile Limited is listed below in the ``Final Results of the Review'' section of this notice.

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, CBP invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on an information collection requirement concerning the: Transportation Entry and Manifest of Goods Subject to CBP Inspection and Permit. This request for comment is being made pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13; 44 U.S.C. 3505(c)(2)).