September 30, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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 8835, Renewable Electricity Production Credit.

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 1120-RIC, U.S. Income Tax Return for Regulated Investment Companies.

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 an existing final regulation, REG-246256-96 (TD 8978), Excise Taxes on Excess Benefit Transactions (Sec. 53.4958-6).

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for State of Kansas (FEMA-1932-DR), dated August 10, 2010, and related determinations.

On behalf of the President's Pay Agent, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management is issuing interim regulations on the locality pay program for General Schedule employees. The interim regulations establish separate locality pay areas for the States of Alaska and Hawaii and extend coverage of the Rest of U.S. locality pay area to include American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Territory of Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and all other U.S. possessions listed in 5 CFR 591.205, applicable on the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2011.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Rural Housing Service's intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection in support of the program for Technical and Supervisory Assistance (TSA) grants.

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 an existing final regulation, EE-43-92 (TD 8619), Direct Rollovers and 20- Percent Withholding Upon Eligible Rollover Distributions From Qualified Plans (Sec. Sec. 1.401(a)(31)-1, 1.402(c)-2, 1.402(f)-1, 1.403(b)-2, and 31.3405(c)-1.

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 Revenue Procedure 2007-37, Substitute Mortality Tables for Single Employer Defined Benefit Plans.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announces a meeting of the Applied Science Advisory Group. This Subcommittee reports to the Earth Science Subcommittee Committee of the NASA Advisory Council. The Meeting will be held for the purpose of soliciting from the scientific community and other persons scientific and technical information relevant to program planning.

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 8867, Paid Preparer's Earned Income Credit Checklist.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the animal drug regulations to more accurately reflect the recent approval of two supplemental new animal drug applications (NADAs) filed by Pharmacia & Upjohn Co., a Division of Pfizer, Inc. The supplemental NADAs provided for increased levels of monensin in two-way Type C medicated feeds containing melengestrol acetate and monensin, and in three-way Type C medicated feeds containing melengestrol acetate, monensin, and tylosin phosphate for heifers fed in confinement for slaughter. These amendments are being made to improve the accuracy of the regulations.

The Department of the Navy (DoN) and the Department of the Army (Army), after carefully weighing the environmental consequences of the proposed action, as well as considering operational and training requirements, strategic requirements, obligations under treaties and other international agreements, and cost, announce their decision to proceed with Guam and Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Military Relocation. As a result of redefining the United States (U.S.) defense posture in the Pacific region and the U.S. alliance with Japan, a portion of U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) forces currently located in Okinawa, Japan will be relocated to Guam. This relocation of USMC forces will meet international agreement and treaty requirements and fulfill U.S. national security policy requirements to provide mutual defense, deter aggression, and dissuade coercion in the Western Pacific Region in response to the evolving security environment in the Pacific region, as identified through the Integrated Global Presence and Basing Strategy and the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). The redefining of the U.S. defense posture in the Pacific also calls for greater availability of aircraft carrier strike groups in the Pacific to support engagement, presence, and deterrence. Finally, in support of the proposed military relocation, the stationing of an Air and Missile Defense Task Force (AMDTF) is also being considered. A significant number of countries have ballistic missile capabilities which can deliver conventional, nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Other countries are working to establish these capabilities and missile systems. The effective strike range of defensive ballistic missile systems dictates that they must be located in the proximity of the protected assets. The need for the proposed AMDTF is to protect the territory of Guam, its citizens, U.S. and allied forces on Guam from the threat of harm from ballistic missile attacks from other countries and enemies of the U.S. Implementing the military relocation analyzed in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be a multi-agency, multi-year effort undertaken by the DoN, Army, Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Guam utilities, Guam agencies, and various private entities. Implementation includes several components: (1) Marine Corps: (a) Development and construction of facilities and infrastructure to support approximately 8,600 Marines and their 9,000 dependents being relocated from Okinawa to Guam. (b) Development and construction of facilities and infrastructure to support training and operations on Guam and Tinian (located in the CNMI). DoN has elected to defer selection of a specific site for the construction and operation of a live fire training range complex in the Route 15 area in Guam pending completion of the Section 106 consultation process under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Likewise, a selection regarding implementation of a roadway improvement project calling for a realignment of Route 15 is hereby deferred pending selection of a specific site for the construction. (2) Navy: Construction of a new deep-draft wharf with shoreside infrastructure improvements creating the capability in Apra Harbor, Guam to support a transient nuclear powered aircraft carrier. DoN has elected to defer selection of a specific site for the construction and operation of a transient aircraft carrier berth within Apra Harbor for the near term. However, the analysis presented in the EIS, including the marine resources impacts analysis, provides sufficient information to allow the DoN to fully consider the direct, indirect and cumulative environmental impacts of locating a transient aircraft carrier berth and make a programmatic decision to locate a transient aircraft carrier berth generally within Apra Harbor, which is the only deep draft harbor on the island of Guam that could support such a berth. (3) Army: Development of facilities and infrastructure on Guam to support relocating approximately 600 military personnel and their 900 dependents to establish and operate an Air and Missile Defense Task Force (AMDTF). As of the date of this Record of Decision (ROD), the Department of Defense (DoD) has not decided to construct and operate an AMDTF on Guam. The decision on whether to assign this mission to the Army will be made pending the results of the ongoing regional and global Ballistic Missile Defense architectural and capability studies. It will also be based in part on the EIS for this proposed action with Guam as one site that is under consideration for an AMDTF mission. The EIS was prepared noting that if the mission were assigned to Army, the alternatives presented in the EIS represent how Army could implement the action on Guam. Army has selected the preferred alternatives described in Volume 5 of the EIS as the appropriate manner to implement the proposed action if and when the mission is assigned. (4) Utilities: Renovation and development of additional capacity for power, water, and wastewater systems, both on base and off base, to support the increased demand from the new Marine Corps Base and associated growth in DoD and civilian population caused by the Relocation. (5) Off-base Roadways: Improvements to off base roads, bridges, and intersections to support increased traffic and offset significant impacts caused by the Relocation. Each of the major actions noted above encompasses several construction projects to provide required facilities and infrastructure. Most of the major actions and their supporting projects have alternative sites located throughout the island of Guam. This ROD will document and demonstrate why DoD has chosen to implement the preferred alternatives for each of the actions described in the EIS, except as noted above. Because DoN and Army are preparing this ROD as a joint effort, both concur and support the decisions expressed within it. The ROD includes descriptions and discussions of the proposed actions and their impacts. It also includes descriptions and discussions of all related actions and their impacts. Combined, these two elementsproposed and related actions, with associated impactsprovide the context for consideration of the collective and cumulative impacts associated with all actions addressed in the EIS. While this ROD represents the decisions of DoN and Army regarding the proposed actions, Federal agencies have greatly contributed to formulating and refining the approach to implementing actions and associated mitigation measures. Led by Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) facilitated discussions, DoD reached major agreements with various Federal regulatory agencies regarding key issues, refined action alternatives for Guam's potable water and wastewater systems, committed to the use of force flow reduction and Adaptive Program Management (APM) as mitigation measures, and established a Civil- Military Coordination Council (CMCC) to implement APM. All of these actions are discussed with greater detail within the ROD. DoN would like to recognize the efforts of CEQ, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Interior (DOI), the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Government of Guam Agencies and thank them for their participation and assistance in seeking resolution to the many challenges confronting DoD in the completion of the NEPA process for this proposed action. It is also recognized that as the military construction projects necessary to implement the actions move forward, each of these agencies will have a continuing role through either a regulatory, permitting, or advisory capacity and will continue to partner in the implementation of the actions. This ROD was prepared in accordance with CEQ Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA 40 CFR parts 1500 to 1508 and specifically, 40 CFR 1505.2Record of decision in cases requiring environmental impact statements.

This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the specified Eurocopter model helicopters. This action requires replacing each affected hydraulic pump with an airworthy hydraulic pump. This amendment is prompted by the loss of the proper functioning of a hydraulic pump because of the deterioration of the pump seals and the loss of hydraulic fluid caused by incorrect positioning of the piston liner. The actions specified in this AD are intended to prevent loss of hydraulic power and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

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 Federal Highway Administration wishes to announce a 45 day extension for the Comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the I-5 North Coast Corridor (I-5NCC) Project. The present closing day for comments is October 2, 2010. This additional period would extend the comment period to November 22, 2010. This project is 27 miles in length through 6 lagoons and six cities within the Coastal Zone. This is a large complex document that incorporates extensive technical studies within this environmentally sensitive corridor.

This notice announces the intention of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve the proposed information collection project: ``Reduction of Clostridium difficile Infections in a Regional Collaborative of Inpatient Healthcare Settings through Implementation of Antimicrobial Stewardship.'' In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520, AHRQ invites the public to comment on this proposed information collection. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on July 23, 2010 and allowed 60 days for public comment. No comments were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment.

Pursuant to the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act (Omnibus Appropriations Act), as clarified by the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (Credit CARD Act), the Commission issues a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) relating to unfair or deceptive acts and practices that may occur with regard to mortgage advertising, the Mortgage Acts and Practices (MAP) - Advertising Rule (proposed rule). The proposed rule published for comment, among other things, would prohibit any misrepresentation in any commercial communication regarding any term of any mortgage credit product; and impose recordkeeping requirements.

On February 2, 2010, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration published a final rule amending the Hazardous Materials Regulations to: Revise several packaging related definitions; add provisions to allow more flexibility when preparing and transmitting closure instructions, including conditions under which closure instructions may be transmitted electronically; add a requirement for shippers to retain packaging closure instructions; incorporate new language that allows for a practicable means of stenciling the United Nations (UN) symbol on packagings; and clarify a requirement to document the methodology used when determining whether a change in packaging configuration requires retesting as a new design or may be considered a variation of a previously tested design. The February 2 final rule also incorporated requirements for the construction, maintenance, and use of Large Packagings. This final rule responds to one petition for reconsideration and four appeals submitted in response to the February 2 final rule and also corrects several errors that occurred in that rulemaking.

The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on the renewal of an information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OCC is soliciting comment concerning an information collection titled, ``Affiliate Marketing/Consumer Opt-Out Notices.'' The OCC is also giving notice that it has sent the collection to OMB for review.

This rule establishes, amends, suspends, or revokes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and associated Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures for operations at certain airports. These regulatory actions are needed because of the adoption of new or revised criteria, or because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System, such as the commissioning of new navigational facilities, adding new obstacles, or changing air traffic requirements. These changes are designed to provide safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace and to promote safe flight operations under instrument flight rules at the affected airports.