2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) will hold six public hearings on the proposed rule addressing Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust, Including Continuous Personal Dust Monitors. The proposed rule was published on October 19, 2010 (75 FR 64412) and is available on MSHA's Web site at https://www.msha.gov/ REGS/FEDREG/PROPOSED/2010Prop/2010-25249.pdf. This document also corrects a few errors in the preamble of the proposed rule. The proposed rule would lower miners' exposure to respirable coal mine dust by revising the Agency's existing standards on miners' occupational exposure to respirable coal mine dust. The major provisions of the proposal would lower the existing exposure limits for respirable coal mine dust; implement full-shift sampling to address extended work shifts; redefine the term ``normal production shift;'' and provide for the use of a single full-shift sample to determine compliance under the mine operator and MSHA's inspector sampling programs. The proposed rule would also require the use of the Continuous Personal Dust Monitor (CPDM) for exposure monitoring, and expand requirements for medical surveillance. The proposed rule would significantly improve health protections for underground and surface coal miners by reducing their occupational exposure to respirable coal mine dust and lowering the risk that they will suffer material impairment of health or functional capacity over their working lives.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending the Federal meat inspection regulations to provide that establishments that slaughter livestock or prepare livestock carcasses and parts may inflate carcasses and parts with air if they develop, implement, and maintain written controls to ensure that the procedure does not cause insanitary conditions or adulterate the product. FSIS is requiring establishments to incorporate these controls into their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans or Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (Sanitation SOPs) or other prerequisite programs. In addition, FSIS is amending its regulations to remove the approved methods for inflating livestock carcasses and parts by air and to remove the requirement that establishments submit requests to FSIS for approval of air inflation procedures not listed in the regulations. FSIS is also adding a paragraph in the regulations to make clear that the current prohibition against injecting compressed air into the skulls of cattle remains in force.

The FDIC is adopting a final rule amending its deposit insurance regulations to implement section 343 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (``Dodd-Frank Act''),\1\ providing for unlimited deposit insurance for ``noninterest-bearing transaction accounts'' for two years starting December 31, 2010.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Model 747-200B, -300, -400, -400D, and -400F series airplanes. This proposed AD would require an inspection to determine the part number of the door and to determine if the correct mid-pivot access door is installed, and the installation of a marker on the mid-pivot access door, and if necessary, repetitive ultrasonic inspections for cracking of the mid-pivot bolt assembly and eventual replacement of the mid-pivot bolt assembly. This proposed AD results from a report that the left and right spring beam mid-pivot bolt assembly access doors for the No. 1 strut were inadvertently installed in the incorrect position during strut modification. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct incorrectly installed mid-pivot bolt assemblies on the spring beam on the outboard struts. Incorrectly installed bolt assemblies could lead to fatigue cracking and consequent fracturing of the mid- pivot bolt assembly, which could lead to loss of the spring beam load path and the possible separation of a strut and engine from the airplane during flight.

We propose to rescind an airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. The existing AD, AD 98-09-27, resulted from aircraft certification testing which revealed that stresses on the thrust reverser hinge were higher than had been anticipated during engine certification, and the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, issuing AD 008-03-97. Since we issued AD 98-09-27, we discovered that its requirements were duplicated in airplane-level AD 2001-09-14, issued by the FAA Transport Airplane Directorate. This proposal to rescind the engine- level AD allows the public the opportunity to comment on the FAA's determination of the duplication of requirements in another AD, before we rescind the engine-level AD.

This final rule amends Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's regulation on Benefits Payable in Terminated Single-Employer Plans to prescribe interest assumptions under the regulation for valuation dates in December 2010. Interest assumptions are also published on PBGC's Web site (https://www.pbgc.gov).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to amend its regulations regarding new animal drugs for minor use and minor species to update language and to clarify the regulations consistent with the explanations in the preambles to the proposed and final rules establishing them. This action is being taken to ensure accuracy and clarity in the Agency's regulations. This proposed rule is a companion document to the direct final rule published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the animal drug regulations to reflect a change of sponsor for sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine oral suspension from Animal Health Pharmaceuticals, LLC, to Pegasus Laboratories, Inc.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) proposes changes to rules governing practice before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (Board or BPAI) in ex parte patent appeals. After considering public comments raised in response to an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which proposed potential modifications to the stayed final rule, the Office is proposing to rescind the stayed final rule and is issuing this notice seeking public comment on proposed new revisions to the current rule. The goal of this proposed rulemaking is to simplify the appellate process in a manner that effects an overall lessening of the burden on appellants and examiners to present an appeal to the Board.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'' or ``SEC'') is adopting new Rule 15c3-5 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Exchange Act''). Rule 15c3-5 will require brokers or dealers with access to trading securities directly on an exchange or alternative trading system (``ATS''), including those providing sponsored or direct market access to customers or other persons, and broker-dealer operators of an ATS that provide access to trading securities directly on their ATS to a person other than a broker or dealer, to establish, document, and maintain a system of risk management controls and supervisory procedures that, among other things, are reasonably designed to systematically limit the financial exposure of the broker or dealer that could arise as a result of market access, and ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements that are applicable in connection with market access. The required financial risk management controls and supervisory procedures must be reasonably designed to prevent the entry of orders that exceed appropriate pre-set credit or capital thresholds, or that appear to be erroneous. The regulatory risk management controls and supervisory procedures must also be reasonably designed to prevent the entry of orders unless there has been compliance with all regulatory requirements that must be satisfied on a pre-order entry basis, prevent the entry of orders that the broker or dealer or customer is restricted from trading, restrict market access technology and systems to authorized persons, and assure appropriate surveillance personnel receive immediate post-trade execution reports. The financial and regulatory risk management controls and supervisory procedures required by Rule 15c3-5 must be under the direct and exclusive control of the broker or dealer with market access, with limited exceptions specified in the Rule that permit reasonable allocation of certain controls and procedures to another registered broker or dealer that, based on its position in the transaction and relationship with the ultimate customer, can more effectively implement them. In addition, a broker or dealer with market access will be required to establish, document, and maintain a system for regularly reviewing the effectiveness of the risk management controls and supervisory procedures and for promptly addressing any issues. Among other things, the broker or dealer will be required to review, no less frequently than annually, the business activity of the broker or dealer in connection with market access to assure the overall effectiveness of such risk management controls and supervisory procedures and document that review. The review will be required to be conducted in accordance with written procedures and will be required to be documented. In addition, the Chief Executive Officer (or equivalent officer) of the broker or dealer will be required, on an annual basis, to certify that the risk management controls and supervisory procedures comply with Rule 15c3-5, and that the regular review described above has been conducted.

OSHA is convening an informal public hearing to receive testimony and documentary evidence on the Walking-Working Surfaces and Personal Protective Equipment (Fall Protection Systems) proposed rule (29 CFR part 1910, subparts D and I), published on May 24, 2010 (73 FR 28862).

This document is a supplement to the Universal Service Reform Mobility Fund, published November 1, 2010. In this document, the Federal Communication Commission proposes the creation of a new Mobility Fund to make available one-time support to significantly improve coverage of current-generation or better mobile voice and Internet service for consumers in areas where such coverage is currently missing. The Commission seeks comment on creating the Mobility Fund using reserves accumulated in the Universal Service Fund and on the use of a reverse auction to make one- time support available to service providers to cost-effectively extend mobile coverage in specified unserved areas.

This regulation establishes tolerances for residues of isoxaben in or on almond, hulls; grape; nut, tree, group 14; and pistachio. Dow AgroSciences requested these tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).

DoD is issuing an interim rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to implement section 823 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. Section 823 requires contracting officers to consider reduction or denial of award fee if contractor or subcontractor actions jeopardize the health or safety of Government personnel.

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.

EPA is updating and correcting the addresses for both the EPA Region IX office and the EPA Region IX State and local agencies in certain EPA regulations related to air pollution, small businesses, chemical imports and exports, and asbestos. These regulations require submittal of notifications, reports and other documents to the applicable EPA regional office and, in some case, to the applicable State or local agency. The jurisdiction of EPA Region IX covers the States of Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada; the territories of American Samoa and Guam; the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; the territories of Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Islands; and certain U.S. Government activities in the freely associated states of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. This technical amendment updates and corrects the addresses for submitting such information to the EPA Region IX office and the applicable State and local agency offices.

This final rule prohibits fishing for bottomfish and seamount groundfish at the Hancock Seamounts until the overfished U.S. stock of pelagic armorhead (Pseudopentaceros wheeleri) is rebuilt, and classifies the area around the Hancock Seamounts as an ecosystem management area. This rule is intended to rebuild the armorhead stock and facilitate research on armorhead and other seamount groundfish.

This proposed rule would provide guidance to States related to Federal/State funding of State start-up, operation and maintenance costs of Medicaid Recovery Audit Contractors (Medicaid RACs) and the payment methodology for State payments to Medicaid RACs in accordance with section 6411 of the Affordable Care Act. In addition, this rule proposes requirements for States to assure that adequate appeal processes are in place for providers to dispute adverse determinations made by Medicaid RACs. Finally, the rule proposes that States and Medicaid RACs coordinate with other contractors and entities auditing Medicaid providers and with State and Federal law enforcement agencies.

This action makes a minor change to the name of the using agency for restricted areas R-4002, Bloodsworth Island, MD; and R-4005, R-4006 and R-4007, Patuxent River, MD to ``U.S. Navy, Commanding Officer, NAS Patuxent River, MD.'' This is an administrative change only and there are no changes to the dimensions, time of designation or activities conducted within the affected restricted areas.

The Corps of Engineers is proposing to amend an existing permanent danger zone in the waters of the Upper Machodoc Creek and the Potomac River in the vicinity of Dahlgren in King George County, Virginia. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren conducts research, development, testing and evaluation of national defense systems on the Potomac River Test Range. Many of the tests are hazardous operations presenting a danger to persons or property in the danger zone. The proposed amendment is necessary to protect the public from hazardous operations such as firing large and small caliber guns and projectiles, aerial bombing, use of directed energy and operating manned or unmanned watercraft. The proposed amendment adds a 100-yard buffer to the Middle Danger Zone to prevent public contact with unexploded ordnance along the shoreline of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren within this zone.

We are amending the Karnal bunt regulations to make changes to the list of areas or fields regulated because of Karnal bunt, a fungal disease of wheat. We are adding the Buckeye/Pretoria area of Maricopa County, AZ, to the list of regulated areas. We are also removing Throckmorton and Young Counties, TX, portions of Riverside County, CA, and certain areas in La Paz, Maricopa, and Pinal Counties, AZ, from the list of regulated areas based on our determination that those fields or areas meet our criteria for release from regulation. These actions are necessary to prevent the spread of Karnal bunt to noninfected areas of the United States and to relieve restrictions on certain areas that are no longer necessary.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as:

NMFS issues a final rule to amend regulations implementing the North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program (Observer Program). This action is necessary to improve the operational efficiency of the Observer Program, as well as to improve the catch, bycatch, and biological data collected by observers for conservation and management of the North Pacific groundfish fisheries, including those data collected through scientific research activities. The final rule is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area and the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska.

The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (Agency) proposes to amend its regulations to establish procedures to maintain beneficiary participant accounts for spouse beneficiaries in accordance with the Thrift Savings Plan Enhancement Act of 2009.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is issuing an interim final rule with request for comments on Debt Collection. The interim final rule sets forth procedures for use by FHFA in collecting debts owed to the Federal Government. Agencies are required by law to issue a regulation on their debt collection procedures. The interim final rule includes procedures for collection of debts through salary offset, administrative offset, tax refund offset, and administrative wage garnishment. FHFA requests comments on the interim final rule.