2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This final rule amends regulations of the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Department of Commerce, to set forth the reporting requirements for BE-577 quarterly survey of U.S. direct investment abroad. BEA conducts the survey quarterly and obtains sample data on transactions and positions between U.S.-owned foreign business enterprises and their U.S. parents. Through this rule, BEA will modify items on the survey form and the reporting criteria. Changes will bring the BE-577 forms and related instructions into conformity with the 2009 BE-10, Benchmark Survey of U.S. Direct Investment Abroad, and will raise the threshold for reporting.

As part of the President's export control reform initiative, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) seeks public comments on how the descriptions of items controlled on the Commerce Control List (CCL) of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) could be more clear and positive and ``tiered'' in a manner consistent with the control criteria the Administration has developed as part of the reform effort. The request for comments on how items on the CCL could be tiered includes a request for comments on the degree to which a controlled item provides the United States with a critical, substantial, or significant military or intelligence advantage; and the availability of the item outside certain groups of countries.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are notifying the public that we have submitted to OMB an information collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 250, Subpart b, Plans and Information, and related documents. The collection was originally approved by OMB under an emergency request. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final regulation to provide for continuation of Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage for certain former Senate Restaurant employees who transferred to employment with a private contractor; to add a new opportunity for eligible employees to enroll in the FEHB, or to change FEHB enrollment status, under provisions of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009; and to allow eligible FEHB plans to offer three options, without the requirement that one of the options be a high deductible health plan.

Pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Southeast Oregon Resource Advisory Council (SEORAC) will meet as indicated below:

The Licensing Support System Advisory Review Panel was established by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as a Federal Advisory Committee in 1989. Its purpose was to provide advice on the fundamental issues of design and development of an electronic information management system to be used to store and retrieve documents relating to the licensing of a geologic repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste, and on the operation and maintenance of the system. This electronic information management system was known as the Licensing Support System (LSS). In November, 1998 the Commission approved amendments to 10 CFR part 2 that renamed the Licensing Support System Advisory Review Panel as the Licensing Support Network Advisory Review Panel. The Licensing Support Network (LSN) in use since 2004 and now contains over 4 million documents associated the proposed high-level waste facility. Membership on the Panel will continue to be drawn from those interests that will be affected by the use of the LSN, including the Department of Energy, the NRC, the State of Nevada, the National Congress of American Indians, affected units of local governments in Nevada, the Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force, and a coalition of nuclear industry groups. Federal agencies with expertise and experience in electronic information management systems may also participate on the Panel. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that renewal of the charter for the LSNARP until December 3, 2012 is in the public interest in connection with duties imposed on the Commission by law. This action is being taken in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act after consultation with the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services Administration.

We (U.S. Geological Survey) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and as a part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other federal agencies to comment on this IC. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) will hold public hearings to solicit comments on proposals to be included in the Draft Amendment 6 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The purpose of Amendment 6 is to consider one or more catch share management approaches for the monkfish fishery, including, but not limited to, Individual Fishery Quotas (IFQs), sectors and/or community quotas. The NEFMC is initiating a public process to determine the scope of issues and range of alternatives to be addressed in Amendment 6 and its environmental impact statement (EIS).

The Farm Credit Administration (FCA or we) announces its approval of the draft amendment to the Amended and Restated Market Access Agreement (MAA) proposed to be entered into by all of the banks of the Farm Credit System (System) and the Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation (Funding Corporation). The MAA sets forth the rights and responsibilities of each of the parties when the condition of a bank falls below pre-established financial performance thresholds. The draft amendment (MAA Amendment) is intended to conform the MAA to the Joint and Several Liability Reallocation Agreement (Reallocation Agreement).

The Commander, Eighth Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the Hannibal Railroad Drawbridge across the Upper Mississippi River, mile 309.9, at Hannibal, Missouri. The deviation is necessary to allow the bridge owner time to replace critical control components that are essential to the continued safe operation of the drawbridge. The work is scheduled in the winter, when the impact on navigation is minimal, instead of scheduling the work at other times in the year, when river traffic is prevalent. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position during work performance.

The Coast Guard proposes to change the regulations that govern the operation of the US 50 Bridge over Isle of Wight (Sinepuxent) Bay, mile 0.5, at Ocean City, MD. This proposed rule will require any mariner requesting an opening in the evening hours during the off- season, to do so before the tender office has vacated for the night. The proposed change will ensure draw tender availability for every scheduled opening. The Coast Guard also proposes to change the waterway location from Isle of Wight Bay to Isle of Wight (Sinepuxent) Bay. This waterway is known locally as both Isle of Wight Bay and Sinepuxent Bay.

The Privacy Act of 1974, (5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4)), requires that all agencies publish in the Federal Register a notice of the existence and character of their systems of records. Notice is hereby given that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is establishing a new electronic system of records entitled ``Veterans Tracking Application (VTA)-VA'' (163VA005Q3).

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (``Dodd-Frank Act'') was enacted on July 21, 2010. The Dodd-Frank Act, among other things, mandates that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``CFTC'') and the Securities and Exchange Commission (``SEC'') conduct a study on ``the feasibility of requiring the derivatives industry to adopt standardized computer-readable algorithmic descriptions which may be used to describe complex and standardized financial derivatives.'' These algorithmic descriptions should be designed to ``facilitate computerized analysis of individual derivative contracts and to calculate net exposures to complex derivatives.'' The study also must consider the extent to which the algorithmic description, ``together with standardized and extensible legal definitions, may serve as the binding legal definition of derivative contracts.'' In connection with this study, the staff of the CFTC and SEC seek responses of interested parties to the questions set forth below.