April 4, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA proposes to rule and invite public comment on the release of land at Helena Regional Airport (HLN) under the provisions of Section 125 of the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR 21), now 49 U.S.C. 47107(h)(2).

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is re-organizing and re-adopting existing Federal Housing Finance Board (Finance Board) regulations dealing with consolidated obligations (COs), as well as related regulations addressing other authorized Federal Home Loan Bank (Bank) liabilities and book-entry procedures for COs, as new part 1270 of the FHFA regulations. The final rule amends these regulations to reflect statutory amendments made to section 11(c) of the Federal Home Bank Act (Bank Act) with regard to the issuance of COs. Otherwise, FHFA is re-adopting most of the regulatory provisions addressed in this rulemaking without substantive change.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, announces the Delta Health Care Services Grant Program application window. In addition to announcing the application window, RUS announces the availability of $3,000,000 in grant funds to be competitively awarded for the Delta Health Care Services Grant Program.

This document seeks comment on a range of specific proposals and issues with the objective of promoting greater use of spectrum over unserved and underserved Tribal lands.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) is revising the rules of practice in patent cases to implement a procedure under which applicants may request prioritized examination at the time of filing of an application upon payment of appropriate fees and compliance with certain requirements. In June of 2010, the Office requested comments on a proposal to provide applicants with greater control over when their utility and plant applications are examined and to promote greater efficiency in the patent examination process (3- Track). The Office, in addition to requesting written comments, conducted a public meeting to collect input from the public. The vast majority of public comments and input that the Office received were supportive of the prioritized examination track (Track I) portion of the 3-Track proposal. While the Office is in the process of considering and revising the other portions of the 3-Track proposal in view of the public comments and input, the Office wishes to implement the prioritized examination track (Track I) now to provide the procedure for prioritized examination to applicants as quickly as possible. In February of 2011, the Office published a notice of proposed rule making to set forth the proposed procedure for prioritized examination and to seek public comments on the proposed procedure. The Office considered the public comments and revised the proposed procedure in view of the public comments. The Office, in this final rule, is revising the rules of practice to implement the optional procedure for prioritized examination. The aggregate goal for processing applications under prioritized examination is to provide a final disposition within twelve months of prioritized status being granted. The Office is initially limiting requests for prioritized examination to a maximum of 10,000 applications during the remainder of fiscal year 2011.

Notice is hereby given that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (Corporation) has been appointed the sole receiver for the following financial institutions effective as of the Date Closed as indicated in the listing. This list (as updated from time to time in the Federal Register) may be relied upon as ``of record'' notice that the Corporation has been appointed receiver for purposes of the statement of policy published in the July 2, 1992 issue of the Federal Register (57 FR 29491). For further information concerning the identification of any institutions which have been placed in liquidation, please visit the Corporation Web site at https:// www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/banklist.html or contact the Manager of Receivership Oversight in the appropriate service center.

The FDIC has determined that insufficient assets exist in the receivership of Miami Valley Bank, Lakeview, Ohio, to make any distribution to general unsecured claims, and therefore such claims will recover nothing and have no value.

In response to a request from an interested party, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') initiated an administrative review of the antidumping duty order covering stainless steel sheet and strip in coils from Mexico. The period of review is July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010. Based on the withdrawal of request for review submitted by Allegheny Ludlum Corporation, North American Stainless, and AK Steel Corporation (collectively ``petitioners''), we are now rescinding this administrative review.

The Commission has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by Southern Media Holdings, Inc. (``SMH''), the licensee of station WFXG, Augusta, Georgia, requesting the substitution of channel 51 for channel 31 at Augusta. SMH seeks this channel substitution as it cannot obtain the credit necessary to construct the channel 31 facility and states that the money required to construct the channel 31 facility will instead be used to serve other aspects of the public interest.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing an order under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FD&C Act) debarring Maja S. Ruetschi, MD for 5 years from providing services in any capacity to a person that has an approved or pending drug product application. FDA bases this order on findings that Dr. Ruetschi was convicted of a misdemeanor under Federal law for conduct relating to the regulation of a drug product under the FD&C Act and that the type of conduct underlying the conviction undermines the process for the regulation of drugs. Dr. Ruetschi was given notice of the proposed debarment and an opportunity to request a hearing within the timeframe prescribed by regulation. Dr. Ruetschi failed to respond. Dr. Ruetschi's failure to respond constitutes a waiver of her right to a hearing concerning this action.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to revise its test procedure for automatic commercial ice makers (ACIM) established under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. This notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) proposes to update the incorporation by reference of industry test procedures to the most current published versions. The current DOE test procedure applies to automatic commercial ice makers that produce cube type ice. This NOPR proposes to expand coverage of the test procedure to all batch type and continuous type ice makers with capacities between 50 and 4,000 pounds of ice per 24 hours. A batch type ice maker is defined as an ice maker with alternate freezing and harvesting periods, including machines that produce cube type ice, tube type ice, and fragmented ice. A continuous type ice maker is defined as an ice maker that continually freezes and harvests ice at the same time. Continuous type ice makers primarily produce flake or nugget ice. DOE also proposes amendments to standardize test results based on ice quality for continuous type ice makers, clarify the test methods and reporting requirements for automatic ice makers designed to be connected to a remote compressor rack, and provide test methods for modulating capacity ice makers. Furthermore, DOE proposes to discontinue the use of a clarified energy use equation. The test procedure applies to automatic commercial ice makers as defined in section 136 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Use of any amended test procedures will be required on the compliance date of any standards developed in the associated energy conservation standard rulemaking. This notice announces a public meeting to discuss and receive comments on the proposed test procedure amendments.

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.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce our intent to modify the existing fee collection program at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge by adding entrance fees. The proposed entrance fees are $1.00 a day for one person, $5.00 a day for one vehicle, and $15.00 a year for one person. Under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (REA), we will identify and post specific visitor fees and begin collecting them. The proposed fees only affect Black Point Wildlife Drive and three improved refuge boat ramps (Bairs Cove, Beacon 42, and Bio Lab). Fees are not required to enter any other portion of the refuge.

Effective July 21, 2011, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) amends the Consumer Leasing Act (CLA) by increasing the threshold for exempt consumer leases from $25,000 to $50,000. In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act provides that, on or after December 31, 2011, this threshold must be adjusted annually by any annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. Accordingly, the Board is making corresponding amendments to Regulation M, which implements the CLA, and to the accompanying staff commentary. Because the Dodd-Frank Act also increases the Truth in Lending Act's threshold for exempt consumer credit transactions from $25,000 to $50,000, the Board is making similar amendments to Regulation Z elsewhere in today's Federal Register.