May 5, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or USFWS) are re-evaluating the listing of the Minnesota population of gray wolves (Canis lupus) and propose to revise it to conform to current statutory and policy requirements. We propose to identify the Minnesota population as a Western Great Lakes (WGL) Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of the gray wolf and to remove this DPS from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. We propose these actions because the best available scientific and commercial information indicates that the WGL DPS does not meet the definitions of threatened or endangered under the Act. This proposed rule, if made final, would remove the currently designated critical habitat for the gray wolf in Minnesota and Michigan and the current special regulations for gray wolves in Minnesota. We also propose to revise the range of the gray wolf (the species C. lupus) by removing all or parts of 29 eastern states that we now recognize were not part of the historical range of the gray wolf. New information indicates that these areas should not have been included in the original listing of the gray wolf. In this proposed rule, we recognize recent taxonomic information indicating that the gray wolf subspecies Canis lupus lycaon should be elevated to the full species C. lycaon. Given that a complete status review of this newly recognized species has never been conducted, we are initiating a rangewide review of the conservation status of C. lycaon in the United States and Canada. This rule also constitutes the initiation of our five-year review of the status of gray wolves under section 4(c)(2) of the Act, as well as the initiation of status reviews specific to gray wolves in the Pacific Northwest and Mexican wolves in the Southwest United States and Mexico.

This document directs that a referendum be conducted among eligible producers of raspberries for processing and importers of processed raspberries to determine whether they favor the establishment of an industry-funded promotion, research, and information program for processed raspberries. The proposed program, Processed Raspberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Proposed Order), was submitted to the Department of Agriculture (Department) by the Washington Red Raspberry Commission (WRRC). Under the Proposed Order, producers of raspberries for processing and importers of processed raspberries would pay an assessment of up to one cent per pound, with the initial assessment rate being one cent per pound, which would be paid to the proposed National Processed Raspberry Council (Council). Producers and importers of less than 20,000 pounds annually of raspberries for processing and processed raspberries, respectively, would be exempt from the assessment. The proposed program would be implemented under the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996 (1996 Act). The Department is conducting an initial referendum to ascertain whether the persons to be covered by and assessed under the Proposed Order favor the implementation of the program prior to it going into effect. The Proposed Order would be implemented if it is approved by a majority of producers and importers voting in the referendum.

This proposed rule would amend the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) to reflect recommendations submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) on June 20, 2008, and May 30, 2004. The recommendations addressed in this proposed rule pertain to establishing exemptions (uses) for two substances, fenbendazole and moxidectin, on the National List as parasiticides in organic livestock production. Consistent with the recommendations from the NOSB, this proposed rule would amend the National List to add these two substances, along with their restrictive annotations.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget, for an extension of and revision to the currently approved information collection for Recordkeeping Requirements for Certified Applicators of Federally Restricted Use Pesticides (7 CFR part 110).

FMCSA renews an exemption from the requirement to hold a commercial driver's license (CDL) sought by Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) on behalf of five employees. Volvo requested renewal of the CDL exemption for five Swedish engineers employed by the company to enable these individuals to continue test-driving commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in the United States. All hold valid Swedish CDLs. FMCSA believes that the training program and knowledge and skills testing that drivers must undergo to obtain a Swedish CDL ensure a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety that would be obtained by complying with the U.S. requirement for a CDL.

In accordance with section 113(g) of the Clean Air Act, as amended (``CAA''), 42 U.S.C. 7413(g), notice is hereby given of a proposed settlement agreement to resolve a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center (collectively ``Plaintiffs'') in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington: Sierra Club, et al. v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, No. 2:10- cv-01872-RSL (W.D. Wash.). Plaintiffs filed a deadline suit to compel the Administrator to respond to an administrative petition seeking EPA's objection to a CAA Title V operating permit issued by the Southwest Clean Air Agency to Transalta Centralia Generation L.L.C. (``Transalta'') for its coal-fired power plant in Centralia, Washington. The proposed settlement agreement states that EPA intends to respond to the petition by April 29, 2011.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) amends its hours-of-service (HOS) regulations to adopt regulatory language consistent with the statutory exemption for certain railroad signal employees operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in connection with railroad signal work. This is in accordance with the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA of 2008), which took effect July 16, 2009. This action will ensure that Federal, State and local motor carrier enforcement officials are aware of the statutory exemption applicable to signal employees and eliminate the potential for issuance of improper citations.

FMCSA announces receipt of applications from 19 individuals for exemption from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. If granted, the exemptions would enable these individuals to qualify as drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce without meeting the Federal vision standard.

The Department of State has submitted the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Title of Information Collection: Department of State Mentor-Prot[eacute]g[eacute] Program Application. OMB Control Number: OMB 1405-0161. Type of Request: Extension of a Currently Approved Collection. Originating Office: Bureau of Administration, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business UtilizationA/SDBU. Form Number: DS-4053. Respondents: Small and large for-profit companies planning to team together in an official mentor-prot[eacute]g[eacute] capacity to improve the likelihood of winning DOS contracts. Estimated Number of Respondents: 14 respondents per year. Estimated Number of Responses: 14 per year. Average Hours Per Response: 21 hours. Total Estimated Burden: 294 hours. Frequency: On occasion. Obligation to Respond: Required to Obtain Benefit.

The Department of State is seeking Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the information collection described below. The purpose of this notice is to allow 60 days for public comment in the Federal Register preceding submission to OMB. We are conducting this process in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Title of Information Collection: DOS-Sponsored Academic Exchange Program Application. OMB Control Number: 1405-0138. Type of Request: Extension of a Currently Approved Collection. Originating Office: Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, ECA/A/E/EUR. Form Number: DS-7001, DS-7005. Respondents: Applicants for the Academic Exchange Program. Estimated Number of Respondents: 7160 (For DS-7001, 3842 estimated; for DS-7005, 3318 estimated). Estimated Number of Responses: 7160 (For DS-7001, 3842 estimated; for DS-7005, 3318 estimated). Average Hours per Response: 0.75. Total Estimated Burden: 5370 hours. Frequency: Annually. Obligation to Respond: Voluntary.

Pursuant to sections 751(c) and 752 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (``the Act''), the Department of Commerce (``Department'') finds, as a result of this review, that revocation of the antidumping duty order on stainless steel sheet and strip (``SSSS'') in coils from Italy would be likely to lead to a continuation of dumping.

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of the Science Advisor (OSA) announces a public teleconference of the HSRB to discuss its draft report from the April 13-14, 2011 HSRB meeting, and consider a draft letter from an HSRB workgroup on providing research participants with individualized study results measuring the amount of antimicrobial cleaning products on participants' skin and the amount they breathe in while mopping floors.

This document contains notices of pendency before the Department of Labor (the Department) of proposed exemptions from certain of the prohibited transaction restrictions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA or the Act) and/or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code). This notice includes the following proposed exemptions: D-11513, North Trust Corporation; D- 11634, The United Brotherhood of Carpenters Pension Fund (the Fund); D- 11639, Wolverine Bronze Profit Sharing Plan and Trust (the Plan); and L-11651 and L-11652, Verizon Communications, Inc. (Verizon and Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless (Verizon Wireless; collectively, the Applicants) et al.]

This notice is to advise interested persons that PHMSA will conduct a public meeting in preparation for the 39th session of the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (UNSCOE TDG) to be held June 20-24, 2011, in Geneva, Switzerland. During this meeting, PHMSA is also soliciting comments relative to potential new work items which may be considered for inclusion in its international agenda.