October 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled ``Guidance for Industry: Evaluating the Safety of Flood-Affected Food Crops for Human Consumption.'' Flooding events can present a potentially hazardous public health risk. Flood waters may have been exposed to sewage, chemicals, heavy metals, pathogenic microorganisms, or other contaminants. The growers are responsible to ensure the safety of the flood-affected food crops. The guidance is intended to provide growers information on how to evaluate the safety of flood-affected food crops for human consumption.

The Coast Guard will enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Chicago River, Calumet-Saganashkee Channel on all waters of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal from Mile Marker 296.1 to Mile Marker 296.7 at various times from November 10, 2011 until November 11, 2011. This action is necessary to protect the waterways, waterway users, and vessels from hazards associated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' simultaneous operation of dispersal barriers IIA and IIB. During the enforcement period, entry into, transiting, mooring, laying-up or anchoring within the enforced area of this safety zone by any person or vessel is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Sector Lake Michigan, or his or her designated representative.

On August 1, 2011, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, PHMSA published a notice with request for comments in the Federal Register (76 FR 45904). The notice concerned several pipeline safety information collections that PHMSA will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for renewal and one information collection that PHMSA intends to discontinue. PHMSA received no comments on the notice. PHMSA is now forwarding the information collection request to OMB and providing an additional 30 days for comments.

This document announces the publication of the final policy changes to the Federal Aviation Administration's policy requiring a benefit cost analysis (BCA) for capacity projects funded by Airport Improvement Program (AIP) discretionary funds. On December 16, 2010, the FAA issued a Notice of Availability of Draft Guidance and Request for Comments with regard to the modification of its policy requiring benefit cost analyses (BCA) for capacity projects, which was published in the Federal Register. (78 FR 78798-02, December 16, 2010). The FAA now is (1) Issuing the final policy modifying the threshold at which BCAs are required from $5 million to $10 million in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) Discretionary funds, and (2) responding to comments requested in the Notice on December 16, 2010.

In October 2011, the Postal Service filed a notice of mailing services price adjustments with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), effective on January 22, 2012. This proposed rule contains the revisions to Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM[supreg]) that would accompany the new prices.

This notice announces actions taken by the FHWA that are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed highway project, US 41 (Memorial Drive to County M) in Brown County, Wisconsin. Those actions grant approvals for the project. The project will widen the US 41 freeway mainline from 4 to 6 lanes and add auxiliary lanes at certain locations along US 41 northbound and southbound from Memorial Drive to County M, The project will also reconstruct I-43 from US 41 to Atkinson Drive and reconstruct the Velp Avenue, I-43, and County M interchanges. The I-43/US 41 interchange will be reconstructed as a System Interchange with directional ramps and will include a realignment of the US 41 mainline, raising of the northbound gradeline, and elimination of existing access between Velp Avenue and I-43 via US 41. The project limits on US 41 extend from Memorial Drive to County M, a distance of approximately 3.5 miles and the project limits on I-43 extend from US 41 to Atkinson Drive, a distance of approximately 2 miles. The project also includes construction of roundabouts, construction of new bridges and replacement of existing bridges.

The Commission hereby gives notice that it will proceed with full reviews pursuant to section 751(c)(5) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1675(c)(5)) to determine whether revocation of the countervailing duty order on welded carbon steel pipe and tube from Turkey, the antidumping duty orders on welded carbon steel pipe and tube from India, Thailand, and Turkey, the antidumping duty orders on circular welded nonalloy steel pipe from Brazil, Korea, Mexico, and Taiwan, and the antidumping duty order on small diameter carbon steel pipe and tube from Taiwan would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time. A schedule for the reviews will be established and announced at a later date. For further information concerning the conduct of these reviews and rules of general application, consult the Commission;s Rules of Practice and Procedure, part 201, subparts A through E (19 CFR part 201), and part 207, subparts A, D, E, and F (19 CFR part 207).

On August 2, 2011, we announced in the Federal Register that we were soliciting oral and written comments at two Section 504 Self- Evaluation Forums. We stated that the deadline for written comments was October 31, 2011. We are extending the written comment deadline by 15 days to match the date we publicly announced at the August forum. Deadline for Comments: To ensure that your written comments are considered, we must receive them no later than November 15, 2011. Written Comments: If you are not available to participate real-time in the public forums, we encourage you to submit written comments by Internet, fax, or mail. If you submitted oral comments at a public forum, you may also submit additional comments in writing. In your submission, please state that your comments refer to Docket No. SSA- 2011-0035 so that we may associate your comments with the correct document. Caution: You should be careful to include in your comments only information that you wish to make publicly available. We strongly urge you not to include in your comments any personal information, such as Social Security numbers or medical information. Internet: We strongly recommend that you submit your comments via the Internet. Please visit the Federal eRulemaking portal at https://www.regulations.gov. Use the Search function to find docket number SSA-2011-0035. The system will issue a tracking number to confirm your submission. You will not be able to view your comment immediately because we must post each comment manually. It may take up to a week for your comment to be viewable. Fax: Fax comments to (410) 966-2830. Mail: Address your comments to the Office of Regulations, Social Security Administration, 107 Altmeyer Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401. Comments are available for public viewing on the Federal eRulemaking portal at https:// www.regulations.gov or in person, during regular business hours, by arranging with the contact person identified below.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is requesting applications for membership to serve on the Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT). Applications will be accepted for the following vacancies, which will occur in June 2012: Two (2) employee plans; two (2) exempt organizations; one (1) Indian tribal government; and two (2) tax exempt bonds. To ensure appropriate balance of membership, final selection from qualified candidates will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other expertise. Members of the ACT may not be federally registered lobbyists.

NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 16 to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan for Commercial and Recreational Salmon Fisheries off the Coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California (Salmon FMP). Amendment 16, which was transmitted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) on September 12, 2011, to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) for review and approval, brings the Salmon FMP into compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) as reauthorized in 2006, and the corresponding revised National Standard 1 Guidelines (NS1Gs) to end and prevent overfishing. This document also announces the availability for public review and comment of a draft environmental assessment (EA) analyzing the environmental impacts of implementing Amendment 16.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (Privacy Act), the Department of Education (Department) publishes this notice of a new system of records entitled ``IES Research Training Program Surveys: Predoctoral Survey, Postdoctoral Survey, Special Education Postdoctoral Survey'' (18-13-25). The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Research Training Program Surveys: Predoctoral Survey, Postdoctoral Survey, Special Education Postdoctoral Survey system will be used: (1) To assess the satisfaction of fellows who have participated in the Education Research Training programs funded by the IES' National Center for Education Research (IES/NCER) and National Center for Special Education Research (IES/ NCSER) in order to determine whether there are program areas that need improvement; and (2) to track the fellows' professional accomplishments both during and following their fellowship years in order to assess how well the individual programs are fulfilling the mission of the IES training programs, which is to increase the supply of young researchers trained and ready to do rigorous research in education. The Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowship Customer Satisfaction Survey system will contain records containing information such as IES-funded fellows' names, e-mail addresses, and citizenship status.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to publish notice of permits issued under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. This is the required notice.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to publish notice of permit modifications issued under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. This is the required notice.

This proposed rule would revise the requirements that hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must meet to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. These proposed changes are an integral part of our efforts to reduce procedural burdens on providers. This proposed rule reflects the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS') commitment to the general principles of the President's Executive Order 13563, released January 18, 2011, entitled ``Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review.''

The Commission announces the next meeting date, time, and agenda of its Consumer Advisory Committee (``Committee''). The purpose of the Committee is to make recommendations to the Commission regarding matters within the jurisdiction of the Commission and to facilitate the participation of all consumers in proceedings before the Commission.