November 14, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Staff will hold a meeting of recreational fishermen to get input into management measures for the recreational summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries.

Due to the receipt of adverse comments, EPA is withdrawing the September 27, 2011 (76 FR 59512), direct final rule approving Indiana's request to redesignate the Indianapolis, Indiana nonattainment area (Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion, and Morgan Counties) to attainment for the 1997 annual National Ambient Air Quality Standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). In the direct final rule, EPA stated that if adverse comments were received by October 27, 2011, the rule would be withdrawn and not take effect. EPA has received adverse comments from three commenters and, therefore, is withdrawing the direct final rule. EPA will address the comments in a subsequent final action based upon the proposed action, also published on September 27, 2011 (76 FR 59599). EPA will not institute a second comment period on this action.

This document announces an open meeting of two Negotiated Rulemaking Working Groups; one concerning Liquid Immersed and Medium- Voltage Dry-Type and the second addressing Low-Voltage Dry-Type Distribution Transformers. The Liquid Immersed and Medium-Voltage Dry- Type Group (MV Group) and the Low-Voltage Dry-Type Group (LV Group) are working groups within the Appliance Standards Subcommittee of the Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee (ERAC). The purpose of the MV and LV Groups is to discuss and, if possible, reach consensus on a proposed rule for regulating the energy efficiency of distribution transformers, as authorized by the Energy Policy Conservation Act (EPCA) of 1975, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 6313(a)(6)(C) and 6317(a).

The Federal Election Commission (``Commission'' or ``FEC''), with the concurrence of the Office of Government Ethics (``OGE''), is revising the Commission's ``Standards of Conduct,'' which are the FEC rules that govern the conduct of Commissioners and Commission employees. The new rules update the Commission's regulations to reflect statutory changes enacted after the Standards of Conduct were originally promulgated in 1986, and to conform them to regulations issued by OGE and the Office of Personnel Management (``OPM''). In addition to the revisions to the FEC's Standards of Conduct, the Commission, with OGE's concurrence, is issuing regulations that supplement the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch issued by OGE. These supplemental regulations address outside employment of Commissioners and Commission employees. The new rules are unchanged from the rules presented in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) proposes to amend the disaster designation regulations with simplified procedures for designating USDA Secretarial disaster areas. Proposed changes to the regulation would delegate the designation authority to FSA State officials, remove the requirement that a request for designation of a disaster area be initiated and submitted by a State Governor or Indian Tribal Council to the Secretary, add a simplified disaster designation in severe drought situations, and change the USDA Secretarial disaster designation process from six steps to two steps for natural disasters, including special provisions for certain drought situations. FSA proposes to move the regulations to the same chapter of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) as the FSA Emergency Loan (EM) Program regulations. FSA expects the amended procedures would result in faster designations of disaster areas, and result in more timely disaster assistance.

This notice announces the intention of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve the proposed information collection project: ``Evaluation of ARRA Comparative Effectiveness Research Dissemination Contractor Efforts.'' In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3521, AHRQ invites the public to comment on this proposed information collection. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on July 27th, 2011 and allowed 60 days for public comment. No comments were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment.

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA), as amended, prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including fluorescent lamp ballasts. EPCA also requires the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to determine whether any new or amended standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified, and would save a significant amount of energy. In this final rule, DOE adopts new and amended federal energy conservation standards for fluorescent lamp ballasts. It has determined that the new and amended energy conservation standards for these products would result in significant conservation of energy, and are technologically feasible and economically justified.