November 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is giving notice once each week for four consecutive weeks of combined license (COL) applications from Progress Energy Florida, Inc., Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Progress Energy Carolinas, Inc., and Florida Power & Light Company.

Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to ABR, Inc. Environmental Research and Services, Fairbanks, AK, to conduct research on marine mammals in Alaska.

NMFS announces its intent to issue Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs), Scientific Research Permits (SRPs), Display Permits, Letters of Acknowledgment (LOAs), and Chartering Permits for the collection of Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) in 2012. In general, EFPs and related permits would authorize collection of a limited number of tunas, swordfish, billfishes, and sharks from Federal waters in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico for the purposes of scientific data collection and public display. Chartering Permits allow the collection of HMS on the high seas or in the Exclusive Economic Zone of other nations. Generally, these permits will be valid from the date of issuance through December 31, 2012, unless otherwise specified, subject to the terms and conditions of individual permits.

This document announces the date of the Emergency Access Advisory Committee's (Committee or EAAC) next meeting. The November meeting will consider final draft language for recommendations to the Commission as required in the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA).

Notice is hereby given that NMFS National Marine Mammal Laboratory, (Responsible Party: Dr. John Bengtson, Director), Seattle, WA, has applied for an amendment to Scientific Research Permit No. 15126-01 for studies of marine mammals in Alaska.

This document contains amendments to the user fee regulations. The final regulations redesignate rules pertaining to fees for obtaining a preparer tax identification number. These final regulations also establish a user fee for individuals to take the registered tax return preparer competency examination. The final regulations affect individuals who take the registered tax return preparer competency examination. The charging of user fees is authorized by the Independent Offices Appropriations Act of 1952.

This document contains proposed regulations relating to reporting by brokers for transactions related to debt instruments and options. The proposed regulations reflect changes in the law made by the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 (the Act) that require brokers when reporting the sale of securities to the IRS to include the customer's adjusted basis in the sold securities and to classify any gain or loss as long-term or short-term. The proposed regulations also implement the Act's requirement that a broker report gross proceeds from a sale or closing transaction with respect to certain options. In addition, this document contains proposed regulations that implement reporting requirements for a transfer of a debt instrument or an option to another broker and for an organizational action that affects the basis of a debt instrument or option. This document also provides for a notice of a public hearing on these proposed regulations.

The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text of a section 36(b)(1) arms sales notification. This is published to fulfill the requirements of section 155 of Public Law 104-164 dated July 21, 1996.

The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text of a section 36(b)(1) arms sales notification. This is published to fulfill the requirements of section 155 of Public Law 104-164 dated July 21, 1996.

This notice announces final environmental actions taken by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for projects in the following locations: City of Aurora and Arapahoe County, CO; Chicago, IL; Birmingham, AL; Sacramento, CA; New York, NY; and King County, WA. The purpose of this notice is to announce publicly the environmental decisions by FTA on the subject projects and to activate the limitation on any claims that may challenge these final environmental actions.

Notice is hereby given of a meeting of the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC or Council), established under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The Council will consider various issues associated with drinking water protection and public water systems including actions to assist small water systems and efforts underway to address nutrient pollution of drinking water supplies. The Council will also receive updates about several on-going drinking water program activities.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a request to renew an existing approved Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This ICR is scheduled to expire on April 30, 2012. Before submitting this ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below.

The inventions listed below are owned by an agency of the U.S. Government and are available for licensing in the U.S. in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally-funded research and development. Foreign patent applications are filed on selected inventions to extend market coverage for companies and may also be available for licensing.

This document informs the public that an appeal of the closing of the Swaledale, Iowa post office has been filed. It identifies preliminary steps and provides a procedural schedule. Publication of this document will allow the Postal Service, petitioners, and others to take appropriate action.

Summary of the Application: Applicants request an order that would permit certain registered open-end management investment companies to participate in a joint lending and borrowing facility.

The Surface Transportation Board (Board), hereby gives notice of a vacancy on the Board's Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee for a representative of a state- or municipally-owned electric utility. The Board is soliciting suggestions for candidates to fill that vacancy.

The FTC intends to ask the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') to extend through January 31, 2015, the current Paperwork Reduction Act (``PRA'') clearance for information the FTC would seek from a combined ten or more of the largest cigarette manufacturers and smokeless tobacco manufacturers. The current clearance expires on January 31, 2012.