December 7, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) will a hold work session, which is open to the public.

DoD is making technical amendments to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to provide needed editorial changes and guidance to contracting officers.

Japanese Prime Minister Noda recently announced Japan's intention to begin consultations with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries towards joining the TPP negotiations. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is assessing Japan's expression of interest in the TPP negotiations in light of the TPP's high standards for liberalizing trade and specific issues of concern to the United States regarding Japanese barriers to agriculture, services, and manufacturing trade, including non-tariff measures. In conducting its assessment, USTR is seeking public comments on these concerns and all other elements related to Japan's interest in the TPP negotiations.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently stated Canada's intention to begin consultations with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries towards joining the TPP negotiations. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is assessing Canada's expression of interest in the TPP negotiations in light of the TPP's high standards for liberalizing trade and specific issues of concern to the United States regarding Canadian barriers to agriculture, services, and manufacturing trade, including non-tariff measures. In conducting its assessment, USTR is seeking public comments on these concerns and all other elements related to Canada's interest in the TPP negotiations.

To provide interested parties with the opportunity to comment further to the original request for public comment (see https:// www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-10-17/pdf/2011-26757.pdf), The United States Patent and Trademark Office (``USPTO'') is extending the period for public comment regarding any challenges that U.S. inventors and companies are facing with the judicial and/or administrative patent enforcement systems of the People's Republic of China. USPTO invites any member of the public to submit written comments on China's patent enforcement system, including, but not limited to, the following five topics: acquisition and enforcement of utility model and design patents; evidence collection and preservation in Chinese courts; obtaining damages and injunctions; enforceability of court orders and judgments; and administrative patent enforcement. The USPTO would like to resolve rights holders' concerns by working with them to identify problems regarding these and other areas of China's patent enforcement system so that it can then address these issues with the Chinese Government. To help the USPTO address these issues, it encourages interested members of the public to respond to this request.

This interim final rule with comment period revises the regulations implementing medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements for health insurance issuers under the Public Health Service Act in order to establish rules governing the distribution of rebates by issuers in group markets for non-Federal governmental plans.

The Department of Labor (the Department), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA 95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is soliciting comments on the proposed extension of the information collection requests (ICRs) contained in the documents described below. A copy of the ICRs may be obtained by contacting the office listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. ICRs also are available at reginfo.gov (https:// www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 is publishing a direct final Notice of Deletion of the Palmer Barge Line (PBL) Superfund Site located in Port Arthur, Texas (Jefferson County), from the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL, promulgated pursuant to Section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended, is an appendix of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). This direct final deletion is being published by EPA with the concurrence of the State of Texas, through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, because EPA has determined that all appropriate response actions at these identified parcels under CERCLA, other than operation, maintenance, and Five-Year Reviews, have been completed. However, this deletion does not preclude future actions under Superfund.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has submitted the following information collections to OMB for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. Comments regarding this information collection are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of this notification. Comments should be sent via email to OIRA_ Submission@omb.eop.gov. The USAID submission to OMB is attached hereto.

The Coast Guard is establishing three special anchorage areas in Wells Harbor, Wells, Maine. This action is necessary to facilitate safe navigation in that area and provide safe and secure anchorages for vessels not more than 20 meters in length. This action is intended to increase the safety of life and property in Wells Harbor, improve the safety of anchored vessels, and provide for the overall safe and efficient flow of vessel traffic and commerce.

This notice announces a forthcoming meeting of a public advisory committee of ACF. The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: Advisory Committee for Head Start Research and Evaluation. General Function of Committee: The Advisory Committee for Head Start Research and Evaluation will provide feedback on the published final report for the Head Start Impact Study, offering interpretations of the findings, discussing implications for practice and policy, and providing recommendations on follow-up research, including additional analysis of the Head Start Impact Study data. The Committee will also be asked to provide recommendations to the Secretary regarding how to improve Head Start and other early childhood programs by enhancing the use of research-informed practices in early childhood. Finally, the Committee will be asked to provide recommendations on the overall Head Start research agenda, includingbut not limited tohow the Head Start Impact Study fits within this agenda. The Committee will provide advice regarding future research efforts to inform HHS about how to guide the development and implementation of best practices in Head Start and other early childhood programs around the country.

EPA is taking several related actions affecting Lake and Porter Counties and the State of Indiana for the 1997 annual fine particulate matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS or standard). EPA is approving a request from the State of Indiana for the redesignation of Lake and Porter Counties to attainment of the 1997 annual PM2.5 standard. EPA is approving, as a revision to the Indiana State Implementation Plan (SIP), the State's plan for maintaining the 1997 annual PM2.5 standard in the Chicago-Gary-Lake County, Illinois- Indiana (IL-IN) PM2.5 nonattainment area (Greater Chicago nonattainment area) through 2025. EPA is also approving Indiana's 2025 Nitrogen Oxides (NOX) and PM2.5 Motor Vehicle Emission Budgets (MVEBs). Finally, EPA is approving Indiana's 2005 NOX, primary PM2.5, and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions inventories for Lake and Porter Counties.

Through this notice of proposed rulemaking (``NPRM''), the Economic Development Administration (``EDA''), U.S. Department of Commerce (``DOC''), proposes and requests comments on updates to the agency's regulations implementing the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, as amended (``PWEDA''). On February 1, 2011, EDA published a notice requesting comments on improving the regulations. A 70-day public comment period followed from February 1, 2011 through April 11, 2011, during which EDA received approximately 170 comments. In addition, EDA conducted an internal review of its regulations. This NPRM addresses and incorporates public comments and agency staff suggestions to present an updated set of proposed regulations that reflects the agency's current practices and policies in administering its economic development assistance programs. For convenience, the full text of EDA's regulations as amended is available on EDA's Web site at https://www.eda. gov/.