December 14, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Securities and Exchange Commission published a document in the Federal Register of December 12, 2011, concerning a Self-Regulatory Organizations; Fixed Income Clearing Corporation; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change to Allow the Mortgage-Backed Securities Division to Provide Guaranteed Settlement and Central Counterparty Services. The document contained improper timing requirements. Because this filing was received by the Securities and Exchange Commission prior to amendments to Section 19(b) of the Securities Exchange Act (through the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act), the operative timing requirements for the Securities and Exchange Commission's action with respect to the filing are different from the amended timing requirements. However, the release was sent to the Federal Register reflecting the amended and consequently improper timing requirements.

On November 29, 2011, the Court of International Trade (CIT) issued an order in Tata Steel Limited v. United States, and United States Steel Corporation and Nucor Corporation, Court No. 10-00219, Order of Judgment By Stipulation of the Parties (November 29, 2011) (Tata) pertaining to the Department's agreement with Tata Steel Limited (Tata), setting the final countervailing rate for the period of review (POR) of January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2008 (2008 POR) to 102.74 percent, and specifying the future countervailing duty cash deposit rate to 102.74 percent for that company. The Department is amending the final results of the administrative review of the countervailing duty order on certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat products (HRCS) from India covering the 2008 POR, to reflect the CIT's order in Tata.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a meeting of the Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC).

NMFS announces that fish quotas are available for harvest in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area. This action is necessary to make fishing privileges available on an equitable basis.

On June 10, 2011, the Department of Commerce (``Department'') published the preliminary results of the first administrative review of the antidumping duty order on citric acid and certain citrate salts (``citric acid'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''), covering the period November 20, 2008, through April 30, 2010. See Citric Acid and Certain Citrate Salts from the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results of the First Administrative Review of the Antidumping Duty Order; and Partial Rescission of Administrative Review, 76 FR 34048 (June 10, 2011) (``Preliminary Results''). We invited interested parties to comment on our Preliminary Results. Based on our findings from on-site verifications and analysis of the comments received, we made certain changes to our margin calculations for the respondents. The final dumping margins for this review are listed in the ``Final Results of the Review'' section below.

In response to a petition filed by Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) on April 27, 2011, the Board is instituting a declaratory order proceeding under 49 U.S.C. 721 and 5 U.S.C. 554(e). UP requests that the Board issue a declaratory order to resolve a controversy regarding the reasonableness of the indemnification provisions in UP's tariff relating to transportation of toxic by inhalation hazardous commodities (TIH). The Board seeks public comment on the issues raised in this case.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR which is abstracted below describes the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost.

This regulation establishes new tolerances and revises existing tolerances for residues of hexythiazox in or on multiple commodities which are identified and discussed later in this document. Gowan Company and the Interregional Research Project Number 4 (IR-4) requested the tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).

Notice is hereby given that a major amendment to Permit No. 781-1824-01 has been issued to the Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC, Dr. M. Bradley Hanson, Principal Investigator), 2725 Montlake Blvd. East, Seattle, Washington 98112-2097.

The Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management, invites comments on the submission for OMB review as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13).

The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a proposed information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. The CFPB is soliciting comments on an information collection request that will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance on or after the date of publication of this notice. A copy of the submission may be obtained by contacting the agency contacts listed below.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation proposes to amend its Terrorist Screening Records System, JUSTICE/FBI-019, maintained by the Terrorist Screening Center, to add two new categories of individuals and their associated records, to add a new routine use and make modifications to existing routine uses, and to make several administrative modifications and updates throughout the notice. Public comment is invited.

Subsection (e)(12) of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, (5 U.S.C. 552a) requires agencies to publish advance notice of any proposed or revised computer matching program by the matching agency for public comment. The DoD, as the matching agency under the Privacy Act is hereby giving notice to the record subjects of a computer matching program between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and DoD, Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) that their records are being matched by computer. The purpose of this agreement is to verify an individual's continuing eligibility for VA benefits by identifying VA disability benefit recipients who return to active duty and to ensure that benefits are terminated if appropriate.

This document contains final regulations relating to the Employers' Annual Federal Tax Program (the Form 944 Program) and the requirements for depositing social security, Medicare, and withheld Federal income taxes (collectively ``employment taxes''). These final regulations allow certain employers to file a Form 944, ``Employer's ANNUAL Federal Tax Return,'' rather than Forms 941, ``Employer's QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return.'' Additionally, these final regulations provide guidance related to the lookback periods and deposit requirements for employers required to file Forms 941 and Form 944. These final regulations affect taxpayers that file Forms 941, Form 944, and any related Spanish-language returns or returns for U.S. possessions.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is announcing the completion and availability of the new criteria for identifying nuclear material licensees for discussion at the Agency Action Review Meeting (AARM). The criteria may be found in SECY-11-0132 (NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession Number: ML112280111) or in the supplementary information below. The AARM is an agency meeting that allows senior NRC managers (1) to review the appropriateness of agency actions that have been taken for those nuclear power plants with significant performance problems as determined by the reactor oversight process (ROP) action matrix, (2) to review the appropriateness of agency actions for those nuclear material licensees, including fuel cycle facilities, with significant safety or security issues, (3) to ensure that coordinated courses of action have been developed and implemented for licensees of concern, (4) to review results of the staff's assessment of ROP effectiveness, including a review of approved deviations from the action matrix, and (5) to ensure that trends in industry and licensee performance are recognized and appropriately addressed.

On September 23, 2010, EPA proposed to approve a number of new and revised test procedures (i.e., analytical methods) for measuring pollutants under the Clean Water Act. Today's notice announces the availability of new data on an analytical method for the measurement of oil and grease that EPA described in the earlier notice but did not propose to approve it for use. This notice discusses how EPA is considering revising its proposed regulatory requirements for this method. EPA is soliciting comment only on EPA's consideration of this method.

This document announces that the EPA Administrator has responded to a citizen petition asking EPA to object to an operating permit (Permit Number 2500-00001-V5) issued by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ). Specifically, the Administrator has granted in part and denied in part the December 10, 2009 petition, submitted by Tulane Environmental Law Clinic on behalf of Concerned Citizens Around Murphy (Petitioners). The petition asked the Administrator to object to the October 15, 2009 operating permit that LDEQ issued to Murphy Oil, USA, Inc. (Murphy Oil) for the Meraux Refinery. Pursuant to sections 307(b) and 505(b)(2) of the Clean Air Act (CAA), a petition for judicial review of those parts of the Order that deny issues in the petition may be filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the appropriate circuit within 60 days from the date this notice appears in the Federal Register.

The EPA is proposing to determine that the Boston-Lawrence- Worcester (Eastern Massachusetts), MA-NH serious one-hour ozone nonattainment area met the applicable deadline of November 15, 2007, for attaining the one-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ozone. This proposed determination is based upon complete, certified, quality-assured ambient air quality monitoring data for the 2005-2007 monitoring period showing that the area had an expected ozone exceedance rate below the level of the now revoked one-hour ozone NAAQS during that period and therefore attained the standard by its applicable deadline. EPA is proposing this determination under the Clean Air Act.

On February 1, 1988, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conditionally granted a waiver requested by the Texas Methanol Corporation (Texas Methanol) for a gasoline-alcohol fuel, pursuant to section 211(f) of the Clean Air Act.\1\ A minor correction was made on May 12, 1988.\2\ A modification to the original conditions was made on October 21, 1988.\3\ Spirit of 21st Century LLC submitted a request to modify the waiver. The new request seeks approval on an alternative corrosion inhibitor, TXCeed, to be used within Texas Methanol's gasoline-alcohol fuel, also known as OCTAMIX. EPA considers this to be a request for modification of the waiver under 211(f) of the Clean Air Act (Act).