December 15, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for all waters of the Upper Mississippi River, from Mile 389.4 to 403.1, extending the entire width of the river located on the Iowa and Illinois border. This safety zone is needed to protect bridge span movement operations on the Upper Mississippi River. Entry into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Upper Mississippi River or a designated representative.

This notice sets out the legal description of the Noatak National Preserve and Wilderness Addition.

Under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (5 U.S.C., Appendix, as amended), the Government in the Sunshine Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended), and 41 CFR 102-3.150, the Department of Defense announces that the following Federal advisory committee meeting of the Defense Acquisition University Board of Visitors will take place.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has received a complaint entitled In Re Certain Silicon Microphone Packages and Products Containing Same, DN 2864; the Commission is soliciting comments on any public interest issues raised by the complaint.

The consent agreement in this matter settles alleged violations of federal law prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or practices or unfair methods of competition. The attached Analysis to Aid Public Comment describes both the allegations in the draft complaint and the terms of the consent orderembodied in the consent agreementthat would settle these allegations.

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is soliciting proposals from organizations, groups, or individuals to enter into an 18-month cooperative agreement to provide for the revision of Strategic Development of the Executive Woman, and to plan and deliver the program in 2012. NIC continues to build upon the success of its women's-only programming, where gender barriers are eliminated and acceleration of learning is possible. The award recipient will become familiar with the work currently being done at NIC that provides for an understanding of the history and future development goals for this series. The award includes responsibility for the updated Instructional Theory into Practice (ITIP) formatted curriculum, and in collaboration with the NIC Research and Information Services Division, an evaluation of the initial program delivery using the NIC training evaluation protocol. This should represent a minimal cost to the award recipient. The project will also address strategies for additional learning and networking upon training completion.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The nature of the information collection is described as well as its expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on June 29, 2011, and comments were due by August 29, 2011. No comments were received.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (``OFAC'') is publishing the names of five individuals and one entity whose property and interests in property have been unblocked pursuant to Executive Order 12978 of October 21, 1995, ``Blocking Assets and Prohibiting Transactions With Significant Narcotics Traffickers''.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) has provided two procedures under which an applicant may have an application accorded special status for examination. The Patent Application Backlog Reduction Stimulus Plan is available if the applicant expressly abandons another copending unexamined application. The Green Technology Pilot Program is available to patent applications pertaining to environmental quality, energy conservation, development of renewable energy resources, and greenhouse gas emission reduction. In view of the trend in filings under the Patent Application Backlog Reduction Stimulus Plan, this plan has fulfilled its purpose and will not be extended. In view of the success of the Green Technology Pilot Program, this plan will be extended until 500 additional applications have been accorded special status under this program or until March 30, 2012, whichever occurs earlier. Following the expiration of this extension, the program will be eliminated, and applicants may instead use the newly enacted Prioritized Examination (Track I) program. The Track I program not only provides advancement of examination, but sets a target of reaching final disposition within 12 months from the time advancement is initiated. Furthermore, the advancement in the Track I program is available to all technologies and is not restricted to certain categories of invention as in the Pilot Program.

The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for the International Sports Programming Initiative. Public and private non- profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) may submit proposals for projects designed to reach out to youth and promote mutual understanding by increasing the professional capacity of those who design and manage youth sports programs in select countries in Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, the Near East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, Europe, and the Western Hemisphere. The focus of all programs must be on reaching out to both male and female youth ages 7- 17 and/or their coaches/administrators. Programs designed to train elite athletes or coaches will not be considered. Eligible countries and territories in each region are: Africa: Botswana, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Mali, and Nigeria; East Asia and the Pacific: China, Malaysia, or a multi-country program that MUST include AT LEAST TWO of the followingCambodia, Laos, Thailand, and/or Vietnam; Near East and North Africa: Egypt, Tunisia, or a program that MUST include both Israel and West Bank/Gaza; South and Central Asia: Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Turkmenistan; Europe: Bosnia and Turkey; and the Western Hemisphere: Belize, Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Uruguay. Proposals may address multiple countries, but all the countries must then be in the same region. Please see Section III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements for more information on eligibility requirements. Funding Under this Competition is pending the availability of FY 2012 funds.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model 777 airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by four reports of retaining cross bolt hardware not fully engaged into the fuse pins of the forward trunnion lower housing of the main landing gear (MLG), which could result in an incorrect MLG emergency landing break-away sequence. This proposed AD would require a detailed inspection of the fuse pin cross bolts and fuse pins of the left and right MLG forward trunnion lower housing to verify that the cross bolts are correctly installed and that there are no missing fuse pins, and replacement of the fuse pins if necessary. We are proposing this AD to prevent an incorrect emergency landing MLG break-away sequence, which could result in puncturing of the wing box and consequent fuel leaks and an airplane fire. Failure of the fuse pins could also result in a premature landing gear collapse causing a runway excursion during take- off or landing.

EPA is taking final action to approve a request submitted on January 27, 2011, from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, through the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, Division for Air Quality (DAQ), to redesignate the Kentucky portion of the Cincinnati-Hamilton, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana (hereafter referred to as the ``Tri-state Cincinnati-Hamilton Area'') fine particulate matter (PM2.5) nonattainment area to attainment for the 1997 Annual PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The Tri-state Cincinnati-Hamilton Area is comprised of Boone, Campbell, and Kenton Counties in Kentucky (hereafter referred to as the ``Northern Kentucky Area'' or ``Area''); Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren Counties in Ohio; and a portion of Dearborn County in Indiana. EPA's approval of the redesignation request is based on the determination that Kentucky has met the criteria for redesignation to attainment set forth in the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act). Additionally, EPA is approving a revision to the Kentucky State Implementation Plan (SIP) to include the 1997 Annual PM2.5 maintenance plan for the Northern Kentucky Area that contains the new 2015 and 2021 motor vehicle emission budgets (MVEBs) for nitrogen oxides (NOX) and PM2.5 for that Area. On December 9, 2010, and January 25, 2011, respectively, Ohio and Indiana submitted requests to redesignate their portion of the Tri-state Cincinnati-Hamilton Area to attainment for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA is taking action on the requests from Ohio and Indiana in an action separate from this final action. This action also approves the emissions inventory submitted with the maintenance plan. Additionally, EPA is responding to comments received on EPA's October 21, 2011, proposed rulemaking.

The Postal Service seeks public comment on proposed revisions to the service standards for market-dominant mail products. The most significant revision would largely eliminate overnight service for First-Class Mail.

This document seeks comment on a proposal to replace the issues/programs list that television stations must place in their public file with a streamlined, standardized disclosure form that will be available to the public online. The FCC's goal is to make it easier for the public to learn about how television stations serve their communities, and to make broadcasters more accountable to the public, by requiring stations to provide easily accessible programming information in a standardized format. This standardized disclosure will also assist the FCC and researchers to study and analyze how broadcasters respond to the needs and interests of their communities of license. The FCC seeks to address many of the shortcomings that have been attributed to the form adopted in the 2007 Enhanced Disclosure Report and Order, which we have vacated in a separate Order on Reconsideration and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

The FDIC is seeking public comment to amend the FDIC's regulations in accordance with the requirements of Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDI Act). Specifically, to prohibit any insured savings association from acquiring and retaining a corporate debt security unless it determines, prior to acquiring such security and periodically thereafter, that the issuer has adequate capacity to meet all financial commitments under the security for the projected life of the investment. For purposes of the Proposed Rule, an issuer would satisfy this requirement if, based on the assessment of the savings association, the issuer presents a low risk of default and is likely to make full and timely repayment of principal and interest. As proposed, this standard is consistent with alternative creditworthiness standards proposed by other Federal agencies under the Dodd-Frank Act and existing guidance regarding securities investments and credit classifications of banks and savings associations. In connection with this NPR, the FDIC is also seeking public comment on proposed guidance, published elsewhere in today's Federal Register, that sets forth supervisory expectations for savings associations conducting due diligence to determine whether a corporate debt security is eligible for investment under this proposed rule.