January 13, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA and NHTSA are announcing a 14-day extension of the comment period for the joint proposed rules ``2017 and Later Model Year Light- Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards,'' published in the Federal Register on December 1, 2011 (76 FR 74854). The comment period was to end on January 30, 2012 (60 days after publication of the proposals in the Federal Register). This document extends the comment period to February 13, 2012. This extension of the comment period is provided to allow the public additional time to comment on the proposed rule. The extension of the comment period does not apply to NHTSA's Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS), available on NHTSA's Web site at www.nhtsa.gov/fuel-economy. The comment period for NHTSA's Draft EIS closes on January 31, 2012.

The Department of Justice is amending its regulations governing the discipline of immigration practitioners as follows. First, the Department is removing unnecessary regulations and adding appropriate references to applicable regulations of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Second, the Department is making technical amendments to the Executive Office for Immigration Review's (EOIR) practitioner disciplinary regulations and clarifying the Department of Justice's final rule on Professional Conduct for PractitionersRules and Procedures, and Representation and Appearances, which became effective on January 20, 2009.

This proposed rule would eliminate the process for requesting alternative FHA maximum mortgage amounts. HUD currently sets the area- based loan limits on a yearly basis and permits appeals of these loan limits. At the time the regulations permitting appeals were promulgated, there were no comprehensive, national databases of home sales transactions. As a result, HUD relied on sales data provided by interested parties in determining loan limits for certain areas. Today, however, HUD has available comprehensive direct sales transaction data and indirect home value data at the county level. In addition, since HUD began this new information collection on price trends at a county level, the number of parties utilizing the appeals process has gone from 105 for the 2008 loan limits to zero for the 2011 loan limits. For these reasons, HUD has determined that the regulations governing requests for alternative maximum mortgage amounts are outdated and unnecessarily disrupt HUD's loan limit determination process. The elimination of this appeals process would allow HUD to release its annual loan limits one month earlier than it has for the past three calendar years. This difference would provide more certainty in the mortgage lending market.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is reopening the comment period for Notice No. 123, Proposed Establishment of the Middleburg Virginia Viticultural Area, a notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register on November 8, 2011. TTB is taking this action in response to a request from a local wine industry organization.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``Commission'' or ``CFTC'') is adopting rules to implement the Commodity Exchange Act (``CEA'' or ``Act'') relating to swap data recordkeeping and reporting requirements. These sections of the CEA were added by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (``Dodd-Frank Act''). The rules being adopted apply to swap data recordkeeping and reporting requirements for swap data repositories, derivatives clearing organizations, designated contract markets, swap execution facilities, swap dealers, major swap participants, and swap counterparties who are neither swap dealers nor major swap participants. The recordkeeping and reporting requirements of this rule further the goals of the Dodd-Frank Act to reduce systemic risk, increase transparency and promote market integrity within the financial system.