February 22, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA is proposing to approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of West Virginia (West Virginia). This revision pertains to amendments of West Virginia's Legislative Rule regarding ambient air quality standards (45CSR8- Ambient Air Quality Standards). These amendments incorporate by reference the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and lead. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

DoD, GSA, and NASA are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement the requirements of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 regarding the imposition of a 2 percent tax on certain foreign procurements.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposes to rescind the current regulations governing two of its eight loan repayment programs and issue in their place a new consolidated set of regulations governing all of the NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs). There are currently eight programs, including three for researchers employed by the NIH (Intramural LRPs) and five for non-NIH scientists (Extramural LRPs). The Intramural LRPs include the Loan Repayment Program for Research with Respect to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (or AIDS Research LRP); Loan Repayment Program for General Research (or General Research LRP), which includes a program for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Fellows; and Loan Repayment Program for Clinical Researchers from Disadvantaged Backgrounds (or Clinical Research LRP for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds). The Extramural LRPs include the Loan Repayment Program for Contraception and Infertility Research (or Contraception and Infertility Research LRP); Loan Repayment Program for Clinical Researchers from Disadvantaged Backgrounds (or Clinical Research LRP for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds); Loan Repayment Program for Clinical Research (or Clinical Research LRP); Loan Repayment Program for Pediatric Research (or Pediatric Research LRP); and Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research (or Health Disparities Research LRP). This rule compliments efforts afforded by EO 13563.

On February 10, 2012, Maquilacero S.A. de C.V. filed a First Request for Panel Review with the United States Section of the NAFTA Secretariat pursuant to Article 1904 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Panel Review was requested of the U.S. Department of Commerce's final determination regarding Light-Walled Rectangular Pipe and Tube from Mexico, Final Results of 2009-2010 Antidumping Duty Administrative Review. This determination was published in the Federal Register (77 FR 1915), on January 12, 2012. The NAFTA Secretariat has assigned Case Number USA-MEX-2012-1904-01 to this request.

In accordance with section 6(f)(1) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended, EPA is issuing a notice of receipt of requests by registrants to voluntarily cancel certain pesticide registrations. EPA intends to grant these requests at the close of the comment period for this announcement unless the Agency receives substantive comments within the comment period that would merit its further review of the requests, or unless the registrants withdraw their requests. If these requests are granted, any sale, distribution, or use of products listed in this notice will be permitted after the registration has been cancelled only if such sale, distribution, or use is consistent with the terms as described in the final order.

This action re-proposes confidentiality determinations for the data elements in subpart I, Electronics Manufacturing source category, of the Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Rule. On July 7, 2010, the EPA proposed confidentiality determinations for then-proposed subpart I data elements and is now issuing this re-proposal due to significant changes to certain data elements in the final subpart I reporting requirements. In addition, the EPA is proposing amendments to subpart I regarding the calculation and reporting of emissions from facilities that use best available monitoring methods. Proposed amendments would remove the obligation to recalculate and resubmit emission estimates for the period during which the facility used best available monitoring methods after the facility has begun using all applicable monitoring methods of subpart I.

Under the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations, imported merchandise may be transported in-bond. This process allows imported merchandise to be entered at one U.S. port of entry without appraisement or payment of duties and transported by a bonded carrier to another U.S. port of entry provided all statutory and regulatory conditions are met. At the destination port, the merchandise is officially entered into the commerce of the United States and duties paid, or, the merchandise is exported. CBP is proposing various changes to the in-bond regulations to enhance CBP's ability to regulate and track in-bond merchandise and to ensure that the in-bond merchandise is properly entered and duties are paid or that the in-bond merchandise is exported. Among other things, the proposed changes would: eliminate the paper in-bond application (CBP Form 7512) and require carriers or their agents to electronically file the in-bond application; require additional information on the in-bond application including the six- digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule number, if available, and information relevant to the safety and security of the in-bond merchandise; establish a 30-day maximum time to transport in-bond merchandise between United States ports, for all modes of transportation except pipeline; require carriers to electronically request permission from CBP before diverting the in-bond merchandise from its intended destination port to another port; and require carriers to report the arrival and location of the in-bond merchandise within 24 hours of arrival at the port of destination or port of export. CBP also proposes various other changes, including the restructuring of the in-bond regulations, so that they are more logical and better track the in-bond process. At this time, CBP is not proposing to change the in-bond procedures found in the air commerce regulations, except to change certain times periods to conform to the proposed changes in this document.