March 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of the Treasury, 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 proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A). Currently the Bureau of the Public Debt within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the Supporting Statement of Ownership for Overdue United States Bearer Securities.

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) requests comments on the revised version of the Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals: Standard Work Specifications for Single Family Energy Upgrades. This document is a set of work specifications applicable to energy efficiency retrofits of single family homes. These specifications are intended as a resource for any organization, company, or individual involved in energy efficiency retrofits of residential homes. This document was released for public comment in draft form on November 9, 2010. As a result of the comments received, EERE made revisions to the document for which EERE is providing an opportunity for public comment.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Limited (BHTC) Model 407 helicopters. This proposed AD is prompted by a review of the tailboom-attachment installation, which revealed that the torque value of the bolts specified in the BHTC Model 407 Maintenance Manual and applied during manufacturing was incorrect and exceeded the torque range recommended for the bolts. This proposed AD would require you to replace tailboom- attachment hardware (attachment hardware), and perform initial and recurring determinations of the torque on the nuts of the tailboom-attachment bolts (bolts) at all four attachment locations. The actions required by this proposed AD are intended to prevent an over-torque of a bolt, bolt failure, loss of the tailboom, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) Model SA.315B Alouette III, SE.3160 Alouette III, SA.316B Alouette III, SA.316C Alouette III, SA.319B Alouette III, SA 3180-Alouette Astazou, SA 318B-Alouette Astazou, and SA 318C-Alouette Astazou helicopters. This proposed AD was prompted by incorrect positioning of the roller drive pocket recesses on the tail rotor drive shaft free-wheel cage, which caused a pilot to experience a heavy jerk in the yaw control during in-flight autorotation training. This condition, if not corrected, could lead to a temporary loss of tail rotor drive and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

Under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, (5 U.S.C. Appendix), the Government in the Sunshine Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b), and 41 CFR 102-3.50(d), the Department of Defense gives notice that it is renewing the charter for the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (hereafter referred to as ``the Committee''). The Committee is a discretionary federal advisory committee that shall provide the Secretary of Defense through the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, independent, advice and recommendations on matters and policies relating to women in the Armed Forces of the United States. The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness may act upon the Committee's advice and recommendations. The Committee shall be comprised of no more 20 members appointed by the Secretary of Defense who have experience with the military or with women's workforce issues. The Secretary of Defense shall select and appoint the Committee's chairperson from the total membership. All Committee member appointments must be renewed by the Secretary of Defense on an annual basis. The Secretary of Defense may appoint the Director of the Center for Women Veterans for the Department of Veterans Affairs to serve as a non-voting, ex-officio member, who participates in the Committee's deliberations. If appointed, he or she will not count toward the Committee's total membership, or to determine whether a quorum exists. The Under Secretary may request the appointment of additional experts and consultants to advise the Committee as subject matter experts. If approved by the Secretary of Defense, these experts and consultants, appointed under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 3109, shall have no voting rights on the Committee or its subcommittees, shall not count toward the Committee's total membership, and shall not engage in Committee deliberations. Committee members, who are not full-time or permanent part-time Federal officers or employees, shall be appointed to serve as experts and consultants under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 3109 and shall serve as special government employee members. With the exception of travel and per diem for official Committee related travel, Committee members shall serve without compensation. The Secretary of Defense may approve the appointment of Committee members for one to four year terms of service; however, no member, unless authorized by the Secretary of Defense, may serve more than two consecutive terms of service. This same term of service limitation also applies to any DoD authorized subcommittees. To the extent possible, approximately one-third of the membership should rotate on an annual basis. Each Committee member is appointed to provide advice on behalf of the government on the basis of his or her best judgment without representing any particular point of view and in a manner that is free from conflict of interest. The Department, when necessary, and consistent with the Committee's mission and DoD policies and procedures, may establish subcommittees deemed necessary to support the Committee. Establishment of subcommittees will be based upon a written determination, to include terms of reference, by the Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Secretary of Defense or the advisory committee's sponsor. Such subcommittees shall not work independently of the chartered Committee, and shall report all their recommendations and advice to the Committee for full deliberation and discussion. Subcommittees have no authority to make decisions on behalf of the chartered Committee; nor can any subcommittee or its members update or report directly to the DoD or any Federal officers or employees. Subcommittees shall comply with FACA. All subcommittee members shall be appointed in the same manner as the Committee members; that is, the Secretary of Defense shall appoint subcommittee members even if the member in question is already a Committee member. Subcommittee members, with the approval of the Secretary of Defense, may serve a term of service on the subcommittee of one to four years; however, no member shall serve more than two consecutive terms of service on the subcommittee. Subcommittee members, if not full-time or part-time government employees, shall be appointed to serve as experts and consultants under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 3109, and shall serve as special government employees, whose appointments must be renewed by the Secretary of Defense on an annual basis. With the exception of travel and per diem for official Committee related travel, subcommittee members shall serve without compensation. All subcommittees operate under the provisions of FACA, the Government in the Sunshine Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b), governing Federal statutes and regulations, and governing DoD policies/procedures.

We propose to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI) Model MD900 helicopters. The existing AD requires a visual inspection, and if necessary, an eddy current inspection of the main rotor lower hub assembly (lower hub) for a crack. If a crack exists, the AD requires replacing the lower hub with an airworthy lower hub before further flight. Because that AD was immediately effective, we did not include in its requirements certain long-term actions that did not necessitate adoption prior to public comment. This proposed AD would require those long-term actions. This proposed AD would require the same inspections as the existing AD but would also require recurring inspections and replacing the lower hub with an airworthy lower hub. We are proposing this AD to detect a crack in the lower hub and prevent failure of the lower hub and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

The New Mexico Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel will meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Panel is meeting as authorized under the Community Forest Restoration Act (Title VI, Pub. L. 106-393) and in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the meeting is to provide recommendations to the Regional Forester, USDA Forest Service Southwestern Region, on which applications submitted in response to the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Request For Applications best meet the program objectives.

The U.S. Forest Service (FS) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on a proposed action to conduct selective cutting and prescribed burn in forest across approximately 33,010 acres of National Forest System lands. The project intends to conserve and restore the Rim Lakes Project Area to makeover timethe forest ecosystem more sustainable and resilient to natural disturbances such as drought and climatic variability, insects, disease, fire, and wind. The purpose of the project is to restore forest health, move forests toward an uneven-aged forest structure with all age classes represented, and restore frequent, periodic surface fire as an ecological process, as well as reduce the risk of a stand-replacing fire. The project will also improve hydrologic function, improve wildlife habitatin particular for Northern goshawk and Mexican spotted owland improve scenic quality, as well as move the project area towards forest plan old growth management allocation goals. In order to meet the purpose, this project includes a site- specific, forest plan amendment to the Apache-Sitgreaves Land and Resource Management Plan. This amendment clarifies guidelines to assure the proposed action can meet its restoration objectives, and to assure consistency with the forest plan. Information about the project can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/asnf/landmanagement/projects.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish special local regulation during the Yorktown Parade of Sail, a parade of five tall ships and 195 other vessels, to be held on the waters of York River, Yorktown, Virginia on June 2, 2012. This regulation is necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the event. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic in portions of the York River, Yorktown, Virginia during the event.

Under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (5 U.S.C., Appendix, as amended) and the Sunshine Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended) the Department of Defense announces the following Federal advisory committee meeting of the Threat Reduction Advisory Committee (hereafter referred to as ``the Committee'').

On March 30, 2012, the Department of Labor (DOL) will submit the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Labor Exchange Reporting System,'' (LERS) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is soliciting public comment on the currently approved information collection, FERC-552, Annual Report of Natural Gas Transactions.

The Executive Director of the Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries gives notice of a closed meeting of the Advisory Committee on Actuarial Examinations.

Through this notice, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announces that the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) has designated the Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a period of 18 months, effective March 29, 2012 through September 30, 2013. Under section 244(b)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act), 8 U.S.C. 1254a(b)(1), the Secretary is authorized to grant TPS to eligible nationals of designated foreign states or parts of such states (or to eligible aliens having no nationality who last habitually resided in such states) upon finding that such states are experiencing an ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, or extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent nationals from returning in safety. This designation allows eligible Syrian nationals (and aliens having no nationality who last habitually resided in Syria) who have both continuously resided in and been continuously physically present in the United States since March 29, 2012 to be granted TPS. This notice also describes the other eligibility criteria applicants must meet. Individuals who believe they may qualify for TPS under this designation may apply within the 180-day registration period that begins on March 29, 2012. They may also apply for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) and for travel authorization. In this notice, DHS also sets forth the procedures for nationals of Syria (or aliens having no nationality who last habitually resided in Syria) to apply for TPS and EADs with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

This notice announces our intention to establish a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) to facilitate the modernization of business processes and supporting systems and their operations.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Request To Be Selected as Payee,'' Form CM-910, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).