April 3, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule makes technical changes to the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) upland cotton marketing assistance loan (MAL) regulations to revise certain grade and quality references. Changes include revising references to specific quality characteristics of certain base quality grades to simply a reference to the ``base quality'' of the grade without further specification. CCC uses base quality to calculate upland cotton loan rates, Adjusted World Price (AWP), and related adjustments. This change will accommodate any future changes to the base quality specifications that define the base quality characteristics of a particular grade. This rule also changes a broad reference of a base grade to a more specific reference that names the particular relevant grade. None of these changes involve a change of policy and would not have affected any program determinations in past crop years, had these changes been in place at the time. They improve the regulations by maintaining consistency with base quality specifications as that may change in the future. This amendment will apply starting with the 2012 crop.

NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is transferring a portion of its 2012 commercial summer flounder quota to the Commonwealth of Virginia. The State of North Carolina is also retroactively transferring a portion of its 2011 commercial summer flounder quota to the Commonwealth of Virginia. NMFS is adjusting the quotas and announcing the revised commercial quota for each state involved.

This temporary rule implements interim Gulf of Maine (GOM) Atlantic cod (cod) management measures for the 2012 fishing year. This action is necessary to: Establish GOM cod Annual Catch Limits (ACLs); implement recreational management measures that will constrain catch to the recreational sub-ACL; and reduce overfishing occurring on GOM cod in anticipation of further action to end overfishing in fishing year 2013.

On January 24, 2003, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amended the VA Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) by establishing simplified procedures for the competitive acquisition of health-care resources, consisting of commercial services or the use of medical equipment or space, pursuant to the Veterans' Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996 (38 U.S.C. 8151-8153). These procedures are codified at 48 CFR chapter 8. In developing these standards, VA performed a Regulatory Flexibility Analysis which indicated the rule could have a significant impact on a substantial number of small businesses. VA has initiated a review of this rule under section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act to determine if the rule should be continued without change, or should be amended or rescinded, to minimize adverse economic impacts on small entities. Please note that VA is in the process of rewriting the VAAR and will be reviewing the requirements of this rule in detail as part of this revision initiative. In the interim, VA solicits, and will consider, public comments on factors described in the Supplementary Information.

The Coast Guard proposes establishment of Special Local Regulations for ``The Crossing'' swim event, to be held on the waters of Lake Gaston, adjacent to the Eaton Ferry Bridge in Littleton, North Carolina. This Special Local Regulation is necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the event. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic on Lake Gaston under the Eaton Ferry Bridge and within 100 yards west of the bridge during the swim event.

This action amends Class E airspace at Tobe, CO. Decommissioning of the Tobe Tactical Air Navigation System (TACAN) has made this action necessary for the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations in the vicinity of the Tobe VHF Omni- Directional Radio Range/Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME).

This action amends Class E airspace at Hugo, CO. Decommissioning of the Hugo Tactical Air Navigation System (TACAN) has made this action necessary for the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations in the vicinity of the Hugo VHF Omni- Directional Radio Range/Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME). This action also makes a minor adjustment to the geographic coordinates of the VOR/DME and makes a correction to the regulatory text. Also, the legal description is better clarified at the request of the National Aeronautical Navigation Services (NANS).

This action establishes Class E airspace at Boyne City, MI. Controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate new Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures at Boyne City Municipal Airport. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations at the airport.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish seven temporary security zones on the waters and adjacent land 20 feet shoreward of the mean high water marks of Garrison Channel, Hillsborough River, Seddon Channel, Sparkman Channel, the unnamed channel north of Davis Islands, Ybor Channel, and Ybor Turning Basin in the vicinity of Tampa, Florida during the 2012 Republican National Convention. The 2012 Republican National Convention will be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum building and other venues from August 27, 2012 through August 31, 2012. The Department of Homeland Security has designated the 2012 Republican National Convention as a National Special Security Event. The security zones are necessary to protect convention delegates, official parties, dignitaries, the public, and surrounding waterways from terrorist acts, sabotage or other subversive acts, accidents, or other causes of a similar nature.

The Coast Guard proposes temporary safety zones in the Port of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and adjacent U.S. territorial sea from 12:01 a.m. local time on June 15, 2012, through 11:59 p.m. on July 1, 2012. The temporary safety zones will encompass the navigable waters within a 25- yard radius of moored or anchored offshore exploration or support vessels, and the navigable waters within a 100-yard radius of underway offshore exploration or support vessels. The purpose of the safety zones is to protect persons and vessels during an unusually high volume of vessel traffic in the Port of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and the adjacent territorial sea due to additional vessel traffic associated with exploratory drilling operations in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas during the summer of 2012.

NMFS has received a request from the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to authorizing professional fireworks displays within the MBNMS in California waters, over the course of 5 years. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is proposing regulations to govern that take and requests information, suggestions, and comments on these proposed regulations.

OSHA is making a technical amendment to its Bloodborne Pathogens Standard by moving the rule's paragraph on sharps injury log requirements from paragraph (i), entitled ``Dates,'' to paragraph (h), entitled ``Recordkeeping.''

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Commission or CFTC) is adopting regulations to implement certain provisions of Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd- Frank Act). These regulations set forth reporting and recordkeeping requirements and daily trading records requirements for swap dealers (SDs) and major swap participants (MSPs). These regulations also set forth certain duties imposed upon SDs and MSPs registered with the Commission with regard to: Risk management procedures; monitoring of trading to prevent violations of applicable position limits; diligent supervision; business continuity and disaster recovery; disclosure and the ability of regulators to obtain general information; and antitrust considerations. In addition, these regulations establish conflicts-of- interest requirements for SDs, MSPs, futures commission merchants (FCMs), and introducing brokers (IBs) with regard to firewalls between research and trading and between clearing and trading. Finally, these regulations also require each FCM, SD, and MSP to designate a chief compliance officer, prescribe qualifications and duties of the chief compliance officer, and require that the chief compliance officer prepare, certify, and furnish to the Commission an annual report containing an assessment of the registrant's compliance activities.