July 24, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are amending the regulations that implement the Endangered Species Act (Act) by establishing public notice-and-comment procedures for applications to conduct certain otherwise-prohibited activities under the Act that are authorized under the Captive-Bred Wildlife (CBW) regulations. This action adds procedural requirements to the processing of applications for registration under the CBW regulations. Notices of receipt of each application will be published in the Federal Register, and the Service will accept public comments on each application for 30 days. If the registration is granted, the Service will publish certain findings in the Federal Register. In addition, for persons meeting the criteria for registering under the CBW Program, each registration will now remain effective for 5 years rather than 3 years.

The Department of Commerce, 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.

The Financial Management Service, 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 a continuing information collection. By this notice, the Financial Management Service solicits comments concerning form FMS 3144 ``Minority Bank Deposit Program (MBDP) Certification Form for Admission''.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the Sonoran talussnail (Sonorella magdalenensis) as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), and to designate critical habitat. Based on our review, we find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing this species may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a review of the status of the species to determine if listing the Sonoran talussnail is warranted. To ensure that this status review is comprehensive, we are requesting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding this species. Based on the status review, we will issue a 12-month finding on the petition, which will address whether the petitioned action is warranted, as provided in section 4(b)(3)(B) of the Act.

This final rule amends FDIC regulations to prohibit any insured savings association from acquiring or 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. 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. This final rule adopts the proposed creditworthiness standard with the clarifying revision described below. In the final rule, the phrase ``projected life of the investment'' has been revised to ``projected life of the security'' to more closely track the language in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's (``OCC'') final rule.\1\ The clarifying revision addresses ambiguities in the proposed rule and harmonizes the final rule with the final rule adopted by the OCC regarding permissible investments for national banks.\2\

This document requests comments on petition for rule making filed by Sound Enterprises, proposing the substitution of Channel 275A for vacant Channel 271A at Randsburg, California. The proposed channel substitution at Randsburg accommodates Petitioner's hybrid application, requesting to upgrade the facilities for Station KSSI(FM) from Channel 274A to Channel 271B1 at China Lake, California. See File No. BPH- 20120314ACB. Channel 275A can be allotted to Randsburg consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Rules with a site restriction 0.04 kilometers (0.03 miles) southeast of the community. The reference coordinates are 35-22-06 NL and 117-39-25 WL.

On June 1, 2012, the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) published in the Federal Register two notices of proposed rulemaking for public comment. The deadline for submission of public comments was July 31, 2012. In response to public requests to extend the comment period, the NIGC has determined that an extension of the end of the public comment period from July 31, 2012 until August 15, 2012, is appropriate. This action will allow interested persons additional time to analyze the proposed rules and prepare their comments.

This NOAA is issued in connection with the calendar year 2012 allocation round of the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program, as initially authorized by Title I, subtitle C, section 121 of the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-554) and amended by section 221 of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (Pub. L. 108-357), section 101 of the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 108-357), Division A, section 102 of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-432), and section 733 of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 (the Act). Through the NMTC Program, the CDFI Fund provides authority to CDEs to offer an incentive to investors in the form of tax credits over seven years, which is expected to stimulate the provision of private investment capital that, in turn, will facilitate economic and community development in Low-Income Communities. Through this NOAA, the CDFI Fund announces, subject to Congressional authorization, the availability of up to $5 billion of NMTC investment authority. In this NOAA, the CDFI Fund specifically addresses how an entity may apply to receive an allocation of NMTCs, the competitive procedure through which NMTC allocations will be made, and the actions that will be taken to ensure that proper allocations are made to appropriate entities.

DoD is proposing to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to revise the definition of ``produce'' as it applies to specialty metals. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 directed DoD to review the definition of ``produce'' to ensure its compliance with the statutory restrictions on specialty metals and to determine if a revision to the current rule was necessary and appropriate.

DoD is making technical amendments to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to provide needed editorial changes.