July 25, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document modifies the rules to remove the restriction that grantee codes must consist of only three characters. This action will permit the Commission to issue longer grantee codes, thus greatly increasing the supply of available codes and ensuring that it will continue to have new ones to assign to parties that wish to certify new equipment.

In this rule the Commission revises its regulations pertaining to its Continuity of Operations Plan to allow the Commission the discretion to better address not only long-term and catastrophic events but also short-term events including loss of power or water. The rule allows for greater discretion regarding: the activation and deactivation of the Continuity of Operations Plan and any suspension of Commission operations; the length of time that the Continuity of Operations Plan is in effect and the length of time that Commission operations are suspended; the deactivation schedule and the resumption of full Commission operations; and the rescheduling of hearings, conferences and meetings. The rule also adds items to the list of requirements which are suspended when Commission operations are suspended.

The Coast Guard is temporarily changing the enforcement period of one special local regulation for a recurring marine event in the Fifth Coast Guard District, specifically the ``Wilmington YMCA Triathlon'', locally known as the ``Beach 2 Battleship'', conducted on the waters of Wrightsville Channel near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. This Special Local Regulation is necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the event, which has been rescheduled from the last Saturday in October or the first or second Saturday in November to the third Saturday in October. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic on Wrightsville Channel during the swimming portion of this event.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, and -900 series airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by a report of cracks found in the skin at body station (STA) 540 just below stringer S-22L on a Model 737-700 series airplane. This proposed AD would require repetitive detailed and high frequency eddy current inspections for cracking of the skin around the eight fasteners common to the ends of the STA 540 bulkhead chords between stringers S-22 and S-23, left and right sides; and corrective actions and preventive modification if necessary. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking in the skin, which can result in rapid decompression of the cabin.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2 is issuing a Notice of Intent to Delete the Fort Dix Landfill Superfund Site (Site) located in Pemberton Township, New Jersey, from the National Priorities List (NPL) and requests public comments on this proposed action. The NPL, promulgated pursuant to section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended, is an appendix of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). The EPA and the State of New Jersey, through the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, have determined that all appropriate response actions under CERCLA, other than operation, maintenance, and five-year reviews, have been completed. However, this deletion does not preclude future actions under Superfund.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (``EEOC'' or ``Commission'') is issuing this final rule to revise its regulations for processing equal employment opportunity complaints by federal sector employees and job applicants. The revisions implement those recommendations of the Commission's Federal Sector Workgroup which require regulatory changes. The revisions include: reaffirming the existing statutory requirement that agencies comply with EEOC regulations, Management Directives, and Bulletins; providing for EEOC notices to non-compliant agencies; permitting pilot projects for EEO complaint processing; requiring agencies to issue a notice of rights to complainants when the investigation will not be timely completed; requiring agencies to submit complaint files and appeals documents to EEOC in digital formats; and making administrative judge decisions on the merits of class complaints final with both parties having the right to appeal to EEOC. The Commission is engaged in further review of the Federal sector EEO complaint process in order to improve its quality and efficiency. The current rulemaking constitutes the Commission's initial step in that review. The Commission will consider additional reforms, including, but not limited to, regulatory changes.

The Coast Guard will enforce the Special Local Regulation, Olympia Harbor Days Tug Boat Races, Budd Inlet, WA from 12 p.m. through 8 p.m. on September 2, 2012. This action is necessary to restrict vessel movement within the specified race area immediately prior to, during, and immediately after racing activity in order to ensure the safety of participants, spectators and the maritime public. Entry into, transit through, mooring or anchoring within the specified race area is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Puget Sound or Designated Representatives.

This rule updates policies and responsibilities for controlling Department of Defense (DoD) Unclassified Controlled Nuclear Information (UCNI) in accordance with the provisions of current U.S. Code. This revision streamlines and reflects current practices within the Department of Defense. This rule may be altered, in accordance with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, as necessary to align with any future direction given in response to on-going efforts currently being led by the National Archives and Records Administration in the implementation of Executive Order 13556, ``Controlled Unclassified Information,'' signed on November 4, 2010.

This document requests comment on a number of issues related to the designation of Medical Body Area Network (``MBAN'') coordinator(s) for the 2360-2390 MHz band. Although the Commission adopted a coordination requirement in the First Report and Order that was concurrently adopted in this proceeding, it also determined that additional notice and comment was required on key aspects related to the process and criteria for designating an MBAN coordinator.

The Postal Service is considering the adoption of a new criterion for eligibility of Bound Printed Matter (BPM) parcels by adding a physical density threshold for individual mailpieces.

This regulation establishes tolerances for residues of acetamiprid in or on multiple commodities which are identified and discussed later in this document. Interregional Research Project Number 4 (IR-4) requested these tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).

On July 13, 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') published a document in the Federal Register (77 FR 41602), concerning, among other things, the process for submissions for review of security-based swaps for mandatory clearing and notice filing requirements for clearing agencies. The document contained typographical errors in the preamble and in the general authority for Part 240. The Commission is publishing corrections to the preamble and the general authority as well as a clarification concerning the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') control number for Rule 3Ca-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Exchange Act'').

We are revising our rules to give adjudicators the discretion to proceed to the fifth step of the sequential evaluation process for assessing disability when we have insufficient information about a claimant's past relevant work history to make the findings required for step 4. If an adjudicator finds at step 5 that a claimant may be unable to adjust to other work existing in the national economy, the adjudicator will return to the fourth step to develop the claimant's work history and make a finding about whether the claimant can perform his or her past relevant work. We expect that this new expedited process will not disadvantage any claimant or change the ultimate conclusion about whether a claimant is disabled, but it will promote administrative efficiency and help us make more timely disability determinations and decisions.

EPA is removing significant new use rules (SNURs) promulgated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for five chemical substances which were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs). EPA published these SNURs using direct final rulemaking procedures. EPA received notice of intent to submit adverse comments on the rules. Therefore, the Agency is removing these SNURs, as required under the expedited SNUR rulemaking process. EPA intends to publish in the near future proposed SNURs for these five chemical substances under separate notice and comment procedures.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is amending its regulations to make requirements for distributors of byproduct material clearer, less prescriptive, and more risk-informed and up to date. The rulemaking also redefines some categories of devices to be used under exemption from licensing requirements, adds explicit provisions regarding the sealed source and device registration process, and adds flexibility to the licensing of users of sealed sources and devices. This action was primarily intended to make licensing processes more efficient and effective. These changes will affect manufacturers and distributors of sources and devices containing byproduct material and future users of some products currently used under a general or specific license. The NRC has prepared interim guidance to address implementation of the final regulations. This document announces the availability of the implementation guidance document for public comment.