August 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) requests information from the Public, including diversified stakeholders (health information technology (IT) system developers, including vendors; payers, quality measure developers, end-users, clinicians, health care consumers) regarding current successful strategies and challenges regarding quality measurement enabled by health IT. Quality measurementthe assessment of the timeliness, completeness and appropriateness of preventive services, diagnostic services, and treatment provided in health carehas been most generally conducted via paper chart information capture, manual chart abstraction, and the analysis of administrative claims data. Through this notice, the comment period has been extended. The subject matter content remains unchanged from the original notice which was previously published on July 20, 2012 (www.GPO.gov/fdsys/PKG/FR-2012-07-20/html/2012-17530.htm)

EPA (or the Agency) is granting a site-specific treatment variance, under the Land Disposal Restrictions program, to U.S. Ecology Nevada in Beatty, Nevada for the treatment of a hazardous selenium- bearing waste generated by the Owens-Brockway Glass Container Company in Vernon, California. The Agency has determined that the chemical properties of the waste generated by the Owens-Brockway Glass Container Corporation differ significantly from the waste used in developing the Land Disposal Restrictions treatment standard for selenium-bearing wastes, and as such cannot be treated to the specified treatment level of 5.7 mg/L for selenium, as measured by the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). The site-specific treatment variance provides an alternative treatment standard of 59 mg/L TCLP for selenium, with the condition that the waste-to-reagent ratio not exceed 1:0.45.

EPA is proposing to approve in part a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of New Hampshire on January 28, 2005. Specifically, EPA is proposing to approve amendments to the New Hampshire Hot Mix Asphalt Plant Rule at Env-A 2703.02(a). This rule establishes and requires limitations on visible emissions from all hot mix asphalt plants. This revision is consistent with the maintenance of all National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in New Hampshire. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act.

EPA is taking final action to approve portions of a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Oregon on December 10, 2010 and supplemented on February 1, 2011, as meeting the requirements of Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act) section 169A and B and the regional haze regulations in 40 CFR 51.308. In a previous action on July 5, 2011, EPA approved portions of the December 10, 2010, SIP submittal as meeting the requirements for interstate transport for visibility of CAA section 110(a)(2)(D)(II) and certain requirements of the regional haze program including the requirements for best available retrofit technology (BART). 76 FR 38997. On May 23, 2012, EPA proposed approving the remaining portion of the Regional Haze SIP including those portions that address requirements of the CAA and EPA's rules that require states to set Reasonable Progress Goals (RPGs) for their Class I areas, and to develop a Long-Term Strategy (LTS) to achieve these goals. 77 FR 30454. In this Federal Register notice EPA finalizes its approval of the remaining Regional Haze SIP elements for which EPA previously took no action in the July 5, 2011 notice.

The Nicolet Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Crandon, WI. The committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Pub. L. 112-141) (the Act) and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the committee is to improve collaborative relationships and to provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with the title II of the Act. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the meeting is to hold a meeting to review and recommend project proposals.

DHS is issuing a final rule amending multiple sections of the Homeland Security Acquisition Regulation (HSAR). These amendments align existing content with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR); implement Section 695 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 by restricting the length of certain noncompetitive contracts entered into by the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate the response to or recovery from a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other manmade disaster; clarify agency acquisition regulations; and make editorial corrections.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Eurocopter France Model EC155B and EC155B1 helicopters with a VIP 4- seat bench to require revising the Limitations section of the Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM) and converting the VIP 4-seat bench into a 3-seat configuration. This AD was prompted by the determination that the load strength of the seat attachment hardware of the seat installation does not meet certification specifications. The required actions are intended to prevent overloading of the seat structure at the attachment point during a hard landing or emergency landing, which could result in the VIP 4-seat bench detaching from the floor and subsequent injury to the seat occupants.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model 757 airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report of extensive corrosion of the ballscrew of the drive mechanism of the horizontal stabilizer trim actuator. This AD requires repetitive detailed inspections for discrepancies of the horizontal stabilizer ballscrew assembly; repetitive lubrication of the horizontal stabilizer trim control system; repetitive measurements for discrepancies of the ballscrew to ballnut freeplay; and corrective actions, if necessary. We are issuing this AD to prevent undetected failure of the primary and secondary load paths for the ballscrew in the horizontal stabilizer, which could lead to loss of control of the horizontal stabilizer and consequent loss of control of the airplane.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the Austin blind salamander, Jollyville Plateau salamander, Georgetown salamander, and Salado salamander as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), and propose to designate critical habitat for the species. In total, we propose to designate approximately 5,983 acres (2,440 hectares) as critical habitat for the four species. The proposed critical habitat is located in Travis, Williamson, and Bell Counties, Texas.

On August 15, 2012, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, published a notice announcing the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and an environmental assessment (EA) for public review and comment. The draft CCP/EA describes our proposal for managing the Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex for the next 15 years. In that notice, we gave an incorrect comment-period end date. We are now republishing the notice with the correct date. If you already submitted a comment, you need not resubmit it.

The NTP Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM) announces availability of U.S. Federal agency responses to ICCVAM test method recommendations on the usefulness and limitations of the LUMI-CELL[supreg] ER (BG1Luc ER TA) test method to identify human estrogen receptor (ER) agonist and antagonist activity of chemicals. ICCVAM forwarded the recommendations to Federal agencies and made these recommendations available to the public (77 FR 8258). ICCVAM agencies responded with their concurrence on the technical aspects of the BG1Luc ER transcriptional activation (TA) test method recommendations and their agreement that the ICCVAM BG1Luc ER TA test method is a validated screening test to identify substances with in vitro ER agonist activity or ER antagonist activity. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responded that they regard the BG1Luc ER TA test method as an alternative to the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) 890.1300 (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] TG455) test guideline for transcriptional activation currently used in their Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). Several agencies also indicated that they would communicate the ICCVAM recommendations to stakeholders and encourage their appropriate use. Complete Federal agency responses are available at https://iccvam.niehs.nih.gov/methods/endocrine/end eval.htm. The ICCVAM recommendations are provided in the ICCVAM test method evaluation report (ICCVAM, 2011), available at: https:// iccvam.niehs.nih.gov/methods/endocrine/ERTA-TMER.htm.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission or NRC) has granted the request of STP Nuclear Operating Company (the licensee) to withdraw its application dated June 2, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No. ML11161A143), as supplemented by letters dated August 1, 2011, March 8, 2012, March 22, 2012, April 3, 2012 (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML11221A230, ML12079A038, ML12089A023, and ML12101A223, respectively), and May 3, 2012,\1\ for proposed amendment to Facility Operating License Nos. NPF- 76 and NPF-80 for the South Texas Project (STP), Units 1 and 2, located in Matagorda County, Texas.

The FAA is issuing a SNPRM for the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) of June 4, 2012, in order to elicit comments addressing increasing further the controlled Class E airspace area at Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport, Lewiston, ID. The NPRM proposed a modification of Class D airspace, and Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface and 1,200 feet above the surface, and an adjustment to the geographic coordinates. This SNPRM would further enlarge the Class E airspace 1,200 feet above the surface area to enhance safety in the Lewiston-Nez Pearce County Airport, Lewiston, ID area.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection notice allowing for a 60-day public comment period was previously published in the Federal Register on May 10, 2012, at 77 FR 27473. USCIS received one submission from one commenter in response to the 60-day notice and acknowledges receipt in item 8 of the supporting statement.