September 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The NCUA Board (Board) proposes to amend its investment regulation to allow federal credit unions (FCUs) to purchase Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS). This proposed amendment adds TIPS to the list of permissible investments for FCUs in part 703. The Board believes TIPS will provide FCUs with an additional investment portfolio risk management tool that can be useful in an inflationary economic environment.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Cessna Aircraft Company Model 500, 501, 550, 551, S550, 560, 560XL, and 650 airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by multiple reports of smoke and/or fire in the tailcone caused by sparking due to excessive wear of the brushes in the air conditioning (A/C) motor. This proposed AD would require an inspection to determine the accumulated hours on certain A/C drive motor assemblies; repetitive replacement of the brushes in the drive motor assembly, or as an option to the brush replacement, deactivation of the air conditioner; and return of replaced brushes to Cessna. We are proposing this AD to prevent the brushes in the A/C motor from wearing down beyond their limits, which could result in the rivet in the brush contacting the commutator causing sparks and consequent fire and/or smoke in the tailcone with no means to detect or extinguish the fire and/or smoke.

Public Law 112-163 modified the rules of origin for certain textile and apparel goods of Parties to the CAFTA-DR Agreement. While these modifications were incorporated into the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (the ``HTS'') through the law, those modifications are not yet in effect. This notice announces that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has determined that the date on which the equivalent amendments to the rules of origin to the CAFTA-DR have entered into force in all other CAFTA-DR Parties is October 13, 2012, and that the modifications to the HTS pursuant to section 2 of Public Law 112-163 enter into force on that date.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the adoption of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed participation of South Mississippi Electric Power Association (SMEPA) in Plant Ratcliffe, an Integrated Gasification Combined-Cycle Facility located in Kemper County, Mississippi (the Project). The Acting Administrator of RUS has signed the ROD, which is effective on the publication of this notice. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Project in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The purpose of the EIS was to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the Project so that the DOE could assess potential cost-shared financing under the Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI) and issuance of a loan guarantee under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct05), and the USACE could consider potential issuance of permits under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The DOE/USACE Final EIS was issued in May 2010, and DOE issued their Record of Decision (ROD) in August 2010. RUS is considering providing a $480 million loan guarantee to SMEPA that would provide for the acquisition of a 15% undivided ownership interest in the Project. RUS adopted the Final EIS pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (U.S.C. 4231 et seq.), and in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508) and RUS's Environmental Policies and Procedures (7 CFR Part 1794). RUS determined that the actions covered by the DOE/USACE Final EIS and RUS's proposed action were substantially the same, given that no new infrastructure would be required for SMEPA's participation (40 CFR 1506.3(b)). RUS conducted an independent evaluation of the DOE/USACE Final EIS, the associated Mitigation Action Plan (MAP) and Record of Decision (ROD), determined the documentation met the standards of an adequate statement (40 CFR 1506.3(a)), and adopted the documentation (Subpart H, 7 CFR Part 1794).

The Secretary waives the regulations that generally limit project periods to 60 months and that restrict project period extensions involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. As a result, for the 60-month projects initially funded in fiscal year (FY) 2007 under the AIVRS program, the Secretary is extending the project periods until September 30, 2013.

The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia (``CSOSA'') is issuing a final rule to change all references to the District of Columbia Pretrial Services Agency (``PSA''), an independent federal agency within CSOSA, to reflect the change of the agency's name to the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia. Additionally, the description of PSA's seal is being amended. The regulations are also being amended to clearly state that either CSOSA's Director or PSA's Director or designee has the authority to affix the seal for that Director's respective agency. Finally, the regulations are being amended to clearly state that either CSOSA's or PSA's Director or designee may approve the use of the seal. All the changes made in this rule are strictly technical.

EPA is taking final action to approve changes to the Alabama State Implementation Plan (SIP), submitted by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) to EPA on May 2, 2011. The May 2, 2011, SIP revision modifies Alabama's New Source Review (NSR), Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD), and Nonattainment New Source Review (NNSR) programs to adopt into the Alabama SIP federal NSR PSD requirements for the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) as promulgated in EPA's 2008 NSR PM2.5 Implementation Rule and the 2010 PM2.5 PSD Increment, Significant Impact Levels (SILs) and Significant Monitoring Concentration (SMC) Rule. The SIP revision also changes the State's general and transportation conformity regulations. EPA is approving portions of Alabama's May 2, 2011, SIP revision because they are consistent with the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) and EPA regulations regarding NSR permitting. EPA received one off-topic comment on the August 6, 2012, proposed rulemaking, and a brief response is provided below.

EPA is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Maryland pertaining to ``Control of Volatile Organic Compounds Emissions from Vehicle Refinishing.'' The SIP revision establishes new volatile organic compounds (VOC) content limits and standards for coating and cleaning solvents used in vehicle refinishing. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

EPA is taking final action to approve changes to the Mississippi State Implementation Plan (SIP), submitted by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Division of Air Pollution Control to EPA on May 12, 2011. The May 12, 2011, SIP revision modifies Mississippi's New Source Review (NSR) Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permitting regulations to incorporate by reference, into the Mississippi SIP, federal NSR PSD requirements for the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) as promulgated in EPA's 2008 NSR PM2.5 Implementation Rule and the 2010 PM2.5 PSD Increment, Significant Impact Levels (SILs) and Significant Monitoring Concentration (SMC) Rule. EPA is approving portions of Mississippi's May 12, 2011, SIP revision because they are consistent with the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) and EPA regulations regarding NSR permitting.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13, (44 U.S.C. 3501 et. seq.), this notice announces that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will forward the Information Collection Request (ICR), abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for renewal of currently approved Public Charters, 14 CFR Part 380. Earlier, a Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period was published April 9, 2012 (77 FR 21144). The agency did not receive any comments to its previous notice.

In accordance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA is issuing a notice of receipt of request by registrants to voluntarily cancel pesticide registrations of all products containing the pesticide halofenozide. The requests would cancel all technical and end-use registrations and delete all halofenozide uses. The requests would terminate the last halofenozide products registered for use in the United States. EPA intends to grant these requests at the close of the comment period for this announcement unless the Agency receives substantive comments within the comment period that would merit its further review of these requests, or unless the registrants withdraw their requests. If these requests are granted, any sale, distribution, or use of products listed in this notice will be permitted after the registrations have been cancelled only if such sale, distribution, or use is consistent with the terms as described in the final order.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation is proposing four new routine uses applicable to all of its existing systems of records maintained pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a), three new systems of records, adding new routine uses to existing systems of record, and is amending eight systems of records to make technical and clarifying changes.