October 9, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FEMA gives notice of the maximum amount for assistance under the Individuals and Households Program for emergencies and major disasters declared on or after October 1, 2012.

FEMA gives notice that the statewide per capita impact indicator under the Public Assistance program for disasters declared on or after October 1, 2012, will be increased.

This action proposes to modify Class E airspace at Savoonga Airport, AK, to accommodate aircraft using new Area Navigation (RNAV) Global Positioning System (GPS) standard instrument approach procedures at Savoonga Airport. The FAA is proposing this action to enhance the safety and management of aircraft operations at the airport.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission proposes to update technical and operational rules related to cable television systems and other multichannel video programming distributors that operate coaxial cable systems. The Commission seeks comments on rules that would update its minimum signal quality standards and signal leakage detection and monitoring for digital transmission. Additionally, the Commission proposes numerous corrections and updates to its to its cable television technical rules.

EPA is taking final action to approve the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision, submitted by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, on July 26, 2012. This SIP revision was submitted to address Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) section 110(a)(2)(G). Specifically, EPA is approving Mississippi's July 26, 2012, submission addressing section 110(a)(2)(G), of the CAA for both the 1997 and 2006 fine particulate matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Section 110(a) of the CAA requires that each state adopt and submit a SIP for the implementation, maintenance, and enforcement of each NAAQS promulgated by the EPA, which is commonly referred to as an ``infrastructure'' SIP. The subject of this notice is limited to infrastructure element 110(a)(2)(G). All other applicable Mississippi infrastructure elements are being addressed in a separate rulemakings.

This final rule implements section 165(i) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (``Dodd-Frank Act'') which requires certain companies to conduct annual stress tests pursuant to regulations prescribed by their respective primary financial regulatory agencies. Specifically, this final rule requires national banks and Federal savings associations with total consolidated assets over $10 billion (defined as ``covered institutions'') to conduct an annual stress test as prescribed by this rule. Under the final rule covered institutions are divided into two categories: covered institutions with total consolidated assets between $10 and $50 billion, and covered institutions with total consolidated assets over $50 billion. Based on these categories, covered institutions are subject to different stress test requirements and deadlines for reporting and disclosures. A key difference between these categories is that a national bank or Federal savings association that qualifies as an over $50 billion covered institution as of October 9, 2012 must conduct the annual stress test under this final rule beginning this year; other covered institutions that qualify as $10 to $50 billion covered institutions are not subject to the stress test requirements under this final rule until 2013.

Below is a listing of individuals who are eligible to serve on the Performance Review Board (PRB) in accordance with the Economics and Statistics Administration's Senior Executive Service and Senior Professional Performance Management Systems:

This final rule revises the requirements imposed on national banks pursuant to the OCC's short-term investment fund (STIF) rule (STIF Rule). Regulations governing Federal savings associations (FSAs) require compliance with the national bank STIF Rule. The final rule adds safeguards designed to address the risk of loss to a STIF's principal, including measures governing the nature of a STIF's investments, ongoing monitoring of its mark-to-market value and forecasting of potential changes in its mark-to-market value under adverse market conditions, greater transparency and regulatory reporting about a STIF's holdings, and procedures to protect fiduciary accounts from undue dilution of their participating interests in the event that the STIF loses the ability to maintain a stable net asset value (NAV).

EPA is proposing to amend the definition of heating oil in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program under section 211(o) of the Clean Air Act. This amendment would expand the scope of renewable fuels that can generate Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) as heating oil to include fuel oil produced from qualifying renewable biomass that would be used to generate heat to warm buildings or other facilities where people live, work, recreate, or conduct other activities. Fuel oils used to generate process heat, power, or other functions would not be included in the amended definition. Producers or importers of fuel oil that meets the amended definition of heating oil would be allowed to generate RINs, provided that the fuel oil meets the other requirements specified in the RFS regulations. This proposed amendment would not modify or limit fuel included in the current definition of heating oil. We are also proposing amendments to the diesel sulfur program to provide additional flexibility for transmix processors that produce locomotive and marine diesel fuel. Specifically, we are proposing to reinstate an allowance for transmix processors to produce 500 parts per million (ppm) sulfur diesel fuel for use in older technology locomotive and marine diesel outside of the Northeast Mid-Atlantic Area. We are also requesting comment on extending this allowance to outside of the Northeast Mid-Atlantic Area. These proposed amendments to the diesel transmix provisions are expected to result in reduced compliance costs for transmix processors and users of locomotive and marine diesel fuel while having a neutral or positive environmental impact. EPA is also proposing to amend the fuel marker requirements for 500 ppm sulfur locomotive and marine (LM) diesel fuel to address an oversight in the original rulemaking where the regulations failed to incorporate provisions described in the rulemaking preamble to allow for solvent yellow 124 marker to transition out of the distribution system.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a final Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) to address regional haze in the State of Hawaii. This FIP addresses the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or ``the Act'') and EPA's rules concerning reasonable progress towards the national goal of preventing any future and remedying any existing man-made impairment of visibility in mandatory Class I areas in the State of Hawaii. The FIP establishes an emissions cap of 3,550 tons of sulfur dioxide (SO2) per year from three specific fuel oil-fired, electric utility boilers on the Island of Hawaii beginning in 2018. The Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) can minimize impacts on the ratepayers by meeting the cap through the increased use of renewable energy and energy conservation. EPA finds that this control measure, in conjunction with other emissions control requirements that are already in place, will ensure that reasonable progress is made during this first planning period toward the national goal of no man-made visibility impairment by 2064 at Hawaii's two Class I areas. EPA worked closely with the State of Hawaii in the development of this plan and the State has agreed to incorporate the control requirements into the relevant permits. The State has indicated that it intends to take full responsibility for the development of future Regional Haze plans.