October 11, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents
Results 1 - 12 of 12
Changes and Examination Guidelines To Implement the First-Inventor-to-File Provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act; Reopening of the Period for Comments
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published a notice of proposed rulemaking and a notice of proposed examination guidelines to implement the first-inventor-to-file (FITF) provisions the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA). The USPTO also conducted a roundtable to obtain public input from organizations and individuals on issues relating to the USPTO's proposed implementation of the FITF provisions of the AIA. The Office has received several requests for additional time to submit comments on the USPTO's implementation of the FITF provisions of the AIA. The USPTO is reopening the comment period to provide interested members of the public with an additional opportunity to submit comments to the USPTO.
Fisheries Off West Coast States; Modifications of the West Coast Commercial and Recreational Salmon Fisheries; Inseason Actions #15 through #21
NOAA Fisheries announces 7 inseason actions in the ocean salmon fisheries. These inseason actions modified the commercial and recreational fisheries in the area from the U.S./Canada Border to Cape Falcon, Oregon.
Pilot, Flight Instructor, and Pilot School Certification; Technical Amendment
The FAA is correcting a final rule; technical amendment published on December 16, 2011 (76 FR 78141). This final rule; technical amendment was originally published to correct a final rule published on August 21, 2009 (74 FR 42500). In that original final rule, the FAA amended its regulations to revise the training, qualification, certification, and operating requirements for pilots, flight instructors, ground instructors, and pilot schools. A portion of the codified text was inadvertently deleted and this document corrects that error.
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Vessel Monitoring Systems
As of January 1, 2013, all vessels participating in Atlantic HMS fisheries that are subject to VMS requirements, including vessels with pelagic longline gear on board, vessels with bottom longline gear on board in the vicinity of the mid-Atlantic closed area (between 33[deg] N and 36[deg]30[min] N) from January 1 to July 31, and vessels with shark gillnet gear on board fishing between November 15 and April 15, must have an Enhanced Mobile Transmitting Unit (E-MTU) installed by a qualified marine electrician and must provide hail in/hail out declarations specifying target species, gear possessed onboard, and location and timing of landing. These requirements were originally effective March 1, 2011, consistent with a December 2, 2011 final rule. On February 29, 2012, NMFS provided notice that HMS vessels could use either old MTUs or new E-MTUs without providing hail in/hail out declarations specifying target species, gear possessed onboard, and location and timing of landing. However, no new installations of MTUs were permitted, all installations of E-MTUs were required to be done by a qualified marine electrician, and vessels were to provide hourly position reports using VMS units starting two hours prior to leaving port and at all times away from port.
Felgates Creek and Indian Field Creek Along the York River in Yorktown, VA; Restricted Area
The Corps of Engineers is amending an existing restricted area to include the waters of Felgates Creek and Indian Field Creek along the York River in Yorktown, Virginia. Naval Weapons Station Yorktown requested the Corps of Engineers modify the existing restricted area to include areas historically noted on nautical charts as closed to the public and traditionally enforced by Commander, Naval Weapons Station Yorktown.
Atlantic Ocean off Wallops Island and Chincoteague Inlet, VA; Danger Zone
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is amending an existing permanent danger zone in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off Wallops Island and Chincoteague Inlet, Virginia. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Flight Facility flight range capabilities have been expanded to accommodate larger classes of orbital rockets. This amendment increases the permanent danger zone to a 30 nautical mile sector and is necessary to protect the public from hazards associated with rocket-launching operations.
Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes
We propose to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to all The Boeing Company Model 727 airplanes. The existing AD currently requires repetitive inspections of the in-tank fuel boost pump wiring to detect chafing of the wire insulation, evidence of electrical arcing, or arc-through of the conduit wall, and applicable corrective action; and installation of sleeving over the in- tank fuel boost pump wires. The existing AD also requires repetitive inspections for damage of a certain electrical wire and sleeve, and arcing damage of the conduit and signs of fuel leakage into the conduit; applicable investigative and corrective actions; and repetitive engine fuel suction feed operational tests. Since we issued that AD, we received a report of damage found to the sleeve, jacket, and insulation on an electrical wire during a repetitive inspection. This proposed AD would require replacement of the wire bundles for the wing and center fuel boost pumps with new, improved wire bundles, installation of convoluted liners, and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD would also require replacement of the fuel quantity indicating system (FQIS) wires with new, improved wires; a low-frequency eddy current inspection for cracking; and repair if necessary. This proposed AD would also require revising the maintenance program to incorporate changes to the airworthiness limitations section. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct chafing of the fuel boost pump electrical wiring and leakage of fuel into the conduit, and to prevent electrical arcing between the wiring and the surrounding conduit, which could result in arc-through of the conduit, and consequent fire or explosion of the fuel tank.
Partial Approval and Partial Disapproval of Air Quality Implementation Plans for Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina; Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) Transport Requirements for the 2006 24-Hour Fine Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards
EPA is taking final action to partially approve and partially disapprove revisions to the State Implementation Plans (SIPs) for Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina submitted on September 23, 2009, October 6, 2009, and September 18, 2009, respectively. EPA is approving the determinations, contained in those submittals, that the existing SIPs for Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina are adequate to meet the obligation under section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) to address interstate transport requirements with regard to the 2006 24-hour particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). Specifically, the interstate transport requirements contained in section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the CAA prohibit a state's emissions from significantly contributing to nonattainment or interfering with the maintenance of the NAAQS in any other state. EPA is approving the States' determinations that their existing SIPs satisfy this requirement and conclusion that additional control measures are not necessary under section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) because emissions from Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina do not contribute significantly to nonattainment or interfere with maintenance of the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS in any other state. EPA is also disapproving the SIP submissions from Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina to the extent that they rely on the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) to meet the 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) requirements for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. Because CAIR does not address the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS, it cannot be relied upon to satisfy any requirements related to that NAAQS.
Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims
The Federal Trade Commission (``FTC'' or ``Commission'') adopts revised Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (``Green Guides'' or ``Guides''). This document summarizes the Commission's revisions to the Guides and includes the final Guides.
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for Cape Sable Thoroughwort, Florida Semaphore Cactus, and Aboriginal Prickly-Apple, and Designation of Critical Habitat for Cape Sable Thoroughwort
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, propose to list Chromolaena frustrata (Cape Sable thoroughwort), Consolea corallicola (Florida semaphore cactus), and Harrisia aboriginum (aboriginal prickly-apple) as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act, and we propose to designate critical habitat for Chromolaena frustrata. We have determined that designation of critical habitat is not prudent for Consolea corallicola and H. aboriginum. These are proposed regulations, and if finalized, their effect will be to add all three species to the List of Endangered or Threatened Plants and to designate critical habitat for one species under the Endangered Species Act.
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Listing Taylor's Checkerspot Butterfly and Streaked Horned Lark and Designation of Critical Habitat
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, propose to list the Taylor's checkerspot butterfly as an endangered species, and to list the streaked horned lark as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We additionally propose to designate critical habitat for these species. These determinations fulfill our obligations under a settlement agreement. These are proposed regulations, and if finalized, the effect of these regulations will be to add these species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and to designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act.
Electricity Market Transparency Provisions of Section 220 of the Federal Power Act
The Commission is revising its regulations pursuant to section 220 of the Federal Power Act (FPA), as enacted by section 1281 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), to facilitate price transparency in markets for the sale and transmission of electric energy in interstate commerce. In doing so, the Commission revises its regulations to require market participants that are excluded from the Commission's jurisdiction under FPA section 205 and have more than a de minimis market presence to file Electric Quarterly Reports (EQR) with the Commission. In addition, the Commission revises the existing EQR filing requirements applicable to market participants in the interstate wholesale electric markets by adding new fields for: reporting the trade date and the type of rate; identifying the exchange used for a sales transaction, if applicable; reporting whether a broker was used to consummate a transaction; reporting electronic tag (e-Tag) ID data; and reporting standardized prices and quantities for energy, capacity and booked out power transactions. The Commission also requires EQR filers to indicate in the existing ID data section whether they report their sales transactions to an index publisher and, if so, to which index publisher(s), and, if applicable, identify which types of transactions are reported. The Commission also eliminates the time zone from the contract section and the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) data requirement. These refinements to the existing EQR filing requirements reflect the evolving nature of interstate wholesale electric markets, will increase market transparency for the Commission and the public, and will allow market participants to file the information in the most efficient manner possible.
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