November 8, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control is amending the Iranian Financial Sanctions Regulations in order to implement sections 214 through 216 of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will file the plat of survey of the lands described below in the BLM-Eastern States office in Springfield, Virginia, 30 calendar days from the date of publication in the Federal Register.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of New York (FEMA-4085-DR), dated October 30, 2012, and related determinations.

As a result of the determinations by the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') that revocation of the antidumping duty (``AD'') orders on silicomanganese from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') and Ukraine would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping, and the determinations by the U.S. International Trade Commission (``the ITC'') that revocation of these AD orders would likely lead to a continuation or recurrence of material injury to an industry in the United States, the Department is publishing this notice of the continuation of these AD orders.

This document contains final regulations that provide guidance under the anti-cutback rules of section 411(d)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code, which generally prohibit plan amendments eliminating or reducing accrued benefits, early retirement benefits, retirement-type subsidies, and optional forms of benefit under qualified retirement plans. These regulations provide an additional limited exception to the anti-cutback rules to permit a plan sponsor that is a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding to amend its single-employer defined benefit plan to eliminate a single-sum distribution option (or other optional form of benefit providing for accelerated payments) under the plan if certain specified conditions are satisfied. These regulations affect administrators, employers, participants, and beneficiaries of such a plan.

The Department is requesting input to revitalize its training and technical assistance (TA) activities funded under the Rehabilitation Training Program. The Department will use the information and data gathered in response to this notice to support the design and implementation of future training and TA that is aligned with the current and future economic trends, reflects the needs of vocational rehabilitation (VR) consumers and ensures that VR counselors are equipped with new and emerging skills. The goal of these training and TA activities is to increase the achievement of high-quality integrated employment for individuals with disabilities.

Notice is hereby given that the Department of State (DOS) has received from NOVA Chemicals Inc. (``NOVA Inc.'') an application for re-instatement of a Presidential Permit authorizing the operation and maintenance of pipeline facilities to transport natural gas liquids (``NGLs'') extending from a block valve site in St. Clair County, Michigan, near the city of Marysville to the international border between the United States and Canada. NOVA Inc. is incorporated in the State of Delaware and is a wholly- owned subsidiary of NOVA Corporation. NOVA Corporation is a company continued under the laws of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. All of the issued and outstanding shares of NOVA Corporation are owned by a wholly owned subsidiary of the International Petroleum Investment Corporation (``IPIC'') which is wholly owned by the government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. NOVA Inc. requests the permit to operate and maintain a pipeline (``Line 20'') consisting of approximately 1350 feet of 12-inch diameter pipeline as well as certain appurtenant facilities that can accommodate the transportation of up to 65,000 barrels per day (``bpd'') of NGLs. NOVA Inc. intends to make use of the existing Line 20 pipeline facilities as one of the final links in a pipeline system that will transport NGLs (in particular, ethane) derived from gas produced in the Marcellus Shale play in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and neighboring states to the international boundary under the St. Clair River and onward in the Province of Ontario, Canada, to a petrochemical complex located in Corunna, Ontario. Line 20 was constructed in 1986 and owned by Polysar Hydrocarbons Inc. (``Polysar'') and its upstream owner, Polysar Energy and Chemical Corporation. Since 1995, the Line 20 facilities have been used pursuant to lease arrangements for the transportation of natural gas under Presidential Permits which the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (``FERC'') issued to Bluewater Gas Storage, L.L.C. (``Bluewater Gas Storage'') and a predecessor. The lease under which Bluewater Gas Storage has been operating the Line 20 facilities includes a provision permitting its termination on not less than two years' notice. NOVA Inc. provided Bluewater Gas Storage notice that the Line 20 facilities lease will terminate effective no later than January 27, 2013. Upon termination of the lease, possession and operation of the Line 20 facilities will revert to NOVA Inc., which proposes to convert the Line 20 facilities back to NGLs transportation service. The Department of State has concluded that the 1986 Presidential Permit expired as to the Line 20 facilities when these were converted to a natural gas transportation service and operated pursuant to a Presidential Permit issued to Bluewater Gas Storage LLC., by FERC. Because NOVA intends to place Line 20 facilities back into natural gas liquids transportation service in 2013, NOVA is seeking reinstatement of the 1986 Presidential permit on Line 20 facilities with changes reflecting its ownership of the Line 20 facilities. Under E.O. 13337 the Secretary of State is designated and empowered to receive all applications for Presidential Permits for the construction, connection, operation, or maintenance at the borders of the United States, of facilities for the exportation or importation of liquid petroleum, petroleum products, or other non-gaseous fuels to or from a foreign country. The Department of State is circulating this application to concerned federal agencies for comment. The Department of State has the responsibility to determine whether issuance of a Presidential Permit reflecting the change in ownership or control of Line 20 and the reversion to transporting natural gas liquids would be in the U.S. national interest.

Notice is hereby given that the Department of State (DOS) has received from NOVA Chemicals Inc. (``NOVA Inc.'') notice that by way of corporate succession, NOVA Inc. now owns, operates, and maintains pipeline facilities (Line 39) used to transport brine from a block valve site in St. Clair County, Michigan, near the city of Marysville to the international border between the United States and Canada. Line 39 was previously owned by Polysar Hydrocarbons Inc. (``Polysar'') and permitted under a 1986 Presidential Permit issued to NOVA Petrochemicals, Inc. NOVA Inc. requests a new Presidential Permit be issued under its name with respect to Line 39. NOVA Inc. is incorporated in the State of Delaware and is a wholly- owned subsidiary of NOVA Chemicals Corporation (``NOVA Corporation''). NOVA Corporation is a company continued under the laws of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. All of the issued and outstanding shares of NOVA Corporation are owned by a wholly owned subsidiary of the International Petroleum Investment Corporation (``IPIC'') which is wholly owned by the government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Line 39 was initially constructed and owned by Polysar Hydrocarbons Inc. (``Polysar'') in 1990-91. The initial application for the permit requested that the permit be issued to Polysar. The 1991 permit was actually issued instead to NOVA Petrochemicals Inc. an affiliate of Polysar that was mentioned in the application, as owning the brine that would be transported on line 39. In February 1991, through a series of internal transactions, Polysar's direct parent was merged into NOVA Inc. and Polysar changed its name to Novacor Hydrocarbons Inc. (``Novacor''). Novacor then changed its name to NOVA Hydrocarbons and then NOVA Chemicals Hydrocarbon, and shortly thereafter was merged into NOVA Inc. Through several more corporate transactions involving changes in ownership of NOVA Inc.'s corporate parent, none has affected NOVA Inc.'s or its parent NOVA Chemicals Corporation's (``NOVA Corporation'') ownership of the border crossing facility subject to the 1991 Presidential Permit. NOVA Inc. anticipates no change in the operations of Line 39 relative to those that were authorized by the 1991 permit. Under E.O. 13337 the Secretary of State is designated and empowered to receive all applications for Presidential Permits for the construction, connection, operation, or maintenance at the borders of the United States, of facilities for the exportation or importation of liquid petroleum, petroleum products, or other non-gaseous fuels to or from a foreign country. The Department of State is circulating this application to concerned federal agencies for comment. The Department of State has the responsibility to determine whether issuance of a new Presidential Permit reflecting the change in ownership or control of Line 39 would be in the U.S. national interest.

This Federal Register notice announces the adoption of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Directive 0005 on Scientific Integrity and responds to public comments about the draft version of this Directive, which was originally announced in the Federal Register on April 9, 2012 (77 FR 21158).

In accordance with section 113(g) of the Clean Air Act, as amended (``CAA''), notice is hereby given of a proposed consent decree to resolve a lawsuit filed by the Environmental Integrity Project, Sierra Club, and Texas Campaign for the Environment (collectively, ``Plaintiffs'') in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia: Environmental Integrity Project, et al., v. Jackson, No. 1:12-cv-00867-RMC (D. D.C.). Plaintiffs filed a deadline suit to compel the Administrator to respond to an administrative petition seeking EPA's objection to a CAA Title V operating permit issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to the Luminant Generation Company to operate the Sandow 5 Generating Plant, a power plant located in Milam County, Texas. Under the proposed consent decree, EPA would agree to respond to the petition by January 15, 2013.

This notice provides the names of individuals who have been appointed to serve as members of the Department of the Interior SES Performance Review Board.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment upon this proposed extension of a currently approved collection of information or new collection of information. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the information collection notice is published in the Federal Register to obtain comments regarding the nature of the information collection, the categories of respondents, the estimated burden (i.e. the time, effort, and resources used by the respondents to respond), the estimated cost to the respondent, and the actual information collection instruments.

As stipulated by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is hereby giving notice that the Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability (ACBTSA) will hold a meeting. The meeting will be open to the public.

BPA is holding a consolidated rate proceeding, Docket No. BP- 14, to establish power and transmission rates for FY 2014-2015. The Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act (Northwest Power Act) provides that BPA must establish and periodically review and revise its rates so that they recover, in accordance with sound business principles, the costs associated with the acquisition, conservation, and transmission of electric power, including amortization of the Federal investment in the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) over a reasonable number of years and BPA's other costs and expenses. The Northwest Power Act also requires that BPA's rates be established based on the record of a formal hearing, and for transmission rates only, that the costs of the Federal transmission system be equitably allocated between Federal and non-Federal power utilizing the system. By this notice, BPA announces the commencement of a power and transmission rate adjustment proceeding for power, transmission, control area services, and ancillary services rates proposed to be effective on October 1, 2013.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to offer by competitive sealed-bid sale, one parcel of public land totaling approximately 12.5 acres in the Las Vegas Valley at not less than the appraised fair market value (FMV) of $520,000. The parcel will be offered pursuant to the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 (SNPLMA), Public Law 105-263, as amended. The sale will be subject to the applicable provisions of Section 203 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), 43 U.S.C. 1713, and BLM land sale conveyance regulations at 43 CFR part 2710. If not sold, the parcel described in this notice may be identified for sale at a later date without further legal notice. Publication of this notice temporarily segregates the identified public lands to the extent that they will not be subject to appropriation under the public land laws, including the mining laws, for up to 2 years while.