December 14, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires any person who intends to manufacture (defined by statute to include import) a new chemical (i.e., a chemical not on the TSCA Chemical Substances Inventory (TSCA Inventory)) to notify EPA and comply with the statutory provisions pertaining to the manufacture of new chemicals. In addition under TSCA, EPA is required to publish in the Federal Register a notice of receipt of a premanufacture notice (PMN) or an application for a test marketing exemption (TME), and to publish in the Federal Register periodic status reports on the new chemicals under review and the receipt of notices of commencement (NOC) to manufacture those chemicals. This document, which covers the period from October 15, 2012 to October 31, 2012, and provides the required notice and status report, consists of the PMNs and TMEs, both pending or expired, and the NOC to manufacture a new chemical that the Agency has received under TSCA section 5 during this time period.

The Department of State has submitted the information collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 we are requesting comments on this collection from all interested individuals and organizations. The purpose of this notice is to allow 30 days for public comment.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 35), on August 15, 2012, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), submitted an information collection request, utilizing emergency review procedures, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance. OMB approved the information collection request. DHS is now requesting OMB approval of a revision and extension of the approved information collection.

EPA is proposing uses that qualify for the 2013 critical use exemption. EPA is also proposing to amend the regulatory framework to determine the amount of methyl bromide that may be produced, imported, or supplied from existing pre-phaseout inventory for those uses in 2013. EPA is taking action under the authority of the Clean Air Act to reflect a recent consensus decision taken by the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer at the Twenty-Third Meeting of the Parties. EPA is seeking comment on the list of critical uses and on EPA's determination of the specific amounts of methyl bromide that may be produced and imported, or sold from pre- phaseout inventory for those uses.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing action on New Jersey's State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision for attaining the 1997 fine particle (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), which was submitted to EPA on April 1, 2009. EPA is proposing to fully approve elements of the New Jersey SIP for the New Jersey portion of two nonattainment areas in the State: The New York-N. New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT, PM2.5 nonattainment area, and the Philadelphia-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE, PM2.5 nonattainment area. EPA is taking action on several elements of the SIP, including proposed approval of New Jersey's attainment demonstration and motor- vehicle emissions budgets used for transportation conformity purposes, as well as the Reasonably Available Control Technology and Reasonably Available Control Measures (RACT/RACM) analysis, and base-year and projection-year modeling emission inventories. This action is being taken in accordance with the Clean Air Act and the Clean Air Fine Particle Implementation Rule issued by EPA.

NMFS implements accountability measures (AMs) for the commercial sector for Atlantic wahoo (wahoo) in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the Atlantic states (Maine through the east coast of Florida). Commercial landings for wahoo, as estimated by the Science and Research Director, are projected to reach the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) on December 19, 2012. Therefore, NMFS closes the commercial sector for wahoo on December 19, 2012, for the remainder of the 2012 fishing year, through December 31, 2012. This action is necessary to protect the Atlantic wahoo resource.

NMFS announces that the 2012 summer flounder commercial fishery in the State of New York will be reopened to provide the opportunity for the fishery to fully harvest the available quota. Vessels issued a commercial Federal fisheries permit for the summer flounder fishery may land summer flounder in New York until the quota is fully harvested. Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery require publication of this notification to advise New York that quota remains available and the summer flounder fishery is open to vessel permit holders for landing summer flounder in New York and to inform dealer permit holders in New York that they may purchase summer flounder.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is acquired that allows such activities.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have issued the following permits to conduct certain activities with endangered species, marine mammals, or both. We issue these permits under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

HUD's regulations provide that HUD will periodically publish a Federal Register notice listing the amounts specifically excluded by any Federal statute from consideration as income for purposes of determining eligibility or benefits. On July 24, 2012, HUD published a notice in the Federal Register that listed those exclusions and listed federal statutes that require certain income sources to be disregarded with regard to specific HUD programs. The July 24, 2012, notice updated the list of exclusions last published on April 20, 2001, by amending, removing, and adding exclusions. Today's notice corrects errors and an omission in the July 24, 2012, notice. For the convenience of the public, the Department is publishing a corrected version of the July 24, 2012, notice in its entirety.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of its Final Tank Closure and Waste Management Environmental Impact Statement for the Hanford Site, Richland, Washington (Final TC & WM EIS, DOE/EIS-0391), prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This final environmental impact statement addresses all public comments on the Draft TC & WM EIS, which was issued in October 2009, and identifies DOE's preferred alternatives.

This final rule amends the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's regulation on Benefits Payable in Terminated Single- Employer Plans to prescribe interest assumptions under the regulation for valuation dates in January 2013. The interest assumptions are used for paying benefits under terminating single-employer plans covered by the pension insurance system administered by PBGC. As discussed below, PBGC will publish a separate final rule document dealing with interest assumptions under its regulation on Allocation of Assets in Single- Employer Plans for the first quarter of 2013.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Petitions for Mine Safety Standard Modification,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

The Alaska District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to identify and analyze the potential impacts associated with the proposed Donlin Gold Project, which would be an open pit, hardrock gold mine located 10 miles north of the village of Crooked Creek, Alaska. The Corps is the lead Federal agency; the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources will serve as cooperating agencies in developing the EIS. The Tribal governments of Crooked Creek, Chuathbaluk, and Napaimute have also indicated their intention to serve as cooperating agencies. The Corps will be evaluating a permit application for work and/or discharges of pollutants under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899. The EIS will be used as a basis for the permit decision in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

On July 26, 2012, GWF Energy, LLC, as owner and operator of a new base load electric powerplant, submitted a coal capability self- certification to the Department of Energy (DOE) pursuant to Sec. 201(d) of the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978 (FUA), as amended, and DOE regulations in 10 CFR 501.60, 61. FUA and regulations thereunder require DOE to publish a notice of filing of self- certification in the Federal Register. (42 U.S.C. 8311(d)(2)) and 10 CFR 501.61(c))

Energia Renovable S.C., LLC (Energia Renovable) has applied for authority to transmit electric energy from the United States to Mexico pursuant to section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act (FPA).