2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is updating its Waste Confidence Decision and Rule. The NRC intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to support the rulemaking to update the Commission's Waste Confidence Decision and Rule, and is conducting a scoping process to gather information necessary to prepare the EIS. As part of the scoping process the NRC is planning to hold two public meetings on November 14, 2012, and two webinars on December 5 and 6, 2012.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirement on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, CNCS is soliciting comments concerning its proposed revision of the National Service Trust Voucher & Payment Request Form to update the burden hour information. This form is used by AmeriCorps members to request Segal Education Award payments, by schools and lenders to verify their eligibility, and by both parties to satisfy certain legal requirements. Copies of the information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed in the addresses section of this Notice.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirement on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, CNCS is soliciting comments concerning its proposed revision of the National Service Trust Interest Payment Form to update the burden hour information. This form is used by AmeriCorps members to request interest payments on qualified loans based on their AmeriCorps service, by schools and lenders to verify their eligibility, and by both parties to satisfy certain legal requirements. Copies of the information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed in the addresses section of this notice.

On January 30, 2012, the EPA published in the Federal Register a proposed rule reconsidering certain provisions in the final National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Chemical Manufacturing Area Sources (CMAS) that was promulgated on October 29, 2009. The compliance date for the final CMAS rule is October 29, 2012. However, the EPA is still in the process of finalizing the reconsideration action. For this reason, a short stay of the final CMAS rule pending completion of the reconsideration action is warranted. Pursuant to the Clean Air Act, the EPA is staying until December 24, 2012 the final CMAS rule.

The USDA, Forest Service, Eldorado National Forest will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposal to treat approximately 6,970 acres of National Forest System land. The purpose of the project is to: (1) Protect, increase and perpetuate old forest ecosystem habitat components and conserve their associated wildlife species; (2) strategically reduce fuel loads to modify landscape fire behavior; (3) restore a composition of tree species and size classes that are likely to be more sustainable into the future; (4) improve access and reduce resource damage through improvements to the forest transportation system; and (5) treat hazardous fuels and implement forest health improvements in a cost-effective manner to ensure sufficient treatments occur to meet project objectives and to support the retention of local industrial infrastructure. The project area is situated on the Georgetown Ranger District northeast of Georgetown, CA in the vicinity of Ralston Ridge and Nevada Point Ridge, between the Middle Fork of the American River and the Rubicon River. The focus of each treatment is based on the desired quality of each treatment area after management rather than the quantity or quality of the products removed from each area. The Proposed Action consists of commercial and non-commercial tree thinning with follow-up tractor piling or mastication; mastication of select, existing plantations with a follow- up treatment of herbicides to reduce brush competition and fuel buildup; the planting of conifers in expanded canopy gaps with a follow-up treatment of herbicide; prescribed burning, and associated roadwork.

This document corrects a direct final rule that made nonsubstantive changes by removing a regulation that is obsolete and no longer used. The revisions to the direct final rule are part of NASA's retrospective plan under Executive Order (EO) 13563 completed in August 2011. NASA's full plan can be accessed on the Agency's open government Web site at https://www.nasa.gov/open/.

The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text of a section 36(b)(1) arms sales notification. This is published to fulfill the requirements of section 155 of Public Law 104-164 dated July 21, 1996.

The Commission hereby gives notice of the scheduling of an expedited review pursuant to section 751(c)(3) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1675(c)(3)) (the Act) to determine whether revocation of the antidumping duty order on honey from China would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time. For further information concerning the conduct of this review and rules of general application, consult the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, part 201, subparts A through E (19 CFR part 201), and part 207, subparts A, D, E, and F (19 CFR part 207).

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Embraer S.A. Model ERJ 170 and ERJ 190 airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of failures of the emergency slide on the forward passenger door, which prevented the door from opening. This proposed AD would require repetitive re-packing of certain forward door escape slides. We are proposing this AD to prevent failure of the emergency slide, preventing the forward passenger door from opening, which could result in impeded emergency evacuation and possible subsequent injury to passengers and flightcrew.

We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. We summarize the ICR below and describe the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A). Currently the Bureau of the Public Debt within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the Application By Survivors for Payment of Bond or Check Issued Under the Armed Forces Leave Act of 1946, as amended.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the rate for the backlog fee related to generic drug user fees for fiscal year (FY) 2013. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FD&C Act), as amended by the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 2012 (GDUFA), authorizes FDA to assess and collect user fees for certain applications and supplements associated with human generic drug products, on applications in the backlog as of October 1, 2012, on finished dosage form (FDF) and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) facilities, and on type II API drug master files (DMFs) to be made available for reference. GDUFA directs FDA to establish each year the Generic Drug User Fee rates for the upcoming year. In the first year of GDUFA (FY 2013), some rates will be published in separate Federal Register notices because of the timing specified in the statute. Each year thereafter the GDUFA fee rates will be published 60 days before the start of the FY. This document establishes the FY 2013 rate for the backlog fee ($17,434). This fee is effective on October 1, 2012.

The Farm Credit Administration (FCA), as part of its annual public notification process, is publishing for notice an index of the 18 Board policy statements currently in existence. Most of the policy statements remain unchanged since our last Federal Register notice on September 1, 2011 (76 FR 54638), except for one with minor technical updates on September 17, 2012, and another on Ethics, Independence, Arm's-Length Role, Ex Parte Communications and Open Government.

The Commission is noticing a recently-filed Postal Service request to add Priority Mail Contract 46 to the competitive product list, including a related contract. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps.

The Science Advisory Board (SAB) was established by a Decision Memorandum dated September 25, 1997, and is the only Federal Advisory Committee with responsibility to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere on strategies for research, education, and application of science to operations and information services. SAB activities and advice provide necessary input to ensure that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) science programs are of the highest quality and provide optimal support to resource management.

The final rule entitled Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program was published on October 20, 2011. The Office of Management and Budget approved and cleared the associated information collection requirements (ICR) on August 22, 2012. This document announces approval of the ICR.

The Chief of the Forest Service has determined there is a Substantial Overriding Public Interest (SOPI) in extending for up to 1 year certain National Forest System FS-2400-6/6T and FS-2400-13/13T contracts that terminate on or before December 31, 2013 and meet one or more of the following conditions; (1) Require removal of biomass material, (2) require removal of balsam fir, (3) have been appraised to a processing facility that has permanently closed, or (4) have been appraised to a processing facility that has not operated for at least 6 months prior to requesting an extension under this authority. The intended effects of the SOPI finding and contract extensions are to minimize contract defaults, mill closures, and company bankruptcies while the Forest Service assesses markets to determine if other relief measures are needed. The Government benefits if defaulted timber sale contracts, mill closures, and bankruptcies can be avoided by granting extensions. Having numerous, economically viable, timber sale purchasers increases competition for National Forest System timber sales, results in higher prices paid for such timber, and allows the Forest Service to provide a continuous supply of timber to the public in accordance with Forest Service authorizing legislation. See Act of June 4, 1897 (Ch. 2, 30 Stat. 11 as amended, 16 U.S.C. 475) (Organic Administration Act).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the withdrawal, without prejudice to a future filing, of a color additive petition (CAP 4C0276) proposing that the color additive regulations be amended to provide for the safe use of synthetic iron oxide as a color additive in or on cooked meat products.