February 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Postal Service gives notice of filing a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission to add a domestic shipping services contract to the list of Negotiated Service Agreements in the Mail Classification Schedule's Competitive Products List.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to provide additional guidance when raising the ceiling price or otherwise changing the scope of work for a time-and-materials (T&M) or labor-hour (LH) contract or order.

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of 14 CFR. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities. Neither publication of this notice nor the inclusion or omission of information in the summary is intended to affect the legal status of the petition or its final disposition.

In this interim rule, the Bureau of Prisons (Bureau) makes a minor change to remove an administrative level of review from the processing of a Compassionate Release request packet.

This Notice is to inform the public, in accordance with Section 3(c)(10) of the Charter of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (``Ex-Im Bank''), that Ex-Im Bank has received an application for final commitment for a long-term loan or financial guarantee in excess of $100 million (as calculated in accordance with Section 3(c)(10) of the Charter). Comments received within the comment period specified below will be presented to the Ex-Im Bank Board of Directors prior to final action on this Transaction. Reference: AP086677XX. Purpose and Use: Brief description of the purpose of the transaction: A direct loan to a Hong Kong-based company to support the procurement of two U.S. manufactured satellites as well as U.S. launch services and launch insurance. Brief non-proprietary description of the anticipated use of the items being exported: The loan will enable the Hong Kong based company to finance the construction and launch of two U.S. manufactured satellites. The satellites are expected to provide additional capacity to broadcasting and telecommunications companies in the company's existing customer base in North East Asia, MENA, South Asia, Australia and ASEAN as well as potential growth in other markets such as India and Australasia. To the extent that Ex-Im Bank is reasonably aware, the item(s) being exported are not expected to produce exports or provide services in competition with the exportation of goods or provision of services by a United States industry. Parties: Principal Supplier(s): Space Systems/Loral Inc. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation. Obligor: Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited. Guarantor(s): N/A. Description of Items Being Exported: To finance the construction and launch of two U.S. manufactured satellites and related ground facility equipment, data and services, U.S. launch services and launch insurance. Information On Decision: Information on the final decision for this transaction will be available in the ``Summary Minutes of Meetings of Board of Directors'' on https://www.exim.gov/newsandevents/ boardmeetings/board/. Confidential Information: Please note that this notice does not include confidential or proprietary business information; information which, if disclosed, would violate the Trade Secrets Act; or information which would jeopardize jobs in the United States by supplying information that competitors could use to compete with companies in the United States.

The Chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission has appointed the following individuals to serve on the Commission's Performance Review Board (PRB):

The FDIC has determined that insufficient assets exist in the receivership of Franklin Bank, S.S.B., Houston, Texas, to make any distribution on general unsecured claims, and therefore such claims will recover nothing and have no value.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a previously approved information collection requirement concerning cost accounting standards administration. A notice was published in the Federal Register at 77 FR 69441, on November 19, 2012. Two respondents submitted comments.

The ACCSH will hold a special meeting March 18, 2013, in Washington, DC, to consider a proposed rule to update OSHA's standard on Accident Prevention Signs and Tags in construction and proposed technical amendments and corrections to the Cranes and Derricks standards.

The Federal Trade Commission is revising its Rules of Practice governing access to agency records. The Commission is adding one new category of public record materials; inserting additional contact information for the filing of initial Freedom of Information Act (``FOIA'') requests; clarifying agency procedures for acknowledging the receipt of a request, the proper filing of a request, and the ``cut- off'' date for searches; and allowing an extension in unusual circumstances of the time period for a FOIA requester to file an administrative appeal.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) finalizes the Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Pecan Revenue Crop Insurance Provisions. The intended effect of this action is to provide policy changes and clarify existing policy provisions to better meet the needs of insured producers, and to reduce vulnerability to program fraud, waste, and abuse. The proposed changes will apply for the 2014 and succeeding crop years. Policyholders are hereby given notice that 2013 will be the last year coverage will be available under the old Pecan Revenue Crop Provisions. The Pecan Revenue Special Provisions will modify the Pecan Revenue Crop Provisions for the 2013 crop year by changing the definition of two-year coverage module to one crop year. This change through the Special Provisions will be applicable to policyholders beginning the first year of a two-year coverage module in the 2013 crop year. All producers who choose to purchase coverage on pecan acreage for the 2014 crop year will begin a new two-year coverage module under the terms and conditions of the revised Pecan Revenue Crop Provisions. Requiring all producers to start a new two-year coverage module for the 2014 crop year under the terms of the revised Pecan Revenue Crop Provisions will provide equitable treatment of pecan producers by allowing all pecan producers to be eligible for the same benefits beginning in the 2014 crop year and will simplify the administration of the transition to the modified program.

This is an amendment of the Presidential declaration of a major disaster for Public Assistance Only for the State of ARKANSAS (FEMA-4100-DR), dated 01/29/2013. Incident: Severe Winter Storm. Incident Period: 12/25/2012 through 12/26/2012. Effective Date: 02/14/2013. Physical Loan Application Deadline Date: 04/01/2013. Economic Injury (EIDL) Loan Application Deadline Date: 10/29/2013.

EPA is taking direct final action to approve revisions to the Knox County portion of the Tennessee State Implementation Plan (SIP), submitted by the State of Tennessee, through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) on August 19, 2009, August 22, 2012, and October 12, 2012. The SIP submittals include changes to Knox County Air Quality Management Regulations concerning open burning, permits and regulation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). TDEC considers Knox County's SIP revisions to be as or more stringent than the Tennessee SIP requirements. EPA is approving the Knox County SIP revisions because the State has demonstrated that they are consistent with the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act).

DoD is issuing a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to implement a section of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 and expand coverage on contractor requirements and responsibilities relating to alleged crimes by or against contractor personnel.

DoD has adopted as final, with changes, an interim rule amending the DFARS to implement sections of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 that address the acquisition of tents and other temporary structures.

DoD is proposing to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to explicitly state that fringe benefit costs incurred or estimated that are contrary to law, employer-employee agreement, or an established policy of the contractor are unallowable.

The FAA is correcting an airworthiness directive (AD) that published in the Federal Register. That AD applies to certain The Boeing Company Model 757 airplanes. That AD incorrectly identified certain actions that are terminated in another AD. This document corrects that error. In all other respects, the original document remains the same.

This proposed rule would revise regulations governing the WIC Program, incorporating the provisions set forth in the Healthy, Hunger- Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) related to Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) for the WIC Program. The HHFKA was signed into law by President Obama on December 13, 2010.

This final rule corrects reference and typographical errors in the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). The corrections are editorial in nature and do not affect license requirements.

EPA is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). This revision pertains to EPA's greenhouse gas (GHG) permitting provisions as promulgated on June 3, 2010. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).