March 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Emera Energy U.S. Subsidiary No. 2, Inc. (EE US No. 2) has applied to renew its authority to transmit electric energy from the United States to Canada pursuant to section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending the Federal poultry products inspection regulations to add the Republic of Korea (Korea) to the list of countries eligible to export poultry products to the United States. FSIS has reviewed Korea's poultry laws, regulations, and inspection system, as implemented, and has determined that they are equivalent to the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA), the regulations implementing this statute, and the U.S. food safety system for poultry. Under this final rule, slaughtered poultry or parts or other products thereof processed in certified Korean establishments will be eligible for export to the United States. All such products will be subject to re-inspection at United States ports of entry by FSIS inspectors.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-5038, ``Special Nuclear Material Doorway Monitors.'' This guidance addresses NRC requirements that individuals must be searched as they leave a material access area (MAA) for facilities that contain special nuclear material (SNM) of a type and quantity that require an MAA.

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or the Commission) invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection. Comments are requested concerning: Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical utility; the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and ways to further reduce the information collection burden on small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees. The FCC may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the PRA that does not display a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the following public meeting, which will be held as a webinar: ``Partnerships to Advance the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA)''. Public Meeting Time and Date: 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m. EDT, April 22, 2014. Place: Online and teleconference only, see details below. Purpose of the Meeting: The National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) has been structured to engage partners with each other and/or with NIOSH to advance NORA priorities. The NORA Liaison Committee continues to be an opportunity for representatives from organizations with national scope to learn about NORA progress and to suggest possible partnerships based on their organization's mission and contacts. This opportunity is now structured as a public meeting via the Internet to attract participation by a larger number of organizations and to further enhance the success of NORA. Some of the types of organizations of national scope that are especially encouraged to participate are employers, unions, trade associations, labor associations, professional associations, and foundations. Others are welcome. This meeting will include: Updates from NIOSH leadership on NORA and on plans for evaluating the second decade of NORA; A discussion of a variety of metrics NIOSH is considering for measuring its performance as a research agency; Brief written updates from most of the NORA Sector Councils on their progress, priorities, and implementation plans to date, likely including the NORA Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; Construction; Healthcare and Social Assistance; Manufacturing; Mining; Oil and Gas Extraction; Public Safety; Services; Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities; and Wholesale and Retail Trade Sector Councils; and Time to ask questions and discuss partnership opportunities. Status: The meeting is open to the public, limited only by the capacities of the conference call and online system for sharing slides. Everyone can participate through the Internet (to see the slides) and a teleconference call (capacity 50). Each participant is requested to register for the free meeting by sending an email to noracoordinator@cdc.gov containing the participant's name, organization name, and contact telephone number on the day of the meeting. Requirements include: computer, Internet connection, and telephone, preferably with `mute' capability. An email confirming registration will include the details needed to participate in the Web meeting. Background: NORA is a partnership program to stimulate innovative research in occupational safety and health leading to improved workplace practices. Unveiled in 1996, NORA has become a research framework for the nation. Diverse parties collaborate to identify the most critical issues in workplace safety and health. Partners then work together to develop goals and objectives for addressing those needs and to move the research results into practice. The NIOSH role is facilitator of the process. For more information about NORA, see http:/ /www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora/about.html. Since 2006, NORA has been structured according to industrial sectors. Ten major sector groups have been defined using the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS). After receiving public input through the Web and town hall meetings, ten NORA Sector Councils defined sector-specific strategic plans for conducting research and moving the results into widespread practice. To view the National Sector Agendas, see https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora/.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that DSM Nutritional Products has filed a petition proposing that the food additive regulations be amended to provide for the safe use of 25- hydroxyvitamin D3 in feed for turkeys.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announces its Household Water Well System Grant Program (HWWS) funding availability and application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. RUS will make grants to qualified private non-profit organizations to establish lending programs for homeowners to borrow up to $11,000 to construct or repair household water wells for an existing home. The HWWS Grant Program is authorized under 7 U.S.C. 1926e. Regulations may be found at 7 CFR 1776. Of particular note this year, the RUS will assign administrative discretion points to applications that: 1. Direct loans to rural areas where according to the American Community Survey data by census tracts show that at least 20 percent of the population is living in poverty. This emphasis will support Rural Development's (RD) goal of providing 20 percent of its funding by 2016 to these areas of need. 2. Direct loans to areas which lack running water, flush toilets, and modern sewage disposal systems, and areas which have open sewers and high rates of disease caused by poor sanitation, in particular, colonias or Substantially Underserved Trust Areas.

We are amending the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of fresh potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) from Mexico into the United States. As a condition of entry, the potatoes must be produced in accordance with a systems approach employing a combination of mitigation measures to prevent the introduction and dissemination of plant pests into the United States. The potatoes must be imported in commercial consignments, must be produced by a grower who is registered in a certification program, must be packed in registered packinghouses, must be washed, cleaned, and treated with a sprout inhibitor, and must be inspected after packing for quarantine pests. The potatoes must also be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate that declares that the conditions for importation have been met. Finally, the national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Mexico must provide a bilateral workplan to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) that details the activities that the NPPO of Mexico will carry out to meet these requirements, subject to APHIS' approval. This action allows the importation of potatoes from Mexico while continuing to protect against the introduction of plant pests into the United States.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that a collection of information entitled ``Eligibility Determination for Donors of Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-Based Products'' has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing this advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) to solicit comments, data, and information to assist the Agency in implementing the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which added new provisions to the Reportable Food Registry (RFR) requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FD&C Act). Under the new provisions, FDA may require a responsible party to also submit to FDA ``consumer-oriented'' information regarding certain reportable foods, including information necessary to enable a consumer to accurately identify whether the consumer is in possession of a reportable food. FDA must prepare and publish on FDA's Internet Web site a one-page summary of the consumer- oriented information that can be easily printed by a grocery store for the purposes of consumer notification. A grocery store that sold a reportable food that is the subject of an FDA one-page summary, and that is part of a chain of establishments with 15 or more physical locations, is required to prominently display the FDA one-page summary, or the information from the summary, within 24 hours after the one-page summary is published on FDA's Web site, through a method identified by FDA. FDA is seeking input on topics including consumer-oriented information submissions, consumer notifications, posting consumer notifications in grocery stores, and grocery stores subject to the new requirements.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Level 1, Immediately in Effect (IIE) Guidance Documents on Premarket Data Issues. The SOP describes the Center for Devices and Radiological Health's (CDRH's or the Center's) process to clarify and more quickly inform stakeholders when CDRH has changed its expectations relating to, or otherwise has new scientific information that could affect data submitted as part of an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) or premarket submission, including a Premarket Notification (510(k)), a Premarket Approval (PMA), a Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE), or combination products containing a device constituent part for which CDRH has jurisdiction that needs to be disseminated in a timely manner.