May 5, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve the State of West Virginia's request to redesignate to attainment the West Virginia portion of the Martinsburg-Hagerstown, WV- MD nonattainment area (Martinsburg Area or Area) for the 1997 annual fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). EPA is also proposing to determine that the Martinsburg Area continues to attain the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS. In addition, EPA is proposing to approve as a revision to the West Virginia State Implementation Plan (SIP), the associated maintenance plan to show maintenance of the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS through 2025 for the Area. The maintenance plan includes the 2017 and 2025 PM2.5 and nitrogen oxides (NOX) mobile vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) for Berkeley County, West Virginia for the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS which EPA is proposing to approve for transportation conformity purposes. Furthermore, EPA is proposing to approve as a revision to the West Virginia SIP, the 2007 base year emissions inventory for the Area for the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS. These actions are being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The EPA is proposing to approve revisions to the Alaska State Implementation Plan (SIP). Alaska submitted these revisions on February 13, 2008, December 11, 2009, April 14, 2010, November 29, 2010, October 21, 2011, December 10, 2012, and January 28, 2013, to meet Clean Air Act (CAA) requirements. These revisions update the Alaska SIP to reflect changes to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), area designations, and Federal permitting requirements. In addition, the submitted changes revise and clarify Alaska permitting rules, and remove provisions that are duplicated in other regulations. Although the EPA is proposing to approve most of the submitted revisions, the EPA is proposing to not approve certain provisions which are inappropriate for SIP approval. The EPA is also removing specific provisions from the Alaska SIP that were previously approved, but that implement other provisions of the CAA and that the State has not relied on to demonstrate attainment or maintenance of the NAAQS or to meet other specific requirements of section 110 of the CAA, and therefore should not be part of the Federally-approved Alaska SIP. Finally, the EPA is deferring action on certain portions of the submissions, including those that adopt by reference updates to the Federal nonattainment major new source review requirements, because those revisions will be addressed in a separate action.

This rule identifies communities where the sale of flood insurance has been authorized under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that are scheduled for suspension on the effective dates listed within this rule because of noncompliance with the floodplain management requirements of the program. If the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) receives documentation that the community has adopted the required floodplain management measures prior to the effective suspension date given in this rule, the suspension will not occur and a notice of this will be provided by publication in the Federal Register on a subsequent date. Also, information identifying the current participation status of a community can be obtained from FEMA's Community Status Book (CSB). The CSB is available at https:// www.fema.gov/fema/csb.shtm.

Base (1% annual-chance) Flood Elevations (BFEs) and modified BFEs are made final for the communities listed below. The BFEs and modified BFEs are the basis for the floodplain management measures that each community is required either to adopt or to show evidence of being already in effect in order to qualify or remain qualified for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Delaware through the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). Delaware's SIP revision addresses requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA) and EPA's rules that require states to submit periodic reports describing progress towards reasonable progress goals (RPGs) established for regional haze and a determination of the adequacy of the state's existing implementation plan addressing regional haze (regional haze SIP). EPA is approving Delaware's SIP revision on the basis that it addresses the progress report and adequacy determination requirements for the first implementation period for regional haze.

OPM is issuing a final rule to incorporate in its political activity regulations the amendments to the Hatch Act added by the Hatch Act Modernization Act of 2012. The final rule also updates the contact information for the United States Office of Special Counsel, the Federal agency authorized by statute to investigate and prosecute allegations of Hatch Act violations, and to issue advisory opinions concerning permitted and prohibited political activities under the Hatch Act. Finally, the final rule updates our regulations to conform to current Federal employee political activity provisions.

This action proposes technical amendments to address several minor, inadvertent and nonsubstantive errors in the regulatory text establishing the air quality designations for certain areas in fourteen states for the 1997 Fine Particles (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS), the 2008 Ozone NAAQS, the 2008 Lead NAAQS, the 2010 Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) NAAQS and the 2010 Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) NAAQS. The states are: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin. This action does not propose to change the designation for any area. In the ``Rules'' section of this Federal Register, we are making the same technical amendments as a direct final rule without a prior proposed rule. If we receive no adverse comment, we will not take further action on this proposed rule.