May 30, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document is issued under the joint authority of DOD, GSA, and NASA. This Small Entity Compliance Guide has been prepared in accordance with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. It consists of a summary of the rules appearing in Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-74, which amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). An asterisk (*) next to a rule indicates that a regulatory flexibility analysis has been prepared. Interested parties may obtain further information regarding these rules by referring to FAC 2005-74, which precedes this document. These documents are also available via the Internet at https:// www.regulations.gov.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to require the use of Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) codes, including North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) CAGE (NCAGE) codes for foreign entities, for awards valued at greater than the micro-purchase threshold. The CAGE code is a five-character alpha-numeric identifier used extensively within the Federal Government. The rule will also require offerors, if owned by another entity, to identify that entity.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) to meet its responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), RUS's implementing regulations, 7 CFR part 1794, and other applicable environmental requirements related to providing financial assistance for Basin Electric Power Cooperative's (Basin Electric) proposed Antelope Valley Station (AVS) to Neset 345-kV Transmission Project (Project) in North Dakota. RUS will also use the FEIS to meet its responsibilities under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 470, and its implementing regulations, ``Protection of Historic Properties'' (36 CFR part 800). The FEIS addresses the construction, operation, and maintenance of approximately 278 miles of new 345-kV single pole transmission line, a 230-kV single pole transmission line, and a double circuit 345/115-kV transmission line, 4 new substations and a switchyard, modifications to 4 existing substations, maintenance access roads, temporary construction roads, river crossings, temporary construction staging sites, and other facilities described previously in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS). It also addresses comments received during the comment periods for the DEIS and the SDEIS. The overall project area encompasses parts of Dunn, McKenzie, Mercer, Mountrail, and Williams Counties in western North Dakota.

In this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposes to amend its regulations to waive the Open Access Transmission Tariff requirements, the Open Access Same-Time Information System requirements its regulations, and the Standards of Conduct requirements its regulations for any public utility that is subject to such requirements solely because it owns, controls, or operates Interconnection Customer's Interconnection Facilities, in whole or in part, and sells electric energy from its Generating Facility, as those terms are defined in the pro forma Large Generator Interconnection Procedures and the pro forma Large Generator Interconnection Agreement and adopted in Order No. 2003. The Commission proposes to find that requiring the filing of an Open Access Transmission Tariff is not necessary to prevent unjust or unreasonable rates or unduly discriminatory behavior with respect to Interconnection Customer's Interconnection Facilities over which interconnection and transmission services can be ordered pursuant to the Federal Power Act.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing final amendments to the federal minor New Source Review (NSR) program in Indian country. We refer to this NSR rule as the ``federal Indian country minor NSR program.'' We are amending this rule in two ways. First, we are expanding the list of emissions units and activities that are exempt from the federal Indian country minor NSR program by adding several types of low-emitting units and activities. Second, we have clarified construction-related terms by defining ``commence construction'' and ``begin construction'' to better reflect the regulatory requirements associated with construction activities. We believe both of these changes will simplify the program, and result in less burdensome implementation without detriment to air quality in Indian country. Finally, we have reconsidered the advance notification period for relocation of a true minor source in response to a petition on the rule from the American Petroleum Institute, the Independent Petroleum Association of America and America's Natural Gas Alliance, but we are not changing that provision.