June 13, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is withdrawing its proposed rule concerning proposed flood elevation determinations for Warren County, Pennsylvania (All Jurisdictions).

This document amends regulations of the Federal Labor Relations Authority and the General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority to reflect changes in the addresses and phone numbers of Regional Offices, and to provide for changes in the geographical jurisdictions of five of the seven Regional Directors concerning unfair labor practice charges and representation petitions.

This final rule amends the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's regulations on Benefits Payable in Terminated Single- Employer Plans and Allocation of Assets in Single-Employer Plans to prescribe interest assumptions under the benefit payments regulation for valuation dates in July 2014 and interest assumptions under the asset allocation regulation for valuation dates in the third quarter of 2014. The interest assumptions are used for valuing and paying benefits under terminating single-employer plans covered by the pension insurance system administered by PBGC.

On April 2, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the agency) took direct final action on a petition submitted by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to allow DLA to import foreign- manufactured polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from Japan effective on July 1, 2014, unless EPA received adverse written comments or a request to hold an informal hearing. Because EPA received an adverse comment, as well as a request for an informal hearing, we are withdrawing the direct final rule titled, ``Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs): Manufacturing (Import) Exemption for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).'' This notice also announces the time and location of that hearing.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will hold a public meeting to discuss the energy model used in the engineering analysis supporting its energy conservation standard rulemaking for automatic commercial ice makers. During the meeting, DOE will provide detailed description of the Energy Model and demonstrate its use.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) is giving notice that it intends to establish a negotiated rulemaking working group under the Appliance Standards and Rulemaking Federal Advisory Committee (ASRAC) in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and the Negotiated Rulemaking Act (NRA) to negotiate proposed Federal standards for the energy efficiency of manufactured homes. The purpose of the working group will be to discuss and, if possible, reach consensus on a proposed rule for the energy efficiency of manufactured homes, as authorized by section 413 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA). The working group will consist of representatives of parties having a defined stake in the outcome of the proposed standards, and will consult as appropriate with a range of experts on technical issues.

With this final rule, NOAA re-establishes the process by which communities may submit applications to have NOAA consider nominations of areas of the marine and Great Lakes environments as national marine sanctuaries. Communities, in this context, are defined as a collection of interested individuals or groups (e.g., a friends of group, a chamber of commerce); local, tribal, state, or national agencies; elected officials; or topic-based stakeholder groups, at the local, regional or national level (e.g., a local chapter of an environmental organization, a regionally-based fishing group, a national-level recreation or tourism organization, academia or science-based group, or an industry association). Through this nomination process, NOAA is seeking to give communities an opportunity to identify special marine and Great Lakes areas they believe would benefit from designation as a national marine sanctuary. There is no requirement for who may nominate an area for consideration; however, nominations should demonstrate broad support from a variety of stakeholders and interested parties. This rule contains the criteria and considerations NOAA will use to evaluate national marine sanctuary nominations, describes the process for submitting national marine sanctuary nominations, and promulgates the regulations necessary to implement this action. If NOAA determines a nomination adequately meets the final criteria and considerations, it may place that nomination into an inventory of areas for the NOAA Administrator, as delegated from the Secretary of Commerce, to consider for designation as a national marine sanctuary. As such, NOAA is not designating any new national marine sanctuaries with this action. In issuing this rule, NOAA replaces the currently inactive Site Evaluation List with a new process for communities and other interested parties to work collaboratively and innovatively in their submission of national marine sanctuary nominations. The re-opening of the sanctuary nomination process was supported by the majority of the nearly 18,000 comments NOAA received on its proposed rule issued June 28, 2013.

Framework Adjustment 3 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan would establish a process for setting river herring (alewife and blueback) and shad (American and hickory) catch caps for the herring fishery. In addition, this action would set these catch caps for the 2014 and 2015 fishing years. This action is consistent with Herring Amendment 5, which addresses river herring catch and allows for river herring and shad catch caps to be implemented through a framework. This action would allow the Council to set river herring and shad catch caps and associated measures in future years through specifications or frameworks, whichever is appropriate. Catch of river herring and shad includes both bycatch (discards) and incidental catch that is retained.

The Coast Guard is removing the existing drawbridge operation regulation for the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge across the West Pearl River, mile 22.1 at Pearl River Station, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. The bridge was modified from a swing bridge to a fixed bridge and the current operating regulation is no longer necessary.