September 25, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard will enforce the regulation pertaining to the Charleston Parade of Boats from 4:00 p.m. through 8:00 p.m. on December 13, 2014. This action is necessary to ensure safety of life on navigable waters of the United States during the Charleston Parade of Boats. During the enforcement period, the special local regulation establishes a regulated area which will prohibit all people and vessels from entering. Vessels may enter, transit through, anchor in, or remain within the area if authorized by the Captain of the Port Charleston or a designated representative.

This action proposes to modify the designated altitudes of restricted area R-4501B, Fort Leonard Wood, MO, by raising the restricted area ceiling from 1,500 feet mean seal level (MSL) in the north and 2,200 feet MSL in the south to a single altitude of 4,300 feet MSL across the entire restricted area. This action also proposes to add exclusions to the boundaries of R-4501C, R-4501F, and R-4501H to address overlapping restricted areas. Finally, this action proposes numerous administrative changes to the R-4501A and R-4501B titles and R-4501A-D, R-4501F, and R-4501H using agency information to standardize the format and information provided describing these restricted areas of the Fort Leonard Wood restricted area complex.

In this document, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) extends the deadline for filing comments and reply comments in the Special Access Proceeding Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) regarding possible changes to the special access rules that apply to incumbent local exchange carriers that are subject to price cap regulation. This extension is necessary to allow time for the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) to collect data that will be used for a proposed one-time, multi-faceted market analysis of the special access market and for potential commenters to review the data in advance of submitting comments and replies.

The Coast Guard is establishing three temporary security zones on the waters of the East River and Bronx Kill in the vicinity of Randalls and Wards Island, the Wall Street Heliport, and the United Nations Headquarters. These security zones are necessary to ensure the safety of the President of the United States, members of his official party, and other senior government officials. In addition, this action is necessary to protect visiting dignitaries and the Port of New York/ New Jersey against terrorism, sabotage or other subversive acts and incidents of a similar nature during the dignitaries' visit to New York City. The zones will restrict vessels from a portion of the East River and Bronx Kill when public officials are scheduled to arrive and depart the area. Persons or vessels will not be allowed to enter these security zones without permission from the Captain of the Port New York (COTP) or the COTP's designated on-scene representative.

This action proposes to remove Class D airspace at Independence Municipal Airport, Independence, KS. The closure of the airport's air traffic control tower has necessitated the need for this proposal.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing its withdrawal of federal water quality standards applicable to waters of the state of Florida now that Florida has adopted and EPA has approved relevant state standards. On December 6, 2010, EPA published a rule finalizing numeric nutrient standards for Florida's lakes, springs, and flowing waters outside of the South Florida Nutrient Watershed Region. The EPA established these water quality standards to protect Florida's Class I and III freshwaters from nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. On November 30, 2012, June 27, 2013, and September 26, 2013, EPA approved numeric nutrient standards adopted by the state of Florida for certain waters in the state. Some of the water body types and provisions covered by state- adopted water quality standards were also included in EPA's final inland waters rule (criteria for Florida's lakes and springs, approaches to protect downstream lakes, and a provision for developing Site-Specific Alternative Criteria). The EPA is now withdrawing the overlapping federally-promulgated water quality standards to allow Florida to implement its state-adopted, EPA-approved water quality standards to address nutrient pollution in Florida's waters. Additionally, this rule serves as final notice that EPA is not finalizing three 2012 federal proposed rules related to nutrient pollution in Florida.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing that the period for providing public comments on the proposed rule published on June 18, 2014, titled ``Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units'' is being extended by 45 days.

The Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS or the Agency) is issuing this Final Rule to revise the regulations implementing the reporting requirements under the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended (VEVRAA). Generally, VEVRAA requires Federal contractors and subcontractors to annually report on the total number of their employees who belong to the categories of veterans protected under VEVRAA, and the total number of those protected veterans who were hired during the period covered by the report. This Final Rule rescinds the regulations that prescribe the reporting requirements applicable to Government contracts and subcontracts entered into before December 1, 2003, because those regulations are now obsolete. In addition, this Final Rule revises the regulations that prescribe the reporting requirements applicable to Government contracts and subcontracts of $100,000 or more entered into or modified after December 1, 2003, by changing the manner in which Federal contractors report on their employment of veterans. The Final Rule renames the annual report required under those regulations the Federal Contractor Veterans' Employment Report VETS-4212. Further, the Final Rule revises regulations that address the definitions of terms used in the regulations, the text of the reporting requirements clause included in Government contracts and subcontracts, and the methods of filing the annual report on veterans' employment. Contractors and subcontractors will have to comply with the reporting requirements in the Final Rule beginning with the annual report filed in 2015.

On July 28, 2014, FRA published an NPRM proposing to expand the scope of its alcohol and drug regulations to cover employees who perform maintenance-of-way (MOW) activities and certain additional substantive amendments. This document provides notice that FRA is extending the comment period for this NPRM by 60 days.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking direct final action to approve a revision to the Maricopa County Air Quality Department (MCAQD) portion of the Arizona State Implementation Plan (SIP). This revision concerns particulate matter (PM) emissions from incinerators, burn-off ovens and crematories. We are approving a local rule that regulates these emission sources under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act).

On August 14, 2014, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a direct final rule (79 FR 47586) and a proposed rule; notice of intent to delete (79 FR 47610) that deleted the Monroe Auto Equipment Company (Paragould Pit) site from the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). EPA stated in the direct final rule that if EPA received adverse comments by September 15, 2014, EPA would publish a timely notice of withdrawal in the Federal Register. Subsequently, EPA discovered scribal errors in the supporting documentation of the final direct rule. EPA will correct those errors in a subsequent final action based on the parallel proposal which published on August 14, 2014. EPA will not institute a second comment period on this final action. Unless adverse comments are received by September 15, 2014, the effective date of the final rule will be September 29, 2014.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amends its adjudication regulations and the appeals regulations and rules of practice of the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) to require that all claims governed by VA's adjudication regulations be filed on standard forms prescribed by the Secretary, regardless of the type of claim or posture in which the claim arises. This rulemaking also eliminates the constructive receipt of VA reports of hospitalization or examination and other medical records as informal claims for increase or to reopen while retaining the retroactive effective date assignment for awards for claims for increase which are filed on a standard form within 1 year of such hospitalization, examination, or treatment. This final rule also implements the concept of an intent to file a claim for benefits, which operates similarly to the current informal claim process, but requires that the submission establishing a claimant's effective date of benefits must be received in one of three specified formats. Finally, these amendments will provide that VA will accept an expression of dissatisfaction or disagreement with an adjudicative determination by the agency of original jurisdiction(AOJ) as a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) only if it is submitted on a standardized form provided by VA for the purpose of appealing the decision, in cases where such a form is provided. Although a standardized NOD form will only initially be provided in connection with decisions on compensation claims, VA may require a standard NOD form for any type of claim for VA benefits if, in the future, it develops and provides a standardized NOD form for a particular benefit. The purpose of these amendments is to improve the quality and timeliness of the processing of veterans' claims for benefits by standardizing the claims and appeals processes through the use of forms.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking direct final action to approve revisions to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) portion of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). These revisions concern oxides of nitrogen (NOX) emissions from boilers, steam generators, and process heaters. We are approving local rules that regulate these emission sources under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act).

This rule establishes, amends, suspends, or revokes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and associated Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures for operations at certain airports. These regulatory actions are needed because of the adoption of new or revised criteria, or because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System, such as the commissioning of new navigational facilities, adding new obstacles, or changing air traffic requirements. These changes are designed to provide safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace and to promote safe flight operations under instrument flight rules at the affected airports.