December 16, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing concerning the addition of Priority Mail Express Contract 23 negotiated service agreement to the competitive product list. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps.

The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing concerning a minor classification change regarding Global Reseller Expedited Package Contracts. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announces a meeting of the Heliophysics Subcommittee (HPS) of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC). This Subcommittee reports to the Science Committee of the NAC. The meeting will be held for the purpose of soliciting, from the scientific community and other persons, scientific and technical information relevant to program planning.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving the State of Maryland's request to redesignate to attainment the Baltimore, Maryland Nonattainment Area (Baltimore Area or Area) for the 1997 annual fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). EPA has determined that the Baltimore Area attained the standard and that it continues to attain the standard. In addition, EPA is approving, as a revision to the Maryland State Implementation Plan (SIP), the Baltimore Area 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 the Baltimore Area for the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS, which EPA is approving for transportation conformity purposes. These actions are being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The inventions listed below are owned by an agency of the U.S. Government and are available for licensing in the U.S. in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally-funded research and development. Foreign patent applications are filed on selected inventions to extend market coverage for companies and may also be available for licensing.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for FDA staff entitled ``Compliance Policy Guide CrabmeatFresh and FrozenAdulteration with Filth, Involving the Presence of Escherichia coli.'' The draft Compliance Policy Guide (CPG), when finalized, will update the previously issued ``CPG CrabmeatFresh and FrozenAdulteration with Filth, Involving the Presence of the Organism Escherichia coli.'' This revised draft provides guidance for FDA staff on the level of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in crabmeat at which we may consider the crabmeat to be adulterated with filth.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking direct final action to approve revisions to the Feather River Air Quality Management District (FRAQMD) portion of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). These revisions concern emissions of particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX) from wood heating devices and open burning. We are approving local rules that regulate these emission sources under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act).

This proposal would modify the organic assessment exemption regulations under 23 Federal marketing orders and 22 research and promotion programs. The current regulations would be amended to allow persons that produce, handle, market, or import certified organic products to be exempt from paying assessments associated with commodity promotion activities, including paid advertising, conducted under a commodity promotion program administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The exemption would cover all ``organic'' and ``100 percent organic'' products certified under the National Organic Program regardless of whether the person requesting the exemption also produces, handles, markets, or imports conventional or nonorganic products. Currently, only persons that exclusively produce and market products certified as 100 percent organic are eligible for an exemption from assessments under commodity promotion programs. The authority for this proposal is in section 10004 of the Agricultural Act of 2014.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Model A300 series airplanes; Airbus Model A300 B4-600, B4-600R, and F4-600R series airplanes, and Model A300 C4-605R Variant F airplanes (collectively called Model A300-600 series airplanes); and Airbus Model A310 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report of early ruptures on the levers of the nose landing gear (NLG) sequence valve. This AD requires a one-time inspection for damage of the landing gear sequence valve levers and pin shearing indicating areas on the NLG and the main landing gears (MLGs); and depending on findings, replacing the sequence valve and lever, or doing a one-time inspection to detect interference between control rods and sequence valves and corrective actions if necessary. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct interference between a landing gear leg and door, which could result in failure of that landing gear to extend and could damage the airplane and injure occupants.

We, NMFS, have completed comprehensive status reviews under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for seven foreign marine species in response to a petition to list those species. These seven species are the Eastern Taiwan Strait population of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), dusky sea snake (Aipysurus fuscus), Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni), Harrisson's dogfish (Centrophorus harrissoni), and the corals Cantharellus noumeae, Siderastrea glynni, and Tubastraea floreana. We have determined that the Eastern Taiwan Strait Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin is not a distinct population segment and therefore does not warrant listing. We have determined that, based on the best scientific and commercial data available, and after taking into account efforts being made to protect the species, Pterapogon kauderni, and Centrophorus harrissoni meet the definition of a threatened species; and Aipysurus fuscus, Cantharellus noumeae, Siderastrea glynni, and Tubastraea floreana meet the definition of an endangered species. Therefore, we propose to list these six species under the ESA. We are not proposing to designate critical habitat for any of the species proposed for listing, because the geographical areas occupied by these species are entirely outside U.S. jurisdiction, and we have not identified any unoccupied areas that are currently essential to the conservation of any of these species. We are soliciting comments on our proposals to list the six species. We are also proposing related administrative changes to our lists of threatened and endangered species.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Airbus Model A320-211, -212, -214, -231, -232, and -233 airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report of cracking at the splice plate of the frame (FR) 47 butt joint crossing area found during full-scale fatigue testing. This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking of both sides of the splice plate of that frame butt joint crossing area, and corrective action if necessary. This AD also provides for an optional modification, which terminates the repetitive inspections. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking of the splice plate of the FR 47 butt joint crossing area, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane.

We are amending the regulations on importing plants for planting to add Turkey to the list of countries from which the importation of restricted articles of Chrysanthemum spp., Leucanthemella serotina, and Nipponanthemum nipponicum into the United States is prohibited due to the presence of white rust of Chrysanthemum; to require permits for the importation of any seed that is coated, pelleted, or embedded in a substrate that obscures visibility; to provide for an alternate additional declaration on phytosanitary certificates that accompany articles imported from a country in which potato cyst nematodes are known to occur; to provide conditions for the importation of Prunus spp. articles from Canada that address the presence of plum pox potyvirus in that country; and to provide for the importation of Dianthus spp. (carnations) from the Netherlands. We are also making other changes to update and clarify the regulations and to improve their effectiveness. These changes are necessary to relieve restrictions that appear unnecessary, to update existing provisions, and to make the regulations easier to understand and implement.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to partially approve and partially disapprove a revision to the Texas State Implementation Plan (SIP) received from the State of Texas on March 31, 2009, that addresses regional haze for the first planning period from 2008 through 2018. This SIP revision was submitted to address the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA) and EPA's rules that require states to prevent any future, and remedy any existing, manmade impairment of visibility to assure reasonable progress toward the national goal of achieving natural visibility conditions in Class I areas. The EPA is proposing to partially approve this SIP revision as meeting certain requirements of the regional haze program, including the majority of the requirement to procure and install the Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) at certain categories of existing major stationary sources built between 1962 and 1977. The EPA is also proposing to partially disapprove the SIP revision for not adequately addressing other requirements of the regional haze program related to reasonable progress, the long-term strategy, and the calculation of natural visibility conditions. The EPA is also proposing to disapprove SIP revisions submitted by Texas for the purpose of addressing the requirements of the CAA regarding interference with other states' programs for visibility protection for the 1997 fine particulate matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), the 1997 ozone NAAQS, the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS, the 2008 ozone NAAQS, the 2010 Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) NAAQS, and the 2010 Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) NAAQS. Finally, the EPA is proposing to partially disapprove a revision to the Oklahoma SIP submitted in February 19, 2010, that addresses regional haze for the first planning period. Specifically, EPA is proposing to disapprove Oklahoma's Reasonable Progress Goals (RPGs) for the Wichita Mountains Class I area. The EPA is proposing a Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) for each Texas and Oklahoma to remedy certain deficiencies in the SIP. The proposed FIP would implement SO2 emission limits on fifteen Texas sources as part of a long-term strategy for making reasonable progress at three Class I areas in Texas and Oklahoma, sets new RPGs for the Big Bend, the Guadalupe Mountains, and Wichita Mountains Class I areas, and substitutes Texas' reliance on the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) to satisfy BART requirements at its EGUs with reliance on CAIR's successor, the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR). Our proposed FIP for Oklahoma does not establish any additional requirements on sources within Oklahoma. The EPA is taking this action under the CAA. Comments must be received on or before February 17, 2015. Public Hearings. EPA is holding open housesfor the purpose of providing additional information and informal discussion for our proposal, and public hearingsto accept oral comments into the record, as follows:

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is amending its Agency for International Development Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR) to maintain consistency with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), incorporate long-standing USAID internal policy into the regulation, remove obsolete material and make editorial amendments to better clarify the regulation.