December 16, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In this action, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes that it has completed its statutory obligation of the Clean Air Act to promulgate emissions standards for source categories accounting for not less than ninety percent of the aggregated emissions of each of the seven hazardous air pollutants enumerated in section 112(c)(6). This document explains the basis for the agency's conclusion that it completed this obligation in February of 2011, identifies the promulgated standards that collectively satisfy the obligation, and provides the public an opportunity to comment.

On September 16, 2014, HUD published an interim rule that revised the financial reporting deadlines for operators participating in FHA's program for insurance of health care facilities under section 232 of the National Housing Act (Section 232 program) to bring them in- line with the reporting periods prescribed in HUD's Uniform Financial Reporting Standards, to which owners and borrowers participating in the Section 232 program are subject. HUD received no public comments in response to its solicitation of comment in the September 16, 2014, rule, and is therefore adopting the interim rule without change.

NMFS will host two public webinars to provide the opportunity to explain management measures and effective dates in the final rule for Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) (Amendment 7), which published December 2, 2014. The measures in the final rule took action to reduce and account for bluefin dead discards in all categories; optimize fishing opportunities in all categories within the U.S. quota; enhance reporting and monitoring; and adjust other management measures as necessary

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is confirming the effective date of December 17, 2014, for the direct final rule that was published in the Federal Register on October 3, 2014. This direct final rule amended the NRC's spent fuel storage regulations by revising the Holtec International HI-STORM FLOOD/WIND (FW) System listing within the ``List of approved spent fuel storage casks'' to include Amendment No. 1 to Certificate of Compliance (CoC) No. 1032.

On October 28, 2014, the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register (ACFR) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and requested comments through December 29, 2014. The ACFR received a formal request to extend the comment period. The ACFR is, therefore, extending the comment period until January 28, 2015.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (``Office'' or ``USPTO'') is amending its regulations to reduce certain trademark fees, as authorized by the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (``AIA''). The reductions will reduce total trademark fee collections and promote efficiency for the USPTO and customers. The reductions also will further USPTO strategic objectives to increase the end-to-end electronic processing of trademark applications by offering additional electronic application processing.

We are approving an amendment to the North Dakota regulatory program (the ``North Dakota program'') under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (``SMCRA'' or ``the Act''). North Dakota intends to revise its program to be consistent with the corresponding Federal regulations. North Dakota submitted the amendment to address required rule changes OSMRE identified by letter to North Dakota dated October 2, 2009, under 30 CFR 732.17(c). These include changes to North Dakota's rules regarding use of the Applicant Violator System (AVS) and ownership and control. North Dakota has met all of the conditions outlined in the 732 letter and has included all applicable revisions and/or additions to their rules. North Dakota is also proposing to add a new subsection to an existing rule with general requirements relating to the format of electronic applications. They are also making a minor correction to another rule pertaining to the term of permits to make it consistent with a separate rule which was previously amended to no longer require renewal of a permit once lands in that permit are no longer being mined or used in the support of surface coal mining.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving the State of Maryland's request to redesignate to attainment the Maryland 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). The Maryland portion of the Martinsburg Area is comprised of Washington County, Maryland. EPA has found that the Martinsburg Area attained the standard and continues to attain the standard. In addition, EPA is approving, as a revision to the Maryland State Implementation Plan (SIP), the Washington County maintenance plan to show maintenance of the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS through 2025 for the Maryland portion of the Area. The maintenance plan includes the 2017 and 2025 PM2.5 and nitrogen oxides (NOX) mobile vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) for Washington County, Maryland for the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS, which EPA is proposing to approve for transportation conformity purposes. These actions are being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

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 certain Dassault Aviation Model FALCON 2000 and FALCON 2000EX airplanes. This AD was prompted by a design review, which revealed that the forward servicing compartment (FSC) is configured with tie-down points. This AD requires inspecting the FSC for installed tie-down points, and removing those tie-down points. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct installed tie-down points, which could lead to inadvertent use of the FSC as a cargo compartment, which could result in damage to the structure of the airplane or potential risk of fire.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-100, -200, -200C, -300, -400, and -500 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of fatigue cracking in the skin assembly and bear strap of the aft lower corner of the forward airstair stowage doorway. This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking of the skin assembly and bear strap of the forward airstair stowage doorway; post-repair and post-modification inspections for certain airplanes; and related investigative and corrective actions, if necessary. This AD also provides optional terminating actions for certain inspections. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking, which could result in rapid loss of cabin pressure.

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.