December 17, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces that the Department of the Interior will extend the comment period on the proposed amending regulations governing Secretarial elections and petitioning procedures to January 16, 2015.

The Coast Guard is establishing a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) on the navigable waters of Oregon Inlet, NC surrounding the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge. This RNA will allow the Coast Guard to enforce vessel traffic restrictions within the RNA when necessary to safeguard people and vessels from the hazards associated with potential catastrophic structural damage that could occur due to vessel allisions with the bridge.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to grant full approval for the revisions to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted on June 25, 2012 by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) on behalf of the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD). These revisions pertain to ACHD's Nonattainment New Source Review (NNSR) program, and implement an incorporation by reference (IBR) of Pennsylvania's NNSR provisions. They also correct a citation error in ACHD's NNSR regulations. This action is in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

This action revises regulations for the Pacific coast groundfish fishery with an implementation date of January 1, 2015. Final implementation of the 2015-2016 biennial harvest specifications and management measures will be delayed beyond January 1, 2015. NMFS has identified two issues that must be addressed prior to January 1, 2015, to prevent interruption of ongoing fisheries and to allow harvest of the total allowable and available groundfish. This action addresses those issues by revising groundfish regulations in two ways. First, this action reinstates a mechanism whereby NMFS can issue interim groundfish allocations at the beginning of the year in years when annual groundfish harvest specifications are not yet finalized, as is the case for January 1, 2015. Second, this action amends regulations to allow NMFS to issue that portion of the allowable catch currently allocated to an Adaptive Management Program (AMP) to quota shareholders until final criteria and a process for distribution of the AMP quota shares is developed and implemented.

NMFS is closing fishing for the commercial porbeagle shark quota until further notice. This action is necessary because, as of December 10, 2014, the commercial landings of porbeagle sharks during the 2014 fishing season exceeded the available 2014 adjusted commercial quota and to an extent that makes 2015 commercial quota unavailable.

This regulation establishes tolerances for residues of fluopyram in or on multiple commodities that are identified and discussed later in this document. Bayer CropScience requested these tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).

In this Final Rule, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission revises its regulations governing interstate natural gas pipeline system maps. First, the Commission eliminates the requirements that pipelines include maps in their tariffs and file updated maps as part of their tariffs by the following April 30 for any year that there is a major change in the pipeline's system. Second, the Commission retains the requirement that pipelines post and maintain a system map on their Internet Web sites, and implements a quarterly deadline for updating pipeline maps.

The Audio Division denies the Petition for Rule Making filed by Alatron Corporation, Inc., proposing the allotment of FM Channel 228A at Pike Road, Alabama. The petition was denied because a counterproposal, consisting of three minor change applications, was granted instead: Application of Southeast Alabama Broadcasters, LLC, to upgrade the facilities of Station WDLA(FM), to 280C2, Fort Rucker, Alabama. The application of Gulf South Communications, Inc., to change the community of license for Station WDJR(FM), to Hartford, Alabama, and the application of Gulf South Communications, Inc., to change the channel and community of license for Station WDBT(FM), to Channel 228A, Hope Hull, Alabama. The license for Station WAAO-FM, Andalusia, Alabama will be modified to specify operation on Channel 229A.

This document announces the Agency's receipt of several initial filings of pesticide petitions requesting the establishment or modification of regulations for residues of pesticide chemicals in or on various commodities.

Based on its review of the air quality criteria for ozone (O3) and related photochemical oxidants and national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for O3, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to make revisions to the primary and secondary NAAQS for O3 to provide requisite protection of public health and welfare, respectively. The EPA is proposing to revise the primary standard to a level within the range of 0.065 to 0.070 parts per million (ppm), and to revise the secondary standard to within the range of 0.065 to 0.070 ppm, which air quality analyses indicate would provide air quality, in terms of 3-year average W126 index values, at or below a range of 13-17 ppm-hours. The EPA proposes to make corresponding revisions in data handling conventions for O3 and conforming changes to the Air Quality Index (AQI); to revise regulations for the prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) program to add a transition provision for certain applications; and to propose schedules and convey information related to implementing any revised standards. The EPA is proposing changes to the O3 monitoring seasons, the Federal Reference Method (FRM) for monitoring O3 in the ambient air, Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) procedures for testing, and the Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations (PAMS) network. Along with proposing exceptional event schedules related to implementing any revised O3 standards, the EPA is proposing to apply this same schedule approach to other future revised NAAQS and to remove obsolete regulatory language for expired exceptional event deadlines. The EPA is proposing to make minor changes to the procedures and time periods for evaluating potential FRMs and equivalent methods (including making the requirements for nitrogen dioxide consistent with the requirements for O3) and to remove an obsolete requirement for the annual submission of documentation by manufacturers of certain particulate matter monitors. For additional information, see the Executive Summary, section I.A.