December 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are adopting as a final rule, with changes, an interim rule that amended the regulations concerning the importation of animals and animal products to prohibit or restrict the importation of live birds and poultry (including hatching eggs) and bird and poultry products from regions where any subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is considered to exist. The interim rule also added restrictions concerning importation of live birds and poultry that have been moved through regions where HPAI is considered to exist, or that have been vaccinated for certain types of avian influenza. This final rule amends the interim rule to allow the importation of live zoological birds and poultry that have been vaccinated for avian influenza as part of an official program and under specific conditions as determined by the Administrator and to allow the importation of HPAI-resistant pigeons, doves, and other Columbiform species under certain conditions from regions where HPAI is considered to exist. This action will provide for the importation of certain zoological birds and poultry under specified conditions designed to minimize the risk of introducing HPAI into the United States.

NMFS is closing the fisheries for commercial aggregated LCS and hammerhead sharks in the Atlantic region. This action is necessary because the commercial landings of Atlantic aggregated LCS for the 2014 fishing season have reached 80 percent of the available commercial quota as of November 14, 2014, and the fisheries are quota-linked under current regulations.

This rule amends the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's regulation on Allocation of Assets in Single-Employer Plans by substituting a new table for determining expected retirement ages for participants in pension plans undergoing distress or involuntary termination with valuation dates falling in 2015. This table is needed in order to compute the value of early retirement benefits and, thus, the total value of benefits under a plan.

This rule amends the regulations that specify the requirements for the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC)-approved warehouses storing cotton, which are administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). FSA is changing the definition of Bales Made Available for Shipment (BMAS). CCC-approved cotton warehouses are currently required to report BMAS, among other data, to FSA every week. FSA is clarifying that bales made available, but not picked up by the shipper, can only be reported by the warehouse operator as BMAS for no longer than the first 2 weeks that such bales have been made available for delivery but have not yet been picked up. This rule change includes whether bales not picked up are reported by the warehouse operator to FSA in the weekly report; it does not change any warehouse tariffs, late fees, or restocking fees. The quality of reported information about bales made available for shipment will improve, which will benefit both FSA and the cotton industry.

On July 30, 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule that would require electronic reporting instead of current paper-based NPDES reports. This action would modernize NPDES reporting, save time and resources for regulated entities and regulatory agencies, better protect the Nation's waters by improving compliance, and provide the public with access to information that affects their communities. The proposal would enhance transparency and accountability by providing regulatory agencies and the public with more timely, complete, accurate, and nationally- consistent data about the NPDES program and potential sources of water pollution. The benefits of this proposed rulemaking should allow NPDES- authorized programs in states, tribes, and territories to shift precious resources from data management activities to solving issues that threaten human health, water quality, and noncompliance issues. As a result of comments received on the proposed rule, we are soliciting further comments by opening a new public comment period.

To implement the nutrition labeling provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Affordable Care Act or ACA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is requiring disclosure of certain nutrition information for standard menu items in certain restaurants and retail food establishments. The ACA, in part, amended the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FD&C Act), among other things, to require restaurants and similar retail food establishments that are part of a chain with 20 or more locations doing business under the same name and offering for sale substantially the same menu items to provide calorie and other nutrition information for standard menu items, including food on display and self-service food. Under provisions of the ACA, restaurants and similar retail food establishments not otherwise covered by the law may elect to become subject to these Federal requirements by registering every other year with FDA. Providing accurate, clear, and consistent nutrition information, including the calorie content of foods, in restaurants and similar retail food establishments will make such nutrition information available to consumers in a direct and accessible manner to enable consumers to make informed and healthful dietary choices.