2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is announcing a December 2, 2014 roundtable and requesting written comments on USPTO use of crowdsourcing to identify relevant prior art. Members of the public are invited to participate at the roundtable. On February 20, 2014, the White House issued a series of executive actions including crowdsourcing prior art as a means to strengthen patent quality. The roundtable will address the executive action by exploring: (1) How the USPTO can utilize crowdsourcing tools to obtain relevant prior art in order to enhance the quality of examination and issued patents; and (2) ways the USPTO can leverage existing private sector solutions for the electronic receipt and hosting of crowdsourced materials as a means to provide prior art to examiners.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has examined and found suitable for classification for conveyance about 125 acres of public land in Do[ntilde]a Ana County, New Mexico, under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act, as amended. The City of Las Cruces (City) has applied to obtain patent on its current landfill R&PP leases NMNM 000014 and NMNM 018155 each of 40 acres with a history of landfill use. Additionally, the City has applied to obtain patent of 45 acres (NMNM 132849) of land adjacent to the leases. The resulting patent would total 125 acres. As a separate transaction, the City filed an application for the conveyance of the federally owned mineral interests in the 125-acre parcel of land described in this notice. The BLM is processing the mineral application under Section 209 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA).

This document contains final regulations regarding the determination of the basis of stock or securities in certain reorganizations where no stock or securities of the issuing corporation is issued and distributed in the transaction. These final regulations clarify that only a shareholder that owns actual shares in the issuing corporation in such a reorganization can designate the actual share of stock of the issuing corporation to which the basis, if any, of the stock or securities surrendered will attach. These regulations affect corporations engaging in such transactions and their shareholders.

The Finance Committee of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Board will hold a Special Meeting via telephone conference (teleconference) on November 17, 2014.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda for a meeting of the MHCC. The meeting is open to the public and the site is accessible to individuals with disabilities. The agenda provides an opportunity for citizens to comment on the business before the MHCC.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is announcing its intention to request renewed approval for the collection of information for the requirements for permits for special categories of mining. This information collection activity was previously approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and assigned control number 1029-0040.

Under the provisions of Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for review and approval of the information collection listed below. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register in Volume 79, June 12, 2014 on page 33764 and allowed 60-days for public comment. One public comment was received that was a personal opinion regarding conducting research about the Chinese blood donation system. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection that has been extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Direct Comments to OMB: Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory Affairs, OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov or by fax to 202-395-6974, Attention: NIH Desk Officer. Comment Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30-days of the date of this publication.

The Coast Guard will hold three public meetings for citizens to provide oral and written comments relating to the current and future operations of the Florida East Coast Railroad Bridges across the St. Lucie River in Stuart, Florida, the Loxahatchee River, Jupiter, Florida, and the New River in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Coast Guard is soliciting public comment relating to navigation through these bridges. Specific interests include the current and future impact of bridge closings on navigation. These meetings will be open to the public.

This action implements new stock status determination criteria for Gulf of Maine (GOM) haddock and increases the associated GOM haddock catch limits for the remainder of fishing year 2014 based on the most recent and best available scientific information. This action is intended to provide additional commercial fishing opportunities for GOM haddock and other healthy groundfish stocks.

This final rule announces inseason changes to management measures in the Pacific Coast groundfish fisheries. This action, which is authorized by the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (PCGFMP), is intended to allow fisheries to access more abundant groundfish stocks while protecting overfished and depleted stocks.

On April 23, 2013, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), submitted a request to redesignate the Alabama portion of the Chattanooga, TN-GA fine particulate matter (PM2.5) nonattainment area (hereafter referred to as the ``Chattanooga TN-GA Area'' or ``Area'') to attainment for the 1997 Annual PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and to approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision containing a maintenance plan for the Alabama portion of the Chattanooga TN-GA Area. The Alabama portion of the Chattanooga TN-GA Area is comprised of a portion of Jackson County in Alabama. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve the redesignation request and the related SIP revision, including the plan for maintaining attainment of the PM2.5 standard, for the Alabama portion of the Chattanooga TN-GA Area. EPA is also proposing to approve the on-road motor vehicle insignificance determination for direct PM2.5 and nitrogen oxides (NOX) for the Alabama portion of the Chattanooga TN-GA Area. On September 14, 2012, Georgia submitted a request to redesignate the Georgia portion of the Chattanooga TN-GA Area, and EPA is expecting Tennessee to submit a request to redesignate the Tennessee portion of the Chattanooga TN-GA Area. EPA will be taking separate action on the requests from Georgia and Tennessee.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

Notice is hereby given that the State of Tennessee is revising its approved Public Water System Supervision Program. Tennessee has adopted the following rules: Ground Water Rule, and Lead and Copper Rule Short-Term Regulatory Revisions and Clarifications. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that Tennessee's rules are no less stringent than the corresponding Federal regulations. Therefore, the EPA is tentatively approving this revision to the State of Tennessee's Public Water System Supervision Program.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking input from the public on its plan to transition its stewardship of the National Training and Education Resource (NTER) in spring 2015. The information sought under this Request for Information (RFI) is intended to assist DOE in further understanding potential strategic approaches to transitioning central administration of NTER to the private sector and the impacts on users. DOE seeks input from entities interested in taking over NTER as well as from impacted parties. The information collected may be used for internal DOE planning and decision-making purposes.

The Human Resources Management (HRM), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each revised collection, and allow 60 days for public comment in response to this notice. This notice solicits comments on information needed to determine VA employees' eligibility to participate in VA's child care subsidy program.

The Human Resources and Administration (HRA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed revision of a currently approved collection, and allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on information needed to process a complaint of employment discrimination.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new collection, and allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on the information needed for Veterans, Veteran Representatives and health care providers to request reimbursement from the federal government for emergency services at a private institution.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) is seeking nominations of qualified individuals to be considered for appointment as members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). The PACHA is a federal advisory committee within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Management support for the activities of this Council is the responsibility of the OASH. The qualified individuals will be nominated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for consideration for appointment as members of the PACHA. Members of the Council, including the Chair, are appointed by the Secretary. Members are invited to serve on the Council for up to four-year terms. The Council was established to provide advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary regarding programs and policies intended to promote effective prevention and care of HIV disease and AIDS. The functions of the Council are solely advisory in nature.