2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Standard Criteria for Agricultural and Urban Water Management Plans (Criteria) are now available for public comment. To meet the requirements of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act of 1992 and the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982, the Bureau of Reclamation developed and published the Criteria. The Criteria apply to any Water Management Plans submitted to the Bureau of Reclamation as required by applicable Central Valley Project water service contracts, settlement contracts, or any contracts that specifically invokes the Criteria. Note: For the purpose of this announcement, Water Management Plans are considered the same as Water Conservation Plans (Plans).

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model DC-9-10, DC-9-20, and DC-9-30 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by an evaluation by the design approval holder (DAH) indicating that the improved (shot-peened) aft fuselage non-ventral pressure bulkhead tee is subject to widespread fatigue damage (WFD). This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking of the improved (shot-peened) non-ventral aft pressure bulkhead tees, and replacement if necessary. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking of the improved (shot-peened) non-ventral aft pressure bulkhead tees connecting the bulkhead web to the fuselage, which could result in reduced structural integrity and rapid decompression of the airplane.

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) has approved the private sector adjustment factor (PSAF) for 2015 of $18.0 million and the 2015 fee schedules for Federal Reserve priced services and electronic access. These actions were taken in accordance with the requirements of the Monetary Control Act of 1980, which requires that, over the long run, fees for Federal Reserve priced services be established on the basis of all direct and indirect costs, including the PSAF.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the Agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the PRA), Federal Agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on the information collection requirements for appeals of science-based decisions above the division level at the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania pertaining to the control of particulate matter (PM) emissions from the operation of outdoor wood-fired boilers (OWBs) in Allegheny County. EPA is approving this revision in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is announcing that the information collection request for the Abandoned Mine Reclamation FundFee Collection and Coal Production Reporting and the form OSM-1 has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The information collection request describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden and cost.

DoD is proposing to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to clarify that entering into a contract award may cause a small business to eventually exceed the applicable small business size standard.

This final rule will update and make revisions to the End- Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) prospective payment system (PPS) for calendar year (CY) 2015. This rule also finalizes requirements for the ESRD quality incentive program (QIP), including for payment years (PYs) 2017 and 2018. This rule will also make a technical correction to remove outdated terms and definitions. In addition, this final rule sets forth the methodology for adjusting Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) fee schedule payment amounts using information from the Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program (CBP); makes alternative payment rules for certain DME under the Medicare DMEPOS CBP; clarifies the statutory Medicare hearing aid coverage exclusion and specifies devices not subject to the hearing aid exclusion; will not update the definition of minimal self-adjustment; clarifies the Change of Ownership (CHOW) and provides for an exception to the current requirements; revises the appeal provisions for termination of a CBP contract, including the beneficiary notification requirement under the Medicare DMEPOS CBP, and makes a technical change to the regulation related to the conditions for awarding contracts for furnishing infusion drugs under the Medicare DMEPOS CBP.

This final rule updates Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) rates, including the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rates, the national per-visit rates, and the non-routine medical supply (NRS) conversion factor under the Medicare prospective payment system for home health agencies (HHAs), effective for episodes ending on or after January 1, 2015. As required by the Affordable Care Act, this rule implements the second year of the four-year phase-in of the rebasing adjustments to the HH PPS payment rates. This rule provides information on our efforts to monitor the potential impacts of the rebasing adjustments and the Affordable Care Act mandated face-to- face encounter requirement. This rule also implements: Changes to simplify the face-to-face encounter regulatory requirements; changes to the HH PPS case-mix weights; changes to the home health quality reporting program requirements; changes to simplify the therapy reassessment timeframes; a revision to the Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) personnel qualifications; minor technical regulations text changes; and limitations on the reviewability of the civil monetary penalty provisions. Finally, this rule also discusses Medicare coverage of insulin injections under the HH PPS, the delay in the implementation of the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM), and a HH value-based purchasing (HH VBP) model.

We are superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2013-10-06, for all Airbus Model A330-200 Freighter, A330-200, A330-300, A340-200, A340-300, A340-500, and A340-600 series airplanes. AD 2013-10-06 required an inspection to identify the installed windshields, and replacement of any affected windshield. This new AD requires expanding the inspection area to 15 additional windshields' serial numbers. This AD was prompted by several reports of a burning smell and/or smoke in the cockpit during cruise phase, leading in some cases, to diversion to alternate airports. We are issuing this AD to prevent significantly increased workload for the flightcrew, which could, under some flight phases and/or circumstances, constitute an unsafe condition.

HHS gives notice concerning the final effect of the HHS decision to designate a class of employees from the General Atomics facility in La Jolla, California, as an addition to the Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000.

HUD has submitted the proposed information collection requirement described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. The purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days of public comment.

Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit public comment on proposed collections of information, including extensions and reinstatements of previously approved collections. This document describes an Information Collection Request (ICR) for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), Requirements and Exemptions for Specific RCRA Wastes (EPA ICR No. 1597.11, OMB Control No. 2050-0145) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through February 28, 2015. An Agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has submitted an information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to continue the collection of information from applicants for oil shale leases, oil shale lessees, and oil shale operators. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) previously approved this information collection activity, and assigned it control number 1004-0201.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites and requests nomination of individuals for appointment to eight existing Federal Advisory Committees: Board of Overseers of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board, Manufacturing Extension Partnership Advisory Board, National Construction Safety Team Advisory Committee, Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction, NIST Smart Grid Advisory Committee, and Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology. NIST will consider nominations received in response to this notice for appointment to the Committees, in addition to nominations already received. Registered Federal lobbyists may not serve on NIST Federal Advisory Committees.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an exemption in a response to a September 24, 2014, letter from PPL Bell Bend, LLC (PPL), which requested an exemption from Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) updates included in their Combined License (COL) application. The NRC staff reviewed this request and determined that it is appropriate to grant the exemption, but stipulated that the updates to the FSAR must be submitted prior to, or coincident with, the resumption of the COL application safety review or by December 31, 2015, whichever comes first.