February 5, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is seeking public input and guidance to direct its continued efforts towards enhancing patent quality. These efforts focus on improving patent operations and procedures to provide the best possible work products, to enhance the customer experience, and to improve existing quality metrics. In pursuit of these goals, the USPTO is launching a comprehensive and enhanced quality initiative. This initiative begins with a request for public comments on the set of proposals outlined in this document and will continue with a two-day ``Quality Summit'' with the public to discuss the outlined proposals. The conversation with the public held at this Quality Summit, complemented by written comments to these proposals, is the first of many steps toward developing a new paradigm of patent quality at the USPTO. Through an active and long- term partnership with the public, the USPTO seeks to ensure the issuance of the best quality patents and provide the best customer service possible.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a meeting of the Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC).

The Department of State is seeking Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are requesting comments on this collection from all interested individuals and organizations. The purpose of this notice is to allow 60 days for public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve revisions to the state implementation plan (SIP), submitted by the State of Florida through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FL DEP), to EPA on June 29, 2012, as amended on June 27, 2013, for the purpose of providing for attainment of the 2008 Lead (Pb) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in the Hillsborough 2008 Lead nonattainment area (hereafter referred to as the ``Hillsborough Area'' or ``Area''). The Hillsborough Area is comprised of a portion of Hillsborough County in Florida surrounding EnviroFocus Technologies, LLC (hereafter referred to as ``EnviroFocus''). The attainment plan includes the base year emissions inventory, an analysis of reasonably available control technology (RACT) and reasonably available control measures (RACM), reasonable further progress (RFP) plan, modeling demonstration of lead attainment, and contingency measures for the Hillsborough Area. This action is being taken in accordance with the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act).

On December 1, 2014, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requested public comment on the proposed ``NRC Tribal Policy Statement.'' The public comment period was originally scheduled to close on March 31, 2015. The NRC has decided to extend the public comment period to allow more time for members of the public to develop and submit their comments.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 8 is publishing a direct final Notice of Deletion of the Midvale Slag Superfund Site (Site), located in Salt Lake County, Utah, from the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL, promulgated pursuant to section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended, is an appendix of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). This direct final deletion is being published by EPA with the concurrence of the State of Utah, through the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ), because EPA has determined that all appropriate response actions under CERCLA, other than operation, maintenance and five-year reviews of the Site, have been completed. However, this deletion does not preclude future actions under Superfund.

This document contains technical corrections to the USDA organic regulations (7 CFR part 205) which were published in the Federal Register on December 21, 2000. The correcting amendments are minor, mostly typographical amendments which do not change, or alter the interpretation, of any provision within the USDA organic regulations.

The Coast Guard is establishing an interim rule providing for temporary moving security zones around vessels being escorted by one or more Coast Guard or other Federal, State, or local law enforcement assets, on the navigable waters of the Lower Mississippi River, New Orleans, LA. These temporary moving security zones are necessary for the safe transit and mooring of vessels requiring escort protection by the Coast Guard for security reasons as well as the safety and security of personnel and port facilities. Entry into, remaining in or transiting through these zones is prohibited for all vessels, mariners, and persons unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port New Orleans or a designated representative. The Coast Guard seeks comments on this interim rule before establishing a permanent final rule.

The FAA proposes to rule and invite public comment on the release of land at the South Texas Regional Airport at Hondo under the provisions of Section 125 of the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR 21).

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing the names of three individuals whose property and interests in property have been unblocked pursuant to Executive Order 12978 of October 21, 1995, ``Blocking Assets and Prohibiting Transactions With Significant Narcotics Traffickers''.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its spent fuel storage regulations by revising the Holtec International HI-STORM 100 Cask System listing within the ``List of approved spent fuel storage casks'' to add Amendment No. 8, Revision No. 1, to the Certificate of Compliance (CoC) No. 1014. Amendment No. 8, Revision No. 1, changes burnup/cooling time limits for thimble plug devices; changes Metamic-HT material testing requirements; changes Metamic-HT material minimum guaranteed values; and updates fuel definitions to allow boiling water reactor fuel affected by certain corrosion mechanisms with specific guidelines to be classified as undamaged fuel.

The Department of Energy (DOE) is conducting a comprehensive assessment of science and energy technology research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RD3) opportunities to address our nation's energy-linked economic, environmental, and security challenges. This comprehensive documentthe 2015 edition of the DOE's Quadrennial Technology Review, or QTR-2015is examining an ``all of the above'' range of energy technologies to inform the configuration of the Department's programs and priorities, industry and university engagement, and national lab activities, and will serve as a key input into the Department's forthcoming Science and Energy Plan.

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing the names of three individuals and two entities whose property and interests in property have been unblocked pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) (21 U.S.C. Sections 1901-1908, 8 U.S.C. Section 1182).

Each applicant seeks an order declaring that it has ceased to be an investment company. Applicants transferred their assets to BlackRock Resources & Commodities Strategy Trust, and on December 8, 2014, made distributions to their shareholders based on net asset value. Expenses of approximately $514,070 and $302,964, respectively, incurred in connection with the reorganizations were paid by applicants. Filing Date: The applications were filed on December 29, 2014. Applicants' Address: 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, DE 19809.

National Institute of Mental Health, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public to take this opportunity to comment on the ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery '' for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et. seq.). This collection was developed as part of a Federal Government-wide effort to streamline the process for seeking feedback from the public on service delivery. This notice announces our intent to submit this collection to OMB for approval and solicits comments on specific aspects for the proposed information collection. To Submit Comments and for Further Information: To obtain a copy of the data collection plans and instruments, submit comments in writing, or request more information on the proposed project, contact: NIMH Project Clearance Liaison, Science Policy and Evaluation Branch, OSPPC, NIMH, NIH, Neuroscience Center, 6001 Executive Boulevard, MSC 9667, Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, or call 301-443-4335 or Email your request, including your address to: NIMHprapubliccomments@mail.nih.gov. Formal requests for additional plans and instruments must be requested in writing. Comment Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection are best assured of having their full effect if received within 60 days of the date of this publication. Proposed Collection: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery (NIMH), 0925-0650, Expiration Date 1/31/2015, REINSTATEMENT WITHOUT CHANGE, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Need and Use of Information Collection: There are no changes being requested for this submission. The proposed information collection activity provides a means to garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with the Administration's commitment to improving service delivery. By qualitative feedback we mean information that provides useful insights on perceptions and opinions, but are not statistical surveys that yield quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of study. This feedback will provide information about the NIMH's customer or stakeholder perceptions, experiences and expectations, provide an early warning of issues with service, or focus attention on areas where communication, training or changes in operations might improve delivery of products or services. These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and actionable communications between the NIMH and its customers and stakeholders. It will also allow feedback to contribute directly to the improvement of program management. The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as: Timeliness, appropriateness, accuracy of information, courtesy, efficiency of service delivery, and resolution of issues with service delivery. Responses will be assessed to plan and inform efforts to improve or maintain the quality of service offered to the public. If this information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and stakeholders on the NIMH's services will be unavailable. The NIMH will only submit a collection for approval under this generic clearance if it meets the following conditions: The collections are voluntary; The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government; The collections are non-controversial and do not raise issues of concern to other Federal agencies; Any collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the near future; Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only to the extent necessary and is not retained; Information gathered will be used only internally for general service improvement and program management purposes and is not intended for release outside of the agency; Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions; and Information gathered will yield qualitative information; the collections will not be designed or expected to yield statistically reliable results or used as though the results are generalizable to the population of study. Feedback collected under this generic clearance provides useful information, but it does not yield data that can be generalized to the overall population. This type of generic clearance for qualitative information will not be used for quantitative information collections that are designed to yield reliably actionable results, such as monitoring trends over time or documenting program performance. Such data uses require more rigorous designs that address: the target population to which generalizations will be made, the sampling frame, the sample design (including stratification and clustering), the precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential non-response bias, the protocols for data collection, and any testing procedures that were or will be undertaken prior to fielding the study. Depending on the degree of influence the results are likely to have, such collections may still be eligible for submission for other generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative results. As a general matter, information collections will not result in any new system of records containing privacy information and will not ask questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. Request for Comments: Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (e) estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to a collection of information, to search data sources, to complete and review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the information. OMB approval is requested for 3 years. There are no costs to respondents other than their time. The total estimated annualized burden hours are 4,408.

The Kidney Interagency Coordinating Committee (KICC) will hold a meeting on March 6, 2015, on future directions for kidney disease research in the Federal government. The meeting is open to the public.