March 10, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces the availability of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA's) decision to partially approve and proposal to partially disapprove Louisiana's 2014 Clean Water Act Section 303(d) submission of water quality limited segments and associated pollutants. EPA requests public comment on waters associated with the proposed disapproval and may, based on comment, amend its proposal prior to final action. On February 26, 2015, EPA partially approved and proposed to partially disapprove Louisiana's 2014 Section 303(d) submission, or list. Specifically, EPA approved Louisiana's listing of 279 waterbody- pollutant combinations, and associated priority rankings. EPA proposed to disapprove Louisiana's decision not to list 43 water quality limited segments and associated pollutants constituting 93 waterbody-pollutant combinations. EPA also proposed to add these waterbody-pollutant combinations to the 2014 Section 303(d) list because applicable numeric water quality standards were not attained in these segments for one of the following parameters: Dissolved oxygen (marine criterion); turbidity; and minerals (individually or a combination of sulfates, chlorides, and/or total dissolved solids). EPA is providing the public the opportunity to review its proposed additions to Louisiana's 2014 Section 303(d) list. EPA will consider and respond to public comments specific to the proposed addition of 43 segments and associated pollutants and may, based on comment, amend its proposed additions before finalizing Louisiana's 2014 Section 303(d) list. Comments not associated with the segments proposed for addition to the 2014 Section 303(d) list or associated with the 279 waterbody pollutant combinations previously approved by EPA are not solicited.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These revisions consist of an update to the motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) for nitrogen oxides (NOX) for the 1997 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) maintenance SIP for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 1997 8- Hour Ozone NAAQS Maintenance Area (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Maintenance Area or Area). These SIP revisions also include general conformity budgets for the construction of the Bell Bend Nuclear Power Plant. In addition, these SIP revisions include updated point and area source inventories for NOX. This rulemaking action proposes to approve the general conformity budgets, the updated MVEBs, and updates to the point and area source inventories, and thereby make them available for transportation conformity purposes, in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

This release is the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (``Commission'' or ``CFTC'') initial response to the order of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, et al. v. United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission remanding eight swaps-related rulemakings to the Commission to address what the court held to be inadequacies in the Commission's consideration of costs and benefits, or its explanation of its consideration of costs and benefits, in those rulemakings. In this release, the Commission: supplements the preambles to the remanded rulemakings by clarifying that the costs and benefits identified therein applied both to domestic swaps activities and activities outside the United States that are subject to the Commission's swaps rules by operation of section 2(i) of the Commodity Exchange Act (``CEA''); and solicits comments on whether there are cross-border costs or benefits associated with the remanded rules that differ from those associated with activities within the United States. Following its review of the comments, the Commission will publish a further response to the District Court remand order which would include any supplementation of or changes to its consideration of the costs and benefits of the relevant rules as set forth in the rule preambles. The Commission will also consider whether to amend any of these rules in light of information developed in this process.

NMFS issues this proposed rule for the 2015 Pacific whiting fishery under the authority of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), and the Pacific Whiting Act of 2006. This proposed rule would allocate 17.5% of the U.S. Total Allowable Catch of Pacific whiting for 2015 to Pacific Coast Indian tribes that have a Treaty right to harvest groundfish, and would revise the regulation authorizing NMFS to reapportion unused allocation from the tribal allocation to the non-tribal sectors earlier in the fishing season.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are amending the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife to reflect the scientifically accepted taxonomy and nomenclature of the Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi (=Monachus schauinslandi)). This amendment is based on a previously published determination by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce, which has jurisdiction for this species.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Rhode Island on February 21, 2014. This revision includes a regulation adopted by Rhode Island that establishes procedures to follow for transportation conformity determinations. Conformity to the purpose of the SIP means that transportation activities will not cause new air quality violations, worsen existing violations, or delay timely attainment of the national ambient air quality standards. The intended effect of this action is to approve Rhode Island's transportation conformity regulation into the Rhode Island SIP. This action is being taken in accordance with the Clean Air Act.