March 23, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On July 17, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published proposed amendments to the new source performance standards (NSPS) for the Oil and Natural Gas Sector. One of the issues addressed in the proposed amendments was the EPA's proposed definition of ``low pressure gas well.'' A petitioner's timely submitted comment on the proposed amendments concerning the definition was, inadvertently, not made part of the record in the rulemaking docket and was, therefore, not available to be considered by the EPA when the agency finalized the definition of ``low pressure gas well'' in its December 19, 2014, final amendments to the NSPS. To correct the above mentioned procedural defect, the EPA is re-proposing its definition of ``low pressure gas well'' for notice and comment. The EPA is also soliciting comment on certain issues raised in the missed comment. We are also proposing to amend the NSPS to remove provisions concerning storage vessels connected or installed in parallel and to revise the definition of ``storage vessel''. The EPA is granting reconsideration of the issue.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the waters of Delaware River in the vicinity of Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania. The safety zone will temporarily restrict vessel traffic from transiting or anchoring in a portion of Marcus Hook anchorage in order to protect the safety of life and property on the waters while underwater impulsive sound testing is conducted.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is classifying the limited output transcutaneous piezoelectric stimulator for skin reactions associated with insect bites into class II (special controls). The special controls that will apply to the device are identified in this order and will be part of the codified language for the limited output transcutaneous piezoelectric stimulator for skin reactions associated with insect bites' classification. The Agency is classifying the device into class II (special controls) in order to provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness of the device.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final rule to redefine the geographic boundaries of several appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas for pay-setting purposes. Based on recent reviews of Metropolitan Statistical Area boundaries in a number of wage areas, OPM is redefining the following wage areas: Washington, DC; Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg, MD; Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN; Charlotte, NC; Columbia, SC, and Southwestern Wisconsin. In addition, this final rule makes three minor corrections to the Miami, FL; Columbus, GA, and Kansas City, MO, wage areas.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend the licensing, inspection, and annual fees charged to its applicants and licensees. The proposed amendments are necessary to implement the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA-90), as amended, which requires the NRC to recover through fees approximately 90 percent of its budget authority in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, not including amounts appropriated for Waste Incidental to Reprocessing (WIR), the Nuclear Waste Fund (NWF), generic homeland security activities, and Inspector General (IG) services for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB). These fees represent the cost of the NRC's services provided to applicants and licensees.

The Department of the Navy (DoN) is amending its certifications and exemptions under the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, as amended (72 COLREGS), to reflect that the Deputy Assistant Judge Advocate General (DAJAG)(Admiralty and Maritime Law) has determined that USS JOHN WARNER (SSN 785) is a vessel of the Navy which, due to its special construction and purpose, cannot fully comply with certain provisions of the 72 COLREGS without interfering with its special function as a naval ship. The intended effect of this rule is to warn mariners in waters where 72 COLREGS apply.

The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas; hereafter referred to as the green turtle) is currently listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as a threatened species, with the exception of the Florida and Mexican Pacific coast breeding populations, which are listed as endangered. We, NMFS and USFWS, find that the green turtle is composed of 11 distinct population segments (DPSs) that qualify as ``species'' for listing under the ESA. We propose to remove the current range-wide listing and, in its place, list eight DPSs as threatened and three as endangered. We also propose to apply existing protective regulations to the DPSs. We solicit comments on these proposed actions. Although not determinable at this time, designation of critical habitat may be prudent, and we solicit relevant information for those DPSs occurring within U.S. jurisdiction. In the interim, we propose to continue the existing critical habitat designation (i.e., waters surrounding Culebra Island, Puerto Rico) in effect for the North Atlantic DPS. This proposed rule also constitutes the 12-month finding on a petition to reclassify the Hawaiian green turtle population as a DPS and to delist that DPS. Although we find the Hawaiian green turtle population to constitute a DPS (referred to in this proposed rule as the Central North Pacific DPS), we do not find delisting warranted. A public hearing will be held in Hawai`i. Interested parties may provide oral or written comments at this hearing.

We are superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2014-06-08 for certain Bombardier, Inc. Model DHC-8-100, -200, and -300 series airplanes. AD 2014-06-08 required repetitive functional checks of the nose and main landing gear, and corrective actions if necessary; and also provided optional terminating action modification for the repetitive functional checks. This new AD requires a terminating action modification. This AD was prompted by a report that the emergency downlock indication system (EDIS) had given a false landing gear down- and-locked indication and a determination that a terminating action modification is necessary to address the identified unsafe condition. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct a false down-and-locked landing gear indication, which, on landing, could result in possible collapse of the landing gear.