April 3, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule amends the Department's regulations under the Freedom of Information Act (``FOIA''). The regulations have been revised to update and streamline the language of several procedural provisions and to incorporate changes brought about by the amendments to the FOIA under the OPEN Government Act of 2007. Additionally, the regulations have been updated to reflect developments in the case law and to include current cost figures to be used in calculating and charging fees.

The FAA is proposing that safety information provided to it by Federal Contract Tower employees (hereinafter ``Vendor'') under the SAFER-FCT Program or by Air Traffic Organization Engineers & Architects, Staff Support Specialists, Aviation Technical System Specialists (Series 2186) and Flight Procedures Team (hereinafter ``Region X'') under the ATSAP-X program be designated by an FAA Order as protected from public disclosure in accordance with the provisions of 14 CFR part 193. The designation is intended to encourage persons to voluntarily provide information to the FAA under the SAFER-FCT or the ATSAP-X safety reporting programs, so the FAA can learn about and address aviation safety hazards of which it was unaware or more fully understand and implement corrective measures for events known by it through other means. Under 49 U.S.C. 40123, the FAA is required to protect information from disclosure to the public, including disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) or other laws, following the issuance of such Order.

The FMCSA specifies inflation adjustments to civil penalty amounts assessed to those who violate the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) and Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMRs). Some of these adjustments are required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 (Adjustment Act), as amended by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA). Most of the civil penalties were last adjusted for inflation in 2007, and some have not been changed since 2003. Other changes to the civil penalties were mandated by Congress in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). This final rule ensures that FMCSA's civil penalties are consistent with the applicable statutes.

This regulation extends or re-establishes time-limited tolerances for residues of the pesticides fluridone in or on cotton undelinted seed, and diflubenzuron in or on alfalfa forage and hay. These actions are in response to EPA's granting of emergency exemptions under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) authorizing use of these pesticides. In addition, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) requires EPA to establish a time-limited tolerance or exemption from the requirement for a tolerance for pesticide chemical residues in food that will result from the use of a pesticide under an emergency exemption granted by EPA.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) is proposing to amend its regulations to require electronic filing of certain multiemployer notices. These changes would make the provision of information to PBGC more efficient and effective.

Through this rule, HUD removes the regulations for its Section 235 Program, which authorized HUD to provide mortgage subsidy payments to lenders to assist lower-income families who are unable to meet the credit requirements generally applicable to FHA mortgage insurance programs. Authority to provide insurance to mortgagees under this program was terminated under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 and HUD has not provided new mortgage subsidy payments under this program since then. Because the regulations governing this program are no longer operative, they are being removed by this final rule. To the extent that any Section 235 mortgages remain in existence, or second mortgages for the recapture of subsidy payment pursuant to HUD's regulations governing the Section 235 Program (which was reserved by regulatory streamlining in 1995), the removal of these regulations does not affect the requirements for transactions entered into when Section 235 Program regulations were in effect. Assistance made available under the Section 235 Program will continue to be governed by the regulations that existed immediately before the effective date of this final rule.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is withdrawing a proposed action to reclassify the Indian country pertaining to the Pechanga Band of Luise[ntilde]o Mission Indians (Pechanga Reservation) from ``Severe-17'' to ``Extreme'' for the 1997 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard.

This amendment adopts miscellaneous amendments to the required IFR (instrument flight rules) altitudes and changeover points for certain Federal airways, jet routes, or direct routes for which a minimum or maximum en route authorized IFR altitude is prescribed. This regulatory action is needed because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System. These changes are designed to provide for the safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace under instrument conditions in the affected areas.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Rolls-Royce plc (RR) RB211-524 turbofan engines with certain part number (P/N) low-pressure turbine (LPT) stage 3 turbine blades installed. This AD requires implementation of a life limit for certain P/N LPT stage 3 turbine blades and replacement of affected blades that reach or exceed the life limit. This AD was prompted by reports of LPT stage 3 turbine blade failures, release of blades, and subsequent in- flight shutdowns. We are issuing this AD to prevent failure of LPT stage 3 turbine blades and subsequent release of blade debris, which could lead to failure of one or more engines, loss of thrust control, and damage to the airplane.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving revisions to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the State of Iowa to include modified permits for Muscatine County, Iowa. The SIP revision addresses modifications to construction permits that were included in the 2006 24-hour particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) control strategy proposed on August 11, 2014, and published as a final rule in the Federal Register on December 1, 2014, with the effective date of December 31, 2014. The state's submission of modified permits includes a revised air dispersion modeling analysis that demonstrated continued attainment of the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. This action will also make an administrative correction to permit numbers.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to clarify our regulations related to the data sources used to establish the cellulosic waiver credit (CWC) price. We are also proposing to remove references to CWC prices from the renewable fuel standard regulations, and instead intend to post the prices on EPA's Web site. This proposed rule also indicates what the CWC prices for 2014 and 2015 would be using the data sources and methodology contained in the rule; however these prices will not be established until they are posted on our Web site following the effective date of the rule. In addition, we are proposing minor amendments to the renewable fuel standard program regulations to reinsert sections inadvertently overwritten by the Quality Assurance Program final rule published on July 18, 2014. In the ``Rules and Regulations'' section of this Federal Register, we are making these same amendments as a direct final rule. If we receive no adverse comment, the direct final rule will go into effect and we will not take further action on this proposed rule.

On February 5, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Notice of Intent to Delete and a direct final Notice of Deletion for the Midvale Slag from the National Priorities List. The EPA is withdrawing the Final Notice of Deletion due to adverse comments that were received during the public comment period. After consideration of the comments received, if appropriate, EPA will publish a Notice of Deletion in the Federal Register based on the parallel Notice of Intent to Delete and place a copy of the final deletion package, including a Responsiveness Summary, if prepared, in the Site repositories.

The U.S. Office of Government Ethics is updating and streamlining its organization and functions regulation and its statutory gift acceptance authority implementation. OGE is also updating and streamlining its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulation to reflect OGE's existing policy and practice and to implement changes to the FOIA. Finally, the proposed revisions make administrative changes and update cost figures for calculating and charging fees.

The Coast Guard is temporarily modifying the operating schedule that governs the Simpson Avenue Bridge on the Hoquiam River, mile 0.5, at Hoquiam, Washington. This temporary final rule is necessary to accommodate Washington State Department of Transportation's (WSDOT) extensive maintenance and restoration efforts on this bridge. WSDOT will only open one leaf of the double leaf bascule bridge when at least two hours of notice is given.