August 24, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

North Carolina has applied to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for final authorization of changes to its hazardous waste program under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). EPA has determined that these changes satisfy all requirements needed to qualify for final authorization, and is authorizing the State's changes through this direct final rule. In the ``Proposed Rules'' section of today's Federal Register, EPA is also publishing a separate document that serves as the proposal to authorize these changes. EPA believes this action is not controversial and does not expect comments that oppose it. Unless EPA receives written comments that oppose this authorization during the comment period, the decision to authorize North Carolina's changes to its hazardous waste program will take effect. If EPA receives comments that oppose this action, EPA will publish a document in the Federal Register withdrawing today's direct final rule before it takes effect, and the separate document published in today's ``Proposed Rules'' section of this Federal Register will serve as the proposal to authorize the changes.

The Farm Credit Administration (FCA, Agency, we, or our) amends existing regulations related to mergers and consolidations of Farm Credit System (FCS or System) banks and associations to clarify the merger review and approval process and incorporate existing practices in the regulations. The final rule identifies when the FCA statutory 60-day review period begins, requires that only independent parties validate ballots and tabulate stockholder votes on mergers or consolidations, requires institutions to hold informational meetings on proposed mergers when circumstances warrant, explains the reconsideration petition process, and identifies the voting record date list. The final rule updates cross-references in the existing regulations, incorporates cross-references to stockholder voting rules contained elsewhere in part 611, and clarifies and updates terminology.

We announce the reduction of the commercial possession limit for northern red hake for the remainder of the 2015 fishing year. This action is required to prevent the northern red hake total allowable landing limit from being exceeded. This announcement informs the public that the northern red hake possession limit is reduced.

NMFS proposes a 2015 limit of 2,000 metric tons (mt) of longline-caught bigeye tuna for each U.S. Pacific territory (American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands). NMFS would allow each territory to allocate up to 1,000 mt each year to U.S. longline fishing vessels in a specified fishing agreement that meets established criteria. As an accountability measure, NMFS would monitor, attribute, and restrict (if necessary) catches of longline-caught bigeye tuna, including catches made under a specified fishing agreement. The proposed catch limits and accountability measures support the long-term sustainability of fishery resources of the U.S. Pacific Islands.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making determinations under the Clean Air Act (CAA) that the Chicago, Illinois and Eagan, Minnesota nonattainment areas (hereafter also referred to, respectively, as the ``Chicago area,'' ``Eagan area,'' or ``areas'') have attained the 2008 lead (Pb) national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS or standard). These determinations of attainment are based upon complete, quality-assured, and certified ambient air monitoring data for the 2012-2014 design period showing that the areas have achieved attainment of the 2008 Pb NAAQS. Additionally, as a result of these determinations, EPA is suspending the requirements for the areas to submit attainment demonstrations, and associated reasonably available control measures (RACM), reasonable further progress (RFP) plans, contingency measures for failure to meet RFP, and attainment deadlines, for as long as the areas continue to attain the 2008 Pb NAAQS. This action does not constitute a redesignation of the areas to attainment of the 2008 Pb NAAQS; the areas remain designated nonattainment until such time as EPA determines that the areas meet the CAA requirements for redesignation to attainment and takes action to redesignate the areas.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve revisions to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted by the State of Missouri in a letter dated March 30, 2015. This SIP revision provides Missouri's state-determined allowance allocations for existing electric generating units (EGUs) in the state for the 2016 control period and replaces certain allowance allocations for the 2016 control periods established by EPA under the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR). The CSAPR addresses the ``good neighbor'' provision of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) that requires states to reduce the transport of pollution that significantly affects downwind air quality. In this action EPA is proposing to approve Missouri's SIP revision, incorporating the state-determined allocations for the 2016 control periods into the SIP, and amending the regulatory text of the CSAPR Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) to reflect this approval and inclusion of the state-determined allocations. EPA is proposing to take direct final action to approve Missouri's SIP revision because it meets the requirements of the CAA and the CSAPR requirements to replace EPA's allowance allocations for the 2016 control periods. This action is being proposed pursuant to the CAA and its implementing regulations. EPA's allocations of CSAPR trading program allowances for Missouri for control periods in 2017 and beyond remain in place until the State submits and EPA approves state-determined allocations for those control periods through another SIP revision. The CSAPR FIPs for Missouri remain in place until such time as the State decides to replace the FIPs with a SIP revision.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve elements of state implementation plan (SIP) submissions from Michigan regarding Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Wisconsin regarding visibility infrastructure requirements of section 110 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) for the 2006 fine particulate matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The infrastructure requirements are designed to ensure that the structural components of each state's air quality management program are adequate to meet the state's responsibilities under the CAA.

This action establishes Class D airspace, Class E surface area airspace, and Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Aurora State Airport, Aurora, OR, to accommodate standard instrument approach procedures for the new air traffic control tower. This action enhances the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a demonstration of creditable emission reductions submitted by California for approval into the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) portion of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). This SIP submittal demonstrates that certain state mobile source incentive funding programs have achieved specified amounts of reductions in emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the SJV area by 2014. The effect of this action would be to approve these amounts of emission reductions for credit toward an emission reduction commitment in the California SIP. We are taking comments on this proposal and plan to follow with a final action.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve revisions to the North Carolina State Implementation Plan (SIP), submitted by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Air Quality (DAQ), on February 5, 2013, and supplemented on July 27, 2015. The submissions pertain to conflict of interest requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) and were submitted to satisfy the infrastructure SIP sub-element related to the State board for the 2010 Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), 2010 Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) NAAQS, 2008 8-hour Ozone NAAQS and 2008 Lead NAAQS. The CAA requires that each state adopt and submit a SIP for the implementation, maintenance, and enforcement of each NAAQS promulgated by EPA, commonly referred to as an ``infrastructure'' SIP, which includes conflict of interest requirements. EPA is proposing to approve the portions of North Carolina's 2010 NO2 infrastructure SIP, 2010 SO2 infrastructure SIP, 2008 8-hour ozone infrastructure SIP, and 2008 Lead infrastructure SIP as meeting these State board requirements. EPA is also proposing to convert conditional approvals related to the State board for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, and the 1997 Annual Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS to full approval under the CAA. EPA notes that all other applicable North Carolina infrastructure SIP elements for the above listed NAAQS have been or will be addressed in separate rulemakings.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) is adopting revisions to the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval System (EDGAR) Filer Manual and related rules to reflect updates to the EDGAR system. The updates are being made primarily to add new NRSRO submission form types for Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization filers; add new applicant types for filers to select when completing the process to apply for EDGAR access (New) on the EDGAR Filer Management Web site; make a documentation only change to Chapter 3, ``Index to Forms,'' of the ``EDGAR Filer Manual, Volume II: EDGAR Filing,'' to update submission form types SF-1 and SF- 3; and make documentation only changes to ``EDGAR Filer Manual, Volume I: General Information'' for compliance with Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act. The EDGAR system is scheduled to be upgraded to support this functionality on August 3, 2015. The Filer Manual is also being revised to address software changes made previously in EDGAR. On June 18, 2015, the Regulation A submission form types DOS, DOS/A, 1-A, 1-A/A, 1-A POS, 1-K, 1-K/A, 1-Z, and 1-Z/A in the EDGAR system were modified to display OMB information. On June 29, 2015, the Regulation A submission form types DOS, DOS/A, 1-A, 1-A/A and 1-A POS in the EDGAR system were updated to allow filers to optionally enter values in the ``Name of Class (if any),'' ``CUSIP (if any)'' and ``Name of Trading Center or Quotation Medium (if any)'' field if a value of zero was provided in the ``Units Outstanding'' field for the Common Equity, Preferred Equity, and Debt Securities; and Item 6(e) was updated to Item 6(d) on ``Item 6: Unregistered Securities Issued or Sold Within One Year'' for Regulation A submission form types DOS, DOS/A, 1-A, 1-A/ A, and 1-A POS. Additionally, Item 6(d) was updated to optionally allow a response if ``None'' is selected on ``Item 6: Unregistered Securities Issues or Sold Within One Year.''

This rulemaking is part of FRA's broader initiative to reduce the paperwork burden of its regulations. To support compliance with the Federal hours of service laws, Federal regulations have long required railroads to create and retain records regarding the hours of service of their employees who are covered by those laws (covered service employees). In general, the current regulations require covered service employees whose hours are recorded to sign the record by hand (the traditional, manual system) or ``certify'' the record using a complex computerized system (an electronic system). FRA proposes to amend these regulations to provide a third, simplified method of compliance, for certain entities. FRA proposes to allow railroads with less than 400,000 employee hours per year, and contractors and subcontractors providing covered service employees to such railroads to use an automated system, in which employees apply their electronic signatures to the automated records, which are stored in a railroad computer system. The proposed rule would not require the use of electronic or automated recordkeeping, would be better tailored to small operations, and is expected, if adopted, to decrease the burden hours spent on hours of service recordkeeping.