September 15, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This final rule amends the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's regulations on Benefits Payable in Terminated Single- Employer Plans and Allocation of Assets in Single-Employer Plans to prescribe interest assumptions under the benefit payments regulation for valuation dates in October 2015 and interest assumptions under the asset allocation regulation for valuation dates in the fourth quarter of 2015. The interest assumptions are used for valuing and paying benefits under terminating single-employer plans covered by the pension insurance system administered by PBGC.

The Coast Guard is proposing to establish a special local regulation for all waters of the Tennessee River, beginning at mile marker 255.0 and ending at mile marker 256.5 on October 3, 2015 from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. This proposed special regulation is necessary to provide safety for the participants in the ``Shoals Dragon Boat Festival,'' an event which will involve non-high speed boat races. Entry into this area will be prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Ohio Valley or designated representative.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve revisions to the Washington State Implementation Plan (SIP) that were submitted by the Department of Ecology (Ecology) in coordination with Benton Clean Air Agency (BCAA) on August 25, 2015. In the fall of 2014 and spring of 2015, the EPA approved numerous revisions to Ecology's general air quality regulations. However, our approval of the updated Ecology regulations applied only to geographic areas where Ecology, and not a local air authority, has jurisdiction, and statewide to source categories over which Ecology has sole jurisdiction. Under the Washington Clean Air Act local clean air agencies, such as BCAA, have the option of adopting equally stringent or more stringent standards or requirements in lieu of Ecology's general air quality regulations, if they so choose. Therefore, the EPA stated that we would evaluate the general air quality regulations as they apply to local jurisdictions in separate, future actions. If finalized, this proposed action would allow BCAA to rely primarily on Ecology's general air quality regulations for sources within BCAA's jurisdiction, including implementation of the minor new source review and nonattainment new source review permitting programs. This action also proposes approval of a small set of BCAA regulatory provisions that replace or supplement parts of Ecology's general air quality regulations.

The Department of State published an interim final rule on September 8, 2015, amending the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services (Schedule) for certain passport fees and citizenship services fees. The document contained an incorrect effective date for a portion of the rule. This document corrects the rule.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is revising the wine regulations governing the return of wine to bonded wine premises in response to two statutory changes. First, to incorporate a provision contained in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, TTB is removing a regulatory requirement that wine returned to bond must be unmerchantable. Second, to incorporate a provision contained in the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, TTB is revising the regulations to clarify that the refund or credit of excise tax applies to any wine removed from a bonded wine cellar and subsequently returned to bond. The current regulatory text states that a refund or credit of tax is available only for wine produced in the United States.

This document reopens the comment period for the July 16, 2015 proposed rule entitled ``Reform of Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities''. The comment period for the proposed rule, which ends on September 14, 2015, is reopened for 30 days.

These special conditions are issued for the Gulfstream Model GVII-G500 airplane. These airplanes have a novel or unusual design feature as compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. This design feature includes engine size and the potential torque loads imposed by sudden engine stoppage. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list Platanthera integrilabia (white fringeless orchid), a plant species from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee, as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (Act). If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would extend the Act's protections to this species.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model 747-400F series airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by an analysis of the production methods used to increase fatigue resistance of the upper closure fittings at the nose cargo door portal's C-3 frame, which indicated that cracking could start too early to be caught in a timely manner by the inspection or maintenance program. This proposed AD would require inspections of the upper closure fitting and connected strap and doubler at the nose cargo door portal for cracking, and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct such cracking, which could result in sudden decompression and loss of the airplane's structural integrity.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) as an endangered or threatened species and to designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the New England cottontail is not warranted at this time. However, we ask the public to submit to us any new information that becomes available concerning the threats to the New England cottontail or its habitat at any time.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain CFM International S.A. (CFM) CFM56-7B and CFM56-3 turbofan engines. This AD was prompted by a report of an uncommanded in-flight shutdown (IFSD) on a CFM CFM56-7B engine following rupture of the 73-tooth gearshaft located in the engine accessory gearbox (AGB). This AD requires AGB/transfer gearbox (TGB) magnetic chip detector (MCD) inspection of the affected gearshafts until removal. We are issuing this AD to prevent failure of certain engine AGB gearshafts, 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 taking direct final action to approve revisions to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted by the State of Nebraska in a letter dated March 30, 2015. This SIP revision provides Nebraska's state-determined allowance allocations for existing electric generating units (EGUs) in the State for the 2016 control periods and replaces the 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 final action EPA is approving Nebraska'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 taking direct final action to approve Nebraska'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 taken pursuant to the CAA and its implementing regulations. EPA's allocations of CSAPR trading program allowances for Nebraska 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. The CSAPR FIPs for Nebraska remain in place until such time as the State decides to replace the FIPs with a SIP revision.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final action to partially approve and disapprove elements of a State Implementation Plan (SIP) submission from the State of Nebraska addressing the applicable requirements of Clean Air Act (CAA) section 110 for the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Ozone (O3), which requires that each state adopt and submit a SIP to support implementation, maintenance, and enforcement of each new or revised NAAQS promulgated by EPA. These SIPs are commonly referred to as ``infrastructure'' SIPs. 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.