November 24, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In this document, the Wireline Competition Bureau grants in part a request seeking an extension to the comment and reply comment deadlines in the business data services (also referred to as special access services) rulemaking proceeding, Special Access FNPRM.

The Copyright Royalty Judges announce a cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 0% in the royalty rates satellite carriers pay for a compulsory license under the Copyright Act. The COLA is based on the change in the Consumer Price Index from October 2014 to October 2015.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is adopting a final rule amending its stress testing rule adopted in 2013 to implement section 165(i) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. FHFA received no comments to its proposed amendments, published for comment in an August 21, 2015 Notice of Proposed Rule. These amendments adopt the proposed amendments without change to modify: The start date of the stress test cycles from October 1 of a calendar year to January 1 of the following calendar year; the dates for FHFA to issue scenarios for the upcoming cycle; the dates for the regulated entities to report the results of their stress tests to FHFA; and the dates for the regulated entities to publicly disclose a summary of their stress test results for the severely adverse scenario. These amendments align FHFA's rule with rules adopted by other financial institution regulators that implement the Dodd-Frank stress testing requirements.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the waters encompassing Pea Patch Island Anchorage No. 5 and the upper portion of Reedy Point South Anchorage No. 3 to facilitate dredging in New Castle Range in the Delaware River. This regulation is necessary to provide for the safety of life on the navigable waters of the Delaware River in the vicinity of Pea Patch Island Anchorage No. 5 and Reedy Point South Anchorage No. 3. These closures are intended to restrict vessel anchoring to protect mariners from the hazards associated with ongoing pipe-laying and dredging operations.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Maine. This revision removes State Regulation Chapter 141Conformity of General Federal Actions from the SIP. The intended effect of this action is to remove the repealed State Regulation and leave the Federal General Conformity provisions in place to demonstrate conformity with the applicable SIP as required by section 176(c) of the Clean Air Act. This action is being taken in accordance with the Clean Air Act.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the ``FDIC'') is issuing a final rule (the ``Final Rule'') that revises certain provisions of its securitization safe harbor rule, which relates to the treatment of financial assets transferred in connection with a securitization or participation, in order to clarify the requirements of the securitization safe harbor as to the retention of an economic interest in the credit risk of securitized financial assets in connection with the effectiveness of the credit risk retention regulations adopted under Section 15G of the Securities Exchange Act.

In this document, the Bureau of Prisons proposes two minor revisions to its regulations on the management of infectious diseases. One change would remove the requirement for HIV pre-test counseling for inmates, because the counseling requirement has become an obstacle to necessary testing. Inmates testing positive for HIV will continue to receive HIV post-test counseling. The second change would alter language regarding tuberculosis (TB) testing to clarify that it is testing for the TB infection, but not ``skin testing.'' This would account for advances in medical technology that allow for newer testing methods.

This action proposes to establish Class E airspace at Willapa Harbor Heliport, South Bend, WA, to accommodate new standard instrument approach and departure procedures developed at the heliport. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the heliport.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Turbomeca S.A. Arriel 2B, 2B1, 2C, 2C1, 2C2, 2D, 2E, 2S1, and 2S2 turboshaft engines. This proposed AD was prompted by a report of an uncommanded in-flight shutdown of an Arriel 2 engine caused by rupture of the 41-tooth gear, which forms part of the bevel gear in the engine accessory gearbox (AGB). This proposed AD would require inspection, and, depending on the results, removal of the engine AGB. We are proposing this AD to prevent failure of the engine AGB, which could lead to in-flight shutdown, damage to the engine, and damage to the aircraft.

This action corrects an error in the legal description of a final rule published in the Federal Register of September 24, 2015, that establishes Class E airspace at the Newberry VHF Omni-Directional Range/Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME), Newberry, MI. The legal description noted exclusionary language for Federal airways and Canadian airspace not required for this airspace.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all ATRGIE Avions de Transport R[eacute]gional Model ATR42 and ATR72 airplanes. This AD was prompted by new occurrences of certain cracked main landing gear (MLG) rear hinge pins. This AD requires identifying the serial number and part number of the MLG rear hinge pins, and replacing pins or the MLG if necessary. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracked rear hinge pins, which could lead to MLG structural failure, possibly resulting in collapse of the MLG and consequent injury to the occupants of the airplane.

This final rule implements Amendment 9 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) (Amendment 9) to bring smoothhound sharks under Federal management and establishes an effective date for previously-adopted shark management measures finalized in Amendment 3 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic HMS FMP (Amendment 3) and the 2011 Final Rule to Modify the Retention of Incidentally-Caught Highly Migratory Species in Atlantic Trawl Fisheries (August 10, 2011) (2011 HMS Trawl Rule). Specifically, this final rule establishes Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico regional smoothhound shark annual commercial quotas based on recent stock assessments; implements the shark gillnet requirements of the 2012 Shark and Smoothhound Biological Opinion (BiOp); and modifies current regulations related to the use of vessel monitoring systems (VMS) by Atlantic shark fishermen using gillnet gear. The term ``smoothhound sharks'' collectively refers to smooth dogfish (Mustelus canis), Florida smoothhound (M. norrisi), Gulf smoothhound (M. sinusmexicanus), small eye smoothhound (M. higmani), and any other Mustelus spp. that might be found in U.S. waters of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean, collectively. This rule also implements the smooth dogfish specific provisions in the Shark Conservation Act of 2010 (SCA). The SCA requires that all sharks landed from Federal waters in the United States be landed with their fins naturally attached to the carcass, but includes a limited exception for smooth dogfish. For the Federal Atlantic shark fisheries, current HMS regulations require federally-permitted shark fishermen to land all sharks with fins naturally attached to the carcass. The SCA's fins-attached requirement is being addressed nationwide through a separate ongoing rulemaking. This final rule only addresses the provision contained in the SCA that allows at-sea fin removal of Atlantic smooth dogfish. Additionally, NMFS will hold an operator-assisted, public conference call and webinar on December 15, 2015, to discuss the methodology used to calculate the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico smoothhound shark quotas (see ADDRESSES).

Upon application from the U.S. Navy (Navy), we (the National Marine Fisheries Service) are issuing regulations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to govern the unintentional taking of marine mammals incidental to training and testing activities conducted in the Northwest Training and Testing (NWTT) Study Area from November 2015 through November 2020. These regulations allow us to issue Letters of Authorization (LOAs) for the incidental take of marine mammals during the Navy's specified activities and timeframes, set forth the permissible methods of taking, set forth other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on marine mammal species or stocks and their habitat, and set forth requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of the incidental take. These regulations also allow us to authorize modifications to watchstander requirements for observed behavior of marine mammals during Major Training Events (MTEs) in the Hawaii-Southern California Training and Testing (HSTT), Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing (AFTT), Mariana Islands Training and Testing (MITT), and Gulf of Alaska Training (GOA) study areas. Modifications to the Navy watchstander requirements include a revision to regulatory text in current regulations governing the taking and importing of marine mammals during training and/or testing activities in these study areas. There are no MTEs associated with Navy training and testing activities in the NWTT Study Area.