January 15, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Section 1013(b)(1) of the Consumer Financial Protection Act, 12 U.S.C. 5493(b)(1), establishes the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (Bureau) Office of Research and assigns to it the responsibility of researching, analyzing, and reporting on topics relating to the Bureau's mission, including developments in markets for consumer financial products and services, consumer awareness, and consumer behavior. The Bureau established the Academic Research Council (Council) as a technical advisory body comprised of scholars to provide the Office of Research with guidance as it performs its responsibilities. Director Richard Cordray invites qualified individuals to apply for appointment to the Council. Appointments to the Council are typically for three years. However, the Director may amend the Council charter from time to time during the charter terms as the Director deems necessary to accomplish the purpose of the Council. There are three vacancies on the Academic Research Council. The Bureau expects to announce the selection of new members in April 2016.

In this final rule, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is revising its regulations affecting: highly skilled workers in the nonimmigrant classifications for specialty occupation from Chile, Singapore (H-1B1), and Australia (E-3); the immigrant classification for employment-based first preference (EB-1) outstanding professors and researchers; and nonimmigrant workers in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)-Only Transitional Worker (CW-1) classification. DHS anticipates that these changes to the regulations will benefit these highly skilled workers and CW-1 nonimmigrant workers by removing unnecessary hurdles that place such workers at a disadvantage when compared to similarly situated workers in other visa classifications.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality regulations, the GSA has prepared and filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a Supplement to the Final Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), from May 2007, analyzing the environmental impacts of site acquisition and development of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Records Complex (CRC), in Frederick County, Virginia.

This action amends the city designation of the Class D airspace at Broomfield, CO, changing the designation to Denver, CO, and the airport name to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. The name and associated city location of the airport are updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database. This does not affect the charted boundaries or operating requirements of the airspace.

The Department of Justice is amending the regulations of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) regarding the making or transferring of a firearm under the National Firearms Act (NFA). This final rule defines the term ``responsible person,'' as used in reference to a trust, partnership, association, company, or corporation; requires responsible persons of such trusts or legal entities to complete a specified form and to submit photographs and fingerprints when the trust or legal entity files an application to make an NFA firearm or is listed as the transferee on an application to transfer an NFA firearm; requires that a copy of all applications to make or transfer a firearm, and the specified form for responsible persons, as applicable, be forwarded to the chief law enforcement officer (CLEO) of the locality in which the applicant/transferee or responsible person is located; and eliminates the requirement for a certification signed by the CLEO. These provisions provide a public safety benefit as they ensure that responsible persons undergo background checks. In addition, this final rule adds a new section to ATF's regulations to address the possession and transfer of firearms registered to a decedent. The new section clarifies that the executor, administrator, personal representative, or other person authorized under State law to dispose of property in an estate may possess a firearm registered to a decedent during the term of probate without such possession being treated as a ``transfer'' under the NFA. It also specifies that the transfer of the firearm to any beneficiary of the estate may be made on a tax-exempt basis.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to approve revisions to the Operating Permits Program for the State of Missouri submitted on March 16, 2015. These revisions update the emissions fee for permitted sources as set by Missouri Statute from $40 to $48 per ton of air pollution emitted annually, effective January 1, 2016.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) amends its test procedure for residential furnaces and boilers established under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. This rulemaking will fulfill DOE's obligation to review its test procedures for covered products at least once every seven years. The revisions include: Clarifying the components included in the burner electrical power input term (PE); adopting a method for determining whether a minimum draft factor can be applied, and how the conditions are to be verified; allowing optional measurement of condensate collection during establishment of steady state; updating references to the applicable installation and operating manual and providing clarifications when the installation and operation (I&O) manual does not specify test setup; clarifying the testing of units intended to be installed without a return duct; adopting a provision clarifying the testing of multi-position units; revising the required reporting precision for annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE); and adopting a verification method for determining whether a boiler incorporates an automatic means for adjusting water temperature and whether this design requirement functions as required.

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, as amended (EPCA), prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including small, large, and very large air-cooled commercial package air conditioning and heating equipment and commercial warm air furnaces. EPCA also requires that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) periodically review and consider amending its standards for specified categories of industrial equipment, including commercial heating and air-conditioning equipment, in order to determine whether more- stringent, amended standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified, and save a significant additional amount of energy. In this document, DOE proposes to amend the energy conservation standards for both small, large, and very large air-cooled commercial package air conditioning and heating equipment and commercial warm air furnaces identical to those set forth in a direct final rule published elsewhere in this Federal Register. If DOE receives an adverse comment and determines that such comment may provide a reasonable basis for withdrawing the direct final rule, DOE will publish a document withdrawing the direct final rule and will proceed with this proposed rule.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to amend specific provisions in the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule to streamline and improve implementation of the rule, to improve the quality and consistency of the data collected under the rule, and to clarify or provide minor updates to certain provisions that have been the subject of questions from reporting entities. This action also proposes confidentiality determinations for the reporting of certain data elements to the program. This action also proposes action in response to a petition to reconsider specific aspects of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule.