May 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposes to approve Reliability Standard BAL-002-2 (Disturbance Control Standard Contingency Reserve for Recovery from a Balancing Contingency Event) submitted by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Proposed Reliability Standard BAL-002-2 is designed to ensure that applicable entities balance resources and demand and return their Area Control Error to defined values following a Reportable Balancing Contingency Event. In addition, the Commission proposes to direct NERC to modify Reliability Standard BAL-002-2 to address concerns related to the possible extension or delay of the periods for Area Control Error recovery and contingency reserve restoration. The Commission also proposes to direct NERC to address a reliability gap regarding megawatt losses above the most severe single contingency.

The Commission adopts the following policies regarding future implementation of hold harmless commitments offered by applicants as ratepayer protection mechanisms to mitigate adverse effects on rates that may result from transactions subject to section 203 of the Federal Power Act (FPA). First, the Commission clarifies the scope and definition of the costs that should be subject to hold harmless commitments. Second, the Commission adopts the proposal that applicants offering hold harmless commitments should implement controls and procedures to track the costs from which customers will be held harmless. The Commission identifies the types of controls and procedures that applicants offering hold harmless commitments should implement. Third, the Commission declines to adopt its proposal to no longer accept hold harmless commitments that are limited in duration. Fourth, the Commission clarifies that, in connection with certain types of FPA section 203 transactions, an applicant may be able to demonstrate that the transaction will not have an adverse effect on rates without the need to make any hold harmless commitment.

The National Commission on Forensic Science will hold meeting ten at the time and location listed below.

The proposed information collection described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35, as amended). The Tennessee Valley Authority is soliciting public comments on this proposed collection as provided by 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1).

The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that seeks comment on proposals to eliminate the requirement that commercial broadcast stations retain copies of letters and emails from the public in their public inspection file and the requirement that cable operators reveal the location of the cable system's principal headend. 2............................. Public Safety & Title: Amendments to Homeland Part 4 of the Security Bureau. Commission's Rules Concerning Disruptions to Communications (PS Docket No. 15-80); New Part 4 of the Commission's Rules Concerning Disruptions to Communications (ET Docket No. 04-35); The Proposed Extension of Part 4 of the Commission's Rules Regarding Outage Reporting to Interconnected Voice Over Internet Protocol Service Providers and Broadband Internet Service Providers (PS Docket No. 11- 82). Summary: The Commission will consider a Report and Order, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Order on Reconsideration to update its Part 4 communications network outage reporting requirements.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of Maine. These revisions establish Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT) requirements for reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from fiberglass boat manufacturing and surface coating operations. The intended effect of this action is to approve these requirements into the Maine SIP. This action is being taken in accordance with the Clean Air Act.

The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing concerning the addition of Priority Mail Contract 217 to the competitive product list. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps.

The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing concerning the addition of Priority Mail Contract 219 to the competitive product list. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps.

Rule 15b12-1, by its terms, will expire and no longer be effective on July 31, 2016. Interested persons should be aware that as of that date, any broker or dealer, including a broker or dealer that is also dually registered as a futures commission merchant (``BD/ FCM''), shall be prohibited under the Commodity Exchange Act (``CEA'') from offering or entering into a transaction described in the CEA with a person who is not an eligible contract participant (``retail forex transaction'').

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is revising the format for materials submitted by the State of California that are incorporated by reference (IBR) into the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). The regulations affected by this format change have all been previously submitted by the State of California and approved by the EPA. This format revision will primarily affect the ``Identification of plan'' section, as well as the format of the SIP materials that will be available for public inspection at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the EPA Regional Office. This action, which only relates to state statutes and state regulations and does not include local and regional California air district rules, local ordinances, source-specific requirements, or nonregulatory and quasi-regulatory provisions, is the first of a series of actions intended to change the format for the entire California SIP.