June 27, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Defense has submitted to OMB for clearance, the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a revision to the Minnesota sulfur dioxide (SO2) State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the Flint Hills Resources, LLC Pine Bend Refinery (FHR) as submitted on May 1, 2015. The revision will consolidate existing permanent and enforceable SO2 SIP conditions into the facility's joint Title I/Title V SIP document. This action highlights process modifications necessary to meet EPA's Tier 3 gasoline sulfur standards; a comprehensive monitoring strategy to better quantify SO2 emissions from fuel gas-fired emission units; a new restrictive flaring procedure for refinery process units, and other updates and administrative changes. This revision results in a modeled reduction in SO2 emissions from FHR and modeled SO2 ambient air concentrations less than half of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a revision to the Minnesota sulfur dioxide (SO2) State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the Flint Hills Resources, LLC Pine Bend Refinery (FHR) as submitted on May 1, 2015. The revision will consolidate existing permanent and enforceable SO2 SIP conditions into the facility's joint Title I/Title V SIP document. This action highlights process modifications necessary to meet EPA's Tier 3 gasoline sulfur standards; a comprehensive monitoring strategy to better quantify SO2 emissions from fuel gas-fired emission units; a new restrictive flaring procedure for refinery process units, and other updates and administrative changes. This revision results in a modeled reduction in SO2 emissions from FHR and modeled SO2 ambient air concentrations less than half of the national ambient air quality standards.

The Coast Guard announces a public meeting to receive comments on an advance notice of proposed rulemaking entitled ``Anchorage Grounds; Lower Chesapeake Bay, Cape Charles, VA'' that was published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, April 19, 2016. As stated in that document, the Coast Guard is considering amending the regulations for Hampton Roads, VA and adjacent waters anchorages by establishing a new anchorage, near Cape Charles, VA on the Lower Chesapeake Bay.

The FDIC is revising a provision 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 a requirement as to loss mitigation by servicers of residential mortgage loans.

FMCSA amends the civil penalties listed in its regulations to ensure that the civil penalties assessed or enforced by the Agency reflect the statutorily mandated ranges as adjusted for inflation. Pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (2015 Act), FMCSA is required to promulgate a catch-up adjustment through an interim final rule. Pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, FMCSA finds that good cause exists for immediate implementation of this interim final rule because prior notice and comment are unnecessary, per the specific provisions of the 2015 Act.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is extending the comment period for the final rule, published in the Federal Register of June 3, 2016, amending the regulations for food additives permitted in feed and drinking water of animals to provide for the safe use of chromium propionate as a source of chromium in broiler chicken feed. This action is in response to a food additive petition filed by Kemin Industries, Inc. We are taking this action due to maintenance on the Federal eRulemaking portal from July 1 through July 5, 2016.

The FHWA and FTA propose revisions to the transportation planning regulations to promote more effective regional planning by States and metropolitan planning organizations (MPO). The goal of the proposed revisions is to result in unified planning products for each urbanized area (UZA), even if there are multiple MPOs designated within that urbanized area. Specifically it would result in MPOs developing a single metropolitan transportation plan, a single transportation improvement program (TIP), and a jointly established set of performance targets for the entire urbanized area and contiguous area expected to become urbanized within a 20-year forecast period for the transportation plan. If multiple MPOs are designated within that urbanized area, they would jointly prepare these unified planning products. To accomplish this, the proposed revisions clarify that the metropolitan planning area must include the entire urbanized area and contiguous area expected to become urbanized within 20 years. These proposed revisions would better align the planning regulations with statutory provisions concerning the establishment of metropolitan planning area (MPA) boundaries and the designation of MPOs. This includes the statutory requirement for the MPA to include an urbanized area in its entirety, and the exception provision to allow more than one MPO to serve a single MPA if warranted by the size and complexity of the MPA. The rulemaking would establish clearer operating procedures, and reinstate certain coordination and decisionmaking requirements for situations where there is more than one MPO serving an MPA. The proposed rule includes a requirement for unified planning products for the MPA including jointly established performance targets within an MPA, and a single metropolitan transportation plan and TIP for the entire MPA in order to result in planning products that reflect the regional needs of the entire urbanized area. These unified planning products would be jointly developed by the multiple MPOs in such MPAs where more than one MPO is designated. The FHWA and FTA propose to phase in implementation of these proposed coordination requirements and the proposed requirements for MPA boundary and MPO boundaries agreements over 2 years.

The National Science Foundation (NSF or Foundation) is adjusting the maximum civil monetary penalties that may be imposed for violations of the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 (ACA), to reflect the requirements of the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (the 2015 Act). The 2015 Act further amended the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 (the Inflation Adjustment Act), to improve the effectiveness of civil monetary penalties and to maintain their deterrent effect.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model 767 airplanes. This AD was prompted by a determination that certain splice plate locations of the aft pressure bulkhead web are hidden and cannot be inspected using existing manufacturer service information. This AD requires repetitive open-hole high frequency eddy current (HFEC) inspections for cracking of the aft pressure bulkhead web. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracking in the aft pressure bulkhead web, which could result in rapid airplane decompression and loss of structural integrity.

We are proposing revisions to the property disclosure requirements for mining registrants, and related guidance, currently set forth in Item 102 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and in Industry Guide 7. The proposed revisions are intended to provide investors with a more comprehensive understanding of a registrant's mining properties, which should help them make more informed investment decisions. The proposed revisions would also modernize the Commission's disclosure requirements and policies for mining properties by aligning them with current industry and global regulatory practices and standards. In addition, we are proposing to rescind Industry Guide 7 and include the Commission's mining property disclosure requirements in a new subpart of Regulation S-K.

In accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, and further amended by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, section 701: Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, this interim final rule incorporates the penalty inflation adjustments for the civil money penalties contained in the Social Security Act.