November 28, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Because the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received comments that could be construed as adverse, the EPA is withdrawing the direct final rule issued on September 30, 2016, to extend the implementation date for certain facilities subject to the EPA's final rule establishing pretreatment standards under the Clean Water Act (CWA) for discharges of pollutants into publicly-owned treatment works (POTWs) from unconventional oil and gas extraction.

Pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or Department) is adopting a process under which interested persons may petition the Department to issue, amend, or repeal a rule.

NMFS implements an accountability measure (AM) for the hogfish recreational sector in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic for the 2016 fishing year through this temporary rule. NMFS estimates recreational landings from the 2016 fishing year have reached the recreational annual catch limit (ACL) for hogfish. Therefore, NMFS closes the recreational sector for hogfish in the South Atlantic EEZ on November 30, 2016, through the remainder of the 2016 fishing year. This closure is necessary to protect the hogfish resource in the South Atlantic.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final action to approve the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submission, submitted by the State of Tennessee, through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), on March 13, 2014, for inclusion into the Tennessee SIP. This final action pertains to the infrastructure requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) for the 2010 1-hour sulfur dioxide (SO2) national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). The CAA requires that each state adopt and submit a SIP for the implementation, maintenance and enforcement of each NAAQS promulgated by EPA, which is commonly referred to as an ``infrastructure SIP submission.'' TDEC certified that the Tennessee SIP contains provisions that ensure the 2010 1-hour SO2 NAAQS is implemented, enforced, and maintained in Tennessee. EPA has determined that portions of Tennessee's infrastructure SIP submission, provided to EPA on March 13, 2014, satisfy certain required infrastructure elements for the 2010 1-hour SO2 NAAQS.

On September 14, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed revisions to the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) human health criteria applicable to waters under the State of Washington's jurisdiction to ensure that the criteria are set at levels that will adequately protect Washington residents, including tribes with treaty- reserved rights, from exposure to toxic pollutants. EPA promulgated Washington's previous criteria for the protection of human health in 1992 as part of the National Toxics Rule (NTR) (amended in 1999 for Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)), using the Agency's recommended criteria values at the time. EPA derived those previously applicable criteria using a fish consumption rate (FCR) of 6.5 grams per day (g/ day) based on national surveys. The best available data now demonstrate that fish consumers in Washington consume much more fish than 6.5 g/ day. There are also new data and scientific information available to update the toxicity and exposure parameters used to calculate human health criteria. On August 1, 2016, the State of Washington adopted and submitted human health criteria for certain pollutants, reflecting some of these new data and information. Concurrent with this final rule, EPA is taking action under CWA 303(c) to approve in part, and disapprove in part, the human health criteria submitted by Washington. For those criteria that EPA disapproved, EPA is finalizing federal human health criteria in this final rule. EPA is not finalizing criteria in this final rule for those state- adopted criteria that EPA approved, or for certain criteria that EPA has determined involve scientific uncertainty, as explained below.

This document contains proposed regulations that relate to the establishment of dollar-value last-in, first-out (LIFO) inventory pools by certain taxpayers that use the inventory price index computation (IPIC) pooling method. The proposed regulations provide rules regarding the proper pooling of manufactured or processed goods and wholesale or retail (resale) goods. The proposed regulations would affect taxpayers who use the IPIC pooling method and whose inventory for a trade or business consists of manufactured or processed goods and resale goods.

NHTSA is proposing to require placing a label on the passenger side sun visor of light-duty vehicles that provides information about how to submit a safety-related motor vehicle defect complaint to NHTSA. This rulemaking also proposes updating the required information in 49 CFR 575.6 for defect reporting information in owner's manuals through the addition of the text developed for this proposal. This proposal responds to the mandate in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act of 2012 (MAP-21) that manufacturers be required to affix, in the glove compartment or in another readily accessible location on the vehicle, a sticker, decal, or other device that provides, in simple and understandable language, information about how to submit a safety- related motor vehicle defect complaint to NHTSA; and prominently print the information described above within the owner's manual.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is amending existing regulations regarding the export and import of hazardous wastes from and into the United States. EPA is making these changes to improve protection of public health with respect to hazardous wastes by ensuring public accessibility and transparency of export and import documentation. Specifically, the proposed revisions of the existing regulations will require exporters of hazardous waste and receiving facilities recycling or disposing hazardous waste from foreign sources to maintain a single publicly accessible Web site (``Export/Import Web site'') to which documents can be posted regarding the confirmation of receipt and confirmation of completed recovery or disposal of individual hazardous waste import and export shipments. These proposed changes will improve information on the movement and disposition of hazardous wastes, and will enable interested members of the community and the government to benefit from the provision of publicly accessible data to better monitor proper compliance with EPA's hazardous waste regulations and help ensure that hazardous waste import and export shipments are properly received and managed. The proposed internet posting requirements are planned for the interim period prior to the electronic import-export reporting compliance date when electronic submittal to EPA of confirmations of receipt and completed recovery or disposal for hazardous waste shipments will be required. EPA also proposes a confidentiality determination to exclude documents related to the export, import, and transit of hazardous waste and export of excluded CRTs from confidential business information (CBI) claims.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is amending existing regulations regarding the export and import of hazardous wastes from and into the United States. EPA is making these changes to: Provide greater protection to human health and the environment by making existing export and import related requirements more consistent with the current import-export requirements for shipments between members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); enable electronic submittal to EPA of all export and import-related documents (e.g., export notices, export annual reports); and enable electronic validation of consent in the Automated Export System (AES) for export shipments subject to RCRA export consent requirements prior to exit. The AES resides in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).

Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments, States must develop and implement permit programs for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills (MSWLFs) and seek an adequacy determination by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This rule documents EPA's determination that Washington's MSWLF permit program is adequate to ensure compliance with Federal MSWLF requirements.