2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

DoD is issuing a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to specify the countries with which DoD has audit agreements.

DoD is amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to add instructions for utilizing the Wide Area WorkFlow Reparable Receiving Report.

This action promulgates technical and editorial corrections and revisions to regulations related to source testing of emissions. We have made corrections and updates to testing provisions, and added newly approved alternatives to existing testing regulations. These revisions will improve the quality of data and provide flexibility in the use of approved alternative procedures. The revisions do not impose any new substantive requirements on source owners or operators.

On June 28, 2016, the FAA published a final rule entitled Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (81 FR 42063) which will result in new information collection requirements. This rule updates the FAA's list of OMB control numbers to display the control numbers associated with the approved information collection activities in the final rule.

This document announces the Agency's receipt of several initial filings of pesticide petitions requesting the establishment or modification of regulations for residues of pesticide chemicals in or on various commodities.

The Federal Maritime Commission (Commission) is amending its user fees to more accurately align fees with the costs associated with each service provided by the Commission. Specifically, the Commission is increasing fees for: Filing complaints and certain petitions; records searches, document copying, and admissions to practice; paper filing of ocean transportation intermediary (OTI) applications; filing applications for special permission; and filing agreements. The Commission is also lowering fees for: Reviewing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests; revising clerical errors on service contracts; revising clerical errors on non-vessel-operating common carrier (NVOCC) service arrangements; and Commission services to passenger vessel operators (PVOs). In addition, the Commission is repealing four existing fees for: Adding interested parties to a specific docket mailing list; the Regulated Persons Index database; database reports on Effective Carrier Agreements; and filing petitions for rulemaking, and adding a new fee for requests for expedited review of an agreement filing.

This document proposes to amend the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations regarding the requirement to file a Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) certification when importing into the customs territory of the United States chemicals in bulk form or as part of mixtures and articles containing a chemical or mixture. The proposed regulations include an electronic option for filing TSCA certifications, consistent with the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006. This document also proposes to clarify and add certain definitions, and to eliminate the paper-based blanket certification process. The document was prepared in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the agency with primary responsibility for implementing TSCA.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of New Hampshire. The revisions consist of single source orders that establish reasonably available control technology for three sources of volatile organic compounds. This action is being taken in accordance with the Clean Air Act.

This document amends the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loan guaranty regulations to correct an oversight in the delegation of authority to exercise the powers and functions of the Secretary with respect to the guaranty or insurance of loans and the rights and liabilities arising therefrom. This document also incorporates into regulatory form delegatory authority already granted certain VA loan guaranty officials to administer and manage properties acquired by VA.

This final rule amends the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) test procedures for medium base compact fluorescent lamps (MBCFLs) and adopts test procedures for new metrics for all CFLs including hybrid CFLs and CFLs with bases other than medium screw base. In this final rule, DOE replaces references to ENERGY STAR[supreg] testing requirements with references to the latest versions of the relevant industry standard test methods referenced by the ENERGY STAR testing requirements, with certain modifications. In addition, DOE adopts new test procedures to support the ongoing energy conservation standards rulemaking for general service lamps (GSLs), the recently revised final test procedure and energy conservation standards for ceiling fan light kits (CFLKs), and the labeling requirements specified by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The test procedures will also support the ENERGY STAR program requirements for lamps and luminaires. Specifically, this final rule adopts test methods for new metrics including color rendering index (CRI), correlated color temperature (CCT), power factor, and start time. DOE also adopts test procedures for additional CFL categories, including non-integrated CFLs and integrated CFLs that are not MBCFLs. This final rule also revises the sampling plan for performance metrics and incorporates methods to measure standby mode power.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is withdrawing approval of eight new animal drug applications (NADAs) at the sponsor's request because these products are no longer manufactured or marketed.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing a new subpart that updates the Emission Guidelines and Compliance Times for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills (Emission Guidelines). The EPA reviewed the landfills Emission Guidelines based on changes in the landfills industry since the Emission Guidelines were promulgated in 1996. The EPA's review of the Emission Guidelines for municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills considered landfills that accepted waste after November 8, 1987, and commenced construction, reconstruction, or modification on or before July 17, 2014. Based on this review, the EPA has determined that it is appropriate to revise the Emission Guidelines to reflect changes to the population of landfills and the results of an analysis of the timing and methods for reducing emissions. This action will achieve additional reductions in emissions of landfill gas and its components, including methane, by lowering the emissions threshold at which a landfill must install controls. This action also incorporates new data and information received in response to an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking and a proposed rulemaking and addresses other regulatory issues including surface emissions monitoring, wellhead monitoring, and the definition of landfill gas treatment system. The revised Emission Guidelines, once implemented through revised state plans or a revised federal plan, will reduce emissions of landfill gas, which contains both nonmethane organic compounds and methane. Landfills are a significant source of methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas pollutant. These avoided emissions will improve air quality and reduce the potential for public health and welfare effects associated with exposure to landfill gas emissions.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is extending the comment period for a release proposing revisions to the property disclosure requirements for mining registrants and related guidance [Release Nos. 33-10098 and 34-78086 (June 16, 2016)], published June 27, 2016. The original comment period is scheduled to end on August 26, 2016. The Commission is extending the time period in which to provide the Commission with comments until September 26, 2016. This action will allow interested persons additional time to analyze the issues and prepare their comments.

We are proposing to amend the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of fresh persimmons from New Zealand into the United States. As a condition of entry, the persimmons would have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach that would include requirements for orchard certification, orchard pest control, post harvest safeguards, fruit culling, traceback, sampling, and treatment with either hot water or modified atmosphere treatment. The persimmons would also have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that they were produced under, and meet all the components of, the systems approach and were inspected and found to be free of quarantine pests in accordance with the proposed requirements. This action would allow the importation of fresh persimmons from New Zealand while continuing to protect against the introduction of plant pests into the United States.

We are reopening the comment period for our proposed rule that would amend the fruits and vegetables regulations to list lemon (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.) from Chile as eligible for importation into the continental United States subject to a systems approach. This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments.

The Department of Defense (Department) is interpreting its regulation implementing the Military Lending Act (the MLA). The MLA as implemented by the Department, limits the military annual percentage rate (MAPR) that a creditor may charge to a maximum of 36 percent, requires certain disclosures, and provides other substantive consumer protections on ``consumer credit'' extended to Service members and their families. On July 22, 2015, the Department amended its regulation primarily for the purpose of extending the protections of the MLA to a broader range of closed-end and open-end credit products (the July 2015 Final Rule). This interpretive rule provides guidance on certain questions the Department has received regarding compliance with the July 2015 Final Rule.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the S213 (MD 213) Bridge across the Chester River, mile 26.8, at Chestertown, MD. The deviation is necessary to facilitate bridge maintenance. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position.

We, NMFS, announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) as a threatened species or an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We find that the petition, along with information readily available in our files, presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted. We will conduct a status review of this species to determine whether the petitioned action is in fact warranted. To ensure that the status review is comprehensive, we are soliciting scientific and commercial information pertaining to the chambered nautilus from any interested party.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is placing the substance thiafentanil (4-(methoxycarbonyl)-4-(N-phenmethoxyacetamido)-1-[2- (thienyl)ethyl]piperidine), including its isomers, esters, ethers, salts and salts of isomers, esters and ethers as possible, into schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act. This scheduling action is pursuant to the Controlled Substances Act, as revised by the Improving Regulatory Transparency for New Medical Therapies Act which was signed into law on November 25, 2015.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Model A318 and A319 series airplanes, Model A320-211, -212, - 214, -231, -232, and -233 airplanes, and Model A321 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report of a partial loss of the no-back brake (NBB) efficiency during endurance qualification tests on the trimmable horizontal stabilizer actuator (THSA). This AD requires inspecting certain THSAs to determine the number of total flight cycles the THSA has accumulated, and replacing the THSA if necessary. We are issuing this AD to prevent premature wear of the carbon friction disks on the NBB of the THSA, which could lead to reduced braking efficiency in certain load conditions, and, in conjunction with the inability of the power gear train to keep the ball screw in its last commanded position, could result in uncommanded movements of the trimmable horizontal stabilizer and loss of control of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Bombardier, Inc. Model CL-600-2D15 (Regional Jet Series 705) and CL- 600-2D24 (Regional Jet Series 900) airplanes. This AD was prompted by two in-service incidents reported on Bombardier, Inc. Model CL-600-2C10 (Regional Jet Series 700, 701, & 702) airplanes regarding a loss of all air data information in the flight deck. This AD requires revision of the airplane flight manual (AFM) to provide procedures to guide the crew to stabilize the airplane's airspeed and attitude for continued safe flight. We are issuing this AD to prevent loss of air data information that may affect continued safe flight.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 787-8 airplanes. This AD requires a one-time inspection of the engine pylon wiring bracket on the left wing for the presence of an existing corner relief fillet, and corrective action if necessary. This AD was prompted by a report indicating that the engine pylon wiring bracket on certain airplanes was missing a corner relief fillet, which could result in stress concentration and cracking in the engine pylon wiring bracket. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracking in the engine pylon wiring bracket. Such cracking could result in damage to adjacent power feeders, subsequent electrical arcing in a flammable leakage zone, and consequent uncontrollable fire.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking direct final action to approve a revision to the Commonwealth of Virginia (Virginia) state implementation plan (SIP). The revision would remove a consent agreement and order (consent order) previously included in the Virginia SIP to address reasonably available control technology (RACT) requirements for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) control at the Reynolds Consumer Product LLC (Reynolds) plant and include a state operating permit in the SIP to continue to address RACT requirements for the Reynolds plant. EPA is approving these revisions in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model 767-200 and -300 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by an evaluation by the design approval holder (DAH) indicating that the aft pressure bulkhead web to pressure chord joint is subject to widespread fatigue damage (WFD). This AD requires repetitive high frequency eddy current (HFEC) inspections of the aft pressure bulkhead web at fasteners common to the bulkhead web and pressure chord, around the entire circumference of the pressure chord, for any crack, and repair of cracks. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracks in the aft pressure bulkhead web. Such cracking could result in the loss of structural integrity of the airplane.