2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing action on revisions to the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District (ICAPCD or District) portion of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). We are proposing full approval of two rules and a limited approval and limited disapproval of one rule. All three rules update and revise the District's New Source Review (NSR) permitting program for new and modified sources of air pollution. We are taking comments on this proposal and plan to follow with a final action.

The Coast Guard will enforce the subject safety zone for First Night Fireworks on December 31, 2016, to provide for the safety of life on navigable waterways during the fireworks display. Our regulation for Captain of the Port (COTP) Boston fireworks display zone, Boston Harbor, Boston, MA identifies the regulated area for this fireworks display. During the enforcement period, no vessel may transit this regulated area without approval from the COTP Boston or a designated representative.

The Department is amending the regulations that apply to Title X Project Grants for Family Planning Services. The final rule amends eligibility requirements to require that no recipient making subawards for the provision of services as part of its Title X project may prohibit an entity from participating for reasons other than its ability to provide Title X services.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve administrative revisions for incorporation into the Michigan's State Implementation Plan (SIP). The submittal, by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) on December 21, 2015, makes minor corrections to Michigan's Air Pollution Control Rules entitled ``Emission Limitations and ProhibitionsMiscellaneous.''

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing an interim final rule to implement a new program authorized under Subtitle C of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA), which is referred to as the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 (WIFIA). WIFIA authorizes EPA to provide secured (direct) loans and loan guarantees to eligible water infrastructure projects. Projects will be evaluated and selected by the Administrator of the EPA based on criteria set out in this rule using weightings established in a separate Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). Following project selection, individual credit agreements will be developed through negotiations between the project sponsors and EPA. EPA is soliciting comments on an interim final rule that establishes the guidelines for the new credit assistance program for water and infrastructure projects and the process by which EPA will administer such credit assistance. The interim final rule primarily restates and clarifies statutory language while establishing approaches to specific procedural issues left to EPA's discretion. This interim final rule pertains to a matter involving a federal loan and loan guarantee program and is therefore exempt from the rulemaking requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act. As such, EPA is issuing this rule as interim final.

EPA is proposing to establish fees related to the provision of federal credit assistance under Subtitle C of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA), which is referred to as the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 (WIFIA). WIFIA authorizes EPA to provide secured (direct) loans and loan guarantees to eligible water infrastructure projects and to charge fees to recover all or a portion of the Agency's cost of providing credit assistance and the costs of retaining expert firms, including financial, engineering, and legal advisory services, in the field of municipal and project finance to assist in the underwriting and servicing of Federal credit instruments. The agency seeks comment on all aspects of this proposal.

A Petition for Reconsideration (Petition) has been filed in the Commission's rulemaking proceeding by Brian M. Josef, on behalf of CTIA.

This document contains temporary regulations that provide guidance regarding the distribution by a distributing corporation of stock or securities of a controlled corporation without the recognition of income, gain, or loss. The temporary regulations provide guidance in determining whether a corporation is a predecessor or successor of a distributing or controlled corporation for purposes of the exception under section 355(e) of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) to the nonrecognition treatment afforded qualifying distributions, and they provide certain limitations on the recognition of gain in certain cases involving a predecessor of a distributing corporation. The temporary regulations also provide rules regarding the extent to which section 355(f) of the Code causes a distributing corporation (and in certain cases its shareholders) to recognize income or gain on the distribution of stock or securities of a controlled corporation. These temporary regulations affect corporations that distribute the stock or securities of controlled corporations and the shareholders or security holders of those distributing corporations. The text of these temporary regulations also serves as the text of the proposed regulations in the related notice of proposed rulemaking (REG-140328-15) set forth in the Proposed Rules section in this issue of the Federal Register.

This document contains a final regulation revising the claims procedure regulations under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) for employee benefit plans providing disability benefits. The final rule revises and strengthens the current rules primarily by adopting certain procedural protections and safeguards for disability benefit claims that are currently applicable to claims for group health benefits pursuant to the Affordable Care Act. This rule affects plan administrators and participants and beneficiaries of plans providing disability benefits, and others who assist in the provision of these benefits, such as third-party benefits administrators and other service providers.

NMFS is adjusting the Swordfish (SWO) General Commercial permit retention limits for the Northwest Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and U.S. Caribbean regions for January through June of the 2017 fishing year, unless otherwise later noticed. The SWO General Commercial permit retention limit in each of these regions is increased from the regulatory default limits to six swordfish per vessel per trip. The SWO General Commercial permit retention limit in the Florida SWO Management Area will remain unchanged at the default limit of zero swordfish per vessel per trip. These adjustments apply to SWO General Commercial permitted vessels and Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Charter/Headboat permitted vessels when on a non-for-hire trip. This action is based upon consideration of the applicable inseason regional retention limit adjustment criteria.

This document contains final regulations relating to the health insurance premium tax credit (premium tax credit). These final regulations affect individuals who enroll in qualified health plans through Health Insurance Exchanges (Exchanges, also called Marketplaces) and claim the premium tax credit, and Exchanges that make qualified health plans available to individuals and employers. These final regulations also affect individuals who are eligible for employer-sponsored health coverage.

This rule establishes, amends, suspends, or removes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and associated Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures (ODPs) for operations at certain airports. These regulatory actions are needed because of the adoption of new or revised criteria, or because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System, such as the commissioning of new navigational facilities, adding new obstacles, or changing air traffic requirements. These changes are designed to provide safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace and to promote safe flight operations under instrument flight rules at the affected airports.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL or Department) is issuing this rule to modernize the equal employment opportunity regulations that implement the National Apprenticeship Act of 1937. The existing regulations prohibit discrimination in registered apprenticeship on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, and sex, and require that sponsors of registered apprenticeship programs take affirmative action to provide equal opportunity in such programs. This rule updates equal opportunity standards in part 30 to include age (40 or older), genetic information, sexual orientation, and disability among the list of protected bases upon which a sponsor must not discriminate; improves and clarifies the affirmative action provisions for sponsors by detailing with specificity the actions a sponsor must take to satisfy its affirmative action obligations, including affirmative action for individuals with disabilities; revises regulations to reflect changes made in October 2008 to Labor Standards for Registration of Apprenticeship Programs, the companion regulations governing the conduct of registered apprenticeship programs; and improves the overall readability of part 30 through restructuring and clarification of the text. Wherever possible, this final rule has attempted to streamline and simplify sponsors' obligations, while maintaining broad and effective equal employment opportunity protections for apprentices and those seeking entry into apprenticeship programs. The policies and procedures of this rule promote equality of opportunity in apprenticeship programs registered with the Department and in apprenticeship programs registered with federally recognized state apprenticeship agencies.

This rule amends the regulations governing the requirements and procedures for authorizing representatives of non-profit religious, charitable, social service, or similar organizations to represent persons in proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The rule also amends the regulations concerning EOIR's disciplinary procedures.

We propose to supersede airworthiness directive (AD) 2016-13- 05, which applies to all General Electric Company (GE) GE90-76B, GE90- 77B, GE90-85B, GE90-90B, and GE90-94B turbofan engines. AD 2016-13-05 requires eddy current inspection (ECI) of the high-pressure compressor (HPC) stage 8-10 spool at each shop visit for all affected engines and ECI or ultrasonic inspection (USI) for certain affected engines. Since we issued AD 2016-13-05, we determined that the risk of the failure of an HPC stage 8-10 spool was excessive without repetitive USI prior to shop visit. This proposed AD would require initial and repetitive on- wing USIs of the HPC stage 8-10 spool for certain engines prior to shop visit and ECI of all affected engines at each shop visit. We are proposing this AD to correct the unsafe condition on these products.

The Secretary amends the State authorization sections of the Institutional Eligibility regulations issued under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA). In addition, the Secretary amends the Student Assistance General Provisions regulations issued under the HEA, including the addition of a new section on required institutional disclosures for distance education and correspondence courses.

HUD's Consolidated Plan is a planning mechanism designed to help States and local governments to assess their affordable housing and community development needs and to make data-driven, place-based investment decisions. The Consolidated Planning process serves as the framework for a community-wide dialogue to identify housing and community development priorities that align and focus funding from HUD's formula block grant programs. This rule amends HUD's Consolidated Plan regulations to require that jurisdictions consider two additional concepts in their planning efforts. The first concept is how to address the need for broadband access for low- and moderate-income residents in the communities they serve. Broadband is the common term used to refer to a high-speed, always-on connection to the Internet. Such connection is also referred to as high-speed broadband or high-speed Internet. Specifically, the rule requires that States and localities that submit a Consolidated Plan describe the broadband access in housing occupied by low- and moderate- income households. If low-income residents in the communities do not have such access, States and jurisdictions must consider providing broadband access to these residents in their decisions on how to invest HUD funds. The second concept added to the Consolidated Plan process requires jurisdictions to consider incorporating resilience to natural hazard risks, taking care to anticipate how risks will increase due to climate change, into development of the plan in order to begin addressing impacts of climate change on low- and moderate-income residents.

On November 1, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published in the Federal Register a notice of data availability (NODA) pertaining to the provisional analysis of energy conservation standards for commercial and industrial fans and blowers. The notice provided an opportunity for submitting written comments, data, and information by December 1, 2016. This document announces a reopening of the public comment period for submitting comments and data on the NODA. The comment period is reopened until January 6, 2017.

NMFS proposes to implement management measures described in Amendment 37 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (South Atlantic Council). If implemented, this proposed rule would modify the management unit boundaries for hogfish in the South Atlantic by establishing two hogfish stocks, a Georgia through North Carolina (GA/ NC) stock and a Florida Keys/East Florida (FLK/EFL) stock; establish a rebuilding plan for the FLK/EFL hogfish stock; specify fishing levels and accountability measures (AMs), and modify or establish management measures for the GA/NC and FLK/EFL stocks of hogfish. The purpose of this proposed rule is to manage hogfish using the best scientific information available while ending overfishing and rebuilding the FLK/ EFL hogfish stock.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing determinations of attainment by the attainment date and determinations of failure to attain by the attainment date for eleven areas currently classified as ``Moderate'' for the 2006 24-hour fine particulate matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Specifically, the EPA is proposing to determine that seven areas attained the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS by December 31, 2015, based on complete, quality-assured and certified PM2.5 monitoring data for 2013-2015. The EPA is also proposing to determine that four areas failed to attain the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS by December 31, 2015. Upon finalization of such determinations of failure to timely attain the NAAQS, these four areas will be reclassified as ``Serious'' for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS by operation of law. Within 18 months from the effective date of reclassification, or 2 years before the applicable Serious area attainment date, whichever is earlier, states with jurisdiction over these areas must submit State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions that comply with the statutory and regulatory requirements for Serious PM2.5 nonattainment areas.

This proposed rule would revise the minimum payments to states approved as State Administrative Agencies (SAAs) under the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 in order to provide for a more equitable guarantee of minimum funding from HUD's appropriation for this program and to avoid the differing per unit payments to the states that have occurred under the present rule. This rule would base the minimum payments to states upon their participation in the production or siting of new manufactured homes, including for new manufactured homes both produced and sited in the same state.

The OCC, Board, and FDIC (collectively, the agencies) are jointly adopting as final and without change the agencies' interim final rules published in the Federal Register on February 29, 2016, that implemented section 83001 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act). Section 83001 of the FAST Act permits the agencies to conduct a full-scope, on-site examination of qualifying insured depository institutions with less than $1 billion in total assets no less than once during each 18-month period. Prior to enactment of the FAST Act, only qualifying insured depository institutions with less than $500 million in total assets were eligible for an 18-month on-site examination cycle. The final rules, like the interim final rules, generally allow well capitalized and well managed institutions with less than $1 billion in total assets to benefit from the extended 18-month examination schedule. In addition, the final rules adopt as final parallel changes to the agencies' regulations governing the on-site examination cycle for U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banks, consistent with the International Banking Act of 1978. Finally, through this rulemaking, the FDIC has integrated its regulations regarding the frequency of safety and soundness examinations for State nonmember banks and State savings associations.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) proposes to increase the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) licensing and examination fees. The Small Business Investment Act of 1958, as amended, allows SBA to collect licensing and examination fees to offset SBA's costs associated with the administration of these two activities. SBA last increased fees for SBICs in 1996. Current fees offset less than 40% of SBA's administrative expenses related to these activities. The proposed rule would revise existing regulations to increase, over a five-year period, SBIC licensing and examination fees in order to annually recoup an estimated 70% of SBA administrative expenses related to these activities. After the five year period, the rule proposes annual increases of these fees based on inflation. To encourage investment into underserved areas, the proposed rule would establish certain examination fee discounts for SBICs that make significant low and moderate income (LMI) investments.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) publishes this final rule to amend the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to implement the recommendations presented at the February 2016 Australia Group (AG) Intersessional Implementation Meeting, and later adopted pursuant to the AG silent approval procedure, and the understandings reached at the June 2016 AG Plenary Implementation Meeting. This rule amends two Commerce Control List (CCL) entries to reflect the February 2016 Intersessional Implementation Meeting recommendations that were adopted by the AG. Specifically, this rule amends the CCL entry that controls certain human and zoonotic pathogens and toxins to reflect the AG updates to the nomenclature for certain bacteria and toxins identified on the AG ``List of Human and Animal Pathogens and Toxins for Export Control.'' In addition, this rule amends the CCL entry that controls equipment capable of handling biological materials to reflect the AG updates to the controls on cross (tangential) flow filtration equipment described on the AG ``Control List of Dual-Use Biological Equipment and Related Technology and Software.'' Consistent with the understandings adopted at the June 2016 AG Plenary Implementation Meeting that updated the AG ``List of Human and Animal Pathogens and Toxins for Export Control,'' this rule amends the CCL entry that controls certain human and zoonotic pathogens and toxins by removing dengue fever virus, updating the nomenclature of the listing for conotoxin, and consolidating the controls for Shiga toxin and Verotoxin (and other Shiga-like ribosome inactivating proteins) under a single listing. This rule also amends the CCL entry that controls equipment capable of handling biological materials by updating the controls on biological containment facilities and related equipment and the controls on fermenters, consistent with the AG Plenary Implementation Meeting updates to the AG ``Control List of Dual-Use Biological Equipment and Related Technology and Software.''

This document is issued under the joint authority of DOD, GSA, and NASA. This Small Entity Compliance Guide has been prepared in accordance with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. It consists of a summary of the rules appearing in Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-93, which amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). An asterisk (*) next to a rule indicates that a regulatory flexibility analysis has been prepared. Interested parties may obtain further information regarding these rules by referring to FAC 2005-93, which precedes this document. These documents are also available via the Internet at https:// www.regulations.gov.