Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment Rule, 47623-47628 [2017-22218]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 197 / Friday, October 13, 2017 / Rules and Regulations of safety zone 1. At no time will the main navigational channel be closed to vessel traffic. (5) This section applies to all vessels that intend to transit through either safety zone except vessels that are engaged in the following operations: enforcement of laws; service of aids to navigation, and emergency response. (d) Enforcement period. This section is enforced from October 6, 2017, through January 10, 2018. (1) Zone 1. Zone 1 will be enforced at all times during which the dredge ILLINOIS is conducting dredging operations in New Castle Range, Cherry Island Range, and the Christina River. (2) Zone 2. Zone 2 will be enforced only during those times that dredge ILLINOIS is conducting dredging operations in New Castle Range. (3) Notifications. The Captain of the Port will notify the maritime community of specific times and locations during which these safety zones will be enforced by providing advance notice via marine safety information bulletins, broadcast notice to mariners and local notice to mariners. Dated: October 5, 2017. Scott E. Anderson, Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port, Delaware Bay. If you have questions on this rule, call or email Mr. Ronald L. Houck, at Sector Maryland-National Capital Region, Waterways Management Division, U.S. Coast Guard; telephone 410–576–2674, email Ronald.L.Houck@uscg.mil. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In FR Doc. 2017–21180 appearing on page 45981 of Wednesday, October 3, 2017, the following corrections are made: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: § 165.T05–0808 [Corrected] 1. On page 45984, in the 1st column, in § 165.T05–0808, correct paragraph (e) to read as follows: ‘‘(e) Enforcement period. This section will be enforced from 8 a.m. through 1 p.m. on October 26, 2017, and, if necessary due to inclement weather, from 8 a.m. through 1 p.m. on October 27, 2017.’’ ■ Dated: October 4, 2017. Lonnie P. Harrison, Jr. Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port Maryland-National Capital Region. [FR Doc. 2017–21959 Filed 10–12–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 9110–04–P DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers [FR Doc. 2017–21979 Filed 10–12–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 9110–04–P 33 CFR Part 326 [COE–2017–0008] DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY RIN 0710–AA77 Coast Guard Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment Rule 33 CFR Part 165 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense ACTION: Direct final rule. AGENCY: [Docket Number USCG–2017–0808] RIN 1625–AA00 Coast Guard, DHS. Temporary final rule; correction. AGENCY: ACTION: The Coast Guard is correcting a temporary final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on October 3, 2017. The document issued a temporary safety zone for certain waters of the Patapsco River, Northwest Harbor and Inner Harbor in association with the movement of the historic sloop-of-war USS CONSTELLATION on October 26, 2017 (rain date of October 27, 2017). DATES: This correction is effective from 8 a.m. on October 26, 2017, through 1 p.m. on October 27, 2017. nlaroche on DSK9F9SC42PROD with RULES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:07 Oct 12, 2017 Jkt 244001 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is issuing this final rule to adjust its civil monetary penalties under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the National Fishing Enhancement Act to account for inflation. This action is mandated by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Inflation Adjustment Act), which requires agencies to adjust the levels of civil monetary penalties with an initial ‘‘catch-up’’ adjustment followed by annual adjustments for inflation. The Inflation Adjustment Act prescribes a formula for adjusting statutory civil penalties to reflect inflation, maintain the deterrent effect of statutory civil penalties, and promote compliance with SUMMARY: Safety Zone; Patapsco River, Northwest and Inner Harbors; Baltimore, MD PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 47623 the law. Using the adjustment criteria provided in the Inflation Adjustment Act for the initial ‘‘catch-up’’ adjustment and the December 16, 2016, Office of Management and Budget Memorandum regarding the ‘‘Implementation of the 2017 annual adjustment pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015’’, the 2016 catch-up adjustment and 2017 annual adjustment for inflation will increase the Class I civil penalty under Section 309 of the Clean Water Act to $20,966 per violation, and the maximum civil penalty increases to $52,414. The judicial civil penalty under Section 404(s) of the Clean Water Act increases to $52,414 per day for each violation. Under the National Fishing Enhancement Act, the Class I civil penalty increases to $22,957 per violation. DATES: This rule is effective December 12, 2017 without further notice, unless the Corps receives substantive adverse comment by November 13, 2017. If we receive such adverse comment, we will publish a timely withdrawal in the Federal Register informing the public that this rule will not take effect. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number COE– 2017–0008, by any of the following methods:. Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Email: stacey.m.jensen@ usace.army.mil. Include the docket number, COE–2017–0008, in the subject line of the message. Mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CECW–CO (Stacey M. Jensen), 441 G Street NW., Washington, DC 20314–1000. Hand Delivery/Courier: Due to security requirements, we cannot receive comments by hand delivery or courier. Instructions: Direct your comments to docket number COE–2017–0008. All comments received will be included in the public docket without change and may be made available on-line at https:// www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, unless the commenter indicates that the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to be CBI, or otherwise protected, through regulations.gov or email. The regulations.gov Web site is an anonymous access system, which means we will not know your identity E:\FR\FM\13OCR1.SGM 13OCR1 47624 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 197 / Friday, October 13, 2017 / Rules and Regulations nlaroche on DSK9F9SC42PROD with RULES or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an email directly to the Corps without going through regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, we recommend that you include your name and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD–ROM you submit. If we cannot read your comment because of technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, we may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic comments should avoid the use of any special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to www.regulations.gov. All documents in the docket are listed. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, such as CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Stacey M. Jensen at 202–761–5856 or by email at stacey.m.jensen@ usace.army.mil or access the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Home Page at https://www.usace.army.mil/ Missions/CivilWorks/ RegulatoryProgramandPermits.aspx. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Executive Summary The Corps is publishing this final rule to adjust its civil monetary penalties for inflation pursuant to the Inflation Adjustment Act. This law requires the Corps to publish an initial ‘‘catch-up’’ adjustment with subsequent annual adjustments for inflation. The purpose of the Inflation Adjustment Act is to maintain the deterrent effect of civil penalties by translating originally enacted statutory civil penalty amounts to today’s dollars and rounding statutory civil penalties to the nearest dollar. Although the Inflation Adjustment Act required agencies to make an initial ‘‘catch-up’’ adjustment through an interim final rule to be published by July 1, 2016, and to publish annual adjustments beginning no later than January 15, 2017, the Corps has not yet made either adjustment. Accordingly, the Corps is VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:07 Oct 12, 2017 Jkt 244001 combining both the ‘‘catch-up’’ adjustment that would have become effective by August 1, 2016, and the first annual adjustment that would have become effective by January 15, 2017, in this final rule. The rule will apply prospectively, to penalty assessments beginning on its effective date. Subsequently, the Corps intends to publish annual adjustments as required by the Inflation Adjustment Act, no later than January 15 of each calendar year. Pursuant to the Inflation Adjustment Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B), and guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB),1 the Corps finds that good cause exists for issuing this final rule without prior notice and comment. The Inflation Adjustment Act does not require agencies to implement the required adjustments through a notice and comment process unless proposing an adjustment of less than the amount otherwise required, and the Corps is not exercising any discretion it may have to make a lesser adjustment. For the annual adjustments beginning in 2017, the Inflation Adjustment Act provides a clear formula for adjustment of the civil penalties, and the Corps has no discretion to vary the amount of the adjustment to reflect any views or suggestions provided by commenters. The Inflation Adjustment Act further provides that the increased penalty levels apply to penalties assessed after the effective date of the increase. For these reasons, the Corps finds that notice and comment would be impracticable and unnecessary in this situation and contrary to the language of the Inflation Adjustment Act. The Corps also notes that as we have no discretion on this action, comments received on this civil penalty rulemaking will generally not be viewed as ‘‘adverse,’’ but the 30-day delayed effective date period does provide the opportunity for the public to voice their concerns if we have overlooked anything. Section 4 of the Inflation Adjustment Act directs federal agencies to publish annual penalty inflation adjustments. In accordance with Section 553 of the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), most rules are subject to notice and comment and are effective no earlier than 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. However, because the Inflation Adjustment Act directed agencies to make the initial ‘‘catch-up’’ adjustment through an interim final rule, agencies were not required to complete a notice and comment process 1 See Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memoranda M–16–06 (Feb. 24, 2016) and M–17–11 (Dec. 16, 2016). PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 prior to promulgating that adjustment.2 Section 4(b)(2) of the Inflation Adjustment Act further provides that each agency shall make the annual inflation adjustments ‘‘notwithstanding section 553’’ of the APA. According to the December 2016 OMB guidance issued to Federal agencies on the implementation of the 2017 annual adjustment, the phrase ‘‘notwithstanding section 553’’ means that ‘‘the public procedure the APA generally provides—notice, an opportunity for comment, and a delay in effective date—is not required for agencies to issue regulations implementing the annual adjustment.’’ Consistent with the language of the Inflation Adjustment Act and OMB’s implementation guidance, this rule is not subject to notice and opportunity for public comment. As the Corps did not previously publish an interim final rule, the Corps is delaying the effective date of this final rule for 30 days following publication. Background On August 3, 2011, the Deputy Secretary of Defense delegated to the Secretary of the Army the authority and responsibility to adjust penalties administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. On August 29, 2011, the Secretary of the Army delegated that authority and responsibility to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. On November 2, 2015, the President signed into law the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114– 74, 701 (Inflation Adjustment Act), which further amended the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 as previously amended by the 1996 Debt Collection Improvement Act (DCIA; collectively, ‘‘prior inflation adjustment Acts’’), to improve the effectiveness of civil monetary penalties and to maintain their deterrent effect. The Inflation Adjustment Act requires agencies to do the following: (1) Adjust the level of civil monetary penalties with an initial ‘‘catch-up’’ adjustment, through an interim final rule to be published by July 1, 2016; and (2) beginning no later than January 15, 2017, make subsequent annual adjustments for inflation. The Inflation Adjustment Act does not alter an agency’s statutory authority, to the extent it exists, to assess penalties below the maximum level. This final rule 2 Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, Pub. L. 101–410, 4(b)(1)(A), 104 Stat. 890 (amended 2015) (codified as amended at 28 U.S.C. 2461 note); OMB Memorandum No. M–16–06 at 3. E:\FR\FM\13OCR1.SGM 13OCR1 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 197 / Friday, October 13, 2017 / Rules and Regulations implements the initial ‘‘catch-up’’ adjustment mandated by the Inflation Adjustment Act as well as the 2017 annual inflation adjustment mandated by the Act. The Inflation Adjustment Act amends prior inflation adjustment Acts by substantially revising the method of calculating inflation adjustments. Prior inflation adjustment Acts required adjustments to civil penalties to be rounded significantly. For example, a penalty increase that was greater than $1,000, but less than or equal to $10,000, would be rounded to the nearest multiple of $1,000. While this allowed penalties to be kept at round numbers, it meant that agencies often would not increase penalties at all if the inflation factor was not large enough. Furthermore, increases to penalties were capped at 10 percent, which meant that longer periods without an inflation adjustment could cause a penalty to rapidly lose value in real terms. Over time, this formula caused agency civil penalties to lose value relative to total inflation, thereby undermining Congress’ original purpose in enacting statutory civil monetary penalties to be a deterrent and to promote compliance with the law. The Inflation Adjustment Act has removed these rounding rules. Penalties now are simply rounded to the nearest dollar. This rounding ensures that penalties will be increased each year to more effectively keep up with inflation. The Inflation Adjustment Act required a ‘‘catch-up’’ adjustment that reset the inflation calculations by excluding prior inflationary adjustments under prior inflation adjustment Acts, and subsequent, annual adjustments to all civil penalties under the laws implemented by that agency. With this rule, the new statutory maximum penalty levels listed in Table 1 will apply to all statutory civil penalties assessed on or after the effective date of this rule. Calculation of ‘‘Catch-Up’’ Adjustment OMB issued guidance on calculating the initial ‘‘catch-up’’ adjustment in February 2016. That guidance included a table of multipliers to adjust the penalty level based on the year that the penalty was established or last adjusted by statute or regulation (other than the Inflation Adjustment Act). Table 1 shows the calculation of the initial catch-up adjustment based on the guidance provided by OMB. Column (1) contains the United States Code citations for the penalty statute. Column (2) contains the dollar amount most recently established by law (other than prior inflation adjustment Acts) for each civil monetary penalty. Column (3) sets out the year the Corps’ civil monetary penalties were enacted or last adjusted by law (other than adjustments under the Inflation Adjustment Act). Column (4) sets out the factor determined by OMB to adjust for inflation from October of the corresponding year in column (3) to October 2015. Column (5) sets out the adjusted civil monetary penalty resulting from multiplying the dollar amount of the civil monetary penalty set out in Column (2) by the inflation factor in column (4). Column (6) sets out the civil monetary penalty that was in effect on November 2, 2015. Column (7) sets out the maximum catchup penalty—an amount that is 250 percent of the 2015 penalty—which is calculated by multiplying the penalty amount in Column (6) by 2.5 (to achieve 47625 a 150 percent increase for a total of 250 percent of the 2015 penalty). Column (8) sets out the initial catch-up penalty amount, which is the lesser of the adjusted civil monetary penalty in Column (5) or the maximum civil monetary penalty in Column (7). Calculation of 2017 Annual Inflation Adjustment The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued guidance on calculating the 2017 annual inflation adjustment. See December 16, 2016, Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, from Shaun Donovan, Director, OMB, Subject: Implementation of the 2017 annual adjustment pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015. The OMB provided to agencies the cost-of-living adjustment multiplier for 2017, based on the CPI–U for the month of October 2016, not seasonally adjusted, which is 1.01636. Agencies are to adjust ‘‘the maximum civil monetary penalty or the range of minimum and maximum civil monetary penalties, as applicable, for each civil monetary penalty by the cost-of-living adjustment.’’ For 2017, agencies multiply each applicable penalty by the multiplier, 1.01636, and round to the nearest dollar. The multiplier should be applied to the most recent penalty amount, i.e., the one that includes the initial catch-up adjustment mandated by the Inflation Adjustment Act. Column (9) in Table 1 sets out the 2017 Inflation Adjustment Multiplier while Column (10) sets out the new penalty levels which take effect upon the effective date of this adjustment, on December 12, 2017. TABLE 1 Citation CWA, 33 U.S.C. 1319(g)(2)(A). nlaroche on DSK9F9SC42PROD with RULES CWA, 33 U.S.C. 1344(s)(4). National Fishing Enhancement Act, 33 U.S.C. 2104(e). Current civil monetary penalty (CMP) amount established by law $10,000 per violation, with a maximum of $25,000. Maximum of $25,000 per day for each violation. Maximum of $10,000 per violation. Year CMP enacted or last adjusted by law Inflation factor for year in column (3) Adjusted CMP—$ amount in column (2) × factor in column (4) CMP amount as of Nov. 2, 2015 CMP Cap— 2.5 × amount in column (6) Catch-up CMP—lesser of column (5) or (7) 2017 Inflation adjustment multiplier 1987 2.06278 2.06278 1984 2.25867 $11,000 per violation, with a maximum of $32,500. Maximum of $25,000 per day for each violation. Maximum of $11,000 per violation. $27,500 per violation, with a maximum of $81,250. Maximum of $81,250 per day for each violation. Maximum of $27,500 per violation. $20,628 per violation, with a maximum of $51,570. Maximum of $51,570 per day for each violation. Maximum of $22,587 per violation. 1.01636 1987 $20,628 per violation, with a maximum of $51,570. Maximum of $51,570 per day for each violation. Maximum of $22,587 per violation. In sum, under this final rule the minimum Class I civil penalty for violations under CWA Section 309(g)(2)(A), 33 U.S.C. 1319(g)(2)A), VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:46 Oct 12, 2017 Jkt 244001 will increase from $11,000 per violation to $20,966, and the maximum penalty will increase from $32,500 per violation to $52,414. Judicially-imposed civil PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 1.01636 1.01636 CMP amount as of December 12, 2017 $20,966 per violation, with a maximum of $52,414. Maximum of $52,414 per day for each violation. Maximum of $22,957 per violation. penalties under CWA Section 404(s)(4), 33 U.S.C. 1344(s)(4), will increase from a maximum of $25,000 per day for each violation to $52,414. Finally, the Class E:\FR\FM\13OCR1.SGM 13OCR1 47626 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 197 / Friday, October 13, 2017 / Rules and Regulations I civil penalty for violations of Section 205(e) of the National Fishing Enhancement Act, 33 U.S.C. 2104(e), will increase from a maximum of $11,000 per violation to $22,957. This rule will not result in any additional costs to implement the Corps Regulatory Program because the Class I civil penalties and judicial civil penalties have been in effect since 1990 when the Corps first promulgated regulations regarding such penalties (Class I civil penalties were first established by statute in 1987). This rule merely adjusts the value of current statutory civil penalties to reflect and keep pace with the levels originally set by Congress when the statutes were enacted, as required by the Inflation Adjustment Act. This rule will result in additional costs to members of the regulated public who do not comply with the terms and conditions of issued Department of the Army permits and either receive a final Class I civil administrative penalty order from a District Engineer or are subject to a judicial civil penalty because it increases the minimum and maximum penalty amounts to $20,966 and $52,414 for Class I civil administrative penalties under the Clean Water Act, to a maximum of $52,414 for judiciallyimposed civil penalties under the Clean Water Act, and to a maximum of $22,957 for Class I civil administrative penalties under the National Fishing Enhancement Act. The benefit of this rule will be to improve the effectiveness of Corps civil monetary penalties by maintaining their deterrent effect and promoting compliance with the law. Administrative Requirements Plain Language In compliance with the principles in the President’s Memorandum of June 1, 1998, regarding plain language, this preamble is written using plain language. The use of ‘‘we’’ in this notice refers to the Corps and the use of ‘‘you’’ refers to the reader. We have also used the active voice, short sentences, and common everyday terms except for necessary technical terms. nlaroche on DSK9F9SC42PROD with RULES Paperwork Reduction Act This final rule will not impose any new information collection burden under the provisions of the Paperwork Production Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This action merely increases the level of statutory civil penalties that could be imposed in the context of a federal civil administrative enforcement action or civil judicial case for violations of Corps-administered statutes and their implementing regulations. VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:07 Oct 12, 2017 Jkt 244001 Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements; train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. For the Corps regulatory program under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, and Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, the current OMB approval number for information requirements is maintained by the Corps of Engineers (OMB approval number 0710–0003). However, there are no new approval or application processes required as a result of this rulemaking that necessitate a new Information Collection Request (ICR). The regulation would not impose reporting or recordkeeping requirements. Therefore, this action is not subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act. Executive Order 12866 and Executive Order 13563, ‘‘Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review’’ The OMB has not designated this final rule a ‘‘significant regulatory action’’ under Executive Order 12866. Accordingly, OMB has not reviewed this rule. Moreover, this final rule makes nondiscretionary adjustments to existing civil monetary penalties in accordance with the Inflation Adjustment Act and OMB guidance. The Corps, therefore, did not consider alternatives and does not have the flexibility to alter the adjustments of the civil monetary penalty amounts as provided in this rule. To the extent this rule increases civil monetary penalties, it would result in an increase in transfers from persons or entities assessed a civil monetary penalty to the government. PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 Executive Order 13132 Executive Order 13132, entitled ‘‘Federalism’’ (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999), requires the Corps to develop an accountable process to ensure ‘‘meaningful and timely input by State and local officials in the development of regulatory policies that have Federalism implications.’’ The phrase ‘‘policies that have Federalism implications’’ is defined in the Executive Order to include regulations that have ‘‘substantial direct effects on the States, on the relationship between the national government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government.’’ This rule does not have Federalism implications. This nondiscretionary action is required by the Inflation Adjustment Act and will have no substantial direct effects on the States, on the relationship between the Federal government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government. Therefore, Executive Order 13132 does not apply to this rule. Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), as Amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA), 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq. The RFA generally requires an agency to prepare a regulatory flexibility analysis of any rule subject to noticeand-comment rulemaking requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act or any other statute unless the agency certifies that the rule will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. Small entities include small businesses, small organizations and small governmental jurisdictions. The Regulatory Flexibility Act applies only to rules subject to notice-andcomment rulemaking requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 553, or any other statute. See 5 U.S.C. 601–612. The Regulatory Flexibility Act does not apply to this final rule because a notice-and-comment rulemaking process is not required for the reasons stated above. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act Title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA), Public Law 104–4, establishes requirements for Federal agencies to assess the effects of their regulatory actions on State, local, and Tribal governments and the private sector. Under Section 202 of the UMRA, the agencies generally must prepare a written statement, including a cost- E:\FR\FM\13OCR1.SGM 13OCR1 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 197 / Friday, October 13, 2017 / Rules and Regulations nlaroche on DSK9F9SC42PROD with RULES benefit analysis, for proposed and final rules with ‘‘Federal mandates’’ that may result in expenditures to State, local, and Tribal governments, in the aggregate, or to the private sector, of $100 million or more in any one year. Before promulgating a rule for which a written statement is needed, section 205 of the UMRA generally requires the agencies to identify and consider a reasonable number of regulatory alternatives and adopt the least costly, most cost-effective or least burdensome alternative that achieves the objectives of the rule. The provisions of section 205 do not apply when they are inconsistent with applicable law. Moreover, section 205 allows the Corps to adopt an alternative other than the least costly, most cost-effective, or least burdensome alternative if the agency publishes with the final rule an explanation why that alternative was not adopted. Before the Corps establishes any regulatory requirements that may significantly or uniquely affect small governments, including Tribal governments, they must have developed under Section 203 of the UMRA a small government agency plan. The plan must provide for notifying potentially affected small governments, enabling officials of affected small governments to have meaningful and timely input in the development of regulatory proposals with significant Federal intergovernmental mandates, and informing, educating, and advising small governments on compliance with the regulatory requirements. We have determined that this final rule does not impose new substantive requirements and therefore does not contain a Federal mandate that may result in expenditures of $100 million or more for State, local, and Tribal governments, in the aggregate, or the private sector in any one year. Therefore, this rule is not subject to the requirements of Sections 202 and 205 of the UMRA. For the same reasons, we have determined that this final rule contains no regulatory requirements that might significantly or uniquely affect small governments. Therefore, this final rule is not subject to the requirements of Section 203 of UMRA. Therefore, no actions are deemed necessary under the provisions of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act Section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (NTTAA), Public Law 104– 113, section 12(d) (15 U.S.C. 272 note) directs us to use voluntary consensus standards in our regulatory activities, VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:07 Oct 12, 2017 Jkt 244001 unless to do so would be inconsistent with applicable law or otherwise impractical. Voluntary consensus standards are technical standards (e.g., materials specifications, test methods, sampling procedures, and business practices) that are developed or adopted by voluntary consensus standards bodies. The NTTAA directs us to provide Congress, through OMB, explanations when we decide not to use available and applicable voluntary consensus standards. This rule does not involve technical standards. Therefore, we did not consider the use of any voluntary consensus standards. Executive Order 13045 Executive Order 13045, ‘‘Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks’’ (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997), applies to any rule that: (1) Is determined to be ‘‘economically significant’’ as defined under Executive Order 12866, and (2) concerns an environmental health or safety risk that we have reason to believe may have a disproportionate effect on children. If the regulatory action meets both criteria, we must evaluate the environmental health or safety effects of the rule on children, and explain why the regulation is preferable to other potentially effective and reasonably feasible alternatives. This rule is not subject to this Executive Order because it is not economically significant as defined in Executive Order 12866. In addition, it does not concern an environmental or safety risk that we have reason to believe may have a disproportionate effect on children. Executive Order 13175 Executive Order 13175, entitled ‘‘Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments’’ (65 FR 67249, November 6, 2000), requires agencies to develop an accountable process to ensure ‘‘meaningful and timely input by tribal officials in the development of regulatory policies that have tribal implications.’’ The phrase ‘‘policies that have tribal implications’’ is defined in the Executive Order to include regulations that have ‘‘substantial direct effects on one or more Indian tribes, on the relationship between the Federal government and the Indian tribes, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities between the Federal government and Indian tribes.’’ This rule does not have tribal implications. The rule imposes no new substantive obligations on tribal governments but instead merely adjusts PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 47627 the value of current statutory civil monetary penalties to reflect and keep pace with the levels originally set by Congress when the statutes were enacted. The calculation of the increases is formula-driven and prescribed by statute and OMB guidance, and the Corps has no discretion to vary the amount of the adjustment to reflect any views or suggestions provided by commenters. Therefore, Executive Order 13175 does not apply to this rule. Environmental Documentation The Corps prepares appropriate environmental documentation, including Environmental Impact Statements when required, for all permit decisions. Therefore, environmental documentation under the National Environmental Policy Act is not required for this rule. This final rule does not constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment because it merely increases the value of statutory civil monetary penalties to reflect and keep pace with the levels originally set by Congress when the statutes were enacted. The calculation of the increases is formula-driven and prescribed by statute and OMB guidance, and the Corps has no discretion to vary the amount of the adjustment. Appropriate environmental documentation has been, or will be, prepared for each permit action that is subject to the civil penalty process. Therefore, environmental documentation under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is not required for this final rule. Congressional Review Act The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule, to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the United States. We will submit a report containing this rule and other required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States. A major rule cannot take effect until 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register. This rule is not a ‘‘major rule’’ as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2). Executive Order 12898 Executive Order 12898 requires that, to the greatest extent practicable and permitted by law, each Federal agency must make achieving environmental E:\FR\FM\13OCR1.SGM 13OCR1 47628 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 197 / Friday, October 13, 2017 / Rules and Regulations justice part of its mission. Executive Order 12898 provides that each Federal agency conduct its programs, policies, and activities that substantially affect human health or the environment in a manner that ensures that such programs, policies, and activities do not have the effect of excluding persons (including populations) from participation in, denying persons (including populations) the benefits of, or subjecting persons (including populations) to discrimination under such programs, policies, and activities because of their race, color, or national origin. This rule is not expected to negatively impact any community, and therefore is not expected to cause any disproportionately high and adverse impacts to minority or low-income communities. This rule relates solely to the adjustments to civil penalties to account for inflation. Executive Order 13211 This rule is not a ‘‘significant energy action’’ as defined in Executive Order 13211, ‘‘Actions Concerning Regulations That Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use’’ (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001) because it is not likely to have a significant adverse effect on the supply, distribution, or use of energy. This rule relates only to the adjustments to civil penalties to account for inflation. This rule is consistent with current agency practice, does not impose new substantive requirements, and therefore will not have a significant adverse effect on the supply, distribution, or use of energy. List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 326 Administrative practice and procedure, Intergovernmental relations, Investigations, Law enforcement, Navigation (water), Water pollution control, Waterways. Dated: October 4, 2017. Douglas W. Lamont, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works). For the reasons set forth in the preamble, the Corps amends 33 CFR part 326 as follows: PART 326—ENFORCEMENT 1. The authority citation for part 326 continues to read as follows: ■ Clean Water Act (CWA), Section 309(g)(2)(A), 33 U.S.C. 1319(g)(2)(A) CWA, Section 404(s)(4), 33 U.S.C. 1344(s)(4) ........................................ National Fishing Enhancement Act, Section 205(e), 33 U.S.C. 2104(e) * * * * [FR Doc. 2017–22218 Filed 10–12–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3720–58–P POSTAL SERVICE 39 CFR Part 111 Domestic Competitive Products Pricing and Mailing Standards Changes Postal ServiceTM. Final rule. AGENCY: ACTION: The Postal Service is amending Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), to reflect changes to prices for competitive products. There are no mailing standards changes scheduled for competitive products. DATES: Effective: January 21, 2018. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Key at (202) 268–7492, or Garry Rodriguez at (202) 268–7281. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This final rule describes new prices for nlaroche on DSK9F9SC42PROD with RULES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:07 Oct 12, 2017 Jkt 244001 Frm 00018 § 326.6 Class I administrative penalties. (a) Introduction. (1) This section sets forth procedures for initiation and administration of Class I administrative penalty orders under Section 309(g) of the Clean Water Act, judicially-imposed civil penalties under Section 404(s) of the Clean Water Act, and Section 205 of the National Fishing Enhancement Act. Under Section 309(g)(2)(A) of the Clean Water Act, Class I civil penalties may not exceed $20,966 per violation, except that the maximum amount of any Class I civil penalty shall not exceed $52,414. Under Section 404(s)(4) of the Clean Water Act, judicially-imposed civil penalties may not exceed $52,414 per day for each violation. Under Section 205(e) of the National Fishing Enhancement Act, penalties for violations of permits issued in accordance with that Act shall not exceed $22,957 for each violation. $20,966 per violation, with a maximum of $52,414. Maximum of $52,414 per day for each violation. Maximum of $22,957 per violation. competitive products, by class of mail, established by the Governors of the United States Postal Service®. New prices are available under Docket Number CP2018–8 on the Postal Regulatory Commission’s (PRC) Web site at https://www.prc.gov, and also located on the Postal Explorer® Web site at https://pe.usps.com. The Postal Service will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), to reflect changes to prices for the following competitive products: • Priority Mail Express®. • Priority Mail®. • First-Class Package Service— Retail®. • First-Class Package Service— Commercial®. • Parcel Select®. • USPS Retail Ground®. • Extra Services. • Return Services. • Mailer Services. • Recipient Services. Competitive product prices are identified by product as follows: PO 00000 2. Amend § 326.6 by revising paragraph (a)(1) to read as follows: ■ Statutory civil monetary penalty amount for violations that occurred after November 2, 2015, and are assessed on or after [Insert Effective Date] Environmental statute and U.S. code citation * Authority: 33 U.S.C. 401 et seq.; 33 U.S.C. 1344; 33 U.S.C. 1413; 33 U.S.C. 2104; 33 U.S.C. 1319; 28 U.S.C. 2461 note. Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 Priority Mail Express Prices Overall, Priority Mail Express prices will increase 3.9 percent. Priority Mail Express will continue to offer zoned and Flat Rate Retail, Commercial BaseTM, and Commercial PlusTM pricing. Retail prices will increase an average of 3.9 percent. The Flat Rate Envelope price will increase to $24.70, the Legal Flat Rate Envelope will increase to $24.90, and the Padded Flat Rate Envelope will increase to $25.40. Commercial Base prices offer lower prices to customers who use authorized postage payment methods. Commercial Base prices will increase an average of 3.7 percent. Commercial Base pricing offers an average 11.3 percent discount off retail prices. Commercial Plus prices were matched to the Commercial Base prices in the 2016 price change and will continue to be matched in 2018. E:\FR\FM\13OCR1.SGM 13OCR1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 197 (Friday, October 13, 2017)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 47623-47628]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22218]

=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers

33 CFR Part 326

[COE-2017-0008]
RIN 0710-AA77

Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment Rule

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense

ACTION: Direct final rule.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is issuing this final
rule to adjust its civil monetary penalties under the Clean Water Act
(CWA) and the National Fishing Enhancement Act to account for
inflation. This action is mandated by the Federal Civil Penalties
Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Federal Civil
Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Inflation
Adjustment Act), which requires agencies to adjust the levels of civil
monetary penalties with an initial ``catch-up'' adjustment followed by
annual adjustments for inflation. The Inflation Adjustment Act
prescribes a formula for adjusting statutory civil penalties to reflect
inflation, maintain the deterrent effect of statutory civil penalties,
and promote compliance with the law. Using the adjustment criteria
provided in the Inflation Adjustment Act for the initial ``catch-up''
adjustment and the December 16, 2016, Office of Management and Budget
Memorandum regarding the ``Implementation of the 2017 annual adjustment
pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act
Improvements Act of 2015'', the 2016 catch-up adjustment and 2017
annual adjustment for inflation will increase the Class I civil penalty
under Section 309 of the Clean Water Act to $20,966 per violation, and
the maximum civil penalty increases to $52,414. The judicial civil
penalty under Section 404(s) of the Clean Water Act increases to
$52,414 per day for each violation. Under the National Fishing
Enhancement Act, the Class I civil penalty increases to $22,957 per
violation.

DATES: This rule is effective December 12, 2017 without further notice,
unless the Corps receives substantive adverse comment by November 13,
2017. If we receive such adverse comment, we will publish a timely
withdrawal in the Federal Register informing the public that this rule
will not take effect.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number COE-
2017-0008, by any of the following methods:.
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Email: stacey.m.jensen@usace.army.mil. Include the docket number,
COE-2017-0008, in the subject line of the message.
Mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CECW-CO (Stacey M.
Jensen), 441 G Street NW., Washington, DC 20314-1000.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Due to security requirements, we cannot
receive comments by hand delivery or courier.
Instructions: Direct your comments to docket number COE-2017-0008.
All comments received will be included in the public docket without
change and may be made available on-line at https://www.regulations.gov,
including any personal information provided, unless the commenter
indicates that the comment includes information claimed to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you
consider to be CBI, or otherwise protected, through regulations.gov or
email. The regulations.gov Web site is an anonymous access system,
which means we will not know your identity

[[Page 47624]]

or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your
comment. If you send an email directly to the Corps without going
through regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically
captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the
public docket and made available on the Internet. If you submit an
electronic comment, we recommend that you include your name and other
contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk or
CD-ROM you submit. If we cannot read your comment because of technical
difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, we may not be
able to consider your comment. Electronic comments should avoid the use
of any special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any
defects or viruses.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to www.regulations.gov. All documents in the
docket are listed. Although listed in the index, some information is
not publicly available, such as CBI or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as
copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and will be
publicly available only in hard copy form.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Stacey M. Jensen at 202-761-5856
or by email at stacey.m.jensen@usace.army.mil or access the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers Regulatory Home Page at https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/RegulatoryProgramandPermits.aspx.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Executive Summary

The Corps is publishing this final rule to adjust its civil
monetary penalties for inflation pursuant to the Inflation Adjustment
Act. This law requires the Corps to publish an initial ``catch-up''
adjustment with subsequent annual adjustments for inflation. The
purpose of the Inflation Adjustment Act is to maintain the deterrent
effect of civil penalties by translating originally enacted statutory
civil penalty amounts to today's dollars and rounding statutory civil
penalties to the nearest dollar. Although the Inflation Adjustment Act
required agencies to make an initial ``catch-up'' adjustment through an
interim final rule to be published by July 1, 2016, and to publish
annual adjustments beginning no later than January 15, 2017, the Corps
has not yet made either adjustment. Accordingly, the Corps is combining
both the ``catch-up'' adjustment that would have become effective by
August 1, 2016, and the first annual adjustment that would have become
effective by January 15, 2017, in this final rule. The rule will apply
prospectively, to penalty assessments beginning on its effective date.
Subsequently, the Corps intends to publish annual adjustments as
required by the Inflation Adjustment Act, no later than January 15 of
each calendar year.
Pursuant to the Inflation Adjustment Act, the Administrative
Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B), and guidance issued by the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB),\1\ the Corps finds that good cause
exists for issuing this final rule without prior notice and comment.
The Inflation Adjustment Act does not require agencies to implement the
required adjustments through a notice and comment process unless
proposing an adjustment of less than the amount otherwise required, and
the Corps is not exercising any discretion it may have to make a lesser
adjustment. For the annual adjustments beginning in 2017, the Inflation
Adjustment Act provides a clear formula for adjustment of the civil
penalties, and the Corps has no discretion to vary the amount of the
adjustment to reflect any views or suggestions provided by commenters.
The Inflation Adjustment Act further provides that the increased
penalty levels apply to penalties assessed after the effective date of
the increase. For these reasons, the Corps finds that notice and
comment would be impracticable and unnecessary in this situation and
contrary to the language of the Inflation Adjustment Act. The Corps
also notes that as we have no discretion on this action, comments
received on this civil penalty rulemaking will generally not be viewed
as ``adverse,'' but the 30-day delayed effective date period does
provide the opportunity for the public to voice their concerns if we
have overlooked anything.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\1\ See Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memoranda M-16-06
(Feb. 24, 2016) and M-17-11 (Dec. 16, 2016).
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Section 4 of the Inflation Adjustment Act directs federal agencies
to publish annual penalty inflation adjustments. In accordance with
Section 553 of the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), most rules are
subject to notice and comment and are effective no earlier than 30 days
after publication in the Federal Register. However, because the
Inflation Adjustment Act directed agencies to make the initial ``catch-
up'' adjustment through an interim final rule, agencies were not
required to complete a notice and comment process prior to promulgating
that adjustment.\2\ Section 4(b)(2) of the Inflation Adjustment Act
further provides that each agency shall make the annual inflation
adjustments ``notwithstanding section 553'' of the APA. According to
the December 2016 OMB guidance issued to Federal agencies on the
implementation of the 2017 annual adjustment, the phrase
``notwithstanding section 553'' means that ``the public procedure the
APA generally provides--notice, an opportunity for comment, and a delay
in effective date--is not required for agencies to issue regulations
implementing the annual adjustment.'' Consistent with the language of
the Inflation Adjustment Act and OMB's implementation guidance, this
rule is not subject to notice and opportunity for public comment. As
the Corps did not previously publish an interim final rule, the Corps
is delaying the effective date of this final rule for 30 days following
publication.
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\2\ Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990,
Pub. L. 101-410, 4(b)(1)(A), 104 Stat. 890 (amended 2015) (codified
as amended at 28 U.S.C. 2461 note); OMB Memorandum No. M-16-06 at 3.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Background

On August 3, 2011, the Deputy Secretary of Defense delegated to the
Secretary of the Army the authority and responsibility to adjust
penalties administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. On August
29, 2011, the Secretary of the Army delegated that authority and
responsibility to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.
On November 2, 2015, the President signed into law the Federal
Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, Pub.
L. 114-74, 701 (Inflation Adjustment Act), which further amended the
Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 as previously
amended by the 1996 Debt Collection Improvement Act (DCIA;
collectively, ``prior inflation adjustment Acts''), to improve the
effectiveness of civil monetary penalties and to maintain their
deterrent effect. The Inflation Adjustment Act requires agencies to do
the following: (1) Adjust the level of civil monetary penalties with an
initial ``catch-up'' adjustment, through an interim final rule to be
published by July 1, 2016; and (2) beginning no later than January 15,
2017, make subsequent annual adjustments for inflation. The Inflation
Adjustment Act does not alter an agency's statutory authority, to the
extent it exists, to assess penalties below the maximum level. This
final rule

[[Page 47625]]

implements the initial ``catch-up'' adjustment mandated by the
Inflation Adjustment Act as well as the 2017 annual inflation
adjustment mandated by the Act.
The Inflation Adjustment Act amends prior inflation adjustment Acts
by substantially revising the method of calculating inflation
adjustments. Prior inflation adjustment Acts required adjustments to
civil penalties to be rounded significantly. For example, a penalty
increase that was greater than $1,000, but less than or equal to
$10,000, would be rounded to the nearest multiple of $1,000. While this
allowed penalties to be kept at round numbers, it meant that agencies
often would not increase penalties at all if the inflation factor was
not large enough. Furthermore, increases to penalties were capped at 10
percent, which meant that longer periods without an inflation
adjustment could cause a penalty to rapidly lose value in real terms.
Over time, this formula caused agency civil penalties to lose value
relative to total inflation, thereby undermining Congress' original
purpose in enacting statutory civil monetary penalties to be a
deterrent and to promote compliance with the law. The Inflation
Adjustment Act has removed these rounding rules. Penalties now are
simply rounded to the nearest dollar. This rounding ensures that
penalties will be increased each year to more effectively keep up with
inflation.
The Inflation Adjustment Act required a ``catch-up'' adjustment
that reset the inflation calculations by excluding prior inflationary
adjustments under prior inflation adjustment Acts, and subsequent,
annual adjustments to all civil penalties under the laws implemented by
that agency. With this rule, the new statutory maximum penalty levels
listed in Table 1 will apply to all statutory civil penalties assessed
on or after the effective date of this rule.

Calculation of ``Catch-Up'' Adjustment

OMB issued guidance on calculating the initial ``catch-up''
adjustment in February 2016. That guidance included a table of
multipliers to adjust the penalty level based on the year that the
penalty was established or last adjusted by statute or regulation
(other than the Inflation Adjustment Act).
Table 1 shows the calculation of the initial catch-up adjustment
based on the guidance provided by OMB. Column (1) contains the United
States Code citations for the penalty statute. Column (2) contains the
dollar amount most recently established by law (other than prior
inflation adjustment Acts) for each civil monetary penalty. Column (3)
sets out the year the Corps' civil monetary penalties were enacted or
last adjusted by law (other than adjustments under the Inflation
Adjustment Act). Column (4) sets out the factor determined by OMB to
adjust for inflation from October of the corresponding year in column
(3) to October 2015. Column (5) sets out the adjusted civil monetary
penalty resulting from multiplying the dollar amount of the civil
monetary penalty set out in Column (2) by the inflation factor in
column (4). Column (6) sets out the civil monetary penalty that was in
effect on November 2, 2015. Column (7) sets out the maximum catch-up
penalty--an amount that is 250 percent of the 2015 penalty--which is
calculated by multiplying the penalty amount in Column (6) by 2.5 (to
achieve a 150 percent increase for a total of 250 percent of the 2015
penalty). Column (8) sets out the initial catch-up penalty amount,
which is the lesser of the adjusted civil monetary penalty in Column
(5) or the maximum civil monetary penalty in Column (7).

Calculation of 2017 Annual Inflation Adjustment

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued guidance on
calculating the 2017 annual inflation adjustment. See December 16,
2016, Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies,
from Shaun Donovan, Director, OMB, Subject: Implementation of the 2017
annual adjustment pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation
Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015. The OMB provided to agencies
the cost-of-living adjustment multiplier for 2017, based on the CPI-U
for the month of October 2016, not seasonally adjusted, which is
1.01636. Agencies are to adjust ``the maximum civil monetary penalty or
the range of minimum and maximum civil monetary penalties, as
applicable, for each civil monetary penalty by the cost-of-living
adjustment.'' For 2017, agencies multiply each applicable penalty by
the multiplier, 1.01636, and round to the nearest dollar. The
multiplier should be applied to the most recent penalty amount, i.e.,
the one that includes the initial catch-up adjustment mandated by the
Inflation Adjustment Act. Column (9) in Table 1 sets out the 2017
Inflation Adjustment Multiplier while Column (10) sets out the new
penalty levels which take effect upon the effective date of this
adjustment, on December 12, 2017.

Table 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year CMP Inflation 2017
Current civil enacted factor Adjusted CMP--$ CMP Cap-- 2.5 x Catch-up CMP-- Inflation
Citation monetary penalty or last for year amount in column CMP amount as of amount in column lesser of column adjustment CMP amount as of
(CMP) amount adjusted in column (2) x factor in Nov. 2, 2015 (6) (5) or (7) December 12, 2017
established by law by law (3) column (4) multiplier
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CWA, 33 U.S.C. 1319(g)(2)(A).... $10,000 per 1987 2.06278 $20,628 per $11,000 per $27,500 per $20,628 per 1.01636 $20,966 per
violation, with a violation, with a violation, with a violation, with a violation, with a violation, with a
maximum of $25,000. maximum of $51,570. maximum of $32,500. maximum of $81,250. maximum of $51,570. maximum of
$52,414.
CWA, 33 U.S.C. 1344(s)(4)....... Maximum of $25,000 1987 2.06278 Maximum of $51,570 Maximum of $25,000 Maximum of $81,250 Maximum of $51,570 1.01636 Maximum of $52,414
per day for each per day for each per day for each per day for each per day for each per day for each
violation. violation. violation. violation. violation. violation.
National Fishing Enhancement Maximum of $10,000 1984 2.25867 Maximum of $22,587 Maximum of $11,000 Maximum of $27,500 Maximum of $22,587 1.01636 Maximum of $22,957
Act, 33 U.S.C. 2104(e). per violation. per violation. per violation. per violation. per violation. per violation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In sum, under this final rule the minimum Class I civil penalty for
violations under CWA Section 309(g)(2)(A), 33 U.S.C. 1319(g)(2)A), will
increase from $11,000 per violation to $20,966, and the maximum penalty
will increase from $32,500 per violation to $52,414. Judicially-imposed
civil penalties under CWA Section 404(s)(4), 33 U.S.C. 1344(s)(4), will
increase from a maximum of $25,000 per day for each violation to
$52,414. Finally, the Class

[[Page 47626]]

I civil penalty for violations of Section 205(e) of the National
Fishing Enhancement Act, 33 U.S.C. 2104(e), will increase from a
maximum of $11,000 per violation to $22,957.
This rule will not result in any additional costs to implement the
Corps Regulatory Program because the Class I civil penalties and
judicial civil penalties have been in effect since 1990 when the Corps
first promulgated regulations regarding such penalties (Class I civil
penalties were first established by statute in 1987). This rule merely
adjusts the value of current statutory civil penalties to reflect and
keep pace with the levels originally set by Congress when the statutes
were enacted, as required by the Inflation Adjustment Act. This rule
will result in additional costs to members of the regulated public who
do not comply with the terms and conditions of issued Department of the
Army permits and either receive a final Class I civil administrative
penalty order from a District Engineer or are subject to a judicial
civil penalty because it increases the minimum and maximum penalty
amounts to $20,966 and $52,414 for Class I civil administrative
penalties under the Clean Water Act, to a maximum of $52,414 for
judicially-imposed civil penalties under the Clean Water Act, and to a
maximum of $22,957 for Class I civil administrative penalties under the
National Fishing Enhancement Act. The benefit of this rule will be to
improve the effectiveness of Corps civil monetary penalties by
maintaining their deterrent effect and promoting compliance with the
law.

Administrative Requirements

Plain Language

In compliance with the principles in the President's Memorandum of
June 1, 1998, regarding plain language, this preamble is written using
plain language. The use of ``we'' in this notice refers to the Corps
and the use of ``you'' refers to the reader. We have also used the
active voice, short sentences, and common everyday terms except for
necessary technical terms.

Paperwork Reduction Act

This final rule will not impose any new information collection
burden under the provisions of the Paperwork Production Act (44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq.). This action merely increases the level of statutory
civil penalties that could be imposed in the context of a federal civil
administrative enforcement action or civil judicial case for violations
of Corps-administered statutes and their implementing regulations.
Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or
provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time
needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize
technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and
verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and
disclosing and providing information; adjust the existing ways to
comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements;
train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information;
search data sources; complete and review the collection of information;
and transmit or otherwise disclose the information.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number. For the Corps regulatory program
under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, Section 404 of
the Clean Water Act, and Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research
and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, the current OMB approval number for
information requirements is maintained by the Corps of Engineers (OMB
approval number 0710-0003). However, there are no new approval or
application processes required as a result of this rulemaking that
necessitate a new Information Collection Request (ICR). The regulation
would not impose reporting or recordkeeping requirements. Therefore,
this action is not subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act.

Executive Order 12866 and Executive Order 13563, ``Improving Regulation
and Regulatory Review''

The OMB has not designated this final rule a ``significant
regulatory action'' under Executive Order 12866. Accordingly, OMB has
not reviewed this rule. Moreover, this final rule makes
nondiscretionary adjustments to existing civil monetary penalties in
accordance with the Inflation Adjustment Act and OMB guidance. The
Corps, therefore, did not consider alternatives and does not have the
flexibility to alter the adjustments of the civil monetary penalty
amounts as provided in this rule. To the extent this rule increases
civil monetary penalties, it would result in an increase in transfers
from persons or entities assessed a civil monetary penalty to the
government.

Executive Order 13132

Executive Order 13132, entitled ``Federalism'' (64 FR 43255, August
10, 1999), requires the Corps to develop an accountable process to
ensure ``meaningful and timely input by State and local officials in
the development of regulatory policies that have Federalism
implications.'' The phrase ``policies that have Federalism
implications'' is defined in the Executive Order to include regulations
that have ``substantial direct effects on the States, on the
relationship between the national government and the States, or on the
distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of
government.''
This rule does not have Federalism implications. This
nondiscretionary action is required by the Inflation Adjustment Act and
will have no substantial direct effects on the States, on the
relationship between the Federal government and the States, or on the
distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of
government. Therefore, Executive Order 13132 does not apply to this
rule.

Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), as Amended by the Small Business
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA), 5 U.S.C. 601 et
seq.

The RFA generally requires an agency to prepare a regulatory
flexibility analysis of any rule subject to notice-and-comment
rulemaking requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act or any
other statute unless the agency certifies that the rule will not have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
Small entities include small businesses, small organizations and small
governmental jurisdictions.
The Regulatory Flexibility Act applies only to rules subject to
notice-and-comment rulemaking requirements under the Administrative
Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 553, or any other statute. See 5 U.S.C. 601-
612. The Regulatory Flexibility Act does not apply to this final rule
because a notice-and-comment rulemaking process is not required for the
reasons stated above.

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

Title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA), Public
Law 104-4, establishes requirements for Federal agencies to assess the
effects of their regulatory actions on State, local, and Tribal
governments and the private sector. Under Section 202 of the UMRA, the
agencies generally must prepare a written statement, including a cost-

[[Page 47627]]

benefit analysis, for proposed and final rules with ``Federal
mandates'' that may result in expenditures to State, local, and Tribal
governments, in the aggregate, or to the private sector, of $100
million or more in any one year. Before promulgating a rule for which a
written statement is needed, section 205 of the UMRA generally requires
the agencies to identify and consider a reasonable number of regulatory
alternatives and adopt the least costly, most cost-effective or least
burdensome alternative that achieves the objectives of the rule. The
provisions of section 205 do not apply when they are inconsistent with
applicable law. Moreover, section 205 allows the Corps to adopt an
alternative other than the least costly, most cost-effective, or least
burdensome alternative if the agency publishes with the final rule an
explanation why that alternative was not adopted. Before the Corps
establishes any regulatory requirements that may significantly or
uniquely affect small governments, including Tribal governments, they
must have developed under Section 203 of the UMRA a small government
agency plan. The plan must provide for notifying potentially affected
small governments, enabling officials of affected small governments to
have meaningful and timely input in the development of regulatory
proposals with significant Federal intergovernmental mandates, and
informing, educating, and advising small governments on compliance with
the regulatory requirements.
We have determined that this final rule does not impose new
substantive requirements and therefore does not contain a Federal
mandate that may result in expenditures of $100 million or more for
State, local, and Tribal governments, in the aggregate, or the private
sector in any one year. Therefore, this rule is not subject to the
requirements of Sections 202 and 205 of the UMRA. For the same reasons,
we have determined that this final rule contains no regulatory
requirements that might significantly or uniquely affect small
governments. Therefore, this final rule is not subject to the
requirements of Section 203 of UMRA. Therefore, no actions are deemed
necessary under the provisions of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of
1995.

National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act

Section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995 (NTTAA), Public Law 104-113, section 12(d) (15 U.S.C. 272
note) directs us to use voluntary consensus standards in our regulatory
activities, unless to do so would be inconsistent with applicable law
or otherwise impractical. Voluntary consensus standards are technical
standards (e.g., materials specifications, test methods, sampling
procedures, and business practices) that are developed or adopted by
voluntary consensus standards bodies. The NTTAA directs us to provide
Congress, through OMB, explanations when we decide not to use available
and applicable voluntary consensus standards.
This rule does not involve technical standards. Therefore, we did
not consider the use of any voluntary consensus standards.

Executive Order 13045

Executive Order 13045, ``Protection of Children from Environmental
Health Risks and Safety Risks'' (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997), applies
to any rule that: (1) Is determined to be ``economically significant''
as defined under Executive Order 12866, and (2) concerns an
environmental health or safety risk that we have reason to believe may
have a disproportionate effect on children. If the regulatory action
meets both criteria, we must evaluate the environmental health or
safety effects of the rule on children, and explain why the regulation
is preferable to other potentially effective and reasonably feasible
alternatives.
This rule is not subject to this Executive Order because it is not
economically significant as defined in Executive Order 12866. In
addition, it does not concern an environmental or safety risk that we
have reason to believe may have a disproportionate effect on children.

Executive Order 13175

Executive Order 13175, entitled ``Consultation and Coordination
with Indian Tribal Governments'' (65 FR 67249, November 6, 2000),
requires agencies to develop an accountable process to ensure
``meaningful and timely input by tribal officials in the development of
regulatory policies that have tribal implications.'' The phrase
``policies that have tribal implications'' is defined in the Executive
Order to include regulations that have ``substantial direct effects on
one or more Indian tribes, on the relationship between the Federal
government and the Indian tribes, or on the distribution of power and
responsibilities between the Federal government and Indian tribes.''
This rule does not have tribal implications. The rule imposes no
new substantive obligations on tribal governments but instead merely
adjusts the value of current statutory civil monetary penalties to
reflect and keep pace with the levels originally set by Congress when
the statutes were enacted. The calculation of the increases is formula-
driven and prescribed by statute and OMB guidance, and the Corps has no
discretion to vary the amount of the adjustment to reflect any views or
suggestions provided by commenters. Therefore, Executive Order 13175
does not apply to this rule.

Environmental Documentation

The Corps prepares appropriate environmental documentation,
including Environmental Impact Statements when required, for all permit
decisions. Therefore, environmental documentation under the National
Environmental Policy Act is not required for this rule. This final rule
does not constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the
quality of the human environment because it merely increases the value
of statutory civil monetary penalties to reflect and keep pace with the
levels originally set by Congress when the statutes were enacted. The
calculation of the increases is formula-driven and prescribed by
statute and OMB guidance, and the Corps has no discretion to vary the
amount of the adjustment.
Appropriate environmental documentation has been, or will be,
prepared for each permit action that is subject to the civil penalty
process. Therefore, environmental documentation under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is not required for this final rule.

Congressional Review Act

The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as amended by
the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996,
generally provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency
promulgating the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy
of the rule, to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller
General of the United States. We will submit a report containing this
rule and other required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House
of Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States. A
major rule cannot take effect until 60 days after it is published in
the Federal Register. This rule is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5
U.S.C. 804(2).

Executive Order 12898

Executive Order 12898 requires that, to the greatest extent
practicable and permitted by law, each Federal agency must make
achieving environmental

[[Page 47628]]

justice part of its mission. Executive Order 12898 provides that each
Federal agency conduct its programs, policies, and activities that
substantially affect human health or the environment in a manner that
ensures that such programs, policies, and activities do not have the
effect of excluding persons (including populations) from participation
in, denying persons (including populations) the benefits of, or
subjecting persons (including populations) to discrimination under such
programs, policies, and activities because of their race, color, or
national origin. This rule is not expected to negatively impact any
community, and therefore is not expected to cause any
disproportionately high and adverse impacts to minority or low-income
communities. This rule relates solely to the adjustments to civil
penalties to account for inflation.

Executive Order 13211

This rule is not a ``significant energy action'' as defined in
Executive Order 13211, ``Actions Concerning Regulations That
Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use'' (66 FR
28355, May 22, 2001) because it is not likely to have a significant
adverse effect on the supply, distribution, or use of energy. This rule
relates only to the adjustments to civil penalties to account for
inflation. This rule is consistent with current agency practice, does
not impose new substantive requirements, and therefore will not have a
significant adverse effect on the supply, distribution, or use of
energy.

List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 326

Administrative practice and procedure, Intergovernmental relations,
Investigations, Law enforcement, Navigation (water), Water pollution
control, Waterways.

Dated: October 4, 2017.
Douglas W. Lamont,
Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of the
Army (Civil Works).

For the reasons set forth in the preamble, the Corps amends 33 CFR
part 326 as follows:

PART 326--ENFORCEMENT

0
1. The authority citation for part 326 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 33 U.S.C. 401 et seq.; 33 U.S.C. 1344; 33 U.S.C.
1413; 33 U.S.C. 2104; 33 U.S.C. 1319; 28 U.S.C. 2461 note.

0
2. Amend Sec. 326.6 by revising paragraph (a)(1) to read as follows:

Sec. 326.6 Class I administrative penalties.

(a) Introduction. (1) This section sets forth procedures for
initiation and administration of Class I administrative penalty orders
under Section 309(g) of the Clean Water Act, judicially-imposed civil
penalties under Section 404(s) of the Clean Water Act, and Section 205
of the National Fishing Enhancement Act. Under Section 309(g)(2)(A) of
the Clean Water Act, Class I civil penalties may not exceed $20,966 per
violation, except that the maximum amount of any Class I civil penalty
shall not exceed $52,414. Under Section 404(s)(4) of the Clean Water
Act, judicially-imposed civil penalties may not exceed $52,414 per day
for each violation. Under Section 205(e) of the National Fishing
Enhancement Act, penalties for violations of permits issued in
accordance with that Act shall not exceed $22,957 for each violation.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statutory civil monetary
penalty amount for violations
Environmental statute and U.S. code that occurred after November 2,
citation 2015, and are assessed on or
after [Insert Effective Date]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clean Water Act (CWA), Section $20,966 per violation, with a
309(g)(2)(A), 33 U.S.C. 1319(g)(2)(A). maximum of $52,414.
CWA, Section 404(s)(4), 33 U.S.C. Maximum of $52,414 per day for
1344(s)(4). each violation.
National Fishing Enhancement Act, Maximum of $22,957 per
Section 205(e), 33 U.S.C. 2104(e). violation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2017-22218 Filed 10-12-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P

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