October 31, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FMCSA announces that the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has requested an exemption from the requirement that a motor carrier require each of its drivers to use an electronic logging device (ELD) no later than December 18, 2017, to record the driver's hours-of- service (HOS). NPPC states it requests the exemption for all livestock haulers as defined in the application (i.e., transporters of livestock, poultry, aquaculture, and insects) to address an incompatibility between the FMCSA's HOS rules and the current structure and realities of the U.S. livestock industry. NPPC states that the livestock haulers will not be prepared to meet the December 18, 2017, compliance date for installing ELDs. NPPC believes that the exemption, if granted, would achieve a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level that would be achieved absent such exemption. FMCSA requests public comment on NPPC's application for exemption.

NMFS implements an accountability measure (AM) for the recreational sector of greater amberjack in the South Atlantic exclusive economic zone (EEZ) through this temporary rule. NMFS estimates that recreational landings have reached the recreational annual catch limit (ACL) for greater amberjack in the South Atlantic. Therefore, NMFS closes the recreational sector for greater amberjack in the South Atlantic EEZ for the remainder of the current fishing year (see DATES). This closure is necessary to protect the greater amberjack resource in the South Atlantic.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``Commission'' or ``CFTC'') is issuing an order (``Order''), pursuant to the Commission regulation establishing the de minimis exception to the swap dealer definition, to establish December 31, 2019 as the new de minimis threshold phase-in termination date.

On September 22, 2017, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a request for information (RFI) pertaining to the test procedures for distribution transformers. The RFI provided an opportunity for submitting written comments, data, and information by October 23, 2017. This document announces that the period for submitting comments on the RFI is to be re-opened until November 6, 2017.

In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, an information collection associated with the Commission's Business Data Services Report and Order, FCC 17-43, which, among other things, adopted an X-factor of two percent and required price cap ILECs to make a one-time filing to revise their Tariff Review Plans (TRPs) to implement the new X-factor to become effective on December 1, 2017. In particular, the Commission amended its rules to state that the X-factor shall equal 2 percent effective December 1, 2017. This document is consistent with the Order, which stated that the Commission would publish a document in the Federal Register announcing the effective date of this rule.

The Postal Service is proposing to amend Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[supreg]), sections 705.20, eInduction Option, 705.22, Seamless Acceptance Program, and 705.23, Full-Service Automation Option, to add the verification standards.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the comment period on our October 4, 2016, proposed rule to list the western glacier stonefly (Zapada glacier) and the meltwater lednian stonefly (Lednia tumana) as threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We are reopening the comment period because we have received additional information about the range of the western glacier stonefly and reopening the comment period will provide the public an opportunity to comment on the additional range information. In August 2016, we received new information on the western glacier stonefly, indicating a larger range than previously known. In March 2017, we again received additional information (separate from the information received in August 2016) regarding the western glacier stonefly range, also indicating a larger range than previously known. We invite the public to comment on this additional information.

NMFS is proposing regulations under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) to implement a March 2017 recommendation by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) to amend the Fishery Management Plan for U.S. West Coast Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species (HMS FMP). The proposed rule would bring the State of California's limited entry (LE) drift gillnet (DGN) permit program under MSA authority. All current California DGN permit holders would be eligible to apply for, and receive, a Federal DGN permit, and no additional DGN permits would be created. The proposed rule is administrative in nature and is not anticipated to result in increased activity, effort, or capacity in the fishery.

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is amending the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations pursuant to a provision of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017. This provision requires the imposition of certain terrorism-related sanctions with respect to foreign persons that are officials, agents, or affiliates of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.