November 30, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Department of the Navy (Navy) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to continued construction activities as part of waterfront improvement projects at several Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (the Shipyard) berths in Kittery, Maine. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the issuance of the requested MMPA authorization and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing its intention to exempt certain subtypes of surgical apparel from premarket notification requirements, subject to conditions and limitations. FDA intends to limit the proposed exemption to single-use, disposable respiratory protective devices (RPD) used in a healthcare setting and worn by healthcare personnel during procedures to protect both the patient and the healthcare personnel from the transfer of microorganisms, body fluids, and particulate material. These devices, commonly referred to as N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) and surgical N95 respirators (herein collectively referred to as N95s) are currently regulated by FDA under product code MSH. All other class II devices classified under FDA's surgical apparel classification regulation would continue to be subject to premarket notification requirements. FDA is publishing this document to obtain comments regarding this proposed exemption, in accordance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is contemplating developing a rule to address the risk of injury and death associated with clothing storage unit furniture tipping over. This advance notice of proposed rulemaking initiates a rulemaking proceeding under the Consumer Product Safety Act. We invite comments concerning the risk of injury associated with clothing storage units tipping over, the alternatives discussed in this notice, and other possible alternatives for addressing the risk. We also invite interested parties to submit existing voluntary standards or a statement of intent to modify or develop a voluntary standard that addresses the risk of injury described in this notice.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Airbus Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes; all Model A330-200 Freighter, -200, and -300 series airplanes; and all Model A340-200, -300, -500, and -600 series airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of false traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) resolution advisories. This proposed AD would require modifying the software in the TCAS computer processor or replacing the TCAS computer with a new TCAS computer. We are proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This document contains proposed regulations implementing section 1101 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BBA), which was enacted into law on November 2, 2015. Section 1101 of the BBA repeals the current rules governing partnership audits and replaces them with a new centralized partnership audit regime that, in general, assesses and collects tax at the partnership level. These proposed regulations provide rules addressing how certain international rules operate in the context of the centralized partnership audit regime, including rules relating to the withholding of tax on foreign persons, withholding of tax to enforce reporting on certain foreign accounts, and the treatment of creditable foreign tax expenditures of a partnership.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC or Commission) proposes to amend its rules governing Non-Vessel-Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) Negotiated Rate Arrangements and NVOCC Service Arrangements. The proposed rule is intended to modernize, update, and reduce regulatory burdens.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is withdrawing its proposed rule concerning proposed flood elevation determinations for Snohomish County, Washington and Incorporated Areas.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collections and their expected burden. The Federal Register Notice soliciting public comment on the ICR, with a 60-day comment period was published on August 25, 2017.