2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule amends, suspends, or removes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and associated Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures 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 for the safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace and to promote safe flight operations under instrument flight rules at the affected airports.

The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB or Bureau), with the concurrence of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), is issuing a final rule amending the Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB Ethics Regulations) involving: Outside employment for covered employees; Bureau employees' ownership or control of certain securities; restrictions on seeking, obtaining, or renegotiating credit or indebtedness; disqualification requirements based on existing credit or indebtedness; and restrictions on participating in matters involving covered entities. The final rule also clarifies and makes minor revisions to certain definitions.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a safety zone on the waters of the St. Johns River in vicinity of Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida during the Blue Angels Air Show. This proposed rulemaking would prohibit persons and vessels from being in the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port (COTP) Jacksonville or a designated representative. The Coast Guard invites your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the navigable waters of Pleasure Beach, Bridgeport, CT for the Pleasure Beach Piers. This temporary final rule is necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters. Entry into, transit through, mooring, or anchoring within the safety zone is prohibited unless authorized by Captain of the Port (COTP) Long Island Sound.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Agusta S.p.A. Model A109S helicopters. This AD requires adding limitations to the rotorcraft flight manual (RFM). This AD was prompted by a report of a cabin liner detaching from the helicopter and hitting the main rotor (M/R) blades during flight. The actions of this AD are intended to prevent an unsafe condition on these products.

NMFS issues this final rule to implement management measures described in Framework Amendment 5 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region (FMP), as prepared and submitted jointly by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Councils). This final rule removes the restriction on fishing for, or retaining the recreational bag and possession limits of, king and Spanish mackerel on a vessel with a Federal commercial permit for king or Spanish mackerel when commercial harvest of king or Spanish mackerel in a zone or region is closed. With implementation of this rule, persons aboard commercial vessels may fish for and retain the recreational bag and possession limits of king or Spanish mackerel during the open recreational season, even if commercial fishing for those species is closed. The purpose of this final rule is to remove Federal permit restrictions unique to commercially permitted king and Spanish mackerel vessels and to standardize vessel permit restrictions applicable after a commercial quota closure of king or Spanish mackerel in accordance with restrictions in other fisheries.

These special conditions are issued for the Boeing Model 747-8 airplane. This airplane, as modified by LifePort Inc. (LifePort), will have novel or unusual design features when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport- category airplanes. These design features are single- and multiple- occupant side-facing seats (i.e., seats positioned in the airplane with the occupant facing 90 degrees to the direction of airplane travel). The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for these design features. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

This action proposes to establish Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Gregory M. Simmons Memorial Airport, Cisco, TX, to accommodate a new public instrument approach procedure at the airport and for safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

The Coast Guard has modified a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Amtrak Bridge across Thames River, mile 3.0, at New London, CT. This action is necessary to complete installation of an emergency generator. This modified deviation allows the bridge to require a two hour advance notice for openings during nighttime hours.

In accordance with Executive Order 13777, ``Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda,'' the DFARS Subgroup to the DoD Regulatory Reform Task Force is seeking input on Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) solicitation provisions and contract clauses that may be appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification. The comment period is extended three weeks.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve New York State's regional haze progress report, submitted on June 16, 2015, as a revision to its State Implementation Plan (SIP). New York's SIP revision addresses requirements of the Clean Air Act and its implementing regulations that the State submit periodic reports describing progress toward reasonable progress goals established for regional haze and a determination of the adequacy of the State's existing regional haze SIP. New York's progress report notes that New York has implemented the measures in the regional haze SIP due to be in place by the date of the progress report and that visibility in federal Class I areas affected by emissions from New York State is improving and has already met the applicable reasonable progress goals for 2018. The EPA is proposing approval of New York's determination that the State's regional haze SIP is adequate to meet these reasonable progress goals for the first implementation period, which extends through 2018, and requires no substantive revision at this time.

The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC or Commission) proposes to adopt new regulations governing NCPC's implementation of the Privacy Act, as amended and the privacy provisions of the E- Government Act of 2002. NCPC must comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act and the privacy provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002 for records maintained on individuals and personal information stored as a hard copy or electronically.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. (Embraer) Model EMB-135ER, - 135KE, -135KL, -135LR, -145, -145ER, -145MR, -145LR, -145XR, -145MP, and -145EP airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report of airplanes with modified gust lock levers that prevented the thrust lever's full excursion, thus limiting the engine power. This AD requires replacing a certain gust lock lever. We are issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The NCUA Board (Board) proposes to amend its share insurance requirements rule to provide federally insured credit unions (FICUs) with greater transparency regarding the calculation of a FICU's proportionate share of a declared equity distribution from the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF) and to add a temporary provision to govern NCUSIF equity distributions resulting from the Corporate System Resolution Program. The Board also proposes to prohibit a FICU that terminates federal share insurance coverage during a particular calendar year from receiving an NCUSIF equity distribution for that calendar year to provide greater fairness to FICUs that remain federally insured. The Board proposes to make technical and conforming amendments to other aspects of the share insurance requirements rule in light of these proposed changes.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier, Inc., Model CL-215-6B11 (CL-415 Variant) airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report indicating that an oxygen bottle was found loose while the clamp strap was in the locked position. This AD requires modification of the clamp strap and installation of additional shims, as applicable, to the flight crew's oxygen bottles' retaining structures. We are issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-300, -400, and -500 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by an evaluation by the design approval holder (DAH) indicating that the lower skin at the skin lap splice lower fastener row is subject to widespread fatigue damage (WFD). This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking in the skin lap splice at the lower fastener row, and repair if necessary. We are issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a component of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ or Department), is issuing a final rule to amend its Privacy Act exemption regulations for the system of records titled, ``Next Generation Identification (NGI) System,'' JUSTICE/FBI-009, last published in full on May 5, 2016. Specifically, the FBI exempts the records maintained in JUSTICE/FBI-009 from one or more provisions of the Privacy Act. The listed exemptions are necessary to avoid interference with the Department's law enforcement and national security functions and responsibilities of the FBI. This document addresses public comments on the proposed rule.

The Secretary waives the requirements that generally prohibit project periods exceeding five years and project period extensions involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. This action enables the National IDEA Technical Assistance Center on Early Childhood Longitudinal Data Systems (Center), currently funded under the Technical Assistance on State Data Collection Program, to receive funding from December 1, 2017, through November 30, 2018. This also means that we will not announce a new competition or make new awards in fiscal year (FY) 2017.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is correcting a final rule that added to its medical regulations new standards that must be met by a Community Residential Care facility seeking approval by VA that was published in the Federal Register on July 25, 2017.

The Commission has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by Gray Television Licensee, LLC (Gray), the licensee of KYES-TV, channel 5, Anchorage, Alaska, requesting the substitution of channel 7 for channel 5 at Anchorage. The Commission instituted a freeze on the acceptance of full power television rulemaking petitions requesting channel substitutions in May 2011, and a freeze on the filing of modification applications by full power and Class A television stations that would increase a station's noise-limited or protected contour beyond the station's currently licensed or authorized facility in April 2013. Gray asks that the Commission waive these freezes to permit KYES to relocate its transmitter and utilize upgraded equipment, thereby improving its over-the-air- signal to better serve viewers.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge across the Carquinez Strait, mile 7.0 at Martinez, CA. The deviation is necessary to allow the bridge owner to conduct emergency repairs. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position during the deviation period.

This direct final rule makes nonsubstantive changes to Agency regulations to correct citations and office titles.

This action modifies Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Perry Lefors Field, Pampa, TX and Gaines County Airport, Seminole, TX. Decommissioning of non-directional radio beacons (NDB) and cancellation of NDB approaches makes it necessary to implement new area navigation (RNAV) procedures for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is initiating a data collection process through this request for information to consider whether to amend DOE's test procedure for small electric motors, and whether new test procedures are needed for motors beyond those subject to the existing Federal test procedures. To inform interested parties and to facilitate this process, DOE has gathered data, identifying several issues associated with the currently applicable test procedure on which DOE is interested in receiving comment. The issues outlined in this document mainly concern applicability of the test procedure to additional motor categories (by topology, horsepower, non-standard construction, etc.), definitions, industry test methods, additional test procedure clarifications, and any additional topics that may inform DOE's decisions in a future test procedure rulemaking, including methods to reduce regulatory burden while ensuring the procedure's accuracy. DOE welcomes written comments from the public on any subject within the scope of this document (including topics not raised in this RFI).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of Connecticut. These SIP revisions consist of a demonstration that Connecticut meets the requirements to implement reasonably available control technology (RACT) for the two precursors of ground-level ozone, oxides of nitrogen (NOX) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), set forth by the Clean Air Act (CAA) with respect to the 2008 ozone standard. Additionally, we are approving three related regulations that limit air emissions of NOX from sources within the State. This action is being taken in accordance with the Clean Air Act.