October 23, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS announces that the State of Maine is transferring a portion of its 2018 commercial summer flounder quota to the State of Connecticut. This quota adjustment is necessary to comply with the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan quota transfer provisions. This announcement informs the public of the revised commercial quotas for Maine and Connecticut.

The New England Fishery Management Council requests public comment on Amendment 22 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, including a Draft Environmental Impact Statement. To meet the purpose and need, this amendment proposes alternatives that would initiate a limited access program for the small-mesh multispecies fishery, adjust whiting and red hake possession limits, and modify permit types and characteristics to make them consistent with limited access. The Council recently solicited comments and held a series of public hearings on the draft amendment. Due to an inconsistency in the information available during the comment period, the Council will solicit comments for an additional 30 days and hold an informational webinar to explain the data inconsistency and review the alternatives in the amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

This final rule will adjust the number of members on the United Soybean Board (Board) to reflect changes in production levels that have occurred since the Board was last reapportioned in 2015. As required by the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act (Act), membership on the Board is reviewed every 3 years and adjustments are made accordingly. This change will result in an increase in Board membership for five States, increasing the total number of Board members from 73 to 78. These changes will be reflected in the Soybean Promotion and Research Order (Order) and would be effective for the 2019 appointment process.

In this final rule, NMFS specifies a 2018 limit of 2,000 metric tons (t) of longline-caught bigeye tuna for each U.S. Pacific territory (American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)). NMFS will allow each territory to allocate up to 1,000 t each year to U.S. longline fishing vessels in a valid specified fishing agreement. As an accountability measure, NMFS will monitor, attribute, and restrict (if necessary), catches of longline- caught bigeye tuna, including catches made under a specified fishing agreement. These catch limits and accountability measures support the long-term sustainability of fishery resources of the U.S. Pacific Islands.

On September 24, 2018, DoD, GSA, and NASA published a document proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a section of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017. The document heading carried an incorrect docket number. This document carries the correct docket number.

The Department of Labor proposes a regulation under title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations to expand access to affordable quality retirement saving options by clarifying the circumstances under which an employer group or association or a professional employer organization (PEO) may sponsor a workplace retirement plan. In particular, the proposed regulation clarifies that employer groups or associations and PEOs can, when satisfying certain criteria, constitute ``employers'' within the meaning of section 3(5) of ERISA for purposes of establishing or maintaining an individual account ``employee pension benefit plan'' within the meaning of ERISA section 3(2). As an ``employer,'' a group or association can sponsor a defined contribution retirement plan for its members, as can a PEO sponsor a plan for client employers (collectively referred to as ``MEPs'' unless otherwise specified). The proposed regulation would allow different businesses to join a MEP, either through a group or association or through a PEO. The proposal would also permit certain working owners without employees to participate in a MEP sponsored by a group or association. The proposal would primarily affect groups or associations of employers, PEOs, plan participants, and plan beneficiaries. The proposal would not affect whether groups, associations, or PEOs assume joint-employment relationships with member-employers or client employers. But the proposal may affect banks, insurance companies, securities broker- dealers, record keepers, and other commercial enterprises that provide retirement-plan products and services.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is seeking public comments on the effects and costs that would result if BIS were to amend its regulations to reflect new export authorization requirements regarding electronic waste, including new recordkeeping requirements, reporting requirements, and data elements in the Automated Export System, maintained by the U.S. Census Bureau, to track electronic waste that is exported. Comments from all interested persons are welcome and will help BIS determine the feasibility and cost of implementing a mechanism for tracking and controlling electronic waste exports.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the State Route 433 Bridge across Bonfouca Bayou, mile 7.0, at Slidell, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. This deviation is necessary to perform maintenance. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position during nighttime hours for approximately 42 days.

The Department of the Army is proposing revisions regarding the development, operation, maintenance, and administration of the Army Cemeteries. The revisions include changes in management and a name change to the Army National Military Cemeteries. The rule also adopts modifications suggested by the Department of the Army Inspector General and approved by the Secretary of the Army, as well as implementing changes in interment eligibility due to statute.

We are superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2018-11-05 for certain Honda Aircraft Company LLC (Honda) Model HA-420 airplanes. AD 2018-11-05 required incorporating a temporary revision into the airplane flight manual (AFM) and replacing the faulty power brake valve (PBV) upon condition. We issued AD 2018-11-05 as a short-term action to address the immediate need to detect and replace a faulty PBV. This AD retains the actions required in AD 2018-11-05 and requires replacing the faulty PBV with the improved part. We are issuing this AD to address the long-term corrective action and address the unsafe condition on these products.

We propose to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) AD 2018- 04-09 for Pacific Aerospace Limited Model 750XL airplanes. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as incorrectly marked and annunciated low oil-pressure indication warnings. We are issuing this proposed AD to require actions to address the unsafe condition on these products.