February 20, 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing approval of revisions to the State Implementation Plan (SIP), and Operating Permits Program for the State of Nebraska as submitted on August 22, 2018. This action proposes to adopt the 2015 primary and secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone, published in the Federal Register on October 26, 2015. The EPA is also proposing to approve revisions which are administrative in nature. These revisions include updating a reference to EPA's regulation used in the definition of ``Global Warming Potentials'', removing ``Greenhouse Gases'' from the definition of ``Regulated Air Pollutant'', and updating a reference to EPA's regulations used in the definition of ``Volatile Organic Compound''. Other typographical and reformatting revisions are also being made. Approval of these revisions will not impact air quality, ensures consistency between the State and Federally-approved rules, and ensures Federal enforceability of the State's rules.

This rule removes the requirement in the Processed Raspberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order) that each eligible producer of raspberries for processing and eligible importer of processed raspberries pay to the National Processed Raspberry Council (Council) an assessment in the amount of one cent per pound as specified in the Order. The remaining provisions of the Order and regulations issued thereunder will terminated at a later date. This action is necessary because termination of the Order was favored by a majority of the eligible producers and eligible importers voting in a referendum conducted from September 10 through October 5, 2018.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Zodiac Aerotechnics (Zodiac) oxygen mask regulators. This AD was prompted by reports that certain silicon harness inflation hoses installed on certain flight crew quick donning mask harnesses have shown an unusually high premature rupture rate. This AD requires inspection and replacement of certain oxygen mask regulator harness inflation hoses. We are issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This action proposes to amend Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Butler County Regional Airport-Hogan Field, Hamilton, OH. The FAA is proposing this action as the result of an airspace review caused by the decommissioning of the Richmond VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) navigation aid, which provided navigation information for the instrument procedures at this airport, as part of the VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) Program. Airspace redesign is necessary for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at this airport.

This action amends Class D airspace, Class E airspace designated as an extension to a Class D surface area, and Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet or more above the surface at Schenectady County Airport, Schenectady, NY, and Albany, NY by updating the geographic coordinates of this airport, Saratoga County Airport, Hunter NDB, and Cambridge VOR/DME. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at this airport. This action also replaces the outdated term Airport/ Facility Directory with the term Chart Supplement in the legal descriptions of associated Class D and E airspace of Schenectady County Airport, Schenectady, NY, and Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, Ithaca, NY. In addition, subsequent to publication, it was noted that the Cambridge VOR/DME was identified as VORTAC. This action corrects the error.

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.

This action proposes to modify Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Alpine-Casparis Municipal Airport, Alpine, TX. This action is necessary due to the decommissioning of the Brewster County non-directional radio beacon (NDB), and cancellation of the NDB approach, and would enhance the safety and management of standard instrument approach procedures for instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at this airport. Additionally, the geographic coordinates are being updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Farm Credit Administration (FCA), and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) are amending their regulations regarding loans in areas having special flood hazards to implement the private flood insurance provisions of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (Biggert-Waters Act). Specifically, the final rule requires regulated lending institutions to accept policies that meet the statutory definition of ``private flood insurance'' in the Biggert-Waters Act; and permits regulated lending institutions to exercise their discretion to accept flood insurance policies issued by private insurers and plans providing flood coverage issued by mutual aid societies that do not meet the statutory definition of ``private flood insurance,'' subject to certain restrictions.

NMFS proposes to approve and implement the measures of Framework Adjustment 30 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan that establishes scallop specifications and other measures for fishing years 2019 and 2020. This action is necessary to prevent overfishing and improve both yield-per-recruit and the overall management of the Atlantic sea scallop resource. The intended effect of this rule is to notify the public of these proposed measures and to solicit comment on the potential scallop fishery management changes.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a revision to the State of Maryland's state implementation plan (SIP). The State of Maryland's SIP revision satisfies the volatile organic compound (VOC) reasonably available control technology (RACT) requirements for the 2008 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). The State of Maryland will address RACT for oxides of nitrogen (NOX) in another SIP submission. Maryland's VOC RACT submittal for the 2008 ozone NAAQS includes certification that previously adopted RACT controls in Maryland's SIP approved by EPA under the 1-hour ozone and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS were reviewed based on the currently available technically and economically feasible controls, and that they continue to represent RACT; a negative declaration for certain control technique guideline (CTG) categories that no facilities exist in the State for these certain categories; and adoption of new or more stringent RACT determinations where necessary. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is issuing this final rule to adopt as its own portions of the regulations of the Federal Housing Finance Board (Finance Board) pertaining to the capital requirements for the Federal Home Loan Banks (Banks). The final rule carries over most of the existing Finance Board regulations without material change, but substantively revises the credit risk component of the risk-based capital requirement, as well as the limitations on extensions of unsecured credit. The principal revisions to those provisions remove requirements that the Banks calculate credit risk capital charges and unsecured credit limits based on ratings issued by a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (NRSRO), and instead require that the Banks use their own internal rating methodology. The final rule also revises the percentages used in the tables to calculate the credit risk capital charges for advances and non-mortgage assets. FHFA retains the percentages used in the existing table to calculate the capital charges for mortgage-related assets, but revises the approach to identify the appropriate percentage within the table. FHFA also has revised the table numbers in the final rule to align with the Federal Register's new formatting standards, which were revised after publication of the proposed rule.