September 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD), comprised of the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), Rural Housing Service (RHS), and Rural Utilities Service (RUS), hereafter referred to as the Agency, is issuing a final rule to update the Agency's Environmental Policies and Procedures regulation (7 CFR 1970) to allow the Agency Administrators limited flexibility to obligate federal funds for infrastructure projects prior to completion of the environmental review while ensuring full compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures, prior to project construction and disbursement of any RD funding. This change will allow RD to more fully meet the Administration's goals to speed the initiation of infrastructure projects and encourage planned community economic development without additional cost to taxpayers or change to environmental review requirements.

These special conditions are issued for the Diamond Aircraft Industries of Canada (DAI Canada) Model DA-62 airplane. This airplane will have a novel or unusual design feature associated with installation of an engine that includes an electronic engine control system. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. 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.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Missouri on December 3, 2018. Missouri requests that the EPA remove a rule related to control of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from traffic coatings from its SIP. This rescission does not have an adverse effect on air quality. The EPA's approval of this rule revision is being done in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

This rule identifies communities where the sale of flood insurance has been authorized under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that are scheduled for suspension on the effective dates listed within this rule because of noncompliance with the floodplain management requirements of the program. If the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) receives documentation that the community has adopted the required floodplain management measures prior to the effective suspension date given in this rule, the suspension will not occur and a notice of this will be provided by publication in the Federal Register on a subsequent date. Also, information identifying the current participation status of a community can be obtained from FEMA's Community Status Book (CSB). The CSB is available at https:// www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program-community-statu s-book.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Maryland. This SIP revision removes requirements for gasoline vapor recovery equipment (also known as Stage II vapor recovery) on fuel dispensers at both new and upgrading gasoline dispensing facilities (GDFs) in Stage II subject areas of Maryland and also allows for decommissioning of Stage II equipment at existing stations currently equipped with Stage II equipment. GDF owners may elect to retain existing Stage II equipment, but in doing so remain subject to Stage II requirements and must continue to test and maintain Stage II equipment in accordance with program requirements. EPA determined that Maryland's August 25, 2017 SIP revision is approvable in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving as a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision the Morgan County-related elements of an Indiana submission to EPA dated October 2, 2015, as supplemented on November 15, 2017, June 7, 2017, February 8, 2019, and February 12, 2019. EPA concludes that Indiana has appropriately demonstrated that the plan provisions provide for attainment of the 2010 sulfur dioxide (SO2) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) in the Morgan County area by the applicable attainment date and that the plan meets the other applicable requirements under the Clean Air Act.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is adopting its proposed rule to revise the table of reduction factors for early commencing dates of survivor annuities for spouses of separated employees who die before the date on which they would be eligible for unreduced deferred annuities, and to revise the annuity factor for spouses of deceased employees who die in service when those spouses elect to receive the basic employee death benefit in 36 installments under the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) Act of 1986. These rules are necessary to ensure that the tables conform to the economic and demographic assumptions adopted by the Board of Actuaries and published in the Federal Register on May 20, 2019, as required by the United States Code.

Pursuant to the publishing authority, FHWA, on behalf of TxDOT, is issuing this notice to advise the public that an EIS will be prepared for a proposed transportation project to construct a US 69 relief route around the City of Jacksonville in Cherokee County, Texas.

The Department of Education (Department or We) establishes new Institutional Accountability regulations governing the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program to revise a Federal standard and a process for adjudicating borrower defenses to repayment claims for Federal student loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2020, and provide for actions the Secretary may take to collect from schools the amount of financial loss due to successful borrower defense to repayment loan discharges. The Department also amends regulations regarding pre-dispute arbitration agreements or class action waivers as a condition of enrollment, and requires institutions to include information regarding the school's internal dispute resolution and arbitration processes as part of in the borrower's entrance counseling. We amend the Student Assistance General Provisions regulations to establish the conditions or events that have or may have an adverse, material effect on an institution's financial condition and which warrant financial protection for the Department, update the definitions of terms used to calculate an institution's composite score to conform with changes in certain accounting standards, and account for leases and long-term debt. Finally, we amend the loan discharge provisions in the Direct Loan Program.

Effective July 6, 2018, the U.S. Trade Representative imposed additional duties on goods of China with an annual trade value of approximately $34 billion as part of the action in the Section 301 investigation of China's acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. The U.S. Trade Representative's determination included a decision to establish a product exclusion process. The U.S. Trade Representative initiated the exclusion process in July 2018, and stakeholders have submitted requests for the exclusion of specific products. In December 2018, March 2019, April 2019, May 2019, June 2019, and July 2019 the U.S. Trade Representative granted exclusion requests. This notice announces the U.S. Trade Representative's determination to grant additional exclusion requests, as specified in the Annex to this notice. The U.S. Trade Representative will continue to issue decisions on pending requests on a periodic basis.

The Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-build requirements of the coastwise trade laws to allow the carriage of no more than twelve passengers for hire on vessels, which are three years old or more. A request for such a waiver has been received by MARAD. The vessel, and a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

The Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-build requirements of the coastwise trade laws to allow the carriage of no more than twelve passengers for hire on vessels, which are three years old or more. A request for such a waiver has been received by MARAD. The vessel, and a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

The Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-build requirements of the coastwise trade laws to allow the carriage of no more than twelve passengers for hire on vessels, which are three years old or more. A request for such a waiver has been received by MARAD. The vessel, and a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

The Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-build requirements of the coastwise trade laws to allow the carriage of no more than twelve passengers for hire on vessels, which are three years old or more. A request for such a waiver has been received by MARAD. The vessel, and a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below is being forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comments. A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following information collection was published on June 12, 2019.

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to the provisions of the rules and regulations of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (Commission) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act that the Michigan Advisory Committee (Committee) will hold a meeting on Friday, October 18, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. EST the purpose of the meeting will be to nominate and vote on a vice-chair and continue reviewing a draft of the voting rights report.

In accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the Department of Health and Human Services is modifying a system of records maintained by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 09-25-0225 ``NIH Electronic Research Administration (eRA) Records, HHS/NIH/OD/OER,'' to include a new routine use allowing NIH to disclose information to applicant organizations for the purpose of communicating with the applicants about matters related to agency award programs.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health published a document in the Federal Register of August 27, 2019, requesting public comment related to revisions to the PHS Guideline for Reducing Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Through Organ Transplantation. Due to numerous requests of an extension to the public comment period, this document is announcing an extension.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of four separate records of decision (RODs) under the Endangered Species Actthree RODs for the proposed issuance of three permit amendments and one ROD for the proposed issuance of one new permit. We also make available each project's respective habitat conservation plan (HCP) amendment or HCP. The RODs document the Service's decision to issue incidental take permit (ITP) amendments to three applicantsKawailoa Wind, LLC; Auwahi Wind, LLC; and Kaheawa Wind Power II, LLCand a new ITP to Tawhiri Power, LLC.