December 26, 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of National Drug Control Policy published a document in the Federal Register on December 12, 2019 concerning the Paperwork Reduction Act; Proposed Collection; Comment Request. The document contained an incorrect address and contact information.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone in the Captain of the Port, Sault Sainte Marie zone in Mackinac City, MI. This temporary safety zone is necessary to protect the public and private contractors from potential hazards associated with remotely operated underwater vehicle operations in the Straits of Mackinac. During the effective dates of the rule, vessels will not be able to operate in certain U.S. navigable waters in the Straits of Mackinac within 500 yards of the Tug Nancy Anne and Deck Barge MM-142 without authorization from the Captain of the Port.

NMFS and USFWS announce the initiation of a 5-year review for the following distinct population segments (DPS) of loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta): The Mediterranean Sea DPS, the Northeast Atlantic Ocean DPS, the North Indian Ocean DPS, the South Pacific Ocean DPS, the Northwest Atlantic Ocean DPS, the South Atlantic Ocean DPS, the Southeast Indo-Pacific Ocean DPS, and the Southwest Indian Ocean DPS. NMFS and USFWS are required by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to conduct 5-year reviews to ensure that the listing classifications of species are accurate. The 5-year review must be based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. We request submission of any such information on these loggerhead DPSs, particularly information on the status, threats, and recovery of the DPSs that has become available since their listing on September 22, 2011 (76 FR 58868).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) invites public comment on the renewal of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for an existing collection of information. The information collection is entitled, ``Notice of Enforcement Discretion (NOED) for Operating Power Reactors and Gaseous Diffusion Plants (NRC Enforcement Policy).''

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.

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) invites public comments on our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. The information to be collected will be used by MARAD personnel to process and verify requests for service awards. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is updating its regulations to reflect required annual inflation-related increases to the civil monetary penalties in its regulations, pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015.

NMFS published a final rule that implemented Amendment 28 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan in the Federal Register on November 19, 2019 (84 FR 63966). The final rule changed boundaries of closed areas that affect commercial vessels fishing under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan with bottom contacting gear in Federal waters off of Washington, Oregon, and California.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submission, provided by the State of Tennessee, through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), through a letter dated September 13, 2018, for inclusion into the Tennessee SIP. This action pertains to the infrastructure requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) for the 2015 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). Whenever EPA promulgates a new or revised NAAQS, the CAA requires that each state adopt and submit a SIP for the implementation, maintenance, and enforcement of each NAAQS promulgated by EPA. TDEC certified that the Tennessee SIP contains provisions that ensure the 2015 8-hour ozone NAAQS is implemented, enforced, and maintained in Tennessee. EPA has determined that portions of Tennessee's SIP submission satisfy certain required infrastructure elements for the 2015 8-hour ozone NAAQS.

The Rural Housing Service (RHS or Agency) published a proposed rule on August 23, 2018, proposing to implement changes to the single family housing guaranteed loan program (SFHGLP) regulation to streamline the loss claim process for lenders who have acquired title to property through voluntary liquidation or foreclosure; clarify that lenders must comply with applicable laws, including those within the purview of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB); and better align loss mitigation policies with the mortgage industry. Through this action, RHS finalizes the rule largely as proposed with some revisions.

The Department of State amends the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to create a definition of ``activities that are not exports, reexports, retransfers, or temporary imports'' by combining existing text from the regulations with new text regarding secured unclassified technical data. The activities included in the new definition are: Launching items into space, providing technical data to U.S. persons within the United States or within a single country abroad, and moving a defense article between the states, possessions, and territories of the United States. The definition also clarifies that the electronic transmission and storage of properly secured unclassified technical data via foreign communications infrastructure does not constitute an export. Additionally, the Department amends the ITAR to create a definition of ``access information'' and revise the definition of ``release'' to address the provision of access information to an unauthorized foreign person.

The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau) is publishing this agenda as part of the Fall 2019 Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The Bureau reasonably anticipates having the regulatory matters identified below under consideration during the period from October 1, 2019, to September 30, 2020. The next agenda will be published in spring 2020 and will update this agenda through spring 2021. Publication of this agenda is in accordance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.).

This Agenda announces the regulations that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will have under development or review during the 12-month period beginning fall 2019. The purpose in publishing the Department's regulatory agenda is to allow all interested persons the opportunity to participate in VA's regulatory planning.

The Regulatory and Deregulatory Agenda is a semiannual summary of all current and projected rulemakings, reviews of existing regulations, and completed actions of the Department. The intent of the Agenda is to provide the public with information about the Department of Transportation's regulatory activity planned for the next 12 months. It is expected that this information will enable the public to more effectively participate in the Department's regulatory process. The public is also invited to submit comments on any aspect of this Agenda.

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board submits the following agenda of proposed regulatory activities which may be conducted by the agency during the next 12 months. This regulatory agenda may be revised by the agency during the coming months as a result of action taken by the Board.

This agenda contains a list of regulations that the Board is developing or proposes to develop in the next 12 months and regulations that are scheduled to be reviewed in that period.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is publishing its semiannual agenda of upcoming activities for Federal regulations, OMB Guidance, Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Policy Letters, and Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) Board Cost Accounting Standards. OMB Guidance and OFPP Policy Letters are published in accordance with OMB's internal procedures for implementing Executive Order 12866 (October 4, 1993, 58 FR 51735). OMB policy guidelines are issued under authority derived from several sources, including: Subtitles I, II, and V of title 31, United States Code; Executive Order 11541; and other specific authority as cited. OMB Guidance and OFPP Policy Letters communicate guidance and instructions of a continuing nature to executive branch agencies. As such, most OMB Guidance and OFPP Policy Letters are not regulations. Nonetheless, because these issuances are typically of interest to the public, they are generally published in the Federal Register at both the proposed (for public comment) and final stages. For this reason, they are presented below in the standard format of ``pre-rule,'' ``proposed rule,'' and ``final rule'' stages. CASB Cost Accounting Standards are issued under authority derived from 41 U.S.C. 1501 et seq. Cost Accounting Standards are rules governing the measurement, assignment, and allocation of costs to contracts entered into with the United States Government. For purposes of this agenda, we have excluded directives that outline procedures to be followed in connection with the President's budget and legislative programs, as well as directives that affect only the internal functions, management, or personnel of Federal agencies.

The Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board is publishing the Regulatory Flexibility Agenda for fall 2019.