2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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.

We, NMFS, announce the initiation of a status review of queen conch (Strombus gigas) to determine whether listing the species as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is warranted. A comprehensive status review must be based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. Therefore, we are asking the public to provide information on the queen conch that will inform our status review.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is proposing an extension of an existing information collection.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) adopts an Order that closes Lockbox 979096 and removes the relevant rule relating to the collection of payment for charges for certain international telecommunications services.

The Postal Service gives notice of filing a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission to add a domestic shipping services contract to the list of Negotiated Service Agreements in the Mail Classification Schedule's Competitive Products List.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Limited (BHTC) Model 427 helicopters. This AD requires inspecting the inboard skin of the vertical fin around the four tailboom attachment points. This AD was prompted by reports of cracked vertical fin skins that resulted from metal fatigue. The actions of this AD are intended to prevent an unsafe condition on these products.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve revisions to the Missouri State Implementation Plan (SIP) received on March 7, 2019. The submission revises a Missouri regulation that establishes emission limits for batch-type charcoal kilns based on operational parameters to reduce emissions of particulate matter (PM10), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon monoxide (CO). Specifically, the revisions to the rule add definitions specific to the rule, update references to test methods, remove the unnecessary use of restrictive words, remove an obsolete requirement which applied only during the phase-in period of the rule that ended December 31, 2005, clarify a provision for an alternative operating temperature, and make other minor edits. These revisions are administrative in nature and do not impact the stringency of the SIP or air quality. Approval of these revisions will ensure consistency between state and federally-approved rules.

EPA is proposing significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for certain chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs). They are either the subject of Orders issued by EPA under TSCA or have received a ``not likely to present an unreasonable risk'' determination pursuant to TSCA. This action would require persons who intend to manufacture (defined by statute to include import) or process any of these chemical substances for an activity that is proposed as a significant new use to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing that activity. The required notification initiates EPA's evaluation of the use, under the conditions of use for that chemical substance, within the applicable review period. Persons may not commence manufacture or processing for the significant new use until EPA has conducted a review of the notice, made an appropriate determination on the notice, and has taken such actions as are required by that determination.

This notice announces actions taken by FHWA and other Federal agencies that are final. The actions relate to a proposed highway project, Kirby-Whitten Parkway (Shelby Farms Parkway), from Walnut Grove Road to Macon Road in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project. The FHWA's Record of Decision (ROD) provides details on the Selected Alternative for the proposed improvements.

The FDIC is amending its deposit insurance assessment regulations to apply the community bank leverage ratio (CBLR) framework to the deposit insurance assessment system (CBLR Assessments final rule). The FDIC, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) (collectively, the Federal banking agencies) are considering, and are expected to adopt, a final rule that provides for a simple measure of capital adequacy for certain community banking organizations (CBLR final rule). The CBLR Assessments final rule: prices all insured depository institutions (IDIs) that elect to use the CBLR framework as small institutions; makes technical amendments to the FDIC's assessment regulations to ensure that the assessment regulations continue to reference the prompt corrective action (PCA) regulations for the definitions of capital categories used in the deposit insurance assessment system; and clarifies that an IDI that elects to use the CBLR framework and also meets the definition of a custodial bank will have no change to its custodial bank deduction or reporting items required to calculate the deduction. The final rule does not make any changes to the FDIC's assessment methodology for small or large institutions.

This document contains final regulations implementing the base erosion and anti-abuse tax, designed to prevent the reduction of tax liability by certain large corporate taxpayers through certain payments made to foreign related parties and certain tax credits. These final regulations also provide reporting requirements related to this tax. This tax was added to the Internal Revenue Code (the ``Code'') as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This document finalizes the proposed regulations published on December 21, 2018. The final regulations affect corporations with substantial gross receipts that make payments to foreign related parties. The final regulations also affect any reporting corporations required to furnish information relating to certain related-party transactions and information relating to a trade or business conducted within the United States by a foreign corporation.

The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') is proposing to revise its test procedure for external power supplies (``EPS'' or ``EPSs''). DOE is proposing to add a definition for ``commercial and industrial power supply'' in its regulations to differentiate between EPSs and other non-consumer power supplies that are not subject to the test procedure. DOE also proposes to add a definition to address an adaptive EPS that conforms to the Universal Serial Bus Power Delivery (``USB-PD EPS'') specifications and revise its procedure to address their testing in a manner more representative of their actual use. Further, the proposed revisions would provide more specific instructions for testing single-voltage EPSs that have multiple output busses. Lastly, DOE proposes to reorganize the test procedure to centralize definitions, consolidate generally applicable requirements, and better delineate requirements for single-voltage, multiple-voltage, and adaptive EPSs. DOE is seeking comment from interested parties on the proposal.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following new information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This proposed information collection was published in the Federal Register on September 6, 2019, allowing for a 60-day public comment period and received one comment. The notice was revised to clarify participation in the survey is voluntary and how information will be used. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announces that it is holding tribal consultation meetings in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Anchorage, Alaska, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma concerning the proposed revisions to the 8(a) Business Development (BD) program regulations. Testimony presented at these tribal consultations will become part of the administrative record for SBA's consideration when the Agency deliberates on approaches to changes in the regulations pertaining to the 8(a) BD program.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has received petitions for certification of eligibility to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance from the firms listed below. Accordingly, EDA has initiated investigations to determine whether increased imports into the United States of articles like or directly competitive with those produced by each of the firms contributed importantly to the total or partial separation of the firms' workers, or threat thereof, and to a decrease in sales or production of each petitioning firm.

In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), as co-lead agencies, intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to consider a right-of-way application submitted by the Utah Department of Transportation (referred to henceforth as the Northern Corridor project), potential amendments to the St. George Field Office and Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (NCA) Resource Management Plans (RMPs), and the issuance of an Incidental Take Permit (ITP) to Washington County, Utah, under Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is announcing the availability of funds for supportive services grants under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program. This Notice of Fund Availability (NOFA) contains information concerning the SSVF Program, renewal of supportive services grant application processes, and the amount of funding available. Awards made for supportive services grants will fund operations beginning October 1, 2020.

The invention listed below is owned by an agency of the U.S. Government and is available for licensing to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally-funded research and development. Foreign patent applications are filed on selected inventions to extend market coverage for companies and may also be available for licensing.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requesting that any industry organizations interested in participating in the selection of nonvoting industry representatives to serve on certain panels of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee (MDAC or Committee) in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) notify FDA in writing. FDA is also requesting nominations for nonvoting industry representatives to serve on certain device panels of the MDAC in the CDRH. A nominee may either be self-nominated or nominated by an organization to serve as a nonvoting industry representative. Nominations will be accepted for current and upcoming vacancies effective with this notice.