April 16, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document contains proposed amendments to the regulations relating to the imposition of certain user fees on tax return preparers. The proposed regulations reduce the amount of the user fee to apply for or renew a preparer tax identification number (PTIN) and affect individuals who apply for or renew a PTIN. The Independent Offices Appropriations Act of 1952 authorizes the charging of user fees.

On March 10, 2020, FRA published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would establish safety standards for the Texas Central Railroad (TCRR) high speed rail system. On March 12, 2020, FRA announced three public hearings to provide members of the public an opportunity to provide oral comments on the proposed safety requirements, which were subsequently postponed on March 30, 2020. FRA is now announcing the rescheduling of the public hearings. Additionally, FRA is extending the comment period to May 26, 2020, to afford members of the public time to comment on opinions and views expressed during these hearings, that will be captured in a transcript of the proceedings and placed in the rulemaking docket.

The Commission is acknowledging a recent filing requesting the Commission initiate a rulemaking proceeding to consider changes to analytical principles relating to periodic reports (Proposal Two). This document informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps.

In this document, the Commission seeks comment on whether to adopt changes to our rules governing the resolution of program carriage disputes between video programming vendors and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) to ensure an expeditious dispute resolution process. Specifically, we propose to modify one of the time limit requirements for filing program carriage complaints in order to make it consistent with the time limits for other types of complaints. For consistency, we also propose to revise the parallel time limit requirements for filing program access, open video system (OVS), and good-faith retransmission consent complaints. We also propose to revise the effective date and review procedures of initial decisions issued by an administrative law judge (ALJ) in program carriage proceedings so they comport with the Commission's generally applicable procedures for review of ALJ initial decisions. We propose to extend this change to program access and OVS proceedings as well.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is initiating a data collection process through this request for information (RFI) to consider whether to amend DOE's test procedure for consumer water heaters and residential-duty commercial water heaters. Specifically, DOE seeks data and information pertinent to whether amended test procedures would more accurately or fully comply with the requirement that the test procedure produces results that measure energy use during a representative average use cycle for the product, and not be unduly burdensome to conduct. DOE welcomes written comments from the public on any subject within the scope of this document (including topics not raised in this RFI), as well as the submission of data and other relevant information.

Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) may charge certain fees to recover the direct costs of providing specific FOIA services, such as duplication and searching for responsive records. The CPSC is proposing to amend its FOIA fee regulations to reflect more accurately the CPSC's direct costs of providing FOIA services, as well as to conform to the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB's) Uniform Freedom of Information Act Fee Schedule and Guidelines and to omit the fee category for the production of records on microfiche, an obsolete format. The CPSC also is proposing to amend other sections of its FOIA regulations to reflect organizational changes in the agency's FOIA Office; to codify the existing practice of the General Counsel remanding cases to the Chief FOIA Officer; and to allow for any relevant FOIA exemptions to be applied.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes its final List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2020, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The LOF for 2020 reflects new information on interactions between commercial fisheries and marine mammals. NMFS must classify each commercial fishery on the LOF into one of three categories under the MMPA based upon the level of mortality and serious injury of marine mammals that occurs incidental to each fishery. The classification of a fishery on the LOF determines whether participants in that fishery are subject to certain provisions of the MMPA, such as registration, observer coverage, and take reduction plan (TRP) requirements.

PHMSA is soliciting public comment on proposed amendments to the Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations for the safety of hazardous liquid pipelines that would revise the requirements for facility response plans, revise the definition for accidents, and consider repealing, replacing, or modifying other specific regulations. The intent of these changes is to reduce regulatory burdens and improve regulatory clarity without compromising safety and environmental protection.