May 1, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') is initiating an effort to determine whether to amend the current energy conservation standards for general service fluorescent lamps (``GSFLs'') and incandescent reflector lamps (``IRLs''). Under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended, DOE must review these standards at least once every six years and publish either a notice of proposed rulemaking (``NOPR'') to propose new standards for GSFLs and/or IRLs or a notice of determination that the existing standards do not need to be amended. This request for information (``RFI'') solicits information from the public to help DOE determine whether amended standards for GSFLs and IRLs would result in significant energy savings and whether such standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified. DOE welcomes written comments from the public on any subject within the scope of this document (including those topics not specifically raised), as well as the submission of data and other relevant information.

The Department of State is issuing this document to inform the public of certain temporary suspensions, modifications, and exceptions for the durations described herein to several provisions of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). These actions are taken in order to ensure continuity of operations within the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) and among entities registered with DDTC pursuant to the ITAR during the current SARS-COV2 public health emergency.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve revisions to the Maricopa County Air Quality Department (MCAQD) and Pima County Department of Environmental Quality (PDEQ) portion of the Arizona State Implementation Plan (SIP). These revisions concern emissions of particulate matter (PM) from nonmetallic mineral processing, inactive mineral tailings and slag storage. We are proposing to approve local rules to regulate these emission sources under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act). We are taking comments on this proposal and plan to follow with a final action.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) proposes to update its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing procedures regarding authorizations issued under section 3 of the Natural Gas Act. These changes will improve the efficiency of the DOE decision-making process by saving time and money in the NEPA review process and eliminating unnecessary environmental documentation. DOE invites public comments on the proposed changes.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final action to approve a revision to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Missouri on December 3, 2018, and supplemented by letter on May 22, 2019. Missouri requests that the EPA remove a rule related to control of emissions from the application of automotive underbody deadeners in the Kansas City, Missouri area from its SIP. This removal does not have an adverse effect on air quality. The EPA's approval of this rule revision is in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving two state implementation plan (SIP) submissions submitted by the State of Delaware. The first submission addresses the basic program elements, including, but not limited to, regulatory structure, monitoring, modeling, legal authority, and adequate resources necessary to assure attainment and maintenance of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). This type of SIP submission is referred to as an infrastructure SIP submission. Delaware made this submission in order to address the infrastructure requirements for the 2015 ozone NAAQS. EPA is approving Delaware's infrastructure SIP submission in accordance with the requirements of Clean Air Act (CAA) section 110(a). EPA is also approving a second submission from Delaware which updates a reference to the current version of EPA's modeling guidance.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a plan for the Wallula area in Washington State that addresses the second 10- year maintenance period for particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to a nominal 10 micrometers (PM10). This plan relies upon the control measures contained in the first 10-year maintenance plan, with revisions to reflect updated permits and agreements, also approved in this action. Concurrently, we are taking final agency action on high wind and wildfire exceptional events associated with the Wallula area.

In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved four information collections associated with rules governing Priority Access Licenses (PALs) in the 3550-3700 MHz (3.5 GHz) band in the 2016 Order on Reconsideration and Second Report and Order, FCC 16-55, in GN Docket No. 12-354, and 2018 Report and Order, FCC 18-149, in GN Docket No. 17-258. The Commission also announces that compliance with the rules is now required. It removes paragraphs advising that compliance was not required until OMB approval was obtained. This document is consistent with the 2016 Order on Reconsideration and Second Report and Order and 2018 Report and Order, which state the Commission will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing a compliance date for the rule sections and revise the rules accordingly.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is adopting rule and form amendments intended to help investors make informed investment decisions regarding variable annuity and variable life insurance contracts. The amendments modernize disclosures by using a layered disclosure approach designed to provide investors with key information relating to the contract's terms, benefits, and risks in a concise and more reader-friendly presentation, with access to more detailed information available online and electronically or in paper format on request. New rule 498A under the Securities Act of 1933 will permit a person to satisfy its prospectus delivery obligations under the Securities Act for a variable annuity or variable life insurance contract by sending or giving a summary prospectus to investors and making the statutory prospectus available online. The rule also will consider a person to have met its prospectus delivery obligations for any portfolio companies associated with a variable annuity or variable life insurance contract if the portfolio company prospectuses are posted online. To implement the new disclosure framework, we are also amending the registration forms for variable annuity and variable life insurance contracts to update and enhance the disclosures to investors in these contracts, and to implement the proposed summary prospectus framework, and adopting amendments to our rules that will require variable contracts to use the Inline eXtensible Business Reporting Language (``Inline XBRL'') format for the submission of certain required disclosures in the variable contract statutory prospectus. The Commission is also taking the position that if an issuer of a discontinued contract that is discontinued as of July 1, 2020 that provides alternative disclosures does not file post-effective amendments to update a variable contract registration statement and does not provide updated prospectuses to existing investors, this would not provide a basis for enforcement action so long as investors are provided with the alternative disclosures or modernized alternative disclosures described below. We are also adopting certain technical and conforming amendments to our rules and forms, including amendments to rules relating to variable life insurance contracts, and rescinding certain related rules and forms.