September 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an information collection request (ICR), Generic Clearance for TSCA Section 4 Test Rules, Test Orders, Enforceable Consent Agreements (ECAs), Voluntary Data Submissions, and Exemptions from Testing Requirement (EPA ICR Number 1139.12 and OMB Control Number 2070-0033) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed revision of the ICR that is currently approved through October 31, 2021. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given below, including its estimated burden and cost to the public. An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

In July 2017, FSIS published and requested comment on guidance for importing meat, poultry, and egg products into the United States. FSIS is announcing updates to this guidance and responding to comments received on the guidance. FSIS intends for this guidance to help U.S. importers, customs brokers, official import inspection establishments, and other interested persons understand and comply with FSIS import requirements. The guidance represents current FSIS thinking, and FSIS will update it as necessary to reflect comments received and any additional information that becomes available.

This is notice of the succession plan for the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) provided by the Director of FMCS at the request of the Federal Transition Coordinator at the General Services Administration and the Office of Management and Budget via OMB Memorandum M-20-33. This notice supersedes all prior succession plans for officials performing the functions and duties of the Director of FMCS.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) publishes notice of certain Federal agency requests for records disposition authority (records schedules). We publish notice in the Federal Register and on regulations.gov for records schedules in which agencies propose to dispose of records they no longer need to conduct agency business. We invite public comments on such records schedules.

The subcommittees listed below are part of AHRQ's Health Services Research Initial Review Group Committee. Grant applications are to be reviewed and discussed at these meetings. Each subcommittee meeting will be closed to the public.

The Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries announces the renewal of the charter of the Advisory Committee on Actuarial Examinations.

On September 14, 2020, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued guidance, CEQ-NEPA-2020-01, in a memorandum to the heads of Federal departments and agencies (agencies) to assist agencies with compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) during emergencies. The CEQ regulations implementing NEPA provide for alternative arrangements during emergencies when an agency's action is likely to have significant effects and would require preparation of an environmental impact statement. This guidance also addresses compliance with NEPA when the action is unlikely to have significant effects and might require preparation of an environmental assessment or application of a categorical exclusion.

This document announces our approval of the alternative means of emission limitation (AMEL) request under the Clean Air Act (CAA) submitted by Lyondell Chemical Company (Lyondell) to operate multi- point ground flares (MPGFs) at its Channelview chemical plant in Houston, Texas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received no adverse comments on the request. This approval document specifies the operating conditions and monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements that this facility must follow to demonstrate compliance with the approved AMEL.

The Department of Energy (Department) invites public comment on the 2020 National Electric Transmission Congestion Study (2020 Congestion Study) and is seeking comments on all aspects of the 2020 Congestion Study.

This gives notice under the Federal Advisory Committee Act of October 6, 1972, that the Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, has been renewed for a 2-year period through September 18, 2022.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Secretariat Division has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a previously approved information collection requirement regarding prohibition on contracting for certain telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment.

In April of 2020, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the ``Commission'') proposed amendments to its regulations governing bankruptcy proceedings of commodity brokers. In light of comments on the proposed amendments, the Commission is proposing a revision of the proposed amendments with respect to a particular issue, specifically, efforts to foster a resolution proceeding under Title II of the Dodd- Frank Act.

This action proposes to amend Federal airways J-502, and J-511 in Alaska. It also proposes to establish 2 Q routes, Q-902, and Q-811. The modifications are necessary due to the decommissioning of the Burwash Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) in Yukon Territory, Canada, which provided navigation guidance for portions of the affected routes. The Burwash NDB was decommissioned effective March 26, 2020 due to ongoing maintenance problems and logistic issues.

In response to a petition for rulemaking submitted on October 18, 2018 (Gas Industry Petition), the Department of Energy (DOE) published that petition in the Federal Register on November 1, 2018, for public review and input, and DOE subsequently published a proposed interpretive rule in the Federal Register on July 11, 2019, which tentatively determined that in the context of residential furnaces, commercial water heaters and similarly-situated products/equipment, use of non-condensing technology (and associated venting) may constitute a performance-related ``feature'' under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) that cannot be eliminated through adoption of an energy conservation standard. After carefully considering the public comments on its proposed interpretive rule, DOE has tentatively determined to consider a more involved class structure which turns on maintenance of compatibility with existing venting categories, and the Department seeks further information on the potential feasibility, burdens, and other implications of implementing such a venting- compatibility approach. DOE requests comments limited in scope to this issue, after which DOE will respond to not only this matter, but also to all of the other topics raised in comments on the July 2019 notice of proposed interpretive rule.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 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 proposed and/or continuing information collections.

This notice sets forth the agenda for a National Assessment Governing Board (hereafter referred to as Governing Board) meeting in September 2020. This notice provides information to members of the public who may be interested in attending the meeting or providing written comments related to the work of the Governing Board. Notice of this meeting is required under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Participation in the open sessions of the meeting is via advance online registration at www.nagb.gov, which will open five working days prior to September 29, 2020.

HUD has long interpreted the Fair Housing Act (``the Act'') to create liability for practices with an unjustified discriminatory effect, even if those practices were not motivated by discriminatory intent. This rule amends HUD's 2013 disparate impact standard regulation to better reflect the Supreme Court's 2015 ruling in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project, Inc. and to provide clarification regarding the application of the standard to State laws governing the business of insurance. This rule revises the burden-shifting test for determining whether a given practice has an unjustified discriminatory effect and adds to illustrations of discriminatory housing practices found in HUD's Fair Housing Act regulations. This Final rule also establishes a uniform standard for determining when a housing policy or practice with a discriminatory effect violates the Fair Housing Act and provides greater clarity of the law for individuals, litigants, regulators, and industry professionals.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes. This AD was prompted by the FAA's analysis of the Model 737 fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer. This AD requires modifying the fuel quantity indicating system (FQIS) to prevent development of an ignition source inside the center fuel tank due to electrical fault conditions. This AD also provides alternative actions for cargo airplanes. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education proposes priorities, requirements, a definition, and selection criteria under the Perkins Innovation and Modernization Grant Program, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.051F. The Assistant Secretary may use the priorities, requirements, definition, and selection criteria for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2020 and later years. We take this action in order to support the identification of strong and well-designed projects that will incorporate evidence-based and innovative strategies and activities to improve and modernize career and technical education (CTE) and better prepare youth and adults for in-demand jobs.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is amending and updating its VA Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) in phased increments to revise or remove any policy superseded by changes in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), to remove procedural guidance internal to VA into the VA Acquisition Manual (VAAM), and to incorporate any new agency specific regulations or policies. These changes seek to streamline and align the VAAR with the FAR and remove outdated and duplicative requirements and reduce burden on contractors. The VAAM incorporates portions of the removed VAAR as well as other internal agency acquisition policy. VA will rewrite certain parts of the VAAR and VAAM, and as VAAR parts are rewritten, VA will publish them in the Federal Register. In particular, this rulemaking revises VAAR concerning Contractor Qualifications, Acquisition of Utility Services, and Contract Administration and Audit Services, and affected parts Definitions of Words and Terms and Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses.