October 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action amends the domestic VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal airway V-187 in the western United States. The FAA is taking this action due to the decommissioning of the McChord, WA, VOR portion of the VOR/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC) navigation aid (NAVAID), which provides navigation guidance for portions of the affected Air Traffic Service (ATS) route. The McChord, WA, VOR is being decommissioned due to ongoing maintenance problems.

This action amends Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Grant County Airport, Petersburg, WV, due to the decommissioning of the Kessel Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range/Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) and cancellation of associated approaches. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations in the area. This action also updates the airport's geographic coordinates.

These special conditions are issued for the Dassault Aviation (Dassault) Model Falcon 900 airplane. This airplane, as modified by Chicago Jet Group, will have a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. This design feature is Midcontinent Instrument TS835 Standby Batteries that contain rechargeable lithium batteries. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

The FAA is correcting an error that appeared in the Federal Register on March 5, 2020, for Special Conditions No. 25-760-SC, Docket No. FAA-2019-0329. In that document, the final special conditions text is incorrect and this document now posts the correct text.

These special conditions are issued for Boeing Model 737-300, -400, -700, -800, -8, and -9 series airplanes. These airplanes, as modified by Archeion Holdings, LLC (Archeion), will have a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport-category airplanes. This design feature is a digital systems architecture for the installation of a system with wireless network and hosted application functionality that allows access from external sources to the airplane's internal electronic components. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a Rural Development agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is confirming the final rule published in the Federal Register on April 2, 2020 to establish the Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP) as authorized by Section 6407 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, as amended. This document also provides the Agency an opportunity to acknowledge public comments received on the final rule.

This document makes amendments to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in order to make needed editorial changes.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to add two new clauses that notify contractors of requirements relating to Afghanistan taxes or similar charges when contracts are being performed in Afghanistan.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement the United States Code section that prohibits the award of certain Federal contracts to institutions of higher education that prohibit Reserve Officer Training Corps units or military recruiting on campus.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing a final rule to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to remove the definitions of the terms ``annual receipts'' and ``number of employees'' in the regulations regarding small business programs and to move the definition of ``affiliates,'' as used with regard to small business size determination, to appropriate locations in the FAR.

This document summarizes the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rules agreed to by the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) in this Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2021-02. A companion document, the Small Entity Compliance Guide (SECG), follows this FAC.

In this document, the Commission continues to comprehensively reform inmate calling services rates to ensure just and reasonable rates for interstate and international inmate calling services. Specifically, the Commission proposes to lower the current interstate rate caps to $0.14 per minute for debit, prepaid, and collect calls from prisons and $0.16 per minute for debit, prepaid, and collect calls from jails. The Commission also proposes to cap rates for international inmate calling services, which remain uncapped today. The Commission proposes a waiver process that would allow providers to seek relief from its rules at the facility or contract level if they can demonstrate that they are unable to recover their legitimate inmate calling services-related costs at that facility or for that contract. Finally, the Commission invites comment on whether the Commission should require the providers to submit additional data, and if so, how; on how the Commission's regulation of interstate and international inmate calling services should evolve in light of marketplace developments and innovations, including alternative rate structures; and on the needs of incarcerated people with hearing or speech disabilities.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is issuing a Temporary Final Rule (TFR) amending our regulations to allow USAID to waive ``Source and Nationality'' rules to provide for increased flexibility, targeting, and speed of procurement of Essential Medical Supplies (EMS) required to address the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide.

NMFS increases the 2020 Atlantic herring annual catch limit and Area 1A sub-annual catch limit by 1,000 mt. This action is required by the herring regulations when, based on data through October 1, the New Brunswick weir fishery lands less than 2,942 mt of herring. This notice is intended to inform the public of these catch limit changes.

This document announces the decision of the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to continue to temporarily limit the travel of individuals from Canada into the United States at land ports of entry along the United States-Canada border. Such travel will be limited to ``essential travel,'' as further defined in this document.

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. After carefully considering the public comments on its proposed interpretive rule, DOE tentatively determined to consider a more involved class structure which turns on maintenance of compatibility with existing venting categories, and published a notice of supplemental proposed interpretive rulemaking (``NOPIR'') on September 24, 2020. On September 25, 2020, and October 6, 2020, DOE received comments requesting extension of the comment period on the NOPIR. On September 29, 2020, DOE received a comment from the submitters of the Gas Industry Petition requesting prompt action on their petition. Balancing these competing requests, DOE is extending the public comment period for submitting comments and data on the NOPIR to November 9, 2020.

This action proposes to remove the Class E airspace designated as an extension to the Class D airspace and amend the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 and 1,200 feet above ground level (AGL) at Bucholz Army Airfield (AAF), Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. The Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet would be amended to ensure it does not extend beyond 12 nautical miles (NM) from the outer shoreline of the Atoll into international airspace.

This action proposes to amend the Class D and Class E airspace and establish a Class E airspace area designated as an extension to Class D and Class E surface areas at Sawyer International Airport, Marquette, MI. The FAA is proposing this action as the result of an airspace review caused by the decommissioning of the Iron Mountain VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) navigation aid as part of the VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) Program. The geographic coordinates of the airport would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

This action proposes to amend the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Elkhart-Morton County Airport, Elkhart, KS. The FAA is proposing this action as the result of an airspace review caused by the decommissioning of the Elkhart non- directional beacon (NDB).

This action proposes to amend the Class D and Class E airspace and revoke Class E airspace designated as an extension to Class D and Class E surface areas at Muskegon County Airport, Muskegon, MI. The FAA is proposing this action as the result of an airspace review caused by the decommissioning of the Muskegon VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) navigation aid as part of the VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) Program. The geographic coordinates of the airport would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is correcting a final rule that published in the Federal Register on September 30, 2020. The final rule implemented the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008. This change will provide clarity.

The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) is amending its regulations to update the procedures by which it makes its employees and records available in response to subpoenas in legal proceedings in which the FRTIB is not a party.

NMFS issues regulations to implement Amendment 11 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Shrimp FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). This final rule revises the transit provisions for shrimp trawl vessels with penaeid shrimp, i.e., brown, pink, and white shrimp, on board in Federal waters of the South Atlantic that have been closed to shrimp trawling to protect white shrimp as a result of cold weather events. The purpose of this final rule is to update the regulations to more closely align with current fishing practices, reduce the socio-economic impacts for fishermen who transit these closed areas, and improve safety at sea while maintaining protection for overwintering white shrimp.

This regulation establishes tolerances for residues of diquat in or on pea and bean, dry and shelled, except soybean, subgroup 6C. Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC requested these tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision to the Jefferson County portion of the Kentucky SIP, submitted by the Commonwealth of Kentucky (Commonwealth), through the Energy and Environment Cabinet (Cabinet) on September 5, 2019. The revision was submitted by the Cabinet on behalf of the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District (LMAPCD) and makes changes to the definition of ``Volatile Organic Compound'' (VOC). EPA is approving the changes amending the definition of VOC because the Commonwealth has demonstrated that the changes are consistent with the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act).