August 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Maritime Commission (Commission) is issuing this NPRM to seek comment on potential regulatory changes to its passenger vessel operator financial responsibility requirements. The Commission is proposing to define when nonperformance of transportation has occurred and to establish uniform procedures regarding how and when passengers may make claims for refunds under a passenger vessel operator's financial responsibility instrument when nonperformance occurs. This rulemaking resulted from recommendations in an Interim Report issued by the Fact Finding Officer in Commission Fact Finding Investigation No. 30: COVID-19 Impact on Cruise Industry.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is modifying the boundaries of the ``Santa Lucia Highlands'' viticultural area and the adjacent ``Arroyo Seco'' viticultural area in Monterey County, California. The boundary modifications include two separate actionsremoving approximately 376 acres from the Santa Lucia Highlands viticultural area, and removing 148 acres from the Arroyo Seco viticultural area and placing them entirely within the Santa Lucia Highlands viticultural area. The Santa Lucia Highlands and Arroyo Seco viticultural areas and the modification areas are located entirely within the existing Monterey and Central Coast viticultural areas. TTB designates viticultural areas to allow vintners to better describe the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to better identify wines they may purchase.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving under the Clean Air Act (CAA), a revision to Ohio's State Implementation Plan (SIP), submitted by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) on November 12, 2020, and supplemented on February 11, 2021. OEPA requested to remove the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) Permit Fees rule provisions from the Ohio SIP because they no longer exist at the state level and have been superseded by the fee system in Ohio's Title V permitting program and the Ohio Revised Code (ORC). OEPA rescinded the permit fee rules at the state level in 2003. EPA proposed to approve this action on April 13, 2021, and received no comments.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for certain waters of the Chesapeake Bay and Patapsco River. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters during the movement of the M/V ZHEN HUA 24 while it is transporting four new Super-Post Panamax container cranes to the Port of Baltimore. M/V ZHEN HUA 24 is anticipated to arrive between August 26, 2021 and September 15, 2021. This rulemaking will prohibit persons and vessels from being in the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Maryland-National Capital Region or a designated representative.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is issuing a proposed rule with request for comments on the housing goals for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) for 2022 through 2024. The Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (the Safety and Soundness Act) requires FHFA to establish annual housing goals for mortgages purchased by the Enterprises. The housing goals include separate categories for single-family and multifamily mortgages on housing that is affordable to low-income and very low- income families, among other categories. The existing housing goals for the Enterprises include benchmark levels through the end of 2021. This proposed rule would establish new benchmark levels for the housing goals and subgoals for 2022 through 2024. The proposed rule would also replace the low-income areas subgoal with separate area-based subgoals targeting the individual components of the low-income areas subgoal (minority census tracts and low-income census tracts). Finally, the proposed rule would make several technical changes to definitions and other provisions to conform the regulation to existing practice.

The Coast Guard is proposing to establish two temporary safety zones for the navigable waters of the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth Harbor. The first safety zone will be a 100-yard radius around any vessel, barge, or dredging equipment engaged in dredging operations. The second safety zone will be a 500-yard radius around any vessel, barge, or dredging equipment engaged in blasting operations and any blasting worksites. The safety zones are necessary to protect persons and vessels from hazards associated with dredging, drilling, and blasting operations for overall widening of the uppermost turning basin of the Piscataqua River. This proposed rulemaking would prohibit persons and vessels from being in the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Northern New England or a Designated Representative. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a revision to the Eastern Kern Air Pollution Control District (EKAPCD) portion of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP) concerning the EKAPCD's demonstration regarding reasonably available control technology (RACT) requirements and negative declarations for the 2008 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS or ``standards'') in the portion of the Kern County nonattainment area under the jurisdiction of EKAPCD. We are proposing action on a SIP revision under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act). We are taking comments on this proposal and plan to follow with a final action.

Notice is hereby given of the following hearing of the U.S.- China Economic and Security Review Commission. The Commission is mandated by Congress to investigate, assess, and report to Congress annually on ``the national security implications of the economic relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China.'' Pursuant to this mandate, the Commission will hold a public hearing in Washington, DC on September 8, 2021 on ``U.S.-China Relations in 2021: Emerging Risks.''

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to renew the approved information collection regarding petitions for rulemaking. The approval for this information collection will expire on December 31, 2021. FSIS is making no changes to the approved information collection.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describe the nature of the information collection and their expected burdens.

The Internal Revenue Service, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning the burden related to Form 911, Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance (And Application for Taxpayer Assistance Order).

Veteran's Benefits Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of a currently approved collection, and allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice.

Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of a currently approved collection, and allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice.

Veteran's Benefits Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of a currently approved collection, and allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice.