2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other federal agencies to comment on the proposed information collections listed below, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed extension of the ``BLS Data Sharing Program.'' A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the Addresses section of this notice.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission) is issuing an exemption in response to a request from Duke Energy Progress, LLC (Duke Energy, the facility licensee), on behalf of an individual named in the request, dated July 29, 2021, as supplemented by letters dated August 26, 2021 and October 25, 2021. The exemption permits a waiver of examination and test requirements for that individual to be supported by extensive actual operating experience at a comparable facility that occurred greater than 2 years before the date of application, as opposed to the regulatory requirement that this experience be within 2 years. The exemption is effective upon issuance, but only applies to the specifically named individual.

On November 2, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') published a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (``SNOPR''), and request for comment for the test procedure for external power supplies. The SNOPR announced a public meeting webinar would be held on December 15, 2021. Additionally, on November 23, 2021, DOE published a notice of proposed rulemaking (``NOPR''), and request for comment for the test procedure for battery chargers. This NOPR announced that the public meeting webinar scheduled for December 15, 2021, would also cover the battery charger test procedure proposal. To avoid a scheduling conflict with another public meeting webinar scheduled for that same date and time regarding the test procedure for cooking products, DOE is moving the public meeting webinar for the external power supply and battery charger test procedures to Monday, December 13, 2021.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to partially approve and partially disapprove a revision to the Ohio State Implementation Plan (SIP) intended to provide for attaining the 2010 primary, health-based 1-hour sulfur dioxide (SO2) national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS or ``standard'') for the Muskingum River SO2 nonattainment area. This SIP revision (hereinafter referred to as Ohio's Muskingum River SO2 attainment plan or plan) includes Ohio's attainment demonstration and other attainment planning elements required under the Clean Air Act (CAA). EPA is proposing to approve the base year emissions inventory and affirm that the nonattainment new source review requirements for the area have been met. EPA is proposing to disapprove the attainment plan, since the plan relies on, among other things, acquisition of a parcel of land by a facility, Globe Metallurgical (Globe), located within the nonattainment area. Globe has recently indicated to EPA and Ohio EPA that it will not be purchasing that parcel of land. Additionally, EPA is proposing to disapprove the plan for failing to meet the requirements for meeting reasonable further progress (RFP) toward attainment of the NAAQS, reasonably available control measures/reasonably available control technology (RACM/RACT), emission limitations and control measures as necessary to attain the NAAQS, and contingency measures. Based on the change in circumstances since the original proposed action, EPA is now proposing a changed course of action.

ACF, ORR announces the issuance of two replacement awards to SWK, Inc. in the amount of up to $178,007,159. On September 17, 2021, Comprehensive Health Services, LLC (CHS) relinquished two federally funded discretionary grants. Per HHS policy, ORR identified current recipient SWK, Inc. to transfer the current permanent capacity to provide shelter for apprehensions of Unaccompanied Children (UC) at the Southwest Border. The continuation of permanent capacity is a prudent step to ensure that ORR is able to meet its responsibility, by law, to provide shelter and appropriate services for UC referred to its care by the Department of Homeland Security. The purpose of these awards is to ensure the continuation of residential services for the capacity of 1,312 shelter beds for UC.

ACF, ORR announces the issuance of a replacement award in the amount of up to $18,871,413 to Urban Strategies, San Benito, Texas. On September 17, 2021, Comprehensive Health Services, LLC (CHS) relinquished a federally funded discretionary grant. Per HHS policy, ORR identified the current recipient Urban Strategies to transfer the current permanent capacity to provide shelter for apprehensions of Unaccompanied Children (UC) at the Southwest Border. The continuation of permanent capacity is a prudent step to ensure that ORR is able to meet its responsibility, by law, to provide shelter and appropriate services for UC referred to its care by the Department of Homeland Security. The purpose of this award is to ensure the continuation of residential services for the capacity of 100 shelter beds for UC.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This pre-clearance consultation program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The purpose of this Notice is to solicit comments concerning the three-year approval of the forms necessary to support the implementation of the Museum Assessment Program (MAP). They are designed to collect information to support both applications to the program by museums and post-program evaluations. A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this Notice.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, this notice announces that the Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, will submit the collection of information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden and it includes the actual data collection instrument.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) is amending its regulations to revise organic terminology to be consistent with USDA's National Organic Program, provide cover crop relief for prevented planting situations, add flexibility to the prevented planting provisions, provide an option for rice producers to delay measurement of farm-stored production, allow enterprise units by type for sunflowers, add earlage and snaplage as an acceptable method of harvest for corn, clarify that in a loss situation when a producer changes their planned method of harvest they must notify insurance providers before harvest begins, and clarify enterprise and optional unit insurance choices for contract seed bean producers. The changes to the policy made in this rule are applicable for the 2022 and succeeding crop years for crops with a contract change date on or after November 30, 2021. For all other crops, the changes to the policy made in this rule are applicable for the 2023 and succeeding crop years.

The Board and the Bureau are finalizing amendments to the official interpretations and commentary for the agencies' regulations that implement the Consumer Leasing Act (CLA). The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) amended the CLA by requiring that the dollar threshold for exempt consumer leases be adjusted annually by the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). Under regulations adopted by the Board and the Bureau, if there is no annual percentage increase in the CPI-W, the Board and the Bureau will not adjust this exemption threshold from the prior year. However, in years following a year in which the exemption threshold was not adjusted, the threshold is calculated by applying the annual percentage change in the CPI-W to the dollar amount that would have resulted, after rounding, if the decreases and any subsequent increases in the CPI-W had been taken into account. Based on the annual percentage increase in the CPI-W as of June 1, 2021, the exemption threshold will increase from $58,300 to $61,000 effective January 1, 2022. Because the Dodd-Frank Act also requires similar adjustments in the Truth in Lending Act's threshold for exempt consumer credit transactions, the Board and the Bureau are making similar amendments to each of their respective regulations implementing the Truth in Lending Act elsewhere in the Rules section of this issue of the Federal Register.

Pursuant to section 189.a.(2) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is publishing this regular monthly notice. The Act requires the Commission to publish notice of any amendments issued, or proposed to be issued, and grants the Commission the authority to issue and make immediately effective any amendment to an operating license or combined license, as applicable, upon a determination by the Commission that such amendment involves no significant hazards consideration (NSHC), notwithstanding the pendency before the Commission of a request for a hearing from any person. This monthly notice includes all amendments issued, or proposed to be issued, from October 15, 2021, to November 10, 2021. The last monthly notice was published on November 2, 2021.

This interim final rule with comment (IFC) adds new provisions to the Head Start Program Performance Standards to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Head Start programs. This IFC requires effective upon publication, universal masking for all individuals two years of age and older, with some noted exceptions, and all Head Start staff, contractors whose activities involve contact with or providing direct services to children and families, and volunteers working in classrooms or directly with children to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by January 31, 2022.

In this document, the Commission adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, in which it sought comment on proposals to change the rules governing verification of FM and Low Power FM (LPFM) directional antennas by broadcast station applicants. These specific rule changes were proposed based on a Petition for Rule Making filed by four antenna manufacturers and one broadcaster.

DoD is proposing to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to revise the requirements related to the assumption of risk associated with aircraft under DoD contracts. The current requirements are outdated and in need of revision to clarify applicability due to numerous changes in aircraft contract situations and the emergence of contracts for small, unmanned aircraft.

This final rule implements the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (NDAA-2020), which removes the permanent eligible exclusion for TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) coverage for a member of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve who is enrolled or eligible to enroll in a Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program health insurance plan. The law now excludes TRS coverage for such members only during the period preceding January 1, 2030. The law was effective upon enactment of NDAA-2020 on December 20, 2019. In implementing the statutory changes, this final rule will improve TRICARE by increasing options for access to care for Federal employees.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its regulations to make miscellaneous corrections. These changes include correcting a grammatical error, punctuation, a reference, formatting, a mathematical formula, and spelling; clarifying language; revising contact information; and updating an authority citation and internal procedures. This document is necessary to inform the public of these non-substantive amendments to the NRC's regulations.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the EAC announces an information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. The EAC intends to submit this proposed information collection (2022 Election Administration and Voting Survey, or EAVS) to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget for approval. The 2022 EAVS asks election officials questions concerning voting and election administration, including the following topics: Voter registration; overseas and military voting; voting by mail; early in- person voting; polling operations; provisional voting; voter participation; election technology; election policy; and other related issues.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the Central Aleutian district (CAI) of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI) by vessels participating in the BSAI trawl limited access sector fishery. This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2021 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific ocean perch in the CAI allocated to vessels participating in the BSAI trawl limited access sector fishery.