2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On January 20, 2021, President Biden ordered all executive departments and agencies to immediately review and, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, take action to address the promulgation of Federal regulations during the last 4 years that may conflict with protecting the environment, and to immediately commence work to confront the climate crisis (Executive Order 13990). In addition, on January 26, 2021, President Biden directed all Federal agencies to review tribal consultation policies and practices and recommit to more robust nation-to-nation relationships and respect for our Federal trust responsibilities. Consistent with these Presidential directives, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA or Department), proposes to repeal a final rule promulgated in 2020 that exempted the Tongass National Forest (Tongass or the Forest) from the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (2001 Roadless Rule). The 2001 Roadless Rule prohibited timber harvest and road construction or reconstruction within designated Inventoried Roadless Areas, with limited exceptions. Repealing the Subpart E exemption would reinstate application of the 2001 Roadless Rule to the Tongass (as provided for in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska's Judgment in Organized Village of Kake v. USDA. USDA invites written comments on the proposed rule and associated documents. Substantive comments received during the comment period will be considered in developing the final rule.

The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2017-12-08, which applies to all BAE Systems (Operations) Limited Model BAe 146-100A, -200A, and -300A airplanes; and Model Avro 146-RJ70A, 146-RJ85A, and 146-RJ100A airplanes. AD 2017-12-08 requires revising the maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or revised structural inspection requirements. Since the FAA issued AD 2017-12-08, the FAA has determined that new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations are necessary. This proposed AD would require revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

FRA announces the charter renewal of the RSAC, a Federal Advisory Committee established by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act to provide information, advice, and recommendations to the FRA Administrator on matters relating to railroad safety. This charter renewal will be effective for two years from the date it is filed with Congress.

The Attorney General has authorized the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division to perform the functions of the ``Designated Authority'' under executive agreements between the United States and other countries on access to data by foreign governments and to delegate that authority to certain officials in the Office of International Affairs (``OIA''). Consistent with that authorization, the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division delegates authority to perform the functions of the Designated Authority pursuant to such agreements to the Deputy Assistant Attorneys General, Criminal Division, and the Director, Deputy Directors and the Associate Director supervising the implementation of such agreements in OIA.

The Copyright Royalty Judges announce a cost of living adjustment (COLA) to the royalty rate that noncommercial radio stations at certain colleges, universities, and other educational institutions that are not affiliated with National Public Radio must pay for the use in 2022 of published nondramatic musical compositions in the SESAC repertory pursuant to the statutory license under the Copyright Act for noncommercial broadcasting.

This document announces the Agency's receipt of an initial filing of a pesticide petition requesting the establishment or modification of regulations for residues of pesticide chemicals in or on various commodities.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is announcing the proposed members to form the Self-Governance PROGRESS Act Negotiated Rulemaking Committee (Committee). The Committee will advise the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) on a proposed rule to implement the Practical Reforms and Other Goals To Reinforce the Effectiveness of Self-Governance and Self-Determination for Indian Tribes Act of 2019 (PROGRESS Act) to revise the regulations on Tribal Self-Governance Annual Funding Agreements Under the Tribal Self-Governance Act Amendments to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Act. This document solicits comments on the proposed membership and the proposal to establish the Committee and invites additional nominations for Committee members who will adequately represent the interests that are likely to be significantly affected by the proposed rule. The Secretary also proposes to appoint Federal representatives to the Committee as listed.

Certain Medicare beneficiaries may have their taxable income affected by fraudulent activity, which in turn could affect the amount of and their ability to afford their Medicare Part B (medical insurance) and Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage) premiums. We are seeking information from the public on the type of information we should consider relating to evidence of life changing events (LCE) resulting from criminal fraud or theft. Information from the public will help us determine whether and how we should revise our rules to provide relief to beneficiaries affected by fraud.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to update a portion of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Air Regulations. Requirements applying to OCS sources located within 25 miles of states' seaward boundaries must be updated periodically to remain consistent with the requirements of the corresponding onshore area (COA), as mandated by section 328(a)(1) of the Clean Air Act (CAA). The portion of the OCS air regulations that is being updated pertains to the requirements for OCS sources for which the State of New Jersey is the COA. The intended effect of approving the OCS requirements for the State of New Jersey is to regulate emissions from OCS sources in accordance with the requirements onshore. The requirements discussed below are proposed to be incorporated by reference into the Code of Federal Regulations and are listed in the appendix to the OCS air regulations.

This proposed rule invites comments on a recommendation from the State of Washington Apricot Marketing Committee (Committee) to suspend the reporting and assessment requirements prescribed under the marketing order regulating apricots grown in designated counties in Washington (Marketing Order No. 922). In a separate meeting, the Committee also unanimously recommended terminating Marketing Order No. 922. This rule proposes to indefinitely suspend the assessment and associated reporting requirements of the marketing order during the period that the USDA is processing the termination request.

Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, the IRS is issuing temporary regulations that increase transparency by requiring group health plans and health insurance issuers in the group and individual markets to report information about prescription drugs and health care spending to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Department of the Treasury (the Departments). The IRS is issuing the temporary regulations at the same time that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Employee Benefits Security Administration of DOL, and the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight of HHS are issuing substantially similar interim final rules with a request for comments. The text of those temporary regulations also serves as the text of these proposed regulations.

This notice sets forth changes in rates of general applicability for competitive products.

The FAA is considering a request from the Port of Orcas, Washington to waive the Airport Improvement Program property requirements for approximately 1,120 square feet of airport property located at Orcas Island Airport, in Eastsound, Washington. The subject property is located in the east section of the airport. This release will allow the Port to sell 1,120 feet of Parcel 271142024000 to East Side Sewer District and construct a chain link fence for additional water treatment. There will be proceeds generated from the proposed release of this property for capital improvements at the airport. The Port will receive not less than fair market value for the property and the revenue generated from the sale will be used for airport purposes. It has been determined through study that the subject partial parcel will not be needed for aeronautical purposes.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce our 12-month findings for two freshwater turtle species, the Pascagoula map turtle (Graptemys gibbonsi) and the Pearl River map turtle (Graptemys pearlensis), as endangered or threatened species. The Pascagoula map turtle is endemic to the Pascagoula River drainage in Mississippi, and the Pearl River map turtle is endemic to the Pearl River drainage in Mississippi and Louisiana. We propose to list the Pearl River map turtle as a threatened species with a rule issued under section 4(d) of the Act (``4(d) rule''). After a thorough review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that it is not warranted at this time to list the Pascagoula map turtle; however, we propose to list the Pascagoula map turtle along with Alabama map turtle (Graptemys pulchra), Barbour's map turtle (Graptemys barbouri), and Escambia map turtle (Graptemys ernsti) as threatened species due to similarity of appearance to the Pearl River map turtle with a 4(d) rule. If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would add the Pearl River map turtle, Alabama map turtle, Barbour's map turtle, Escambia map turtle, and Pascagoula map turtle to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and extend the Act's protections to the species.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Child Care (OCC) is requesting a 3-year extension of the Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program's Form 1: Demographic and Service Utilization Data (OMB #0970-0389; expiration 6/30/2022). There are minor updates to the existing Form 1.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an order approving the application filed by Exelon Generation Company, LLC (EGC), on behalf of itself and Exelon Corporation; Exelon FitzPatrick, LLC; Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC; R. E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC; and Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC (collectively, the Applicants), on February 25, 2021, as supplemented. Specifically, the order approves the indirect transfer of the facility operating licenses, materials license, and general licenses held by the Applicants, conforming amendments to the licenses, and other actions related to the reorganization of EGC.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC) will hold the 176th hybrid (virtual/in person) public meeting to address the items contained in the tentative agenda included in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is proposing a new data collection activity for Measuring Human Trafficking Prevalence in Construction: A Field Test of Multiple Estimation Methods. This study will examine the labor trafficking and other labor exploitation experiences among individuals who work in construction. The goal of this study is to advance knowledge of promising methods for estimating human trafficking prevalence by field- testing two methods of prevalence estimation within the construction industry in Houston, Texas.

This final rule amends the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Regulations to reflect an extension and amendment of import restrictions on certain archaeological and ecclesiastical ethnological material of the Hellenic Republic (Greece). The restrictions, which were originally imposed by CBP Dec. 11-25 and last extended in CBP Dec. 16-21, are due to expire on November 21, 2021. The Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, United States Department of State, has made the requisite determinations for extending the import restrictions that previously existed, and the Government of the United States and the Government of Greece entered into a new agreement to reflect the extension of these import restrictions. The new agreement, which enters into force on November 21, 2021, supersedes the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that became effective on November 21, 2016, and enabled the promulgation of the existing import restrictions. Accordingly, the import restrictions will remain in effect for an additional five years, and the CBP regulations are being amended to reflect this extension until November 21, 2026. To fulfill the terms of the new MOU, the Designated List of cultural property, which was described in CBP Dec. 11-25, is amended in this document to correct certain typographical errors, to add certain coins from the Byzantine and Medieval periods, to clarify pottery styles, and to include post-Byzantine ethnological material dating up to A.D. 1830.