2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is issuing a technical correction to the executive branch ethics program regulation that describes OGE's written guidance, following the inadvertent removal of certain paragraphs in the regulation that occurred when it was revised in August 2020.

This rule amends, suspends, or removes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and associated Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures for operations at certain airports. These regulatory actions are needed because of the adoption of new or revised criteria, or because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System, such as the commissioning of new navigational facilities, adding new obstacles, or changing air traffic requirements. These changes are designed to provide for the safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace and to promote safe flight operations under instrument flight rules at the affected airports.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), list the Atlantic pigtoe, (Fusconaia masoni), a freshwater mussel species from Virginia and North Carolina, as a threatened species with a rule issued under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended. We also designate critical habitat for the species under the Act. In total, approximately 563 river miles (906 river kilometers) fall within 17 units of critical habitat in Bath, Botetourt, Brunswick, Craig, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Pittsylvania, and Sussex Counties, Virginia, and in Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Johnston, Montgomery, Nash, Orange, Person, Pitt, Randolph, Rockingham, Vance, Wake, Warren, and Wilson Counties, North Carolina. This rule extends the Act's protections to the species and its designated critical habitat.

This final rule with comment period revises the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) and the Medicare ambulatory surgical center (ASC) payment system for Calendar Year (CY) 2022 based on our continuing experience with these systems. In this final rule with comment period, we describe the changes to the amounts and factors used to determine the payment rates for Medicare services paid under the OPPS and those paid under the ASC payment system. Also, this final rule with comment period updates and refines the requirements for the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) Program and the ASC Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program, updates Hospital Price Transparency requirements, and updates and refines the design of the Radiation Oncology Model.

This final order establishes the final adjusted 2021 aggregate production quotas for controlled substances in schedules I and II of the Controlled Substances Act and the assessment of annual needs for the list I chemicals ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine.

This final rule repeals the ``Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology (MCIT) and Definition of ``Reasonable and Necessary'' final rule, which was published on January 14, 2021, and was to be effective on December 15, 2021.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will hold a meeting remotely via web conference to implement the Voluntary Agreement for the Manufacture and Distribution of Critical Healthcare Resources Necessary to Respond to a Pandemic. A portion of the meeting will be open to the public.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA), 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. Written comments and recommendations on the proposed collection of information should be received on or before January 14, 2022.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is issuing public notice of its proposal to significantly alter a previously noticed system of records Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Records/NASA 10RAR to include the provision of religious accommodations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The prior notice exclusively addressed reasonable accommodations for employees or applicants with disabilities but is being revised to include both types of accommodation requests. This notice adds two new authorities, expands categories of records, updates technical safeguards, updates system and subsystem managers. It adds one location, revises two and deletes two routine uses, all that are unique to this system. This notice incorporates locations and NASA standard routine uses that were previously published separately from, and cited by reference in, this and other NASA systems of records notices. Finally, it revises and adds to previously published Standard Routine Uses. Further details are set forth below under the caption. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

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.

NMFS announces the initiation of a 5-year review for the common angelshark (Squatina squatina). NMFS is required by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to conduct 5-year reviews to ensure that the listing classifications of species are accurate. The 5-year review must be based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review; therefore, we request submission of any such information on the common angelshark that has become available since the species was listed in 2016.

In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently approved information collection, FERC-519, (Application under Federal Power Act Section 203); FERC-545, (Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-Formal)); FERC-546, (Certification of Qualifying Facility (QF) Status for a Small Power Production or Cogeneration Facility); FERC-549C, (Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines); FERC-732, (Electric Rate Schedule and Tariffs: Long-Term Firm Transmission Rights in Organized Electricity Markets). The above five collections are a part of a combined notice only and are not being combined into one OMB Collection number.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory committees will meet.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Groundfish Recreational Advisory Panel via webinar to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a webinar meeting of its Private Recreational Reporting Work Group evaluating reporting alternatives for the private recreational snapper grouper fishery.