2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Petition for Reconsideration (Petition) has been filed in the Commission's rulemaking proceeding by Carri Bennet, on behalf of The Rural Wireless Association, Inc.

In accordance with the Presidential directive of January 20, 2021, ``Revocation of Certain Executive Orders Concerning Federal Regulation,'' and in order to ensure appropriate flexibilities to site- specific inspection work, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is rescinding its March 2, 2020 final rule describing certain Agency procedures for conducting on-site civil inspections. This rule applies to on-site civil inspections conducted by federally credentialed EPA civil inspectors, federally credentialed contractors and Senior Environmental Employment employees conducting inspections on behalf of EPA.

This rule rescinds the final rule published in the Federal Register on March 6, 2020, (2020 Form T-1 rule), which established the Form T-1, Trust Annual Report, required to be filed by labor organizations about certain trusts in which they are interested pursuant to the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA). Upon further review of the 2020 Form T-1 rule, including the pertinent facts and legally relevant policy considerations surrounding that rulemaking, the Department of Labor (Department) withdraws the rule implementing the Form T-1, because it has determined that the 2020 rulemaking record, particularly its analysis of the burden and the benefit of the rule, was insufficient as a matter of policy to justify the trust reporting requirements set forth in the 2020 Form T-1 rule. Further, by requiring reporting on entities not controlled or dominated by labor unions, the Department has determined that the trust reporting required under the rule is overly inclusive and is not necessary to prevent the circumvention and evasion of the Title II reporting requirements.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) seeks comment on whether and how to transition away from the use of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Code 603 for purposes of the immediate notification of call blocking requirement and toward full implementation of SIP Codes 607 and 608. The Commission also seeks comment on any potential costs and benefits associated with phasing out SIP Code 603 for purposes of the immediate notification requirement, and the burden, if any, on small businesses.

DoD is issuing a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to incorporate revised thresholds for application of the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement and the Free Trade Agreements, as determined by the United States Trade Representative.

We, NMFS, are issuing a final rule to remove a coral, Siderastrea glynni, from the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Species. Recently obtained genetic and morphological information demonstrates that S. glynni does not meet the statutory definition of a species, and therefore does not qualify for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Following public comment and peer review of the proposed rule and supporting scientific information, this final rule implements the changes to the listing for S. glynni.

NMFS is adjusting the 2022 total allowable catch (TAC) amounts for the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) pollock and Pacific cod fishery. This action is necessary because NMFS has determined these TACs are incorrectly specified, and will ensure the GOA pollock and Pacific cod TACs are the appropriate amount based on the best available scientific information for pollock and Pacific cod in the GOA. This action is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska.

This document summarizes the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rule agreed to by the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) in this Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2022-03. A companion document, the Small Entity Compliance Guide (SECG), follows this FAC.

This document is issued under the joint authority of DoD, GSA, and NASA. This Small Entity Compliance Guide has been prepared in accordance with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. It consists of a summary of the rule appearing in Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2022-03, which amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). Interested parties may obtain further information regarding this rule by referring to FAC 2022-03, which precedes this document.

This document corrects the wording reflected in various sections in part 801 as a result of the amendatory language in the interim final rule (IFR) published in the Federal Register (FR) on October 4, 2021. The IFR amended part 801, in pertinent part, by revising all references to ``public reading room'' to read ``electronic reading room''. Consequently, that revision resulted in needless repetition of ``electronic reading room'' in several part 801 regulations. This correction amends the affected regulations to reflect the agency's original intent.

NMFS announces that the states of North Carolina and Maine are transferring a portion of their 2021 commercial summer flounder quota to the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island, respectively. This adjustment to the 2021 fishing year quota is necessary to comply with the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan quota transfer provisions. This announcement informs the public of the revised 2021 commercial quotas for North Carolina, Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

This document finalizes NHTSA's proposal to repeal in full ``The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule Part One: One National Program,'' published September 27, 2019 (SAFE I Rule), in which NHTSA codified regulatory text and made additional pronouncements regarding the preemption of state and local laws related to fuel economy standards. NHTSA originally proposed to repeal the SAFE I Rule in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking entitled ``Corporate Average Fuel Economy Preemption,'' which was published on May 12, 2021. After evaluating all public comments submitted for this Proposal, the Agency is finalizing the Proposal. As such, the Agency is repealing all regulatory text and appendices promulgated in the SAFE I Rule. In doing so, the Agency underscores that any positions announced in preambulatory statements of prior NHTSA rulemakings, including in the SAFE I Rule, which purported to define the scope of preemption under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), do not reflect the Agency's reconsidered understanding of its proper role in matters of EPCA preemption. Through this final rule, NHTSA makes clear that no prior regulations or positions of the Agency reflect ongoing NHTSA views on the scope of preemption of states or local jurisdictions under EPCA.

The Department of State (Department) proposes adjustments to the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services (Schedule of Fees) of the Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) for several nonimmigrant visa (NIV) application processing fees, the Border Crossing Card (BCC) for Mexican citizens age 15 and over, and the waiver of the two-year residency requirement (J-Waiver) fee. The proposed changes are based on the findings of the most recently approved update to the Cost of Service Model (CoSM). They ensure that the fees for providing these consular services better align with the costs of providing the services.

The Additional Protocol is an agreement between the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to allow monitoring and reporting of certain civil nuclear fuel cycle-related activities. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) administers the Additional Protocol Regulations (APR), which implement the provisions of the Additional Protocol affecting U.S. industry and other U.S. persons engaged in certain civil nuclear fuel cycle-related activities that are not regulated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), or its domestic Agreement States, and are not situated at certain U.S. government locations. The APR describe the requirement to report such activities to BIS, as well as the conduct of on-site activities in conjunction with IAEA complementary access to locations where such civil nuclear fuel cycle-related activities take place. This rule proposes to amend the APR to replace the existing manual reporting and processing procedures with a mandatory requirement to submit reports and other documents on-line through the Additional Protocol Reporting System (APRS). As a result of this proposed change, all persons and locations in the United States that are subject to the reporting requirements in the APR would be required to register on-line to set up an APRS account, submit reports and other documents to BIS via APRS, and maintain current user account information in APRS. This rule also proposes to amend the APR to clarify and update other requirements (e.g., by removing the provisions that address the Initial Report requirements for calendar year 2008, replacing the provisions that address Amended Report requirements, and revising the definitions of certain terms used in the APR).

In the document, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) seeks comment on the requirements for the Affordable Connectivity Program and a timeline for its rapid implementation.

This document announces receipt of a petition for rulemaking received by the Department of Energy (DOE) on October 22, 2021, from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Sierra Club requesting that DOE update its regulations concerning procedures for calculating a value for the petroleum-equivalent fuel economy of electric vehicles (EVs) for use in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program administered by the Department of Transportation (DOT). This document summarizes the substantive aspects of this petition and requests public comments on the merits of the petition.

This action proposes to amend United States Area Navigation (RNAV) route T-269 in the vicinity of Yakutat, AK in support of a large and comprehensive T-route modernization project for the state of Alaska.

NHTSA is issuing this final rule to establish Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 227, ``Bus rollover structural integrity,'' to enhance the rollover structural integrity of over-the- road buses (motorcoaches), and other buses with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 11,793 kilograms (kg) (26,000 pounds (lb)). This final rule, issued pursuant to the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), requires the buses to provide a ``survival space'' in a rollover test to protect occupants from possible collapse of the bus structure around them. In addition, to reduce the likelihood of ejection, this final rule prohibits emergency exits from opening in the rollover test. This final rule ensures that bus roofs and side wall panels will resist deformation and intrusion into the occupant space in rollover crashes, and reduces the risk of emergency exits becoming ejection portals in a crash.

This final rule rescinds the Most Favored Nation Model interim final rule with comment period that appeared in the November 27, 2020, Federal Register.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is announcing that we have filed a petition, submitted by Lallemand Inc., proposing that the food additive regulations be amended to provide for the safe use of vitamin D2 heat-killed (``inactive'') baker's yeast as a source of vitamin D2 in specific food categories.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is confirming the effective date of October 5, 2021, for the final rule that appeared in the Federal Register of September 2, 2021, and that amended the color additive regulations to provide for the safe use of butterfly pea flower extract in various food categories at levels consistent with good manufacturing practice.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is classifying the cerebrospinal fluid shunt system into class II (special controls). The special controls that apply to the device type are identified in this order and will be part of the codified language for the cerebrospinal fluid shunt system's classification. We are taking this action because we have determined that classifying the device into class II (special controls) will provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness of the device. We believe this action will also enhance patients' access to beneficial innovative devices.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is issuing a final rule on the single-family housing goals for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) for 2022 through 2024, as well as the multifamily housing goals for 2022. 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 final rule establishes the benchmark levels for each of the single- family housing goals and subgoals for 2022 through 2024. The final rule also replaces 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). The final rule establishes the multifamily housing goals for 2022 only. For the small low-income multifamily subgoal, the final rule establishes separate benchmarks for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Finally, the final rule makes several technical changes to definitions and other provisions to conform the regulation to existing practice.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is classifying the retrograde intubation device into class II (special controls). The special controls that apply to the device type are identified in this order and will be part of the codified language for the retrograde intubation device's classification. We are taking this action because we have determined that classifying the device into class II (special controls) will provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness of the device. We believe this action will also enhance patients' access to beneficial innovative devices.

This action proposes to amend the Class E airspace and revoke Class E airspace at Grove, OK. The FAA is proposing this action due to an airspace review conducted as part of the decommissioning of the Neosho very high frequency (VHF) omnidirectional range (VOR) as part of the VOR Minimal Operational Network (MON) Program. The geographic coordinates of the airport would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.