2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS announces a closure for the 2023 fishing season for the red snapper private angling component in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off Texas in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) through this temporary rule. The red snapper recreational private angling component in the Gulf EEZ off Texas will close on January 1, 2023, until 12:01 a.m., local time, on June 1, 2023. This closure is necessary to prevent the private angling component from exceeding the Texas regional management area annual catch limit (ACL) and to prevent overfishing of the Gulf red snapper resource.

This document notifies the public as required by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) that the EPA Administrator has forwarded to the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) a draft proposed rulemaking document concerning ``Pesticides; Agricultural Worker Protection Standard; Reconsideration of the Application Exclusion Zone Amendments (RIN 2070- AK92).'' The draft regulatory document is not available to the public until after it has been signed and made available by EPA.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a section of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016. This rule clarifies that agency acquisition personnel are permitted and encouraged to engage in responsible and constructive exchanges with industry, so long as those exchanges are consistent with existing law and regulation and do not promote an unfair competitive advantage to particular firms.

This document summarizes the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rules agreed to by the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) in this Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2023-01. A companion document, the Small Entity Compliance Guide (SECG), follows this FAC.

The Department of Labor (Department) is adopting amendments to the Investment Duties regulation under Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA). The amendments clarify the application of ERISA's fiduciary duties of prudence and loyalty to selecting investments and investment courses of action, including selecting qualified default investment alternatives, exercising shareholder rights, such as proxy voting, and the use of written proxy voting policies and guidelines. The amendments reverse and modify certain amendments to the Investment Duties regulation adopted in 2020.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing amendments to the Standards of Performance for secondary lead smelters per the Agency's periodic review of the new source performance standards required by the Clean Air Act (CAA). In this action, we are proposing updates to the current New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for secondary lead smelters and proposing a new NSPS subpart that applies to affected sources constructed, reconstructed, or modified after the date of this proposed rule. For the current NSPS subpart, we are proposing to revise the definitions of blast furnace, reverberatory furnace, and pot furnace to more closely align with the equipment definitions used in the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for secondary lead smelting. We are also proposing requirements for periodic performance tests for particulate matter (PM) and incorporating revised monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements, including electronic reporting of performance tests, to be more consistent with the NESHAP. For the new subpart, we are proposing updated PM and opacity emissions limits for blast, reverberatory, and pot furnaces that reflect the performance achieved by the best system for emissions reductions (BSER). In the new subpart, we are proposing PM and opacity emissions limits that apply at all times, including during periods of startup, shutdown, and malfunction (SSM), and proposing initial and periodic PM and opacity performance testing and the same equipment definitions, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements proposed for current NSPS subpart.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published a final rule in the Federal Register on October 27, 2022, amending its regulations to incorporate by reference the 2019 Edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III, Division 1, and Section XI, Division 1, and the 2020 Edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants, Division 1: OM Code: Section IST, for nuclear power plants. These amendments were made in accordance with NRC's policy to periodically update the regulations to incorporate by reference new editions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Codes and are intended to maintain the safety of nuclear power plants and to make NRC activities more effective and efficient. The final rule contained minor editorial errors, and this action is necessary to correct the final rule and the regulations.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to remove island bedstraw (Galium buxifolium) and Santa Cruz Island dudleya (Dudleya nesiotica) from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Plants on the basis of recovery. Both of these native plant species occur in the Channel Islands National Park off the coast of California. This proposed rule is based on our review of the best available scientific and commercial data, which indicates that the threats to island bedstraw and Santa Cruz Island dudleya have been eliminated or reduced to the point that these species have recovered and no longer meet the definition of an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We request information and comments from the public regarding this proposed rule and the draft post-delisting monitoring plans for island bedstraw and Santa Cruz Island dudleya.

This document makes amendments to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in order to make needed editorial changes.

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing one general license (GL) issued pursuant to the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations: GL 28A, which was previously made available on OFAC's website.

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing one general license (GL) issued pursuant to the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations: GL 53, which was previously made available on OFAC's website.

The Board of Governors (Board) is publishing a final rule that applies an inflation adjustment to the threshold for total consolidated assets in Regulation I. Federal Reserve Bank (Reserve Bank) stockholders that have total consolidated assets above the threshold receive a different dividend rate on their Reserve Bank stock than stockholders with total consolidated assets at or below the threshold. The Federal Reserve Act requires that the Board annually adjust the total consolidated asset threshold to reflect the change in the Gross Domestic Product Price Index, published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Based on the change in the Gross Domestic Product Price Index as of September 29, 2022, the total consolidated asset threshold will be $12,124,000,000 through December 31, 2023.

The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2021-10-09, which applies to all CFM International, S.A. (CFM) CFM56-5B and CFM56-7B model turbofan engines with a certain high-pressure turbine (HPT) inner stationary seal installed. AD 2021-10-09 requires removal, inspection, and replacement of the affected HPT inner stationary seal and, depending on the findings, replacement of the rotating air HPT front seal, HPT rotor blades, and No. 3 ball bearing. Since the FAA issued AD 2021-10-09, the manufacturer notified the FAA that the service information incorrectly lists the year of certain honeycomb repairs. Additionally, the manufacturer notified the FAA that affected HPT inner stationary seals could potentially be installed on CFM CFM56-5C model turbofan engines. This proposed AD would require removal, inspection, and replacement of the affected HPT inner stationary seal and, depending on the findings, replacement of the rotating air HPT front seal, HPT rotor blades, and No. 3 ball bearing. This proposed AD would also revise the applicability to add CFM CFM56- 5C model turbofan engines. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for navigable waters directly surrounding the northern half of the I-75 Bridge over the Maumee River. The safety zone is needed to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards created by demolition of the bridge. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Detroit.

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing four general licenses (GLs) issued pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations: GLs 2, 3, 3A, and 3B, each of which was previously made available on OFAC's website.

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing three general licenses (GLs) issued pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations: GLs 1A, 1B, and 1C, each of which was previously issued on OFAC's website.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary, 500-yard radius, moving security zone for a certain vessel carrying Certain Dangerous Cargoes (CDC) within the Corpus Christi Ship Channel and La Quinta Channel. The temporary security zone is needed to protect the vessels, the CDC cargo, and the surrounding waterway. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Corpus Christi or a designated representative.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), reclassify the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), a bat species found in all or portions of 37 U.S. States, the District of Columbia, and much of Canada, as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Our review of the best available scientific and commercial information indicates that the northern long- eared bat meets the Act's definition of an endangered species. Because we are reclassifying the northern long-eared bat from a threatened to an endangered species, we are amending this species' listing on the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife to reflect its endangered species status and removing its species-specific rule issued under section 4(d) of the Act.

In response to a petition filed under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding 12 chemicals to the list of toxic chemicals subject to the reporting requirements under EPCRA and the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA). EPA has determined that each of the 12 chemicals meets the EPCRA criteria. In addition, based on the available bioaccumulation and persistence data, EPA has determined that one chemical should be classified as a persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemical and designated as a chemical of special concern with a 100-pound reporting threshold.

NMFS is transferring a total of 57.5 metric tons (mt) of Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) quota from both the Reserve category and the Harpoon category to the General category for the remainder of the 2022 fishing year. With this transfer, the adjusted General category December subquota, Reserve category quota, and Harpoon category quota will be 50.1 mt, 6 mt, and 76.4 mt respectively. This action accounts for the accrued overharvest from previous 2022 General category time period subquotas, and will further opportunities for General category fishermen to participate in the December General category fishery, based on consideration of the regulatory determination criteria regarding inseason adjustments. This action would affect Atlantic Tunas General category (commercial) permitted vessels and Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Charter/Headboat permitted vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially for BFT.

The Health Resources and Services Administration implements section 340B of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, which is referred to as the ``340B Drug Pricing Program'' or the ``340B Program.'' This notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) proposes to revise the current 340B administrative dispute resolution (ADR) final rule (Dec. 14, 2020) with a new process and solicits comment on the proposal.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing new regulations to reduce the waste of natural gas from venting, flaring, and leaks during oil and gas production activities on Federal and Indian leases. The proposed regulations would be codified in the Code of Federal Regulations and would replace the BLM's current requirements governing venting and flaring, which are more than four decades old.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model 747-100, 747-100B, 747-100B SUD, 747-200B, 747-200C, 747-200F, 747-300, 747-400, 747-400D, 747-400F, 747SR, and 747SP series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports that high temperature composite trim air diffuser ducts (TADD) showed composite degradation and signs of hot air leakage. This AD requires a one-time low frequency eddy current (LFEC) inspection of certain center tank upper skin panels on the right and left side for any structural damage due to heat exposure, and repair if necessary. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2021-06- 03, which applied to all The Boeing Company Model 777F series airplanes. AD 2021-06-03 required deactivating the potable water system. This AD was prompted by a report of a water supply line that detached at a certain joint located above an electronic equipment (EE) cooling filter, leading to water intrusion into the forward EE bay. This AD retains the actions required by AD 2021-06-03 and requires installing a shroud to the water supply line in the forward cargo compartment, and performing a leak test of the potable water system. For certain airplanes, this AD also requires replacing tubes and hoses from the water supply line and installing a shroud to the water return line. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This final rule adds a service standard for ConnectTM Local Mail to the set of service standards for First-Class Mail set forth in our regulations.