2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) proposes targeted updates to its rules to incorporate new and updated standards that are integral to the testing of equipment and accreditation of laboratories that test RF devices.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary special local regulation in the navigable waters of San Francisco Bay in San Francisco, CA, in support of the San Francisco Sail Grand Prix 2021 race periods on March 24, 2022, through March 27, 2022. This special local regulation is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters and to ensure the safety of mariners transiting the area from the dangers associated with high-speed sailing activities associate with the Sail Grand Prix 2021 race event. This rulemaking would temporarily prohibit persons and vessels from entering into, transiting through, anchoring, blocking, or loitering within the event area adjacent to the city of San Francisco waterfront near the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island, unless authorized by the Captain of the Port San Francisco or a designated representative.

This document amends the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations to reflect the imposition of import restrictions on certain categories of archaeological and ethnological material from the Federal Republic of Nigeria (``Nigeria''). These restrictions are being imposed pursuant to an agreement between the United States and Nigeria that has been entered into under the authority of the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. This document amends the CBP regulations by adding Nigeria to the list of countries which have a bilateral agreement with the United States that imposes cultural property import restrictions. This document also contains the Designated List that describes the types of archaeological and ethnological material to which the restrictions apply.

This document contains corrections to a notice of proposed rulemaking and notice of public hearing (REG-114209-21) that was published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. The notice of proposed rulemaking contains proposed amendments to the regulations relating to user fees for enrolled agents and enrolled retirement plan agents.

The Federal Maritime Commission (Commission) is issuing this final rule to adopt regulatory changes to its passenger vessel operator financial responsibility requirements. The Commission is defining when nonperformance of transportation has occurred and establishing uniform procedures regarding how and when passengers may make claims for refunds under a passenger vessel operator's financial responsibility instrument when nonperformance occurs. This rulemaking resulted from recommendations in an Interim Report issued by the Fact Finding Officer in Commission Fact Finding Investigation No. 30: COVID-19 Impact on Cruise Industry. In the August 25, 2021, Notice of proposed rulemaking, the Commission proposed to modify regulations to revise the definition of Unearned Passenger Revenue, adopt a definition of nonperformance of transportation, and detail the process for obtaining refunds under the PVOs' financial responsibility instruments filed with the Commission. Based on the comments received on the proposed rule, this final rule also clarifies that passengers must wait until the PVO refund period has ended as outlined in the PVO's claims procedure before making a claim against the financial instrument, or the claim has been denied by the PVO. Also, this final rule confirms that claims may be resolved between the passenger and the PVO as an alternative form of compensation. Finally, it creates a small business accommodation by delaying implementation of the new unearned passenger revenue definition by two years for small entities.

The Department of Health and Human Services is updating its regulations to reflect required annual inflation-related increases to the civil monetary penalty amounts in its regulations, under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015; adding references to new penalty authorities; and making technical changes to correct errors in the regulation.

This final rule amends the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations to reflect the imposition of import restrictions on certain categories of archaeological and ethnological material of the Republic of Albania (Albania). These restrictions are being imposed pursuant to an agreement between the United States and Albania that has been entered into under the authority of the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. This final rule amends the CBP regulations by adding Albania to the list of countries which have a bilateral agreement with the United States that imposes cultural property import restrictions. This final rule also contains the Designated List that describes the types of archaeological and ethnological material to which the restrictions apply.

In this document, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) provides notice that it issued Orders, dated March 10, 2022, with respect to stress test reporting as of December 31, 2021, under section 165(i)(2) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), as amended by section 401 of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (EGRRCPA). Summary Instructions and Guidance accompanied the Orders to provide testing scenarios.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Georgia, through the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA EPD) on September 1, 2020. Specifically, EPA is proposing to approve updates to the incorporation by reference of federal prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) new source review (NSR) regulations in the Georgia SIP. Based on the proposal to approve this SIP revision, EPA is also proposing to convert the previous conditional approval regarding Georgia's infrastructure SIP's PSD elements for the 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) to a full approval. EPA is proposing to approve these changes pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act).

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the ``Commission'') is proposing a new rule and related form pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the ``Exchange Act''), including Section 13(f)(2), which was added by Section 929X of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (``DFA''). The proposed rule and related form are designed to provide greater transparency through the publication of short sale related data to investors and other market participants. Under the rule, institutional investment managers that meet or exceed a specified reporting threshold would be required to report, on a monthly basis using the proposed form, specified short position data and short activity data for equity securities. In addition, the Commission is proposing a new rule under the Exchange Act to prescribe a new ``buy to cover'' order marking requirement, and proposing to amend the national market system plan governing the consolidated audit trail (``CAT'') created pursuant to the Exchange Act to require the reporting of ``buy to cover'' order marking information and reliance on the bona fide market making exception in the Commission's short sale rules. The Commission is publishing the text of the proposed amendments to the CAT NMS Plan in a separate notice.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for various model helicopters with certain part-numbered Goodrich externally-mounted hoist assemblies (hoists) installed. This AD was prompted by hoists failing lower load limit inspections. This AD requires replacing unmodified hoists, installing placards, revising the existing Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM) for your helicopter, deactivating or removing a hoist if a partial peel out occurs, reviewing the helicopter's hoist slip load test records, repetitively inspecting the hoist cable and overload clutch (clutch), and reporting information to the manufacturer. This AD also requires establishing operating limitations on the hoist and prohibits installing an unmodified hoist. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

In response to the Russian Federation's (Russia's) further invasion of Ukraine, and Belarus's substantial enabling of Russia's invasion, the Department of Commerce is imposing restrictions on the export, reexport, or transfer (in-country) to or within Russia or Belarus of `luxury goods' under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and for exports, reexports and transfers (in-country) worldwide to certain Russian or Belarusian oligarchs and other malign actors supporting the Russian or Belarusian governments. Taken together, these new export controls will significantly limit financially elite individuals' and organizations' access to luxury goods and thereby accentuate the consequences of providing such support.

This document amends the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's regulations by updating a telephone number and a facsimile number.

The Coast Guard is proposing to establish temporary special local regulations on certain waters of the Hudson River in the vicinity of Castleton-on-the-Hudson, New York, in support of the Horsepower on the Hudson event on August 8, 2022. This action is necessary to ensure the safety of participants, participant vessels, spectators, and mariners transiting the area from the dangers associated with vessels operating at high-speeds during the Horsepower on the Hudson event. This proposed rulemaking would allow the Coast Guard to enforce vessel movements within three regulated areas and temporarily restrict vessel traffic in a portion of the Hudson River between Hudson River Lighted Buoy 202 (LLNR 38905) to Hudson River Light 204 (LLNR 38910). We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

This action amends low altitude United States Area Navigation (RNAV) route, T-208 in support of the South-Central FL Metroplex Project. Other route changes that were proposed in the NPRM are being deferred to a later date.

This action amends the descriptions of Area Navigation (RNAV) routes Q-140 and Q-812 by changing the spelling of one waypoint (WP) in the descriptions of the routes. The geographic position of the WP remains unchanged.

This final rule amends NHTSA's regulations regarding exemptions to the make inoperative prohibition to accommodate disabilities to include new exemptions relating to the Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) for roof crush resistance, rear visibility, and air bags. The air bag provision permits rental car companies to make inoperative a knee bolster air bag, on a temporary basis, to permit the temporary installation of hand controls to accommodate persons with physical disabilities seeking to rent the vehicle. We have drafted this rule to facilitate the mobility of drivers and passengers with physical disabilities in a manner that balances safety and accessibility. This rulemaking responds to a petition for rulemaking from the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association and from Bruno Independent Living Aids, Inc., and to an inquiry from Enterprise Holdings Co.

This final rule amends the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's regulation on Allocation of Assets in Single-Employer Plans to prescribe interest assumptions under the asset allocation regulation for plans with valuation dates in the second quarter of 2022. These interest assumptions are used for valuing benefits under terminating single-employer plans and for other purposes.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), designate critical habitat for the Big Sandy crayfish (Cambarus callainus) and Guyandotte River crayfish (C. veteranus) under the Endangered Species Act (Act). In total, approximately 717 stream kilometers (446 stream miles) in Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia fall within the boundaries of the critical habitat designation. The effect of this final rule is to designate critical habitat for the Big Sandy crayfish, which is a threatened species under the Act, and Guyandotte River crayfish, which is an endangered species under the Act.

The Coast Guard will enforce a safety zone for the Riverfest fireworks display on the Neches River in Port Neches, TX, from 8:30 p.m. through 10 p.m. on April 30, 2022 to provide for the safety of life on navigable waterways during this event. Our regulation for fireworks displays and other events within the Eighth Coast Guard District identifies the regulated area for this event in Port Neches, TX. During the enforcement periods, the operator of any vessel in the regulated area must comply with directions from the Captain of the Port.

This action establishes Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface for Dewitt Municipal Airport/Whitcomb Field, Dewitt, AR to accommodate area navigation (RNAV) global positioning system (GPS) standard instrument approach procedures (SIAPs) serving this airport. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations in the area.

This action amends Class D airspace and Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface for Lawrenceville, GA. This action updates the airport's name in both the Class D and E airspace to Gwinnett County/Briscoe Field. In addition, this action amends the Class D airspace by creating an extension to the southwest. The Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface is amended by increasing the radius and eliminating the extension to the east. Also, this action eliminates the Gwinnett Non-directional Beacon (NDB) from the legal description. This action also makes an editorial change replacing the term Airport/Facility Directory with the term Chart Supplement in the legal descriptions of the Class D airspace. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations in the area.

NMFS implements an accountability measure for the commercial longline component for golden tilefish in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic. Commercial longline landings for golden tilefish are projected to reach the longline component's commercial quota by March 16, 2022. Therefore, NMFS closes the commercial longline component of golden tilefish in the South Atlantic EEZ on March 16, 2022, at 12:01 a.m. local time. This closure is necessary to protect the golden tilefish resource.

In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved two information collections associated with rules governing sponsorship identification requirements for foreign government-provided programming in the 2021 Report and Order, FCC 21-42, in MB Docket No. 20-299. The Commission also announces that compliance with the rules is now required. It removes a paragraph in the adopted rules advising that compliance was not required until OMB approval was obtained. This document is consistent with the 2021 Report and Order, which states the Commission will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing a compliance date for the rule sections and revise the rules accordingly.

The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2016-26-08, which applies to all Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Model PC-12, PC- 12/45, PC-12/47, and PC-12/47E airplanes. AD 2016-26-08 requires incorporating revisions into the airworthiness limitations section (ALS) of the maintenance program and inspecting the main landing gear (MLG) attachment bolts for cracks and corrosion. Since the FAA issued AD 2016-26-08, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) superseded its mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) to add a new life limit for certain MLG actuator bottom attachment bolts and then superseded it again to add new life limits for the rudder bellcrank. This proposed AD would require incorporating new revisions to the ALS of the existing airplane maintenance manual (AMM) or Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) to establish a 5-year life limit for certain MLG actuator bottom attachment bolts and new life limits for the rudder bellcrank. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.