2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Under the authority of the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982, this final rule implements a permitting system for the Pacific halibut commercial and recreational charter halibut fisheries in International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) regulatory Area 2A (Washington, Oregon, and California). This action also establishes a regulatory framework for the Area 2A Pacific halibut directed commercial fishery that, consistent with the allocations and coastwide season dates set by the IPHC, allows NMFS to annually determine dates and times the fishery will be open and set harvest limits for those periods of time. These permitting and management activities for Area 2A were previously performed by the IPHC; through this final rule, NMFS will now implement these Area 2A-specific permitting and management activities.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a delegation request submitted by the Washington State Department of Health (WDOH) for full delegation of authority to implement and enforce the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for radionuclide air emissions.

On behalf of the President's Pay Agent, the Office of Personnel Management is issuing final regulations to establish Carroll County, IL, as an area of application to the Davenport-Moline, IA-IL locality pay area and Brooks County, TX, as an area of application to the Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX, locality pay area. Those changes in the geographic definitions of those locality pay areas are applicable on the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 4, 2023.

EPA is issuing significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs) and a Microbial Commercial Activity Notice (MCAN). The SNURs require persons who intend to manufacture (defined by statute to include import) or process any of these chemical substances for an activity that is designated as a significant new use by this rule to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing that activity. The required notification initiates EPA's evaluation of the use, under the conditions of use for that chemical substance, within the applicable review period. Persons may not commence manufacture or processing for the significant new use until EPA has conducted a review of the notice, made an appropriate determination on the notice, and has taken such actions as are required by that determination.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are reclassifying (downlisting) the plant Eugenia woodburyana (no common name) from an endangered species to a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), due to improvements in the species' status since its original listing in 1994. This action is based on a thorough review of the best available scientific and commercial information, which indicates that E. woodburyana is not currently in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, but it is likely to become so within the foreseeable future. We are also finalizing a rule issued under section 4(d) of the Act to provide measures that are necessary and advisable for the conservation of E. woodburyana.

The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') proposes to amend the test procedures for dedicated-purpose pool pumps (``DPPPs'') to incorporate by reference the latest version of the relevant industry standards, to codify DOE's current enforcement policy regarding the scope of the DPPP test procedure pertaining to DPPPs that cannot be appropriately tested by the current DOE test procedure, to align DOE's DPPP definitions with DOE's corresponding DPPP motor definitions, and to remove an obsolete DOE DPPP test procedure appendix. DOE is seeking comment from interested parties on the proposal.

NMFS announces that the State of Maine is transferring a portion of its 2022 commercial bluefish quota to the State of Rhode Island. This quota adjustment is necessary to comply with the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan quota transfer provisions. This announcement informs the public of the revised commercial bluefish quotas for Maine and Rhode Island.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking direct final action to clarify its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Phase II regulations due to recent changes made by the Census Bureau. The changes to EPA's regulations are limited to clarifying that the designation criteria for small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s), which have been used since the promulgation of the regulations in 1999, will remain the same. These clarifications are necessary due to the Census Bureau's recent decision to discontinue its practice of publishing the location of ``urbanized areas'' along with the 2020 Census and future censuses. The clarification in this direct final rule replaces the term ``urbanized area'' in the Phase II regulations with the phrase ``urban areas with a population of at least 50,000,'' which is the Census Bureau's longstanding definition of the term urbanized areas. This change will allow NPDES permitting authorities to use 2020 Census and future Census data in a manner that is consistent with existing longstanding regulatory practice. Because this clarification maintains the current scope of which entities are regulated as small MS4s, it is not expected to generate opposition, and EPA is publishing the clarification in the Federal Register as a direct final rule. As is EPA's practice for direct final rules, EPA is also publishing a parallel proposed rulemaking with the same changes included in this direct final rule if the Agency receives adverse comments.

This action proposes to amend the Class D and Class E airspace and revoke Class E airspace at Alton/St. Louis, IL. The FAA is proposing this action due to an airspace review conducted as part of the decommissioning of the Civic Memorial non-directional beacon (NDB).

This action proposes to establish Class E airspace at San Saba, TX. The FAA is proposing this action to support the establishment of public instrument procedures at San Saba County Municipal Airport, San Saba, TX.

NMFS proposes 2023 and 2024 harvest specifications, apportionments, and Pacific halibut prohibited species catch limits for the groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to establish harvest limits for groundfish during the 2023 and 2024 fishing years and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska. The 2023 harvest specifications supersede those previously set in the final 2022 and 2023 harvest specifications, and the 2024 harvest specifications will be superseded in early 2024 when the final 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications are published. The intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the groundfish resources in the GOA in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

This action revokes Colored Federal airway Blue 37 (B-37) due to the planned decommissioning of the Sumner Strait, AK (SQM), Non- Directional Beacon (NDB) in the vicinity of Level Island, AK.

This action revokes Colored Federal airway Amber 2 (A-2) due to the planned decommissioning of the Nebesna, AK (AES), Non- Directional Beacon (NDB) in the vicinity of Northway, AK.

The Coast Guard will enforce the safety zone in the navigable waters of Richardson Bay, off Sausalito, CA, in support of the Sausalito Lighted Boat Parade Fireworks Display. This safety zone is necessary to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from the dangers associated with pyrotechnics. During the enforcement period, unauthorized persons or vessels are prohibited from entering into, transiting through, or remaining in the safety zone, unless authorized by the designated Patrol Commander (PATCOM) or other federal, state, or local agencies on scene to assist the Coast Guard in enforcing the regulated area.

The FAA is superseding airworthiness directive (AD) 77-04-06, which applied to Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB) (now Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH (AHD)) Model BO-105A and BO-105 C helicopters; AD 2002-13-06, which applied to certain Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH (ECD) (now Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH (AHD)) Model BO-105A, BO-105C, BO-105 C-2, BO-105 CB-2, BO-105 CB-4, BO-105 CS-2, BO-105 CBS-2, BO-105S, and BO-105LS A-1 helicopters; AD 2016-25- 14, which applied to certain Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH (AHD) Model BO-105LS A-3 helicopters; and AD 2021-10-14, which applied to certain Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH (AHD) Model BO-105A, BO- 105C, BO-105S, and BO-105LS A-3 helicopters. Since the FAA issued those ADs, new and more restrictive airworthiness limitations have been issued. This AD requires incorporating into existing maintenance records requirements (airworthiness limitations) as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. This AD also prohibits the installation of certain part- numbered tension-torsion (TT) straps. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to clarify its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Phase II regulations due to recent changes made by the Census Bureau. The changes to EPA's regulations would be limited to clarifying that the designation criteria for small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s), which have been used since the promulgation of the regulations in 1999, would remain the same. These clarifications are necessary due to the Census Bureau's recent decision to discontinue its practice of publishing the location of ``urbanized areas'' along with the 2020 Census and future censuses. The clarification in this proposed rulemaking would replace the term ``urbanized area'' in the Phase II regulations with the phrase ``urban areas with a population of at least 50,000,'' which is the Census Bureau's longstanding definition of the term urbanized areas. This change would allow NPDES permitting authorities to use 2020 Census and future Census data in a manner that is consistent with existing longstanding regulatory practice. Because this clarification would maintain the current scope of which entities are regulated as small MS4s, and is not expected to generate opposition, EPA is also publishing the same clarification in the Federal Register as a direct final rule. As is EPA's practice for direct final rules, if the Agency receives adverse comments in response to either the direct final rule or this proposed rulemaking, EPA will publish a timely withdrawal of the direct final rule in the Federal Register informing the public that the rule will not take effect and will address public comments received in any final rule action.

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2020-23-05 for certain Airbus Helicopters Model EC225LP helicopters. AD 2020-23-05 required inspecting the control rod attachment yokes (yokes) of certain main rotor (M/R) rotating swashplates (swashplates), establishing a life limit, performing a one-time inspection of stripped yokes, and applicable corrective actions. Since the FAA issued AD 2020-23-05, the FAA has determined that certain swashplates are not susceptible to the unsafe condition, repetitive inspections for certain swashplates are necessary, and the criteria for when to perform a dye penetrant inspection needed to be revised. This AD retains some of the requirements of AD 2020-23-05 and also requires compliance with a revised life limit; performing a repetitive visual inspection of the yokes on certain swashplates; and depending on the inspection results, removing the affected swashplates from service, performing a dye penetrant inspection of the yoke, and additional corrective actions. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This action revokes Colored Federal airway Green 17 (G-17) due to the planned decommission of the Atqasuk, AK (ATK), Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) in the vicinity of Atqasuk, AK.

This action revokes Colored Federal airways Amber 5 (A-5) and Blue 4 (B-4) in the vicinity of Bettles, AK, due to the planned decommissioning of the Evansville, AK (EAV), Non-Directional Beacon (NDB).

This action amends Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Albert S. Nader Regional Airport, Oneonta, NY, by updating the airport's name and removing the Rockdale VORTAC from the Class E airspace description, as well as amending the radius, and removing an extension. Also, this action updates the airport's geographic coordinates. This action enhances the safety and management of controlled airspace within the national airspace system.

This action proposes to amend the Class E airspace at Austin, MN. The FAA is proposing this action due to an airspace review conducted as part of the decommissioning of the Austin very high frequency (VHF) omnidirectional range (VOR)/distance measuring equipment (DME). The geographic coordinates of the airport would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is publishing a list of rules to be reviewed pursuant to Section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. The list is published to provide the public with notice that these rules are scheduled for review by the agency and to invite public comment on whether the rules should be continued without change, or should be amended or rescinded to minimize any significant economic impact of the rules upon a substantial number of small entities.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) BR700-710A1-10, BR700-710A2-20, and BR700-710C4-11 model turbofan engines. This AD was prompted by reports of cracks on certain low-pressure compressor (LPC) rotor (fan) disks. This AD requires initial and repetitive visual inspections of certain LPC rotor fan disks and, depending on the results of the inspections, replacement of any LPC rotor fan disk with cracks detected. This AD also allows modification of the engine in accordance with RRD service information as a terminating action to these inspections, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference (IBR). The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing conditional approval of portions of State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions to Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (Commission or AQCC) Regulation Number 7 (Reg. 7), which address Colorado's SIP obligation to require reasonably available control technology (RACT) for sources covered by the 2008 miscellaneous metal and plastic parts coatings (miscellaneous metal coatings) control techniques guidelines (CTG) and major source nitrogen oxides (NOX) for Moderate nonattainment areas under the 2008 ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). These revisions address all of the remaining pieces of the May 31, 2017 and May 10, 2019 submittals that we have not previously acted on. The EPA is taking this action pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA).