November 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to the Executive Order (E.O.) 14096, Revitalizing our Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All, the Department of the Interior (Department) is updating its Environmental Justice Strategic Plan and soliciting feedback on its draft environmental justice vision, goals, and objectives (included in Supplemental Information). The Department is also soliciting feedback on priority actions and performance metrics the Department should evaluate to advance the draft environmental justice vision, goals, and objectives.

This document amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to make needed editorial changes.

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) 2024-01. A companion document, the Small Entity Compliance Guide (SECG), follows this FAC.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to publish a notice of permit applications received to conduct activities regulated under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. NSF has published regulations under the Antarctic Conservation Act in the Code of Federal Regulations. This is the required notice of permit applications received.

The Department of Labor's (DOL) Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed authority to conduct the information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Employment Navigator Data Collection and Matching.'' This comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting this Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)-sponsored information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

On October 10, 2023, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) issued its final judgment in Linyi Chengen Import and Export Co., Ltd., et al., v. United States, Consol. Court no. 18-00002, sustaining the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce)'s fifth remand results of redetermination pertaining to the less-than-fair-value (LTFV) antidumping duty investigation of certain hardwood plywood products (hardwood plywood) from the People's Republic of China (China). Commerce is notifying the public that the CIT's final judgment is not in harmony with Commerce's final LTFV determination. Consequently, the final antidumping duty margin calculated for mandatory respondent Linyi Chengen Import and Export Co., Ltd. (Chengen) is now zero percent and the rate assigned to the companies who received separate rates and are party to this litigation (Separate Rate Plaintiffs) is the rate assigned to Chengen, zero percent. In addition, because the final margin assigned to Chengen and the two companies that requested voluntary respondent treatment and submitted all of the threshold information necessary to be eligible for voluntary respondent treatment, Zhejiang Dehua TB Import & Export Co. (Dehua TB) and Xuzhou Jiangyang Wood Industries, Co., Ltd. (Jiangyang), is zero, Chengen, Dehua TB, and Jiangyang, in the exporter-producer combinations assigned in the investigation, are excluded from the Order.

Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: I hereby determine that certain objects being imported from abroad pursuant to agreements with their foreign owners or custodians for temporary display in the exhibition ``Crafting Modernity: Design in Latin America, 1940-1980'' at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, are of cultural significance, and, further, that their temporary exhibition or display within the United States as aforementioned is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these determinations be published in the Federal Register.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on its request for information (RFI) number DE-FOA-0003166 regarding mitigation strategies for the technical and operational effects of wind turbines on critical radar missions, as required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The Coast Guard is issuing a final rule for recreational vessel owners to select a recreational vessel endorsement on a Certificate of Documentation (COD) with a validity of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 years. Currently, our regulations require that a COD will be effective for a 5-year period. Congress passed, and the President signed, the self-executing National Defense Authorization Act of 2022 (2022 Act), which directs the Coast Guard to issue recreational vessel CODs for 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 years. By updating the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to reflect this change, this final rule harmonizes the requirements of the 2022 Act, aligns CFR text with current Coast Guard policy, and provides vessel owners' statutorily directed option to select the validity period of their COD that best suits their individual needs.

In compliance with the requirement of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 to provide opportunity for public comment on proposed data collection projects, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is seeking nominations of qualified candidates to be considered for appointment to the Advisory Committee (Committee) on Former Prisoners of War (FPOW).

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the proposed revision of the National Survey of Children's Health, prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing an opportunity for the public to comment on CMS' intention to collect information from the public. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information (including each proposed extension or reinstatement of an existing collection of information) and to allow 60 days for public comment on the proposed action. Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding our burden estimates or any other aspect of this collection of information, including the necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the agency's functions, the accuracy of the estimated burden, ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected, and the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the information collection burden.

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) gives notice that it is requesting from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the information collection of one Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program form. The information collected is to be used to improve the quality of election-supporting technology used in federal elections, and to collect necessary key information on election-supporting technology manufacturers and their systems. Participation in this program is voluntary.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is publishing Version 1.0 of the Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Requirements (VEPBR v1.0) for public comment. The intent of the VEPBR v1.0 is to improve the functionality, security, and accessibility of electronic poll books used in Federal elections. The VEPBR v1.0 establishes baseline requirements for electronic poll book manufacturers to receive certification through the EAC's Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program (ESTEP). This version replaces the draft version (0.9) utilized during the EAC's Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Pilot Program in 2021-2023. Participation in this program is voluntary.

HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. The purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days of public comment. This notice replaces the notice HUD published on November 14, 2023.

On November 1, 2023, the Acting Secretary of Labor appointed two members to serve on the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH).

We are amending the regulations governing the importation of certain animals, meat, and other animal products by allowing, under certain conditions, the importation of fresh (chilled or frozen) beef from Paraguay. Based on the evidence from a risk analysis, we have determined that fresh beef can safely be imported from Paraguay, provided certain conditions are met. This final rule will provide for the importation of fresh beef from Paraguay into the United States, while continuing to protect the United States against the introduction of foot-and-mouth disease.