2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Energy hereby publishes a notice of open meeting of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB). This meeting will be held virtually for members of the public and for SEAB members. The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register.

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collections. Comments are requested concerning: whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical utility; the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and ways to further reduce the information collection burden on small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees. The FCC may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the PRA that does not display a valid OMB control number.

Notice is hereby given that a complaint was filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission on November 15, 2023, under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, on behalf of Lenovo (United States) Inc. of Morrisville, North Carolina. A supplement to the complaint was filed on December 4, 2023. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 based upon the importation into the United States, the sale for importation, and the sale within the United States after importation of certain electronic computing devices and components thereof by reason of the infringement of certain claims of U.S. Patent No. 7,760,189 (``the '189 patent''); U.S. Patent No. 7,792,066 (``the '066 patent''); U.S. Patent No. 8,687,354 (``the '354 patent''); and U.S. Patent No. 10,952,203 (``the '203 patent''). The complaint further alleges that an industry in the United States exists as required by the applicable Federal Statute. The complainant requests that the Commission institute an investigation and, after the investigation, issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the West Virginia spring salamander (Gyrinophilus subterraneus), an amphibian species from Greenbrier County, West Virginia, as an endangered species and to designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This determination also serves as our 12-month finding on a petition to list the West Virginia spring salamander. After a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the species is warranted. We also propose to designate critical habitat for the West Virginia spring salamander under the Act. In total, approximately 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation. We announce the availability of a draft economic analysis of the proposed designation of critical habitat for the West Virginia spring salamander. If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would extend the Act's protections to the species and its designated critical habitat.

Under the Clean Air Act (CAA or ``Act''), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve revisions to the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). These revisions concern an amendment to the California motor vehicle inspection and maintenance (I/M) program (also referred to as ``Smog Check'') to include a contingency measure that, if triggered, would narrow the Smog Check inspection exemption for newer model year vehicles in certain California nonattainment areas. The EPA is proposing to approve, as part of the California SIP, the contingency measure and a related statutory provision that authorizes the contingency measure because they meet all the applicable requirements. We are taking comments on this proposal and plan to follow with a final action.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve two state implementation plan (SIP) submissions under the Clean Air Act (CAA) that address the contingency measures requirements for the 1997 annual, 2006 24-hour, and 2012 annual fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS or ``standards'') for the San Joaquin Valley PM2.5 nonattainment area. The two SIP submissions include the area's contingency measure plan element and two specific contingency measures that would apply to residential wood burning heaters and fireplaces and non-agricultural, rural open areas. A third contingency measure, applicable to light-duty on-road motor vehicles, is the subject of a separate action by the EPA, but the related emissions reductions from the third measure are accounted for in this proposed rule. The EPA is proposing approval of the SIP submissions because the Agency has determined that they are in accordance with the applicable requirements for such SIP submissions under the CAA and EPA implementation regulations for the PM2.5 NAAQS. The proposed approval, if finalized, would incorporate the two contingency measures into the federally enforceable SIP. The EPA will accept comments on this proposed rule during a 30-day public comment period.

This document proposes to rescind the Department of Labor's (Department or DOL) 2018 rule entitled ``Definition of Employer Association Health Plans'' (2018 AHP Rule). The 2018 AHP Rule establishes an alternative set of criteria from those set forth in the Department's pre-rule guidance for determining when a group or association of employers is acting ``indirectly in the interest of an employer'' under section 3(5) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) for purposes of establishing an association health plan (AHP) as a multiple employer group health plan. The 2018 AHP Rule's alternative criteria were set aside in large part by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in New York v. United States Department of Labor. The district court found the bona fide association and working owner provisions in the rule to be an unreasonable interpretation of ERISA, inconsistent with congressional intent that ERISA applies to employee benefits arising out of employment relationships. The Department, after further review of the relevant statutory language, judicial decisions, and pre-rule guidance, and further consideration of ERISA's statutory purposes and related policy goals, now proposes to rescind in full the 2018 AHP Rule in order to resolve and mitigate any uncertainty regarding the status of the standards that were set under the 2018 AHP Rule, allow for a reexamination of the criteria for a group or association of employers to be able to sponsor an AHP, and ensure that guidance being provided to the regulated community is in alignment with ERISA's text, purposes, and policies.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the New York University, College of Dentistry (NYU College of Dentistry) has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that there is no cultural affiliation between the human remains and any Indian Tribe. The human remains were removed from Queens, Dutchess, and Bronx Counties, NY.