2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS announces the closure of the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area for the remainder of the 2023 fishing year for Limited Access General Category vessels. Regulations require this action once NMFS projects that 100 percent of the Northern Gulf of Maine Set-Aside will be harvested. This action is intended to prevent the overharvest of the 2023 Northern Gulf of Maine Set-Aside.

The Coast Guard proposes to modify the operating schedule that governs the US Route 543 (Riverside-Delanco) Bridge across Rancocas Creek, mile 1.3, at Burlington County, NJ. The proposed rule allows the drawbridge to change its operating schedule to reduce the number of bridge openings during off-peak hours. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment a draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-5079, ``Cybersecurity Event Notifications.'' This DG is proposed Revision 1 to Regulatory Guide (RG) 5.83 of the same name. This proposed revision describes methods that the staff of the NRC considers acceptable for licensees to meet requirements in NRC regulations to report and record cybersecurity events.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are withdrawing, in part, a February 2, 2023, direct final rule that revises the taxonomy of 62 wildlife and plant species listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). For the Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus), we received comments relating to scientific research relevant to its taxonomic classification; and as a result, we are withdrawing the amendment in the direct final rule for this species only. The amendments in the direct final rule for the other 61 wildlife and plant species will be effective on May 3, 2023.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a revision to Michigan's State Implementation Plan (SIP). The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) submitted on August 17, 2022, changes to Michigan's Air Pollution Control Rules, Emissions Limitations and ProhibitionsSulfur Bearing Compounds. The revision includes administrative changes to existing rules and updates to material adopted by reference.

This document announces the Agency's receipt of an initial filing of a pesticide petition requesting the establishment or modification of regulations for residues of pesticide chemicals in or on various commodities.

This action revokes Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface for Causey Airport, Liberty, NC, as all instrument approaches to the airport have been canceled.

On February 6, 2023, the Federal Communications Commission revised Commission rules. That document inadvertently failed to update the requirements for changes in name, address, ownership, or control of grantee in the case of a transaction affecting the grantee. This document corrects the final regulations.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) is considering modifications to the rules of practice for inter partes review (IPR) and post-grant review (PGR) proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB or Board) to better align the practices with the USPTO's mission to promote and protect innovation and investment in the same, and with the congressional intent behind the American Invents Act (AIA) to provide a less-expensive alternative to district court litigation to resolve certain patentability issues while also protecting against patentee harassment. The USPTO is considering promulgating rules the Director, and by delegation the Board, will use to exercise the Director's discretion to institute IPRs and PGRs; to provide a procedure for separate briefing on discretionary denial that will allow parties to address relevant issues for discretionary denial without encroaching on the pages they are afforded to address the merits of a case; to provide petitioners the ability to pay additional fees for a higher word-count limit; and to clarify that all settlement agreements, including pre-institution settlement agreements, are required to be filed with the Board.

OCSE proposes to eliminate the non-Federal share of program expenditures requirement for Tribal child support enforcement programs including the 90/10 and 80/20 cost sharing rates. Based upon the experiences of and consultations with Tribes and Tribal organizations, we have determined that the non-Federal share requirement limits growth, causes disruptions, and creates instability.

The Postal Service revises Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail (Pub 52) to incorporate new requirements, for mailers to use unique service type codes and extra service codes within the tracking barcodes and electronic data submission for package shipments containing hazardous materials (HAZMAT) or dangerous goods (DG). This rule standardizes the acceptance and handling of package shipments containing HAZMAT/DG by collecting electronic data to ensure these items are handled appropriately with regards to the category of HAMZAT/DG contained within the package and to create electronic manifests for the Postal Service's air carrier suppliers. The Postal Service also amends the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) to alter refund eligibility of Priority Mail Express containing HAZMAT.

This action closes the White Hake Trimester Total Allowable Catch Area to Northeast multispecies common pool vessels fishing with trawl gear, sink gillnet gear, and longline/hook gear, except for Handgear A and B permitted vessels using handgear or tub trawl, through April 30, 2023. The closure is required because the common pool fishery is projected to have caught over 90 percent of its Trimester 3 quota for white hake. This closure is intended to prevent an overage of the common pool's quota for this stock.

The Coast Guard will enforce the special local regulations for the annual Bayview Yacht Club Port Huron to Mackinac Race. This special local regulation is necessary to safely control vessel movements in the vicinity of the race and provide for the safety of the general boating public and commercial shipping. During this enforcement period, no person or vessel may enter the regulated area without the permission of the Coast Guard Patrol Commander (PATCOM).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making technical amendments to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to properly codify negative declarations submitted by the State of California on behalf of local air agencies as revisions to the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). The regulatory text and materials affected by these format changes have all been previously submitted by the State of California and approved by the EPA.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service is inviting public feedback and initiating Tribal consultation on the following topic and additional questions: Given that climate change and related stressors are resulting in increasing impacts with rapid and variable rates of change on national forests and grasslands, how should the Forest Service adapt current policies to protect, conserve, and manage the national forests and grasslands for climate resilience, so that the Agency can provide for ecological integrity and support social and economic sustainability over time?

The Department of Defense (Department or DoD) is issuing a final rule to amend its regulations to exempt portions of the system of records titled DoD-0010, ``Counterintelligence Functional Services'' from certain provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 because of national security, law enforcement, and employment suitability mission areas.

This final rule removes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' part titled, ``Corps of Engineers, Research and Development, Laboratory Research and Development and Tests, Work for Others.'' This part is redundant with existing internal agency guidance and otherwise covers internal agency operations that have no public compliance component or adverse public impact. Therefore, this part can be removed from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Pursuant to the Federal Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to disapprove revisions to the Texas State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the Dallas- Fort Worth (DFW) and Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) serious ozone nonattainment areas for the 2008 ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). Specifically, EPA is proposing to disapprove the portion of these SIP revisions that the state intended to address contingency measure requirements. Contingency measures are control requirements in a nonattainment area SIP that would take effect should the area fail to meet Reasonable Further Progress (RFP) emissions reductions requirements or fail to attain the NAAQS by the applicable attainment date.

Pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (2015 Act), which further amended the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 (1990 Act), and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance, this rule adjusts for inflation the level of civil monetary penalties assessed under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) and the implementing regulations.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Commonwealth of Virginia. This revision pertains to several state regulatory changes affecting startup, shutdown and malfunction. This SIP revision was submitted in response to a finding of substantial inadequacy and SIP call published on June 12, 2015, for provisions in the Virginia SIP. EPA is proposing to approve the provisions of the submitted SIP revision and proposing to determine that the SIP revision corrects the deficiencies in Virginia's SIP identified in the June 12, 2015 SIP call. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

This document amends the FM Table of Allotments, of the Federal Communications Commission's (Commission) rules, by reinstating Channel 290A at Hardwick, Vermont, in response to the Commission's grant of the Petition for Reconsideration filed by Shire and Shore Communications. The window period for filing applications for Channel 290A at Hardwick, Vermont, will be announced by the Commission in the near future.

The Coast Guard is activating two safety zones for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Commercial Resupply Service 27 (CRS 27) mission, reentry vehicle splashdown, and recovery operations. These operations will occur in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Our regulation for safety zones in reentry sites within the Seventh Coast Guard District identifies the regulated areas for this event. No U.S.-flagged vessel may enter the safety zones unless authorized by the Captain of the Port St. Petersburg or a designated representative. Foreign-flagged vessels are encouraged to remain outside the safety zones.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (Commission or CPSC) has preliminarily determined that there is an unreasonable risk of injury and death associated with acute carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning from portable generators. To address this hazard, the Commission proposes a rule under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) that limits CO emissions from portable generators and requires generators to shut off when specific emissions levels are reached. The Commission is providing an opportunity for interested parties to present comments on this supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPR).

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended, and its implementing regulations, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, finalize incidental take regulations that facilitate the authorization of nonlethal, incidental, unintentional take by harassment of small numbers of northern sea otters during marine construction and pile driving in the Gulf of Alaska coastal waters. Take may result from marine construction and pile-driving activities. This rule is effective for 5 years from the date of issuance.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for navigable waters of the Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma, Washington. The safety zone is needed to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards created by a firefighting efforts onboard the F/V KODIAK ENTERPRISE by emergency response personnel. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Puget Sound.