January 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve two revisions to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) portion of the Arizona State Implementation Plan (SIP). In this action, we are proposing to approve revisions submitted by the ADEQ governing the issuance of permits for stationary sources in accordance with changes that the EPA has made to its New Source Review (NSR) program regulations under the Clean Air Act (CAA or ``the Act''). We are also proposing to determine that with these revisions, the ADEQ's NSR program satisfies the requirements for the preconstruction review and permitting of major sources and major modifications under part D of title I of the Act for areas designated nonattainment with the 2015 ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) with a Marginal classification, for areas and sources within the ADEQ's permitting jurisdiction. We are taking comments on this proposal and plan to follow with a final action.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to disapprove a revision to Kansas's State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted on July 28, 2021, to satisfy applicable requirements under the Clean Air Act (CAA) and EPA's Regional Haze Rule (RHR) for the program's second planning period. As required by section 169A of the Clean Air Act, the federal Regional Haze Rule calls for state and federal agencies to work together to improve visibility, including Regional Haze, in 156 national parks and wilderness areas. The rule requires the states, in coordination with the EPA, the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the U.S. Forest Service (FS), and other interested parties, to develop and implement air quality protection plans in which states revise their long-term strategies (LTS) for making reasonable progress towards the national goal of preventing any future, and remedying any existing, anthropogenic impairment of visibility in these mandatory Class I Federal Areas. Disapproval does not start a mandatory sanctions clock.

The Commission is revising its regulations concerning the use of campaign funds by a candidate's principal campaign committee to pay compensation to the candidate. The Commission is issuing these rules in response to a Petition for Rulemaking filed by a former candidate for the United States House of Representatives.

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2022-08- 04, which applied to all Airbus SAS Model A300 series airplanes. AD 2022-08-04 required revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations. Since the FAA issued AD 2022-08-04, the FAA has determined new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations are necessary. This AD continues to require the actions of AD 2022-08-04, and requires new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier, Inc., Model BD-700-1A10 and BD-700-1A11 airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports that the nose wheel steering selector valve (SSV) can be slow to deactivate under low temperature conditions. This AD requires replacing the affected SSV with a re-designed SSV that has an improved response time. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is withdrawing Regulatory Guide (RG) 8.21, ``Health Physics Surveys for Byproduct Material at NRC-Licensed Processing and Manufacturing Plants.'' This RG is being withdrawn because there is more up-to-date guidance in NUREG- 1556, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses,'' making RG 8.21 obsolete.

NMFS issues final Atlantic bluefish specifications for the 2024 fishing year and projects specifications for fishing year 2025, as recommended by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. This action is necessary to establish allowable harvest levels for the stock to prevent overfishing and promote rebuilding, using the best scientific information available. This action also informs the public of the expected specifications for fishing year 2025.

NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is transferring a portion of its 2023 commercial summer flounder quota to the State of New York. This adjustment to the 2023 fishing year quota is necessary to comply with the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) quota transfer provisions. This announcement informs the public of the revised 2023 commercial quotas for North Carolina and New York.