March 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing the names of one or more persons that have been placed on OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) based on OFAC's determination that one or more applicable legal criteria were satisfied. All property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of these persons are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, notice is given that the General Services Administration (GSA) proposes to rescind a System of Records Notice, GSA/PPFM-10, Purchase Card Program. This system of records provides control over expenditure of funds through the use of Federal Government purchase cards.

In accordance with the Clean Air Act, as amended ("CAA" or "the Act"), the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA" or "the Agency") is providing notice of a proposed consent decree in Sierra Club, et al. v. United States Environmental Protection Agency, et al., No. 1:23-cv-01744-JDB (D. DC). Plaintiffs Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association, and Environmental Integrity Project (collectively, "Plaintiffs"), brought suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") and Michael Regan, in his official capacity as Administrator of the U.S. EPA ("the Administrator") (collectively, "Defendants"), failed to take final action on the second planning period regional haze state implementation plan ("SIP") revisions submitted by the following 34 states: Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. There are three intervenors in this action. PacifiCorp is acting as an intervenor-plaintiff and the State of North Dakota and the State of Nevada are acting as intervenor-defendants. The proposed consent decree would establish deadlines for the EPA to sign a notice of proposed rulemaking for certain SIPs included in this action and a notice of final rulemaking for each of the SIPs included in this action.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS or Agency), a Rural Development agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, is issuing this notice to announce it will be utilizing its long-standing statutory authority to consider operating loans under an initiative known as Consumer Oriented Operating Loans (COOL). COOL funding may be approved at the discretion of the RUS Administrator to finance operations for current system borrowers to meet financing needs where the borrower faces hardship circumstances involving unique, transitory, or exigent conditions. To qualify for COOL financing borrowers will commit to create environmental benefits to end users/consumers and invest in additional new carbon pollution-free electricity and/or energy efficiency measures. RUS estimates $50 million will be available for this program in fiscal year 2024.

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) invites comment on a proposal to extend for three years, with revision, the Structure Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements for Domestic and Foreign Banking Organizations (FR Y-6, FR Y-7, FR Y-10, and FR Y-10E; OMB No. 7100-0297).

The Committee is proposing to add product(s) to the Procurement List that will be furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities, and deletes product(s) and service(s) previously furnished by such agencies.

The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites comment on a continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). In accordance with the requirements of the PRA, the OCC may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OCC is soliciting comment concerning the renewal of its information collection titled, "Examination Survey." The OCC also is giving notice that it has sent the collection to OMB for review.

The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). The information collection is published in the Federal Register to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies.

The Department of the Treasury will submit the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. The public is invited to submit comments on this request.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No. NS-1, issued to the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD or the licensee) for the Nuclear Ship Savannah (NS Savannah). The proposed amendment would approve the License Termination Plan (LTP) and add License Condition 2.C.(4) authorizing implementation of the LTP and establishes the criteria for determining when changes to the LTP require prior NRC approval.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues this final rule to incorporate changes to the patent and trademark rules regarding judicial review of agency decisions, in particular how a notice of appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, a notice of election to proceed by civil action in district court, and a request for extension of time for filing a notice of appeal or commencing a civil action must be filed. This final rule states that a notice of appeal, notice of election, and a request for extension of time for filing a notice of appeal or commencing a civil action must be filed with the Director of the USPTO by email, and in the event a request cannot be filed by email, it may be filed by Priority Mail Express[supreg].

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is updating a portion of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Air Regulations. Requirements applying to OCS sources located within 25 miles of States' seaward boundaries must be updated periodically to remain consistent with the requirements of the corresponding onshore area (COA), as mandated by the Clean Air Act (CAA). The portion of the OCS air regulations that is being updated pertains to the requirements for OCS sources for which North Carolina is the designated COA. North Carolina's requirements discussed in this document will be incorporated by reference into the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and listed in the appendix to the Federal OCS air regulations.

In this Petition for rulemaking, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) seeks additional information concerning the practices of interstate natural gas pipelines related to the packaging of non-contiguous and/or operationally unrelated segments of capacity in a single auction or open season and the aggregation of bids across those segments to determine the highest value bid for the purpose of allocating capacity, as well as comment on whether the Commission should continue to allow such practices.

This request for information on the responsible procurement of artificial intelligence is being issued concurrently with the release of the OMB Memorandum titled Advancing Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management for Agency Use of Artificial Intelligence (the "AI M- memo"). Executive Order 14110, Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, directed OMB within 180 days of the issuance of the AI M-memo to develop an initial means to ensure that agency contracts for the acquisition of AI systems and services align with the guidance provided in the AI M-memo and advance the other aims identified in the Advancing American AI Act ("AI Act").

By this Notice, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is announcing revisions to Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (SPD 15). The revised SPD 15 is presented at the end of this Notice; it replaces and supersedes OMB's 1997 Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. OMB is taking this action to meet its responsibilities to develop and oversee the implementation of Government-wide principles, policies, standards, and guidelines concerning the development, presentation, and dissemination of statistical information. These revisions to SPD 15 are intended to result in more accurate and useful race and ethnicity data across the Federal government.

The DoD has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) publishes a final rule that revises the value for the petroleum-equivalency factor (PEF). This final rule revises DOE's regulations regarding procedures for calculating a value for the petroleum-equivalent fuel economy of electric vehicles (EVs). The PEF is used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in calculating light-duty vehicle manufacturers' compliance with the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.

The Department of the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is correcting a final rule entitled, "Strengthening the Section 184 Indian Housing Loan Guarantee Program" that published in the Federal Register on March 20, 2024.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, OPM is proposing an extension to a currently approved information collection, OMB Control Number, 3206-0138: RI 30-9Reinstatement of Disability Annuity Previously Terminated Because of Restoration to Earning Capacity.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is amending the final results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on steel propane cylinders from Thailand to correct one ministerial error. The period of review (POR) is August 1, 2021, through July 31, 2022.

Michelin North America, Inc. (MNA) has determined that certain Michelin X Works D tires do not fully comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 119, New Pneumatic Tires for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of More Than 4,536 kilograms (10,000) pounds, Speciality Tires, and Tires for Motorcycles. MNA filed a noncompliance report dated December 16, 2022, and January 11, 2023, and subsequently petitioned NHTSA (the "Agency") on January 10, 2023, for a decision that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety. This document announces receipt of MNA's petition.

This notice announces the voting-age population estimates as of July 1, 2023 for each state and the District of Columbia. We are providing this notice in accordance with the 1976 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act.