2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Airbus Canada Limited Partnership Model BD-500-1A11 airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by an investigation of an in- service hydraulic fluid leakage event that indicated the potential use of an uncalibrated torque wrench when tightening the union fittings at the pressure and return interfaces of all three rudder hydraulic power control units (PCUs). This proposed AD would require properly torquing the rudder PCU hydraulic fittings and applying the torque seal on the rudder PCU hydraulic fittings, as specified in a Transport Canada AD, which is proposed for incorporation by reference (IBR). The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This document corrects technical errors in the final rule that appeared in the November 7, 2024, Federal Register titled "Medicare Program; Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update; HH Quality Reporting Program Requirements; HH Value-Based Purchasing Expanded Model Requirements; Home Intravenous Immune Globulin (IVIG) Items and Services Rate Update; and Other Medicare Policies".

The Department of Defense (Department or DoD) is giving concurrent notice of a modified system of records titled "Defense Sexual Assault Incident Database," DHRA 06, and this rulemaking, which exempts portions of this system of records from certain provisions of the Privacy Act to avoid interference during the conduct of criminal, civil, or administrative actions or investigations.

Consistent with a Global Technical Regulation on electric vehicle safety, NHTSA is establishing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 305a to replace FMVSS No. 305, "Electric-powered vehicles: Electrolyte spillage and electrical shock protection." Among other improvements, FMVSS No. 305a applies to light and heavy vehicles and includes performance requirements for the propulsion battery. NHTSA is also establishing a new regulation, part 561, "Documentation for Electric-powered Vehicles," that requires manufacturers to compile risk mitigation documentation and to submit standardized emergency response information to assist first and second responders handling electric vehicles.

NMFS is adjusting the 2025 total allowable catch (TAC) amounts for the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) pollock and Pacific cod fisheries. This action is necessary because NMFS has determined these TACs are incorrectly specified, as they are not informed by the most recent specifications recommended by the Council for the start of the 2025 fishing year. This action will ensure the GOA pollock and Pacific cod TACs are the correct, appropriate amount based on the best scientific information available for pollock and Pacific cod in the GOA. This action is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP).

In accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, and further amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvement Act of 2015, this final rule applies the inflation adjustments for GSA's civil monetary penalties.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is finalizing a supplementary rule to protect natural resources and public health and safety. The final supplementary rule applies to public lands and BLM facilities managed by the Colorado River Valley, Grand Junction, and Kremmling Field Offices, and the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area (NCA) in Colorado managed by the Grand Junction and Uncompahgre Field Offices.

This action proposes to amend Jet Routes J-83 and J-85, and Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal Airways V-415 and V-605 in the eastern United States. These actions support the Spartanburg, SC (SPA), VOR/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC) relocation project.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is finalizing a supplementary rule for BLM-administered public lands in the Tres Rios Field Office (TRFO) and Gunnison Field Office (GFO). The final supplementary rule will allow the BLM to implement and enforce decisions related to motorized and non-motorized vehicles, day-use areas, seasonal wildlife habitat protection, camping, and campfires.

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing two general licenses (GL) issued pursuant to the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations: GL 5Q and GL 8O, each of which was previously made available on OFAC's website.

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). The revisions were submitted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ or State) on November 27, 2018, to address CAA requirements for the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) area relevant to the 1979 1-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS or standard). The EPA approved most portions of this submission on February 14, 2020. In this current action, we are proposing to disapprove the remaining portions not addressed in the February 14, 2020 action. This submission, titled "Severe Ozone Nonattainment Area Failure to Attain Fee," addresses the CAA section 185 requirement for fee collection programs, which applies to ozone nonattainment areas classified as Severe or Extreme that fail to attain by the required attainment date.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), withdraw the proposed rule (proposal) published on February 2, 2024, that proposed new regulations addressing the biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health (BIDEH) of the National Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System) and updates to the existing BIDEH policy. The Service has determined that withdrawing the proposal is justified based on the significant number of public comments received, the complexity of the substantive comments received and the issues involved, as well as the requests from the public for further opportunities to review and engage with the Service on the substance of this proposal. With this action, the existing BIDEH policy remains in effect.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the Puerto Rican skink (Spondylurus nitidus), a skink species from Puerto Rico and Desecheo Island, and the Lesser Virgin Islands skink (S. semitaeniatus) and Virgin Islands bronze skink (S. sloanii), two skink species from the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands, as endangered species. We propose to list the Culebra skink (S. culebrae), a skink species from Culebra Island and offshore cays of Puerto Rico, as a threatened species with protective regulations under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) ("4(d) rule"). After a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing these species is warranted. If we finalize this rule as proposed, we will add these species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and extend the Act's protections to these species. We also propose to designate critical habitat for the Puerto Rican skink, Culebra skink, Lesser Virgin Islands skink, and Virgin Islands bronze skink under the Act. We also announce the availability of an economic analysis of the proposed designation of critical habitat for the Puerto Rican skink, Culebra skink, Lesser Virgin Islands skink, and Virgin Islands bronze skink. We find that it is not warranted at this time to list the Mona skink (Spondylurus monae), the Greater Virgin Islands skink (S. spilonotus), the Greater Saint Croix skink (S. magnacruzae), and the Lesser Saint Croix skink (Capitellum parvicruzae). However, we ask the public to submit to us at any time any new information relevant to the status of any of the species mentioned above and their habitats.

This interim final rule makes an in-season adjustment to the 2025 Atlantic herring specifications and sub-annual catch limits for the four Atlantic herring management areas (including Area 1A, 1B, 2, and 3). This action is necessary to respond to updated scientific information from a 2024 herring management track stock assessment and achieve the goals and objectives of the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. This action reduces current 2025 catch limits to lessen the risk overfishing and help rebuild the stock.

This action proposes to establish Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Challis Airport, Challis, ID, in support of the airport's transition from visual flight rules (VFR) to instrument flight rules (IFR) operations.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to partially approve and partially disapprove the regional haze state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by California on August 9, 2022 (hereinafter the "2022 California Regional Haze Plan" or "the Plan"), under the Clean Air Act (CAA) and the EPA's Regional Haze Rule for the program's second implementation period. California's SIP submission addresses the requirement that states must periodically revise their long-term strategies for making reasonable progress towards the national goal of preventing any future, and remedying any existing, anthropogenic impairment of visibility, including regional haze, in mandatory Class I Federal areas. The SIP submission also addresses other applicable requirements for the second implementation period of the regional haze program. The EPA is taking this action pursuant to CAA sections 110 and 169A.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) proposes to revise its Small Business Subcontracting Program regulations to encourage faster payments to small business subcontractors and streamline the reporting process for prime contracts. This proposed rule will require prime contractors notify contracting officers in writing when it fails to make full or timely payments to the subcontractor within 30 days past due; require prime contractors cooperate with contracting officers to correct/mitigate this failure until payment is made in full to the subcontractor; and allow contracting officers to modify a prime contractor's past performance for failure to make full or timely payments.

This final rule amends the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) regulations that set forth the standards of identity for distilled spirits to include "American single malt whisky" as a type of whisky that is produced in the United States and meets certain criteria. TTB proposed the new standard of identity in response to petitions and comments submitted by several distillers and the American Single Malt Whisky Commission. TTB is finalizing the amendments to the regulations to establish the standard of identity with some changes to reflect comments received.

The Bureau of the Fiscal Service (Fiscal Service) within the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) is issuing regulations to implement statutory requirements under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 that require Treasury to provide certain U.S. savings bond information to States. A State receiving the information with respect to an applicable savings bond may use the information to locate the owner of the bond pursuant to Treasury's regulations and the State's own standards and requirements under abandoned property rules and regulations of the State. Under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, Treasury is required to issue regulations or guidance to protect the privacy of savings bond owners, prevent fraud, and ensure that information disclosed to a State is used solely to locate savings bond owners.

This final rule rescinds the Department's regulations on guidance document procedures in accordance with a 2021 Executive order to revoke previous Executive orders concerning Federal regulation.

NMFS is implementing regulations for Framework Adjustment 15 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan/Framework Adjustment 6 to the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan, which the New England and Mid- Atlantic Fishery Management Councils jointly recommended and NMFS approved. This action establishes area-based gear requirements for vessels fishing with gillnets in the monkfish fishery, starting on January 1, 2026, and for vessels fishing with gillnets in the spiny dogfish fishery starting on May 1, 2025. This action is necessary to minimize bycatch of Atlantic sturgeon in the monkfish and spiny dogfish fisheries to the extent practicable and fulfill requirements of the Biological Opinion on Ten Fishery Management Plans in the Greater Atlantic Region and the New England Fishery Management Council's Omnibus Habitat Amendment 2.

This rule implements the HAVANA Act of 2021 (the Act) for the Department of Commerce (Department). The Act provides the authority for the Secretary of Commerce and other agency heads to provide payments to certain individuals who have incurred qualifying injuries to the brain. The rule covers current and former Department employees and dependents of current or former employees.

The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) proposes to permit the TSP record keeper to calculate gains and losses on late contributions, makeup contributions, loan payments even when the total amount on a late payment record or total agency contributions on a current payment record is less than $1.00.

The U.S. Small Business Administration ("SBA" or Agency) is making permanent the increased delegated authorities made available under the ALP Express Pilot for Certified Development Companies ("CDCs") approved for the Accredited Lenders Program ("ALP"). These increased delegated authorities for 504 loans of $500,000 or less ("ALP Express authority") were authorized under the Economic Aid to Hard-hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act (Economic Aid Act or EAA). When these EAA-increased delegated authorities expired on September 30, 2023, SBA implemented the ALP Express Pilot (Pilot) in October 2023 to allow SBA to further evaluate the improved customer service levels for SBA Borrowers and the use of these increased delegated authorities by ALP CDCs. The ALP Express Pilot is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2025. Due to the success of the Pilot, SBA is revising regulations and proceeding to make the Pilot permanent after receiving supportive public comments and no objections to SBA's October 24, 2024, notice of proposed rulemaking. SBA notified Congress of the intent to convert the Pilot to become a permanent part of the 504 Loan Program in September 2024.

This document contains corrections to REG-116017-24, which was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. REG- 116017-24 contained proposed regulations that would provide certain administrative requirements for unincorporated organizations taking advantage of modifications to the rules governing elections to be excluded from the application of partnership tax rules.