Agencies and Commissions March 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act of 1980 (16 U.S.C. 839 et.) (the Power Act) requires the Council to adopt and periodically review and revise a regional power plan, the Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Plan (the power plan). The Council first adopted the power plan in 1983, with significant amendments or complete revisions adopted in 1986, 1991 and 1998. The Council began a review of the power plan in 2002, and in September 2004, the Council released for public review and comment the Draft Fifth Power Plan. During the comment period, the Council held public hearings in each of four Northwest states, as required by the Power Act, engaged in consultations about the power plan with various governments, entities and individuals in the region, and accepted and considered substantial written and oral comments. At the Council public meeting in December 2004 in Portland, Oregon, the Council formally adopted the revised power plan, called the Fifth Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Plan. The revised power plan meets the requirements of the Power Act, which specifies the components the power plan is to have. The Power Act requires the power plan to include among other elements, an energy conservation program, a recommendation for research and development; a methodology for determining quantifiable environmental costs and benefits; a 20-year demand forecast; a forecast of power resources that the Bonneville Power Administration will need to meet its obligations; an analysis of reserve and reserve reliability requirements; and a surcharge methodology. The plan also includes the Council's Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program, developed pursuant to other procedural requirements under the Power Act. The Council followed the adoption of the power plan with a decision at its February 2005 meeting, also in Portland, Oregon, to adopt a Response to Comments and Statement of Basis and Purpose to accompany the final power plan. A pre-publication version of the final power plan is available on the Council's Web site, at https://www.nwcouncil.org/ energy/powerplan/draftplan/Default.htm. A formal version will be published in the near future.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announces a meeting of the Return to Flight Task Group (RTF TG).

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the General Services Administration will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve a renewal of a currently approved information collection requirement regarding transfer order-surplus personal property and continuation sheet. Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary and whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, this notice announces the Office of Management and Budget's approval of a collection of information contained in the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's final rule on Annual Financial and Actuarial Information Reporting.

The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Public Law 104-13. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act that does not display a valid control number. Comments are requested concerning (a) 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; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) 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.

The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does not display a valid control number. Comments are requested concerning (a) 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; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) 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.

This document revises the Commission's presubscribed interexchange carrier (PIC)-change charge policies. PIC-change charges are federally-tariffed charges imposed by incumbent local exchange carriers on end-user subscribers when these subscribers change their long distance carriers. The report and order requires incumbent local exchange carriers to create separate PIC-change charges based on the method used to process the request. Based on cost information submitted in the record of the proceeding, the report and order adopts safe harbors below which PIC change charges will be considered reasonable. These safe harbors are $1.25 for electronically-processed PIC changes and $5.50 for manually- processed PIC changes.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's regulations on Benefits Payable in Terminated Single-Employer Plans and Allocation of Assets in Single-Employer Plans prescribe interest assumptions for valuing and paying benefits under terminating single-employer plans. This final rule amends the regulations to adopt interest assumptions for plans with valuation dates in April 2005. Interest assumptions are also published on the PBGC's Web site (https://www.pbgc.gov).

The Federal, State, and Puerto Rico tax tables for calculating the relocation income tax (RIT) allowance must be updated yearly to reflect changes in Federal, State, and Puerto Rico income tax brackets and rates. The Federal, State, and Puerto Rico tax tables contained in this rule are for calculating the 2005 RIT allowance to be paid to relocating Federal employees.

In accordance with the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4) and (e)(11)), we are issuing public notice of our intent to establish a new system of records entitled Representative Payee/Misuse Restitution Control System (RP/MRCS), 60-0318, and routine uses applicable to this system of records. Hereinafter, we will refer to the proposed system of records as the RP/MRCS. We invite public comments on this proposal.

The Commission hereby gives notice of the institution of an investigation and commencement of preliminary phase antidumping investigation No. 731-TA-1090 (Preliminary) under section 733(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1673b(a)) (the Act) to determine whether there is a reasonable indication that an industry in the United States is materially injured or threatened with material injury, or the establishment of an industry in the United States is materially retarded, by reason of imports from superalloy degassed chromium from Japan, provided for in subheading 8112.21.00 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, that are alleged to be sold in the United States at less than fair value. Unless the Department of Commerce extends the time for initiation pursuant to section 732(c)(1)(B) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 1673a(c)(1)(B)), the Commission must reach a preliminary determination in antidumping investigations in 45 days, or in this case by April 18, 2005. The Commission's views are due at Commerce within five business days thereafter, or by April 25, 2005. For further information concerning the conduct of this investigation and rules of general application, consult the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, part 201, subparts A through E (19 CFR part 201), and part 207, subparts A and B (19 CFR part 207).

The FDIC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on the proposed revision of an information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35). Currently, the FDIC is soliciting comments concerning an information collection currently titled ``Deposit Broker Processing.''

The Commission has delegated authority to the Associate Director for International Consumer Protection to respond to disclosure and other requests from Spain's Agencia Espa[ntilde]ola de Protecci[oacute]n de Datos (``AEPD'') regarding unsolicited commercial e-mail pursuant to a memorandum of understanding with the Commission.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation proposes to amend its benefit valuation regulation by adopting more current mortality assumptions (moving from a version of GAM-83 to a version of GAM-94). The updated mortality assumptions will better conform to those used by private- sector insurers in pricing group annuities.