Agencies and Commissions April 12, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announces a Planning Conference of the Science Subcommittees of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC). These Subcommittees report to the Science Committee of the NAC. The Conference will be held for the purpose of soliciting from the scientific community and other persons scientific and technical information relevant to program planning.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has prepared a Draft Environmental Assessment as part of its evaluation of a request by R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC (Ginna LLC) for a license amendment to increase the maximum steady state power level at the R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant (Ginna) from 1520 megawatts thermal (MWt) to 1775 MWt. This represents a power increase of approximately 16.8 percent, which is considered an extended power uprate (EPU). As stated in the NRC staff's position paper dated February 8, 1996, on the Boiling-Water Reactor Extended Power Uprate Program, the NRC staff will prepare an environmental impact statement if it believes a power uprate will have a significant impact on the human environment. The NRC staff did not identify any significant impact from the information provided in the licensee's EPU application for Ginna or the NRC staff's independent review; therefore, the NRC staff is documenting its environmental review in an environmental assessment. Also, in accordance with the position paper, the Draft Environmental Assessment and finding of no significant impact is being published in the Federal Register with a 30-day public comment period.

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, 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 (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 sets forth a proposal to amend the FM Table of Allotments, section 73.202(b) of the Commission's rules. The Audio Division requests comment on a petition filed by KERM, Inc. pursuant to section 1.420(i) of the Commission's rules. Petitioner proposes to change the community of license for Station KURM-FM from Southwest City, Missouri, to Gravette, Arkansas, and to change the FM Table of Allotments by deleting Channel 262A at Southwest City, Missouri, and by adding Channel 262A at Gravette, Arkansas, as the community's first local aural broadcast service. The proposed coordinates for Channel 262A at Gravette, Arkansas, are 36-25-54 NL and 94-30-46 WL. The allotment will require a site restriction of 5.4 km (3.4 miles) west of Gravette.

The Department of Defense (DoD) is formulating its plan on how to manage its inventory of Cold War (1946-1974) era unaccompanied personnel housing (UPH). In order to better meet its Federal historic preservation responsibilities in managing these properties, DoD has requested the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) to comment on the overall management of such properties, as opposed to submit each individual undertaking under such management to separate review. The DoD and ACHP have drafted such a comment and now seek public input on it. ACHP will take into account this public input prior to deciding whether to issue the program comment.

This document announces the effective date of the rules published in the Federal Register on July 6, 2005. The rules eliminate paper filings and require applicants to file electronically all applications and other filings related to international telecommunications services that can be filed through the International Bureau Filing System (IBFS).

The Federal Election Commission is amending its rules to include paid advertisements on the Internet in the definition of ``public communication.'' These final rules implement the recent decision of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Shays v. Federal Election Commission, which held that the previous definition of ``public communication'' impermissibly excluded all Internet communications. The revised definition of ``public communication'' includes paid Internet advertising placed on another person's website, but does not encompass any other form of Internet communication. The Commission is also re-promulgating without change its definition of ``generic campaign activity'' and amending the scope of its disclaimer regulations, both of which incorporate the revised definition of ``public communication.'' Additionally, the Commission is adding new exceptions to the definitions of ``contribution'' and ``expenditure'' to exclude Internet activities and communications that qualify as individual activity or that qualify for the ``media exemption.'' These final rules are intended to ensure that political committees properly finance and disclose their Internet communications, without impeding individual citizens from using the Internet to speak freely regarding candidates and elections. Further information is provided in the Supplementary Information that follows.

The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) Section 231 directs the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to provide for the testing, certification, decertification and recertification of voting systems. HAVA Section 221 mandates the development of voluntary voting system guidelines to support this process. In 2004, the EAC formed the Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC) to create an initial set of recommendations for the guidelines. The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) chairs the TGDC and NIST staff provides technical support for the TGDC's work. This committee of fifteen experts began their work in July 2004 and submitted their recommendations to the EAC in May 2005. EAC reviewed and revised these recommendations and published its proposed Voluntary Voting System Guidelines in June 2005, 70 FR 37378 (June 29, 2005), beginning the ninety-day public comment period. The Commission adopted the 2005 Voluntary Voting System Guidelines on December 13, 2005. The Guidelines published here will be used to test voting systems for national certification.