Department of Labor April 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This final rule revises MSHA's Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) and addresses sealing abandoned areas in underground coal mines. The final rule includes requirements for seal strength, design, construction, maintenance and repair of seals and monitoring and control of atmospheres behind seals in order to reduce the risk of seal failure and the risk of explosions in abandoned areas of underground coal mines. It also addresses the level of overpressure for new seals.

Pursuant to Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), as amended, and Section 166(h)(4) of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) [29 U.S.C. 2911(h)(4)], notice is hereby given of the next meeting of the Native American Employment and Training Council, as constituted under WIA.

Section 101(c) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 and 30 CFR part 44 govern the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for modification. This notice is a summary of petitions for modification filed by the parties listed below to modify the application of existing mandatory safety standards published in Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announces that OMB has extended its approval for a number of information collection requirements found in sections of 29 CFR parts 1910, 1915, and 1926. OSHA sought approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA-95), and, as required by that Act, is announcing the approval numbers and expiration dates for those requirements.

The Department of Labor (the Department or DOL) is publishing this Final Rule to amend its regulations regarding the temporary employment of nonimmigrant foreign professionals in order to implement procedural requirements applicable to the E-3 visa category. This visa classification was established by Title V of the REAL ID Act of 2005 (Division B) in the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005, and applies to certain Australian nationals coming to the United States solely to perform services in specialty occupations. This Final Rule clarifies the procedures that employers must follow in obtaining a DOL- certified labor condition application before seeking an E-3 visa for a foreign worker.

Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR part 1500-08) implementing procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of Labor, Office of the Secretary (OSEC), in accordance with 29 CFR 11.11(d), gives final notice of the proposed construction of a new Job Corps Center located in Ottumwa, Iowa, and that this construction will not have a significant adverse impact on the environment. In accordance with 29 CFR 11.11(d) and 40 CFR 1501.4(e)(2), a preliminary FONSI for the new Job Corps Center was published in the February 1, 2008 Federal Register (73 FR Page 6209-6210). No comments were received regarding the preliminary FONSI. OSEC has reviewed the conclusion of the environmental assessment (EA), and agrees with the finding of no significant impact. This notice serves as the Final Finding of No Significant Impact for the new Job Corps Center located at College Avenue and 6th Street, Ottumwa, Iowa. The preliminary FONSI and the EA are adopted in final with no change.

Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR part 1500-08) implementing procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of Labor, Office of the Secretary (OSEC), in accordance with 29 CFR 11.11(d), gives final notice of the proposed construction of a new Job Corps Center located at 4000 Airport Road approximately two miles northwest of Riverton, Wyoming, and that this construction will not have a significant adverse impact on the environment. In accordance with 29 CFR 11.11(d) and 40 CFR 1501.4(e)(2), a preliminary FONSI for the new Job Corps Center was published in the December 12, 2007 Federal Register (72 FR Page 70615-70616). No comments were received that related to the environmental findings of the preliminary FONSI. The Job Corps has reviewed the conclusion of the environmental assessment (EA), and agrees with the finding of no significant impact. This notice serves as the Final Finding of No Significant Impact for the new Job Corps Center located at 4000 Airport Road approximately two miles northwest of Riverton, Wyoming. The preliminary FONSI and the EA are adopted in final with no change.

The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), intends to obligate approximately USD 21 million to support cooperative agreement awards to organizations to address exploitive child labor and forced labor internationally. ILAB intends to award, through a competitive and merit-based process, cooperative agreements to organizations to develop and implement formal, non- formal, and vocational education projects as a means to combat exploitive child labor in the following five countries: Guinea, Jordan, Madagascar, Nicaragua, and Yemen. ILAB intends to fund projects that focus on withdrawing and preventing children who are engaged in, or at risk of engaging in, exploitive child labor through the provision of direct educational services. The projects should propose innovative ways to provide these educational services to target populations and address the gaps and challenges to basic education found in the countries mentioned above. ILAB also intends to award a cooperative agreement to an organization(s) to conduct research on forced labor in selected countries to be determined. ILAB intends to solicit cooperative agreement applications from qualified organizations (i.e., any commercial, international, educational, or non-profit organization, including any faith-based, community-based, or public international organizations(s), capable of successfully developing and implementing child labor projects) to implement these projects. Please refer to https://www.dol.gov/ilab/grants/main.htm for examples of previous notices of availability of funds and solicitations for cooperative agreement applications. Information on the specific sectors, geographical regions, and funding levels for the potential projects in the countries listed above will be addressed in a solicitation(s) for cooperative agreement applications to be published prior to September 30, 2008. Potential applicants should not submit inquiries to USDOL for further information on these award opportunities until after USDOL's publication of the solicitations. For a list of frequently asked questions on Solicitations for Cooperative Agreement Applications (based on last year's solicitations, SGAs 07-10 and 07-11), please visit https:// www.dol.gov/ilab/faq/faq0710.htm. Key Dates: The forthcoming solicitation(s) for cooperative agreement applications will be published on https://www.grants.gov and USDOL/ILAB's Web site. A brief synopsis of the solicitation(s) for cooperative agreement applications (SGA) and Web site links to the full-text SGAs will be published in the Federal Register. The SGA will remain open for at least 30 days from the date of publication. All cooperative agreement awards will be made on or before September 30, 2008. Submission Information: Applications in response to the forthcoming solicitation must be submitted via https://www.grants.gov. Any application sent by mail or other delivery services, e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (Fax) will not be accepted.

The Department of Labor published a notice in the Federal Register on March 28, 2008, concerning the announcement of the WIA Allotments to States. The notice did not contain attachments. This correction notice contains the attachments.

On August 22, 2006, the Advisory Committee on Job Corps (ACJC) was established in accordance with the provisions of the Workforce Investment Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The Committee was established to advance Job Corps' new vision for student achievement aimed at 21st century high-growth employment. The Committee was established to advance Job Corps' new vision for student achievement aimed at 21st century high-growth employment. This Committee will also evaluate Job Corps program characteristics, including its purpose, goals, and effectiveness, efficiency, and performance measures in order to address the critical issues facing the provision of job training and education to the youth population that it serves. The Committee may provide other advice and recommendations with regard to identifying and overcoming problems, planning program or center development or strengthening relations between Job Corps and agencies, institutions, or groups engaged in related activities.