Department of Labor 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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.

This notice announces the Agency's final decision to grant recognition to TUV Rheinland PTL, LLC, as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory under 29 CFR 1910.7.

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed extension of the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Program. A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

The Department of Labor is soliciting comments concerning the proposed extension of the information collection request (ICR) for applicants to obtain awards in administrative proceedings subject to the Equal Access to Justice Act.

Under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-220), the Secretary of Labor annually determines the Lower Living Standard Income level (LLSIL) for uses described in the law. WIA defines the term ``Low Income Individual'' as one who qualifies under various criteria, including an individual who received income for a six-month period that does not exceed the higher level of the poverty line or 70 percent of the LLSIL. This issuance provides the Secretary's annual LLSIL for 2011 and references the current 2011 Health and Human Services ``Poverty Guidelines.''

The Employment and Training Administration is issuing this notice to announce the receipt of a ``Certification of Non-Relocation and Market and Capacity Information Report'' (Form 4279-2) for the following: Applicant/Location: SoloPower, Inc., Wilsonville, Oregon. Principal Product/Purpose: The loan, guarantee, or grant application is to expand operations and increase production capacity by opening a new facility in Wilsonville, Oregon. The NAICS industry code for this enterprise is: 334413 (Solar cells manufacturing).

This document contains a notice of pendency before the Department of Labor (the Department) of a proposed individual exemption from certain prohibited transaction restrictions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA), the Federal Employees' Retirement System Act of 1986, as amended (FERSA), and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code). The proposed transactions involve BlackRock, Inc. and its investment advisory, investment management and broker-dealer affiliates and their successors. The proposed exemption, if granted, would affect plans for which BlackRock, Inc. and its investment advisory, investment management and broker-dealer affiliates and their successors serve as fiduciaries, and the participants and beneficiaries of such plans.

The U.S. Department of Labor (the Department or DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Office of Workforce Investment (OWI), Division of Adult Services (DAS), announces a grant competition for operating the Housing Assistance portion of the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP), under section 167 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), 29 U.S.C. 2912. Section 167(a) of WIA requires the Secretary to conduct a grants competition every two years for the purpose of carrying out the activities authorized under section 167. Although housing assistance is identified in WIA as one of the allowable activities under NFJP, Congressional appropriations language directs the Department to make available a specific amount of the funds appropriated for the NFJP for migrant and seasonal farmworkers housing assistance grants, and requires that no less than 70 percent of the specified amount must be used for permanent housing activities. We are conducting this competition before the passage of the Department of Labor's Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 appropriation in anticipation of the appropriation of funds for Program Year (PY) 2011 NFJP housing assistance grants, but we will not obligate any funds for PY 2011 grants unless and until they are appropriated. The FY 2011 appropriation request for this program is $5,700,000. The complete SGA and any subsequent SGA amendments are described in further detail on ETA's Web site at https://www.doleta.gov/grants or on https://www.grants.gov. The Web sites provide application information, eligibility requirements, review and selection procedures and other program requirements governing this solicitation.

OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to extend OMB approval of the information collection requirements specified by the Methylene Chloride Standard (29 CFR 1910.1052).

Announcement regarding New Mexico and Colorado triggering ``on'' to Tier Four of Emergency Unemployment Compensation 2008 (EUC08). Public law 111-312 extended provisions in Public Law 111-92 which amended prior laws to create a Third and Fourth Tier of benefits within the EUC08 program for qualified unemployed workers claiming benefits in high unemployment states. The Department of Labor produces a trigger notice indicating which states qualify for EUC08 benefits within Tiers Three and Four and provides the beginning and ending dates of payable periods for each qualifying state. The trigger notice covering state eligibility for the EUC08 program can be found at: https:// ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/claimsarch.asp. Based on data published January 25, 2011, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following trigger changes have occurred for New Mexico and Colorado in the EUC08 program: The three month average, seasonally adjusted total unemployment rates for New Mexico and Colorado met or exceeded the 8.5% threshold to trigger ``on'' to Tier Four in the EUC08 program. The payable period in Tier Four for New Mexico and Colorado began February 13, 2011. As a result, the maximum potential entitlement of 34 weeks will increase to a maximum potential entitlement of 47 weeks in the EUC08 program.

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed extension of the ``Current Population Survey (CPS) Volunteer Supplement.'' A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the addresses section of this notice.