Executive Office of the President November 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), Cost Accounting Standards Board (Board), is today announcing an extension of time to submit public comments regarding the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) (73 FR 51261, September 2, 2008) on the harmonization of Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) 412 and 413 with the Pension Protection Act (PPA) of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-280, 120 Stat.780). Many of the public comments received as of November 3, 2008 noted that the ANPRM addressed complex and technical accounting issues. Some of the commenters noted that they were still actively performing actuarial modeling of the ANPRM and alternative approaches. These commenters asked that the Board consider promulgating a second ANPRM or accepting public comments submitted after the original due date of November 3, 2008. Because the Final Rule must be published within the statutory time requirements of Section 106 of the PPA, the Board is concerned that the promulgation of a second ANPRM might not be feasible. Therefore to permit fuller consideration of the continuing efforts by the public, and to mitigate the need for a second ANPRM, the Board is extending the comment period to the date specified below. Public comments already received in response to the ANPRM are available in their entirety at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/ procurement/index_casb.htm and at https://www.regulations.gov.

By virtue of the authority vested in the President by section 2(a) of Public Law 87-603 (76 Stat. 593; 42 U.S.C. 2652), and delegated to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by the President through Executive Order No. 11541 of July 1, 1970, the rates referenced below are hereby established. These rates are for use in connection with the recovery from tortiously liable third persons for the cost of outpatient medical, dental and cosmetic surgery services furnished by military treatment facilities through the Department of Defense (DoD). The rates were established in accordance with the requirements of OMB Circular A-25, requiring reimbursement of the full cost of all services provided. The outpatient medical and dental rates referenced are effective upon publication of this notice in the Federal Register and will remain in effect until further notice. Pharmacy rates are updated periodically. The inpatient rates, published on March 6, 2008, remain in effect until further notice. A full analysis of the rates is posted at the DoD's Uniform Business Office Web Site: https://www.tricare.mil/ocfo/_docs/ SIGNED%20Med%20Den%Reimburse%20Rates%20and%Cosmetic%20Surgery %205%2030%2 008.pdf. The rates can be found at: https://www.tricare.mil/ocfo/mcfs/ ubo/mhs_rates.cfm.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') is providing notice that on October 24, 2008, Mexico requested consultations with the United States under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning U.S. limitations on the use of a dolphin-safe label for tuna and tuna products. That request may be found at https://www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS381/1. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.

Chapter 19 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (``NAFTA'') provides for the establishment of a roster of individuals to serve on binational panels convened to review final determinations in antidumping or countervailing duty (``AD/CVD'') proceedings and amendments to AD/CVD statutes of a NAFTA Party. The United States annually renews its selections for the Chapter 19 roster. Applications are invited from eligible individuals wishing to be included on the roster for the period April 1, 2009, through March 31, 2010.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') is providing notice that on September 19, 2008, the People's Republic of China (``China'') requested consultations with the United States under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning final anti-dumping and countervailing duty determinations and orders by the Department of Commerce on imports of the following products from China: Circular Welded Carbon Quality Steel Pipe (Investigations A-570-910 and C-570- 911); Certain New Pneumatic Off-the-Road Tires (Investigations A-570- 912 and C-570-913); Light-Walled Rectangular Pipe and Tube (Investigations A-570-914 and C-570-915); and Laminated Woven Sacks (Investigations A-570-916 and C-570-917). That request may be found at www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS379/1. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.

With respect to the Annual Review under the ATPA, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) received no new petitions in August-September 2008 to review certain practices in a beneficiary developing country to determine whether such country is in compliance with the ATPA eligibility criteria. USTR received updates to two petitions that are currently under review and a request to withdraw a petition that was under review. This notice specifies the status of the petitions filed in prior years that have remained under review. This notice does not relate to the Bolivia-specific review initiated on October 1, 2008 (73 FR 57158).