🌾Analysis of Supplemental Agricultural Assistance Programs Regulations
This rule makes discretionary changes to simplify and streamline deadlines for the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), and the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). It also makes changes to clarify ELAP provisions for assistance for transportation of livestock feed.
Learn More⚖️Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustments for Oil and Gas Operations
This final rule adjusts the amounts of civil monetary penalties contained in the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) regulations governing onshore oil and gas operations and coal trespass. This final rule is required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 and is consistent with applicable Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance. The adjustments made by this final rule constitute the 2025 annual inflation adjustments and account for one year of inflation spanning the period from October 2023 through October 2024.
Learn More📈Annual Civil Penalty Adjustment for Indian Gaming Effective 2025
In compliance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (the Act) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance, the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC or Commission) is amending its civil monetary penalty rule to reflect an annual adjustment for inflation in order to improve the penalty's effectiveness and maintain its deterrent effect. The Act provides that the new penalty level must apply to penalties assessed after the effective date of the increase, including when the penalties whose associated violation predate the increase.
Learn More⚓New Cybersecurity Regulations for U.S.-Flagged Vessels and Facilities
The Coast Guard is updating its maritime security regulations by establishing minimum cybersecurity requirements for U.S.-flagged vessels, Outer Continental Shelf facilities, and facilities subject to the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 regulations. This final rule addresses current and emerging cybersecurity threats in the marine transportation system by adding minimum cybersecurity requirements to help detect risks and respond to and recover from cybersecurity incidents. These include requirements to develop and maintain a Cybersecurity Plan, designate a Cybersecurity Officer, and take various measures to maintain cybersecurity within the marine transportation system. The Coast Guard is also seeking comments on a potential delay for the implementation periods for U.S.-flagged vessels.
Learn More⚙️DOE Amendments to Compressor Test Procedures
The U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") is amending the test procedure for compressors to correct an error and to ensure that pressure ratio is expressed in terms of absolute pressure. DOE is also correcting the formula for isentropic efficiency and specific energy consumption of the packaged compressor by incorporating a K<INF>6</INF> correction factor to correct for differences in pressure ratio when testing at differing elevations. Finally, DOE is amending the definition of "air compressor" to include a minor clarification and revise a typographical error.
Learn More💊New Telemedicine Rules for Buprenorphine Prescribing
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services are amending their regulations to expand the circumstances under which practitioners registered by the Drug Enforcement Administration are authorized to prescribe schedule III-V controlled substances approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of opioid use disorder via a telemedicine encounter, including an audio-only telemedicine encounter. Under these new regulations, after a practitioner reviews the patient's prescription drug monitoring program data for the state in which the patient is located during the telemedicine encounter, the practitioner may prescribe an initial six-month supply of such medications (split amongst several prescriptions totaling six calendar months) through audio-only means. Additional prescriptions can be issued under other forms of telemedicine as authorized under the Controlled Substances Act, or after an in-person medical evaluation is conducted. This regulation also requires the pharmacist to verify the identity of the patient prior to filling a prescription. The Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008 generally requires an in- person medical evaluation prior to issuance of a controlled substance prescription. However, this regulation falls under one of the exceptions found within the Ryan Haight Act. Additionally, this regulation does not affect practitioner-patient relationships in cases where an in-person medical evaluation has previously occurred. The purpose of this regulation is to prevent lapses of care by continuing some of the telemedicine flexibilities that currently exist for those patients seeking treatment for opioid use disorder.
Learn More🌍New SIP Deadlines and Compliance Requirements Under Ozone Regulations
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing deadlines for submission of state implementation plan (SIP) revisions and implementation of the relevant control requirements that will apply for nonattainment areas reclassified as Moderate, Serious, and Severe under the current and any future ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) as a result of either failing to attain the standard by the applicable classification attainment date or the EPA granting a voluntary reclassification request. This final rule articulates the implementation requirements and timeframes that will apply for all such areas once reclassified. The EPA is also finalizing regulatory revisions to codify its existing interpretation that following reclassification, a state is no longer required to submit SIP revisions addressing certain, but not all, requirements related to the prior classification level for an ozone nonattainment area.
Learn More🌍Updated EPA Regulations on Aerosol Coatings and VOCs Compliance
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing amendments to the National Volatile Organic Compound Emission Standards for Aerosol Coatings. This action revises national emission standards for the aerosol coatings (aerosol spray paints) category under the Clean Air Act (CAA), which requires control of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from certain categories of consumer and commercial products for purposes of reducing VOC emissions contributing to ozone formation and ozone nonattainment. The regulation employs a relative reactivity-based approach to control aerosol coating products' contribution to ozone formation by encouraging the use of less reactive VOC ingredients in formulations. In this final rule, the EPA is updating coating category product-weighted reactivity (PWR) limits, adding new compounds and reactivity factors, updating existing reactivity factors, revising the rule's default reactivity factor, amending thresholds for VOC regulated by the rule, amending reporting requirements, updating test methods to reflect more recent versions, adding a new compliance date, and making clarifying edits.
Learn More⚖️New Compliance Rules for Clothes Washer and Dryer Testing 2024
In this final rule, the U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") is amending the test procedures for residential and commercial clothes washers and consumer clothes dryers to update the test cloth specifications. DOE is also reorganizing the test procedures for improved readability. DOE is conducting this rulemaking to address specific issues and to make minor corrections to the current test procedures. This rulemaking does not satisfy the statutory requirement that, at least once every 7 years, DOE review the test procedures for clothes washers and consumer clothes dryers.
Learn More⚖️Regulatory Updates for Federal Mine Safety and Health Compliance
The Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (the "Commission") is an independent adjudicatory agency that provides trials and appellate review of cases arising under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (the "Mine Act"). Trials are held before the Commission's Administrative Law Judges, and appellate review is provided by a five-member Review Commission appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. This rule makes final revisions to many of the Commission's procedural rules. The Commission makes these changes in a continued effort to ensure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of all proceedings before the Commission.
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