💼New Energy Conservation Standards for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment
The Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended ("EPCA"), prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator-freezers ("commercial refrigeration equipment" or "CRE"). EPCA also requires the U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") to periodically review its existing standards to determine whether more-stringent standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified and would result in significant energy savings. In this final rule, DOE is adopting new and amended energy conservation standards for CRE. It has determined that the new and amended energy conservation standards for this equipment would result in significant conservation of energy and are technologically feasible and economically justified.
Learn More📜Clarifying Changes to Paper Packaging Promotion Regulation
This final rule implements clarifying amendments to the Paper and Paper-Based Packaging Promotion, Research and Information Order (Order). The amendments include an added definition for partnership; clarification of the nominations process; clarification about in person and electronic voting for any Board meetings; an update of the timing of financial reporting; and a revision of requirements for when exemptions can be requested. This final rule brings language in the Order up to date with current industry practices.
Learn More📜DOJ Finalizes Guidance Document Regulations Effective January 2025
This rule finalizes without change an interim final rule by which the Department of Justice ("Department") removed amendments to its regulations that were made during 2020 pursuant to the now-revoked Executive Order 13891, which had imposed limitations on the use of Department guidance documents in criminal and civil enforcement actions brought by the Department.
Learn More📜Analysis of CEQ FOIA and Privacy Act Regulations Impact on Businesses
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is finalizing its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations to incorporate amendments to the FOIA set forth in the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016; to conform to guidance for Federal agencies from the Department of Justice; to make them easier for the public to understand and use; and to better reflect CEQ's current policy and practice. These final regulations reaffirm CEQ's commitment to providing the fullest possible disclosure of records to the public. In addition, CEQ is amending its regulations implementing the Privacy Act of 1974 (the Privacy Act) to make them easier for the public to understand and use and to better reflect CEQ's current policy and practice. These final regulations also make administrative changes, including reorganizing, renumbering, and renaming the sections of CEQ's current FOIA and Privacy Act regulations. CEQ considered all of the public comments received on its proposed rule and made changes in response in this final rule.
Learn More⚡Updates on Energy Conservation Standards and Compliance Requirements
The U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") is publishing a final rule to amend and correct certain energy conservation standards and test procedures of consumer products and commercial and industrial equipment, as described in sections I and II of this document. The changes addressed in this document are technical in nature, and neither the errors nor the corrections in this document affect the substance of any rulemaking or any conclusions reached in support of any final rule.
Learn More💼Changes to Federal Wage System Impacting Wage Areas Announced
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final rule to change the regulatory criteria used to define Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area boundaries and make changes in certain wage areas. The purpose of this change, which will affect around ten percent of the FWS workforce, is to make the FWS wage area criteria more similar to the General Schedule (GS) locality pay area criteria. This change is based on a December 2023 majority recommendation of the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC), the statutory national-level labor-management committee that advises OPM on the administration of the FWS.
Learn More📄SEC Mandates Electronic Filing for Regulatory Compliance
The Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission" or "SEC") is amending its rules to require electronic filing or submission of certain forms and other filings or submissions that are required to be filed with or submitted to the Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act") and the rules and regulations under the Exchange Act. The amendments require the electronic filing or submission on the Commission's Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval ("EDGAR") system, using structured data where appropriate, for certain forms filed or submitted by self- regulatory organizations ("SROs"). The amendments require the information currently contained in Form 19b-4(e) to be publicly posted on the SRO's website and remove the manual signature requirements for SRO proposed rule change filings. The Commission is also requiring that a clearing agency post supplemental material to its website. In addition, the Commission is amending rules under the Exchange Act and the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act") to require the electronic filing or submission on EDGAR, using structured data where appropriate, of certain forms, reports, and notices provided by broker- dealers, security-based swap dealers, and major security-based swap participants. The amendments also require withdrawal in certain circumstances of notices filed in connection with an exception to counting certain dealing transactions toward determining whether a person is a security-based swap dealer. Finally, the Commission is allowing electronic signatures in certain broker-dealer filings, and amending the Financial and Operational Combined Uniform Single Report ("FOCUS Report") to harmonize with other rules, make technical corrections, and provide clarifications.
Learn More🌍Proposed EPA Regulations Impacting California Air Quality Compliance
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing action on three permitting rules submitted as a revision to the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District (SJVUAPCD or "District") portion of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). These revisions concern the District's New Source Review (NSR) permitting program for new and modified sources of air pollution under section 110(a)(2)(C) and part D of title I of the Clean Air Act (CAA or "Act"). This action will update the California SIP with rules that the District has revised to address deficiencies identified in a previous limited disapproval action and to incorporate other revisions related to NSR requirements. We are taking comments on this proposal and plan to follow with a final action. Elsewhere in this Federal Register, we are making an interim final determination that will defer the imposition of CAA sanctions associated with our previous limited disapproval action. This action also proposes to revise regulatory text to clarify that the SJVUAPCD is not subject to the federal implementation plan related to protection of visibility.
Learn More📦New Rules on Low-Value Shipments Affecting Trade Compliance
This document proposes amendments to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations pertaining to the administrative exemption for certain low-value shipments not exceeding $800. Specifically, CBP proposes to make merchandise that is subject to specified trade or national security actions ineligible for this administrative exemption and to require that certain shipments claiming this exemption provide the 10-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) classification of the merchandise.
Learn More💼Proposed Updates to Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program
The Office for Victims of Crime ("OVC") of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs ("OJP"), proposes this rule to amend the program regulations for the International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program ("ITVERP"), to streamline program operation, more expressly reflect certain policy and procedures adopted by OVC since it began administering the program in 2006, and to adjust cost category caps.
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