🌊Implications of Proposed Submarine Cable Landing License Rules
The Federal Communications Commission ("FCC" or "Commission") takes another important step to protect the Nation's submarine cable infrastructure from threats in an evolving national security and law enforcement landscape by undertaking the first major comprehensive review of the Commission's submarine cable rules since 2001. This review seeks to develop forward-looking rules to better protect submarine cables, identify and mitigate harms affecting national security and law enforcement, and facilitate the deployment of submarine cables and capacity to the market. Among other things, the Commission proposes to adopt a three-year periodic reporting requirement for submarine cable landing licenses; in the alternative, the Commission seeks comment on shortening the current 25-year submarine cable license term or adopting a shorter license term in combination with periodic reporting. The Commission also proposes or seeks comment on codifying the Commission's legal jurisdiction and other legal requirements in its rules to provide regulatory certainty to submarine cable owners and operators. Additionally, the Commission proposes and seeks comment on appropriate applicant and application requirements to account for the evolution of technologies and facilities and changes in the national security landscape over the last two decades and to ensure the Commission has targeted and granular information regarding the ownership, control, use of a submarine cable system, and other things, which are critical to the Commission's review to assess potential national security risks and other important public interest factors. Further, the Commission seeks comment on improving the quality of the circuit capacity data and facilitating the sharing of such information with other Federal agencies. Through these proposals, the Commission seeks to ensure that the Commission is exercising appropriate oversight of submarine cables to safeguard U.S. communications networks.
Learn More⚛️NRC Updates Spent Fuel Storage Regulations for HI-STORM 100 Cask System
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its spent fuel storage regulations by revising the Holtec International HI- STORM 100 Cask System listing within the "List of approved spent fuel storage casks" to include Renewed Amendment No. 19 to Certificate of Compliance No. 1014. Renewed Amendment No. 19 revises the certificate of compliance to update the acceptance criteria and method of evaluation (MOE) for the HI-STORM 100 system tipover accident for equipment combinations involving multi-purpose canisters (MPCs) with Metamic-HT baskets. This involves applying a new stress-based criteria and completing new evaluations consistent with the new tipover acceptance criteria and MOE and involves some adjustments of the existing deflection criteria.
Learn More🏭EPA Deletes Sites from National Priorities List Impacting Business
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces the deletion of one site and partial deletion of three sites from the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL, created under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended, is an appendix of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). The EPA and the States, through their designated State agencies, have determined that all appropriate response actions under CERCLA have been completed. However, this deletion does not preclude future actions under Superfund.
Learn More🏘️Implications of Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Revisions
This interim final rule revises HUD's regulation governing the Fair Housing Act's mandate that the Secretary administer HUD's program and activities in a manner that affirmatively furthers fair housing. This interim final rule returns to the original understanding of what the statutory AFFH certification was prior to 1994--a general commitment that grantees will take active steps to promote fair housing. Grantee AFFH certifications will be deemed sufficient provided they took any action during the relevant period rationally related to promoting fair housing, such as helping eliminate housing discrimination. This interim final rule does not, however, reinstate the obligation to conduct an Analysis of Impediments or mandate any specific fair housing planning mechanism; program participants must continue to affirmatively further fair housing as and to the extent required by the Fair Housing Act.
Learn More⚛️NRC Amendments to NAC-MPC System Impacting Spent Fuel Storage
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its spent fuel storage regulations by revising the NAC Multi-Purpose Canister (NAC-MPC) System listing within the "List of approved spent fuel storage casks" to include Amendment No. 9 and revise Amendment Nos. 6, 7, and 8 to Certificate of Compliance (CoC) No. 1025. The addition of Amendment No. 9 and the revisions to Amendment Nos. 6, 7, and 8 amend the description of the vertical concrete cask (VCC) in the CoC and technical specifications to make a distinction between the VCC body and the VCC lid, in terms of applicability of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Specifications ACI 349 and ACI 318.
Learn More🏢HUBZone Program Updates
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is correcting a final rule that was published in the Federal Register on December 17, 2024. The rule clarified and improved policies surrounding a comprehensive revision to the HUBZone Program regulations published in 2019, among other changes. This document is making several technical corrections to the final regulations.
Learn More🛡️Holtec HI-STORM UMAX Storage System Compliance Updates
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its spent fuel storage regulations by revising the Holtec International HI- STORM UMAX Canister Storage System listing within the "List of approved spent fuel storage casks" to include Revision 1 to Amendment Nos. 0 through 2 to Certificate of Compliance (CoC) No. 1040. Revision 1 to Amendment Nos. 0 through 2 updates the CoC appendix A technical specifications for radiation protection and the associated bases information to clearly articulate the basis for the dose rate limits for the closure lids, modify the dose rate limit values and the description of the location of the dose rate measurements, and make other editorial changes.
Learn More📈2025 Civil Monetary Penalty Adjustments
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Commission) is amending its rule that governs the maximum amount of civil monetary penalties imposed under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), to adjust for inflation. This rule sets forth the maximum, inflation-adjusted dollar amount for civil monetary penalties (CMPs) assessable for violations of the CEA and Commission rules, regulations and orders thereunder. The rule, as amended, implements the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended.
Learn More