⚖️2025 Civil Monetary Penalties Adjustment Regulations Summary
The Department of Education (Department) issues these final regulations to adjust the Department's civil monetary penalties (CMPs) for inflation. This adjustment is required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (2015 Act), which amended the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 (Inflation Adjustment Act). These final regulations provide the 2025 annual inflation adjustments being made to the penalty amounts in the Department's final regulations published in the Federal Register on January 25, 2024 (2024 final rule).
Learn More🏗️Pipeline Safety Grant Waiver for City Utilities in Missouri
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is waiving the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act's domestic preference requirements for certain products that City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri, (City Utilities) will use in its Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization (NGDISM) grant project, due to unavailability, project cost, or public good. The waiver would exempt the following products used in City Utilities' project from BABA requirements on the basis of nonavailability: locator markers; meter stops with insulated unions; magnesium anodes; 1A meter swivels, nuts, and washers; and direct bury lugs.
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📄FCC Notice on Information Collection for Prepaid Calling Card Providers
As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or the Commission) invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection. Comments are requested concerning: whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical utility; the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and ways to further reduce the information collection burden on small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.
Learn More🐢Business Implications of Endangered Species Regulatory Updates
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce 90- day findings on seven petitions to add species to, and one petition to remove a species from, the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Based on our review, we find that the petitions to list the Amargosa toad (Anaxyrus nelsoni), Carson Valley monkeyflower (Erythranthe carsonensis), large marble butterfly (Euchloe ausonides) (including the large marble butterfly type subspecies (Euchloe ausonides ausonides)), Mohave ground squirrel (Xerospermophilus mohavensis), Morrison bumble bee (Bombus morrisoni), Oasis Valley population of Amargosa speckled dace (Rhinichthys nevadensis nevadensis; hereafter referred to as "Oasis Valley speckled dace"), Tennessee bottlebrush crayfish (Barbicambarus simmonsi), and one petition to delist the golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned actions may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this document, we announce that we are initiating status reviews of these species to determine whether the petitioned actions are warranted. To ensure that the status reviews are comprehensive, we request scientific and commercial data and other information regarding the species and factors that may affect their status. Based on the status reviews, we will issue 12-month petition findings, which will address whether or not the petitioned actions are warranted, in accordance with the Act.
Learn More⚖️Northern QPAMs' Exemption Proposal
This document provides notice of the 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 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code). The proposed exemption would allow certain entities with specified relationships to Northern Trust Fiduciary Services (Guernsey) Limited (NTFS) (hereinafter, the Northern QPAMs, as further defined in section I(e) of the operative language) to rely on the exemptive relief provided by Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption 84-14 (PTE 84-14 or the QPAM Exemption), notwithstanding the judgment of conviction (the Conviction) against NTFS for aiding and abetting tax fraud entered in France in the Paris Court of Appeal, French Special Prosecutor No. 1120392066, French Investigative Judge No. JIRSIF/11/12.
Learn More⛺Extension of Concession Contracts at Yellowstone National Park
Under the terms of its regulations and the applicable concession contracts, the National Park Service (NPS) notifies the public that it intends to extend each concession contract listed in the table below. NPS will extend the contracts until the date shown in the "Extension Expiration Date" column or until the effective date of a new contract, whichever comes first.
Learn More💼Proposed PBGC Rule on Premium Rates and Reporting Changes
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) proposes miscellaneous technical corrections, clarifications, and improvements to its regulations, including its regulations on premium rates, premium due dates, and termination of single-employer plans. These changes are a result of PBGC's ongoing retrospective review of the effectiveness and clarity of its rules and of statutory changes.
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