New regs for Tuesday: Regulatory roadmap formally published

{mosads}Among the rules outlined in the roadmap are regulations on emissions from power plants, a key priority of President Obama’s to combat climate change, as well as many measures that have been in the works for years.

The regulatory game plan, known as the Unified Agenda, is supposed to be released every year in April but was delayed by three months. Business groups, lawmakers and transparency advocates alike criticized the delay, which came after the administration released just one agenda in all of 2012 — in late December.

An additional roadmap is scheduled to be released in October.

Syria:

The Commerce Department is implementing a waiver to ease sanctions on some exports to the Syrian opposition, including tools to help with water, sanitation and generating power. 

First announced by the Obama administration in June, the new regulations will allow for the department to grant licenses to the exporters of various humanitarian goods on a case-by-case basis.

“These exports are necessary to support a political transition, restore stability, and counter destabilizing influences in the region, and are therefore essential to the national security of the United States,” the department said in its rule.

Energy standards:

The Department of Energy is creating a working group to develop energy efficiency standards for commercial and industrial pumps. 

“The purpose of the working group will be to discuss and, if possible, reach consensus on a proposed rule for the energy efficiency of commercial/industrial pumps,” the department said in its notice.

Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission is updating rules for the energy usage labels required on home appliances, like refrigerators and dishwashers. The new labels account for updated national energy costs and ways to compare the appliances. 

Emissions:

The Environmental Protection Agency is extending the comment period for a proposed rule on emissions of formaldehyde for composite wood products like particleboard and for a related proposal on a third-party certification framework for the standards. 

The EPA is also publishing data on greenhouse gas emissions of ethanol made by using barley. According to the analysis, which the agency is publishing to gather input from the public, barley ethanol would meet the federal standard for a renewable fuel program. 

Automobiles:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has determined that no model year 2014 trucks are subject to federal antitheft standards.

The standard applies to vehicles the agency determines are at high risk of theft or have numerous parts that can be interchangeable with other vehicles, and would require that vehicle identification numbers (VINs) are stamped on various pieces of the automobile.  

Nuclear energy:

The Nuclear Energy Commission is publishing a document to support possible new regulations on strategies for plants to mitigate blackouts. The document was called for by an agency review in the wake of the 2011 nuclear accident in Japan. 

Additionally, the Sierra Club has asked the agency to develop stronger rules for spent nuclear fuel, which it will consider. 

Pensions:
The federal regulator for private sector pensions wants to change due dates, rules for large plans and other regulations. According to the Pension Benefit Corporation, the changes will make its regulations “more effective and less burdensome.“ 

Prescription drugs:

The Department of Health and Human Services is clarifying that a law requiring agreements with drug manufacturers will only apply to drugs made or sold to treat rare diseases. 

Fishing:

The National Marine Fisheries Service is prohibiting fishing for Pacific perch in a region off of Alaska and issuing new rules to determine how much red snapper can be caught in the South Atlantic. 

Communications:

The White House’s budget office has approved the Federal Communications Commission’s rules to collect information from satellite radio services for three years. 

Federal workers:

The Merit Systems Protection Board, which looks out for federal workers, is amending its rules to reflect its office’s change of address.