New regs for Friday: Air pollution, Navy ships, Syrian sanctions

Friday’s edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for Navy ships, emissions of hazardous air pollutants, renewable fuel, nutrition for infants and Syrian sanctions. 

Here’s what is happening:

Shipwrecks: The Department of the Navy is making changes to rules intended to prevent collisions at sea.

The Navy announced Thursday it is exempting the USS North Dakota from certain provisions of the rule, because of the ship’s special construction and purpose. The ship “cannot fully comply with certain provisions of the [rule] without interfering with its special function as a naval ship,” the Navy wrote.

The Navy is issuing the rule to warn mariners in nearby waters, so they are careful to avoid the USS North Dakota. 

The rule goes into effect immediately.

Emissions: The Environmental Protection Agency is considering new emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants, such as radon emissions from operating uranium mill tailings.

The proposed rule would apply to certain uranium recovery facilities.

The public has 90 days to comment.

Renewable fuel: The EPA is moving forward with changes to the cellulosic biofuel standard. 

The EPA announced Thursday it is lowering the cellulosic biofuel standard, after one of the major producers said it was cutting back production.

Cellulosic biofuel is a renewable fuel that is made from wood, grass and plants.

The rule goes into effect in 60 days.

Nutrition: The Department of Agriculture is moving forward with a special supplemental nutritional program for women, infants, and children. 

The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced Thursday that the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the agency’s information collection request under the program.

The USDA published the rule in March. It revises certain food package standards for women, infants and children who participate in the program to align the standards more closely with the latest nutrition science.

Syria: The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is updating the federal government’s Syrian sanctions, as the Middle Eastern country ravages through a civil war.

The rule, which allows the Obama administration to freeze the assets of Syrian officials, goes into effect immediately.

Homes: The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is considering raising the fee for manufacturers that participate in the agency’s program. 

The proposed rules would raise the fee for each transportable section of a home that a manufacturer produces to between $95 and $105, from the current $39. 

The public has 30 days to comment.