New regs for Wednesday: Gas, prison, trucks

Wednesday’s edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for natural gas facilities, prison phone calls, and truck drivers with poor vision in one eye.

Here’s what is happening:

Gas: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is delaying new rules for natural gas processing facilities.

The EPA proposed in January to include natural gas processors in the agency’s toxics release inventory, but is now extending the comment period to give the public more time to consider the changes.

The public now has until May 6 to comment.

Prison: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is correcting mistakes made in a rule relating to prison phone call rates.

The correction goes into effect immediately.

Trucks: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will allow 143 truck drivers with poor vision in one eye to hit the road. 

The FMCSA announced Tuesday it is renewing the exemptions for these drivers from vision requirements that would otherwise prohibit them from operating commercial motor vehicles between states.

While these drivers have poor vision in one eye, they can see clearly enough in the other eye that they do not present a danger on the roads, according to the agency.

The FMCSA is also reviewing applications for exemptions from the vision requirement from other 17 truck drivers.

The public has 30 days to comment.