WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management has issued a direct final rule to give energy producers more time to meet increased bonding requirements for operations on federal lands. The action extends the phase-in deadline for statewide oil and gas bonds from June 22, 2026, to June 22, 2027. By moving the date, the BLM aligns the compliance timeline for Statewide bonds with the schedule for individual lease bonds. This shift is intended to provid more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security has issued an order denying the export privileges of Jose Raul Paredes Arispe whose last known address was in Jesup, Georgia, who attempted to smuggle high-capacity firearm components out of Florida. The administrative action follows a criminal judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Arispe, who previously used false-bottom compartments in packages labeled as tractor  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security has issued an order denying the export privileges of Arthur Ching-Fu Gau whose last known address was in Tempe, Arizona, following his conviction for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The decision bans Gau from participating in any transactions involving items subject to export regulations until March 10, 2026. Gau was convicted on March 10, 2022, in the U.S. District Court fo more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has proposed an order to grant exemptive relief that would allow for the expansion of cross-margining arrangements for U.S. treasury securities. This proposal, announced in response to a petition from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. (CME), Illinois, and the Fixed Income Clearing Corp. (FICC) aims to improve market efficiency ahead of new clearing requirements. The proposed order would allow joint clearing members of C more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule to approve portions of Arizona's state implementation plan intended to manage fine particulate matter pollution. The action ensures the state meets federal standards established in 2012 for air quality maintenance and enforcement. The decision follows a review of submittals from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. These filings, provided in Dec. 2015 and Feb. 2022, address how the state will more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a final rule to update the state of Oklahoma's authority to manage federal air quality requirements. This action clarifies the delegation of New Source Performance Standards to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, allowing the state agency to lead enforcement and implementation of these rules. The update ensures that Oklahoma regulations match federal standards as they existed through June 30, 2023.  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a rule granting the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality the authority to implement and enforce federal air quality standards within the state. This decision allows the state agency to manage requirements for the New Source Performance Standards and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants. Under the agreement, the state incorporates federal regulations as they existed through July 1, more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration has issued a proposal to modify the Class E airspace over Morganton, North Carolina. This action seeks to improve the safety and management of instrument flight rules operations within the region. The proposal includes several updates to current aviation charts and coordinates. A primary focus is the expansion of controlled airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface to include th more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration has issued a proposal to modify Class D airspace and establish Class E airspace over Chandler and Phoenix, Arizona. The action follows biennial airspace reviews intended to support instrument flight rule operations and ensure compliance with agency orders. Under the proposal, the Class D airspace radius for Chandler Municipal Airport would increase from 4 miles to 4.8 miles. The vertical limit w more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration has proposed to change the designation of restricted airspace over Fort Drum, New York, to operate on a continuous basis throughout the year. The proposal seeks to update the status of restricted area R-5201 to align with actual military usage patterns. Current regulations for R-5201 designate the airspace as continuous from April 1 through Sept. 30. From Oct. 1 through March 31, the restriction more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- FlightSafety International Inc., Columbus, Ohio, has submitted a petition to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration for an exemption from specific requirements of the federal aviation regulations. The company filed the request to maintain its current training and certification protocols. This action seeks to allow the entity to continue its specialized aviation operations under relief previously granted by the FAA. The request is c more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- Galaxy Unmanned Systems LLC filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration to expand its commercial drone operations, including night flights and missions involving heavy aircraft. The petition requests an amendment to existing exemptions to incorporate the GC80-E4 aircraft into the company's fleet. The petition centers on a request to operate unmanned aircraft systems weighing more than 55 pounds. According to the fil more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (TNSFR) -- Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, Connecticut, submitted a petition to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration requesting an exemption from specific safety testing regulations for the PW4000-112 engine. The request targets federal mandates governing how engine manufacturers prove their hardware can withstand catastrophic internal failures. The filing focuses on requirements found in 14 CFR 33.94(a)(1), which dictates blade containment  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board has issued a final rule to provide U.S. government employees with increased flexibility when managing missed Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) loan payments. The update changes how resumed payroll deductions are applied to outstanding loan balances, helping participants avoid tax penalties associated with loan defaults. Under previous regulations, if a participant missed a loan payment due to a change in payroll status or a  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service has issued a final rule regarding the base erosion and anti-abuse tax, known as base erosion and anti-abuse tax (BEAT). These regulations clarify how large corporate taxpayers determine and report qualified derivative payments, or QDPs, specifically within the context of securities lending transactions. The BEAT framework imposes a tax on U.S. corporations with high gross receipts that make payments to  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- The International Trade Commission announced the receipt of a patent infringement complaint from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Suwon, South Korea, regarding wearable devices imported into the U.S. The filing alleges that Ouraring Inc., San Francisco, California and Oura Health Oy, Oulu, Finland, violated section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930. Samsung is requesting that the ITC issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders against the respondents. If more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service has issued final regulations governing the unintentional taking of marine mammals by the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Army during military readiness activities in the Hawaii-California training and testing study area. The seven-year authorization, effective Dec. 21, 2025, through Dec. 20, 2032, allows for the incidental harassment of marine more PR