Reg Watch

The following final rule is undergoing review by the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

 • The Transportation Department has a rule under review that would create a National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. The rule would set training, testing and certification standards for medical examiners who certify ‘interstate commercial motor vehicle drivers’ as fit to drive. The examiners who make the cut would be put in a public database for state, safety groups and drivers’ use. The examiners would also be required to “transmit electronically to [the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration]” the name and numerical identifier for any driver who is examined. The department aims to “gai[n] … public trust and confidence in FMCSA’s continued efforts to improve highway safety” through this rule, according to the administration’s website.

{mosads} Public comment periods are closing soon for the following proposed rules:

• The Environmental Protection Agency has a rule open for comment that would redefine solid waste. The agency intends to “ensure that the recycling regulations … encourage reclamation in a way that does not result in increased risk to human health and the environment from discarded hazardous secondary material.” One proposed change includes stronger storage requirements for sending hazardous materials offsite to be recycled. The rule, “which [in the 2008 version] revised hazardous waste regulations to encourage recycling of hazardous secondary materials,” is open for comment through Oct. 20.

• The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a proposed rule that would amend and clarify certain portions of the Consumer Product Safety Act of 2008. The rule, which requires “manufacturers of durable infant or toddler products to establish a consumer registration program,” would be amended to rearrange the consumer registration form to make it more organized and less confusing, without taking out required information. The rule, which would also clarify that these forms do not have to be maintained in the United States as long as the manufacturer can “access the information when requested,” is open for comment through Oct. 24.

• The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is soliciting public comment prior to proposing a rule regarding how to distinguish between excise taxes on tobacco. The bureau has proposed categorizing pipe tobacco and roll-your-own tobacco separately for the purposes of taxes paid when individuals buy the product. The advanced notice of a proposed rule also asks for comment regarding “other physical characteristics that may be used for such purposes” by Oct. 24.