New regs for Wednesday: Energy labels, snowmobiles, wheelchair lifts

Wednesday’s edition of the Federal Register includes new rules for the energy labels on home appliances like light bulbs, refrigerators and ceiling fans, dental implant devices, wheelchair lifts, and snowmobiles.

Here’s what is happening:

Cease-and-desist: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is moving forward with a cease-and-desist rule. 

The rule, which goes into effect in 30 days, will establish procedures for the CFPB to issue temporary cease-and-desist orders.

Energy labels: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is considering a massive overhaul to its energy labeling rule, the agency announced Tuesday.

The FTC may require energy labels for decorative and other specialty light bulbs for the first time. Many traditional light bulbs, such as incandescents, fluorescents, and LEDs, already comply with these rules.

The proposed rule would also revise the labels for refrigerators, ceiling fans, furnaces, and televisions, and require air conditioner labels to be placed on the packaging rather than the actual air conditioner.

The public has until Aug. 18 to comment on the proposed rule.

Dentist: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is loosening the restrictions on a dental implant device, because it does not believe the device presents as great of a risk to patients as previously thought, the agency said Tuesday.

The blade-form endosseous dental implant will be reclassified into class II special controls.

“The panel discussed and agreed that the risks to health for this device were adequately captured as presented by FDA,” the agency wrote. “The Panel deliberations included discussion of whether the risk of bone loss is higher for blade-form dental implants as compared to root-form dental implant devices.”

Wheelchair elevator: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering loosening the restrictions on a wheelchair elevator device, also known as a wheelchair lift, which helps disabled people move from one floor to another, the agency said Tuesday.

The FDA received a petition to exempt the wheelchair lift from the premarket approval process.

The public has 30 days to comment.

Snowmobiles: The U.S. Forest Service is considering restricting the use of snowmobiles on National Forest roads and trails to make sure these vehicles don’t interfere with other people on these trails who may be hiking, backpacking, fishing, hunting, or photographing birds, the agency said Tuesday.

The Forest Service said it might establish areas where snowmobiles are allowed, and other areas where they are prohibited, as the use of snowmobiles increased by more than 150 percent from 1982 to 2009, the agency reported. 

The public has 45 days to comment.

Nuclear: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering requiring certain nuclear facilities to upgrade their security procedures, the agency announced Tuesday.

The new rules could include fitness requirements for the security guards patrolling these facilities.

The public has 45 days to comment.