New regs for Monday: Outer space, vehicle emissions, seafood fraud

Monday’s edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for bringing space articles back to earth, emissions from heavy-duty vehicles, and combating seafood fraud.

Here’s what is happening:

Outer space: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is making small changes to the rules for duty-free imports of space articles.

The non-substantive changes will correct citations and office titles, the agency noted.

The changes go into effect in 60 days.

Emissions: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are pushing new emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

The agencies proposed the emissions and fuel efficiency standards earlier this month, and are now setting two hearing dates to discuss with the public.

The hearings will be held on Aug. 6 and 18.

Seafood fraud: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is issuing a draft list of species that are at risk of seafood fraud.

The NMFS is trying to crack down on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. 

“Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and seafood fraud undermine the sustainability of U.S. and global seafood stocks and negatively impact general ecosystem health,” the agency wrote.

The public has 30 days to comment.

Endangered: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing new rules for experimental populations under the Endangered Species Act.

The rules would establish protective measures for experimental populations and be used to determine whether they are “essential” or “non-essential.”

The public has 60 days to comment.