New regs for Tuesday: Passports, tobacco, emissions

Tuesday’s edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for passports, tobacco products and emissions from heavy-duty vehicles like tractors and pickup trucks.

Here’s what is happening:

Tobacco: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing new guidance for tobacco products.

{mosads}The tobacco guidance will explain how to demonstrate the “substantial equivalence” of a new tobacco product to one that is already on the market, such as a tobacco product with a new label but the same contents.

The FDA is updating the guidance for the first time since September 2011.

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

The greenhouse gas regulations — which include carbon dioxide emissions standards from the EPA, and fuel consumption standards from the NHTSA — were proposed in July, but the agencies are extending the comment period to give the public more time to consider the changes.

The rules would be phased in between 2018 and 2027. They will target heavy-duty vehicles, including combination tractors, trailers used in combination with those tractors, heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans, and vocational vehicles, the agencies said.

The public now has until Oct. 1 to comment.

Passport: The State Department is updating the fees for passports and citizenship services.

The changes begin going into effect in 15 days.