New regs for Tuesday: Farmers, snakes, beetles

Tuesday’s edition of the Federal Register contains new rice standards for farmers, a review of the emergency alert system, and protections for endangered snakes and beetles.

Here’s what is happening:

Defense: The Department of Defense (DOD) is proposing to restrict the sale of sexually explicit materials.

{mosads}Sexually explicit materials could not be sold or rented on military property or by members of the military acting in their “official capacity” under the new rules, the DOD wrote.

The rules would cost the DOD about $5,500 each year to comply.

The public has 60 days to comment.

Emergency: The Federal Communications Commission will review the emergency alert system.

The White House’s Office of Management and Budget approved the FCC’s information collection request to examine the Emergency Alert System’s test reporting system for three years.

The changes go into effect on Dec. 31.

Rice: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is considering new rice standards for farmers.

The USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) announced Monday it is reviewing the “current rice standards and grading practices” for rough rice, brown rice and milled rice.

The public has 90 days to comment.

Snakes: The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is considering weakening the protections for giant garter snakes.

The FWS listed giant garter snakes as a threatened species in 1993 but is now looking to delist the snake as part of a revised draft recovery plan.

“Historical records suggest that the giant garter snake inhabited fresh water marshes, streams, and wetlands,” the agency wrote.

The public has 60 days to comment.

Beetles: The Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing new protections for the Miami tiger beetle.

The Miami tiger beetle would be listed as an endangered species under the agency’s proposal.

The public has 60 days to comment.