90230 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 221 / Friday, November 15, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 

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List of Subjects in 34 CFR Part 685 

Administrative practice and 

procedure, Colleges and universities, 

Education, Loan programs—education, 

Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements, Student aid, Vocational 

education. 

Miguel Cardona, 

Secretary of Education. 

For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, the Secretary of Education 

amends part 685 of title 34 of the Code 

of Federal Regulations as follows: 

PART 685—WILLIAM D. FORD 

FEDERAL DIRECT LOAN PROGRAM 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 685 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070g, 1087a, et seq., 

unless otherwise noted. 

■ 2. Amend § 685.209 by revising 

paragraphs (c)(4) and (5) to read as 

follows: 

§ 685.209 Income-driven repayment plans. 

* * * * * 

(c) * * * 

(4) A borrower may repay under the 

PAYE plan only if the borrower— 

(i) Has loans eligible for repayment 

under the plan; 

(ii) Is a new borrower; 

(iii) Has a partial financial hardship 

when the borrower initially enters the 

plan; and 

(iv) Was repaying a loan under the 

PAYE plan on July 1, 2027. A borrower 

who was repaying under the PAYE plan 

on or after July 1, 2027, and changes to 

a different repayment plan in 

accordance with § 685.210(b) may not 

re-enroll in the PAYE plan. 

(5)(i) Except as provided in paragraph 

(c)(5)(ii) or (iii) of this section, a 

borrower may enroll under the ICR plan 

only if the borrower— 

(A) Has loans eligible for repayment 

under the plan; and 

(B) Was repaying a loan under the ICR 

plan on July 1, 2027. A borrower who 

was repaying under the ICR plan on or 

after July 1, 2027, and changes to a 

different repayment plan in accordance 

with § 685.210(b) may not re-enroll in 

the ICR plan unless they meet the 

criteria in paragraph (c)(5)(ii) or (iii) of 

this section. 

(ii) A borrower may choose the ICR 

plan to repay a Direct Consolidation 

Loan disbursed on or after July 1, 2006, 

and that repaid a parent Direct PLUS 

Loan or a parent Federal PLUS Loan. 

(iii) A borrower who has a Direct 

Consolidation Loan disbursed on or 

after July 1, 2025, which repaid a Direct 

parent PLUS loan, a FFEL parent PLUS 

loan, or a Direct Consolidation Loan that 

repaid a consolidation loan that 

included a Direct parent PLUS or FFEL 

parent PLUS loan, may not choose any 

IDR plan except the ICR plan. 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. 2024–26698 Filed 11–14–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 52 

[EPA–R01–OAR–2024–0117; FRL–12283– 

02–R1] 

Air Plan Approval; Connecticut; New 

Haven and Fairfield Counties Second 

10-Year Limited Maintenance Plan for 

the 2006 24-Hour PM2.5 Standard 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) is approving a State 

Implementation Plan (SIP) revision 

submitted by the State of Connecticut. 

On May 9, 2023, and supplemented on 

February 21, 2024, the State submitted 

a Limited Maintenance Plan (LMP) for 

the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 National 

Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) 

for New Haven and Fairfield Counties 

(New Haven-Fairfield). This revision 

provides for the maintenance of the 

2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS through the 

end of the second 10-year portion of the 

maintenance period. Additionally, EPA 

finds the LMP to be adequate since it 

meets the appropriate transportation 

conformity requirements. The intended 

effect of this action is to approve 

Connecticut’s LMP for the 2006 24-hour 

PM2.5 NAAQS for the New HavenFairfield maintenance area into the 

Connecticut SIP. This action is being 

taken in accordance with the Clean Air 

Act. 

DATES: This rule is effective on 

December 16, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: EPA has established a 

docket for this action under Docket 

Identification No. EPA–R01–OAR– 

2024–0117. All documents in the docket 

are listed on the https://

www.regulations.gov website. Although 

listed in the index, some information is 

not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other 

information whose disclosure is 

restricted by statute. Certain other 

material, such as copyrighted material, 

is not placed on the internet and will be 

publicly available only in hard copy 

form. Publicly available docket 

materials are available at https://

www.regulations.gov or at the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 

Region 1 Regional Office, Air and 

Radiation Division, 5 Post Office 

Square—Suite 100, Boston, MA. EPA 

requests that if at all possible, you 

contact the contact listed in the FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to 

schedule your inspection. The Regional 

Office’s official hours of business are 

Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 

4:30 p.m., excluding legal holidays and 

facility closures due to COVID–19. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ayla 

Martinelli, Air Quality Branch, U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 

Region 1, 5 Post Office Square—Suite 

100, (Mail code 5–MI), Boston, MA 

02109–3912, tel. (617) 918–1057, email 

martinelli.ayla@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Throughout this document whenever 

‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us,’’ or ‘‘our’’ is used, we mean 

EPA. 

Table of Contents 

I. Background and Purpose 

II. Response to Comments 

III. Final Action 

IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews 

I. Background and Purpose 

On December 14, 2009, EPA 

designated the New Haven-Fairfield 

area as nonattainment for the 2006 PM2.5

NAAQS (74 FR 58688). Subsequently, 

on October 24, 2013, EPA redesignated 

the New Haven-Fairfield area to 

attainment for the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS 

(78 FR 58467). On September 27, 2024, 

EPA published a Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking (NPRM) for the State of 

Connecticut (89 FR 79189). The NPRM 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 221 / Friday, November 15, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 90231 

proposed approval of the State’s second, 

10-year LMP for the 2006 PM2.5 standard 

for the New Haven-Fairfield area. The 

formal SIP revision was submitted by 

Connecticut on May 9, 2023, and 

supplemented on February 21, 2024. 

The New Haven-Fairfield LMP for the 

2006 PM2.5 NAAQS submitted by the 

Connecticut Department of Energy and 

Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) is 

designed to maintain the 2006 PM2.5

NAAQS within this area through the 

end of the second ten-year portion of the 

maintenance period. EPA is approving 

the plan because it meets all applicable 

requirements under CAA sections 110 

and 175A. We are also finding the LMP 

to be adequate as it pertains to 

transportation conformity requirements. 

Other specific requirements of the LMP 

and the rationale for EPA’s action are 

explained in the NPRM and will not be 

restated here. One public comment was 

received on the NPRM. 

II. Response to Comments 

EPA received one comment during 

the comment period. The comment we 

received supports the final approval of 

the proposed action. 

III. Final Action 

EPA is approving the Connecticut 

LMP for the New Haven-Fairfield area 

for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS as 

a revision to the Connecticut SIP. EPA 

is also finding the LMP to be adequate 

as it pertains to transportation 

conformity requirements. 

IV. Statutory and Executive Order 

Reviews 

Under the Clean Air Act, the 

Administrator is required to approve a 

SIP submission that complies with the 

provisions of the Act and applicable 

Federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 

40 CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in reviewing SIP 

submissions, EPA’s role is to approve 

state choices, provided that they meet 

the criteria of the Clean Air Act. 

Accordingly, this action merely 

approves state law as meeting Federal 

requirements and does not impose 

additional requirements beyond those 

imposed by state law. For that reason, 

this action: 

• Is not a significant regulatory action 

subject to review by the Office of 

Management and Budget under 

Executive Orders 12866 (58 FR 51735, 

October 4, 1993) and 13563 (76 FR 3821, 

January 21, 2011); 

• Does not impose an information 

collection burden under the provisions 

of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.); 

• Is certified as not having a 

significant economic impact on a 

substantial number of small entities 

under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 

U.S.C. 601 et seq.); 

• Does not contain any unfunded 

mandate or significantly or uniquely 

affect small governments, as described 

in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 

of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–4); 

• Does not have federalism 

implications as specified in Executive 

Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 

1999); 

• Is not an economically significant 

regulatory action based on health or 

safety risks subject to Executive Order 

13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997); 

• Is not a significant regulatory action 

subject to Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 

28355, May 22, 2001); and 

• Is not subject to requirements of 

Section 12(d) of the National 

Technology Transfer and Advancement 

Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) because 

application of those requirements would 

be inconsistent with the Clean Air Act. 

In addition, the SIP is not approved 

to apply on any Indian reservation land 

or in any other area where EPA or an 

Indian tribe has demonstrated that a 

tribe has jurisdiction. In those areas of 

Indian country, the rule does not have 

tribal implications and will not impose 

substantial direct costs on tribal 

governments or preempt tribal law as 

specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 

FR 67249, November 9, 2000). 

Executive Order 12898 (Federal 

Actions To Address Environmental 

Justice in Minority Populations and 

Low-Income Populations, 59 FR 7629, 

Feb. 16, 1994) directs Federal agencies 

to identify and address 

‘‘disproportionately high and adverse 

human health or environmental effects’’ 

of their actions on communities with 

environmental justice (EJ) concerns to 

the greatest extent practicable and 

permitted by law. EPA defines EJ as 

‘‘the fair treatment and meaningful 

involvement of all people regardless of 

race, color, national origin, or income 

with respect to the development, 

implementation, and enforcement of 

environmental laws, regulations, and 

policies.’’ EPA further defines the term 

fair treatment to mean that ‘‘no group of 

people should bear a disproportionate 

burden of environmental harms and 

risks, including those resulting from the 

negative environmental consequences of 

industrial, governmental, and 

commercial operations or programs and 

policies.’’ 

CT DEEP did not evaluate 

environmental justice considerations as 

part of its SIP submittal; the CAA and 

applicable implementing regulations 

neither prohibit nor require such an 

evaluation. EPA did not perform an EJ 

analysis and did not consider EJ in this 

action. Due to the nature of the action 

being taken here, this action is expected 

to have a neutral to positive impact on 

the air quality of the affected area. 

Consideration of EJ is not required as 

part of this action, and there is no 

information in the record inconsistent 

with the stated goal of E.O. 12898 of 

achieving environmental justice for 

communities with EJ concerns. 

The Congressional Review Act, 5 

U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the Small 

Business Regulatory Enforcement 

Fairness Act of 1996, generally provides 

that before a rule may take effect, the 

agency promulgating the rule must 

submit a rule report, which includes a 

copy of the rule, to each House of the 

Congress and to the Comptroller General 

of the United States. EPA will submit a 

report containing this action and other 

required information to the U.S. Senate, 

the U.S. House of Representatives, and 

the Comptroller General of the United 

States prior to publication of the rule in 

the Federal Register. A major rule 

cannot take effect until 60 days after it 

is published in the Federal Register. 

This action is not a ‘‘major rule’’ as 

defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2). 

Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean 

Air Act, petitions for judicial review of 

this action must be filed in the United 

States Court of Appeals for the 

appropriate circuit by January 14, 2025. 

Filing a petition for reconsideration by 

the Administrator of this final rule does 

not affect the finality of this action for 

the purposes of judicial review nor does 

it extend the time within which a 

petition for judicial review may be filed, 

and shall not postpone the effectiveness 

of such rule or action. This action may 

not be challenged later in proceedings to 

enforce its requirements. (See section 

307(b)(2).) 

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52 

Environmental protection, Air 

pollution control, Incorporation by 

reference, Nitrogen dioxide, Particulate 

matter, Sulfur oxides, Volatile organic 

compounds. 

Dated: November 7, 2024. 

David Cash, 

Regional Administrator, EPA Region 1. 

For the reasons stated in the 

preamble, the Environmental Protection 

Agency amends part 52 of chapter I, title 

40 of the Code of Federal Regulations as 

follows: 


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90232 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 221 / Friday, November 15, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 

PART 52—APPROVAL AND 

PROMULGATION OF 

IMPLEMENTATION PLANS 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 52 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq. 

Subpart H—Connecticut 

■ 2. Amend § 52.370 by adding 

paragraph (c)(134) to read as follows: 

§ 52.370 Identification of plan 

* * * * * 

(c) * * * 

(134) Revisions to the State 

Implementation Plan submitted by the 

Connecticut Department of 

Environmental Protection on May 9, 

2023, and supplemented on February 

21, 2024. 

(i) [Reserved] 

(ii) Additional materials. 

(A) The Connecticut Department of 

Energy and Environmental Protection 

document ‘‘Limited Maintenance Plan 

for Connecticut’s Fine Particulate Matter 

(PM2.5) Maintenance Area’’ dated March 

2023. 

(B) The CT DEEP document ‘‘Motor 

Vehicle Assessment for Connecticut’s 

Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) 

Maintenance Area Limited Maintenance 

Plan’’ received via email dated July 4, 

2023. 

■ 3. Amend § 52.379 by adding 

paragraph (i) to read as follows: 

§ 52.379 Control Strategy: PM2.5

* * * * * 

(i) Approval—EPA is approving a 

2006 24-hour PM2.5 standard Limited 

Maintenance Plan for the Connecticut 

portion of the New York-N New JerseyLong Island, NY-NJ-CT fine particle 

(PM2.5) maintenance area, covering New 

Haven and Fairfield Counties, which 

covers the remaining 10-year portion of 

the 20-year maintenance period. 

Connecticut submitted this plan to EPA 

on May 9, 2023, and supplemented it on 

February 21, 2024. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26329 Filed 11–14–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Defense Acquisition Regulations 

System 

48 CFR Part 202 

[Docket DARS–2024–0033] 

RIN 0750–AM23 

Defense Federal Acquisition 

Regulation Supplement: Updates to 

the Definition of Departments and 

Agencies (DFARS Case 2024–D026) 

AGENCY: Defense Acquisition 

Regulations System, Department of 

Defense (DoD). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: DoD is issuing a final rule 

amending the Defense Federal 

Acquisition Regulation Supplement 

(DFARS) to provide updates to the 

existing definition of ‘‘departments and 

agencies.’’ 

DATES: Effective November 15, 2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Tonya De Saussure, telephone (202) 

805–1388. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

This final rule revises the DFARS 

definition of ‘‘departments and 

agencies’’ at DFARS 202.101, 

Definitions, to add recently established 

defense agencies. This update is part of 

a periodic policy review to ensure the 

accuracy of the regulation. The last 

update to this definition occurred on 

January 30, 2013 (77 FR 76938), under 

DFARS case 2012–D045. 

II. Publication of This Final Rule for 

Public Comment Is Not Required by 

Statute 

The statute that applies to the 

publication of the Federal Acquisition 

Regulation (FAR) is 41 U.S.C. 1707, 

Publication of Proposed Regulations. 

Subsection (a)(1) of the statute requires 

that a procurement policy, regulation, 

procedure, or form (including an 

amendment or modification thereof) 

must be published for public comment 

if it relates to the expenditure of 

appropriated funds and has either a 

significant effect beyond the internal 

operating procedures of the agency 

issuing the policy, regulation, 

procedure, or form, or has a significant 

cost or administrative impact on 

contractors or offerors. This final rule is 

not required to be published for public 

comment, because it does not have a 

significant effect beyond the internal 

operating procedures of DoD. The final 

rule provides for recent additions to the 

defense agencies identified in the 

definition of ‘‘departments and 

agencies.’’ 

III. Applicability to Contracts At or 

Below the Simplified Acquisition 

Threshold (SAT), for Commercial 

Products (Including Commercially 

Available Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Items), 

and for Commercial Services 

This final rule does not create any 

new solicitation provisions or contract 

clauses. It does not impact any existing 

solicitation provisions or contract 

clauses or their applicability to 

contracts valued at or below the 

simplified acquisition threshold, for 

commercial products including COTS 

items, or for commercial services. 

IV. Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 

Executive Orders (E.O.s) 12866 and 

13563 direct agencies to assess all costs 

and benefits of available regulatory 

alternatives and, if regulation is 

necessary, to select regulatory 

approaches that maximize net benefits 

(including potential economic, 

environmental, public health and safety 

effects, distributive impacts, and 

equity). E.O. 13563 emphasizes the 

importance of quantifying both costs 

and benefits, of reducing costs, of 

harmonizing rules, and of promoting 

flexibility. This is not a significant 

regulatory action and, therefore, was not 

subject to review under section 6(b) of 

E.O. 12866, Regulatory Planning and 

Review, as amended. 

V. Congressional Review Act 

As required by the Congressional 

Review Act (5 U.S.C. 801–808) before an 

interim or final rule takes effect, DoD 

will submit a copy of the interim or 

final rule with the form, Submission of 

Federal Rules under the Congressional 

Review Act, to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. 

House of Representatives, and the 

Comptroller General of the United 

States. A major rule under the 

Congressional Review Act cannot take 

effect until 60 days after it is published 

in the Federal Register. The Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs has 

determined that this rule is not a major 

rule as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804. 

VI. Regulatory Flexibility Act 

The Regulatory Flexibility Act does 

not apply to this rule because this final 

rule does not constitute a significant 

DFARS revision within the meaning of 

FAR 1.501–1, and 41 U.S.C. 1707 does 

not require publication for public 

comment. 


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