Department of Commerce – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS proposes Federal management measures for the summer flounder and black sea bass recreational fisheries. The implementing regulations for these fisheries require NMFS to publish recreational measures for the fishing year and to provide an opportunity for public comment. The intent of this action is to set management measures that allow the recreational fisheries to achieve, but not exceed, the recreational harvest targets and thereby prevent overfishing.

Through this Notice, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is reopening an application window for nominations to the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (CSMAC). On December 27, 2023, NTIA published a Notice seeking nominations to the CSMAC with a deadline of January 31, 2024, for submissions. In reopening this application window, NTIA seeks to expand the pool of applicants and best ensure that the composition of the committee reflects balanced points of view.

NOAA's Marine Debris Program, on behalf of the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee (IMDCC), is soliciting public comments regarding draft recommendations to address marine debris. The IMDCC is required to submit a biennial report to Congress that includes the status of implementation of any recommendations and strategies of the Committee. These recommendations will replace the recommendations first published by the IMDCC in 2008.

The SEDAR 82 assessment of the South Atlantic stock of gray triggerfish will consist of a data webinars/workshop, a series of assessment webinars, and a review workshop. A SEDAR 82 Review Workshop has been scheduled for March 12-14, 2024. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and agenda.

Notice is hereby given of a virtual meeting of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS[supreg]) Advisory Committee (Committee). The meeting is open to the public and an opportunity for oral and written comments will be provided.

The Department of Commerce has renewed the charter for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation Nomination Evaluation Committee (NMTI Committee) for an additional two-year period, as it is a necessary committee that is in the public interest. The charter is renewed until February 8, 2026.

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

The Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC) will hold a hybrid meeting, accessible in-person and online, on Tuesday March 12, 2024 at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, DC The meeting is open to the public with registration instructions provided below. This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed topics for the meeting.

The Census Bureau is giving notice of a virtual meeting of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee (CSAC or Committee). The Committee will address policy, research, and technical issues relating to a full range of Census Bureau programs and activities, including decennial, economic, field operations, information technology, and statistics. Last minute changes to the schedule are possible, which could prevent giving advance public notice of schedule adjustments.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for the Pacific cod sideboard limit by non-exempt American Fisheries Act (AFA) catcher vessels in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the annual 2024 Pacific cod sideboard limit established for non-exempt AFA catcher vessels in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council has submitted Amendment 21 to the Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for review by the Secretary of Commerce. If approved, Amendment 21 would make a number of non-substantive, administrative changes to the CPS FMP including defining acronyms upon first use, adding hyperlinks, removing repetitive language, and rearranging sections for clarity and logical sequence. These changes, colloquially referred to as ``housekeeping'' changes, would not change the management of the fishery. This proposed amendment is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the CPS FMP, and other applicable laws. NMFS will consider public comments in deciding whether to approve, disapprove, or partially approve Amendment 21.

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to Haines Borough to incidentally harass marine mammals during construction activities associated with a Lutak Dock Replacement project in Haines, Alaska.

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the proposed extension of the collection of state level administrative records data, prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is amending a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on January 31, 2024. This document corrects a spelling error to update and make final an interim final rule that amended its regulations pertaining to the procedures and rules related to Article 1904 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with appropriate references to the United States- Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which went into effect on July 1, 2020. Article 10.12 of the USMCA, like NAFTA Article 1904, provides a dispute settlement mechanism for purposes of reviewing antidumping and countervailing duty determinations issued by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Commerce is amending its regulations to replace references to Article 1904 of NAFTA with references to Article 10.12 of the USMCA; to update outdated cross-references to Commerce's antidumping and countervailing duty regulations; update outdated notice, filing, service, and protective order procedures; and adopt other minor corrections and updates.

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Scallop Plan Team will meet in Alaska.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is conducting six scoping meetings to solicit comments regarding the rang of alternatives to consider in Amendment 10 (A10) to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Council is proposing to take action through A10 to address spatial and temporal allocation and management of Atlantic herring at the management unit level to minimize user conflicts, contribute to optimum yield and support rebuilding of the resource. The Council is also proposing to take action to enhance river herring (alewife and blueback herring) and shad (American shad and hickory shad) avoidance and other catch reduction measures to better support ongoing coastwide restoration efforts for those species. The Council is scheduling the scoping meetings in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. A summary of public comments received will be provided to the Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS promulgates regulations to govern the incidental taking of marine mammals incidental to Empire Offshore Wind, LLC (Empire Wind), a 50-50 partnership between Equinor, ASA (Equinor) and BP p.l.c., during the construction of an offshore wind energy project (the Project) in Federal and State waters off of New York, specifically within the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Commercial Lease of Submerged Lands for Renewable Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Area (OCS-A-512) (referred to as the Lease Area) and along two export cable routes to sea-to-shore transition points (collectively, the Project Area), over the course of 5 years (February 22, 2024, through February 21, 2029). These regulations, which allow for the issuance of a Letter of Authorization (LOA) for the incidental take of marine mammals during specific construction related activities within the Project Area during the effective dates of the regulations, prescribe the permissible methods of taking and other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on marine mammal species or stocks and their habitat, as well as requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such taking. Upon publication of this final rule and within 30 days, NMFS will issue a LOA to Empire Wind for the effective period of the final rule.