Bureau of Industry and Security 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the memorandum of January 20, 2017, from the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, entitled ``Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,'' published in the Federal Register on January 24, 2017 (the Memorandum), this action temporarily delays the implementation date of one revision implemented by the final rule entitled ``Commerce Control List: Removal of Certain Nuclear Nonproliferation (NP) Column 2 Controls'' published by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) in the Federal Register on November 25, 2016. The final rule amended the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to remove nuclear nonproliferation (NP) Column 2 license requirements from certain pressure tubes, pipes, fittings, pipe valves, pumps, numerically controlled machine tools, oscilloscopes, and transient recorders on the Commerce Control List (CCL).

On October 12, 2016, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a final rule entitled ``Revisions to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR): Control of Fire Control, Laser, Imaging, and Guidance Equipment the President Determines No Longer Warrant Control Under the United States Munitions List (USML).'' This notice of inquiry is published to request comments from the public on the impact of further increasing certain controls implemented by that final rule.

This final rule addresses issues raised in, and public comments on, the interim final rule that was published on May 13, 2014, as well as additional clarifications and corrections. The May 13 rule added controls to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) for spacecraft and related items that the President has determined no longer warrant control under United States Munitions List (USML) Category XVspacecraft and related items. This is the third final rule BIS has published related to the May 13 rule and completes the regulatory action for the interim final rule. These changes were also informed by comments received in response to the May 13 rule that included a request for comments, as well as interagency discussions on how best to address the comments. The changes made in this final rule are grouped into four types of changes: Changes to address the movement of additional spacecraft and related items from the USML to the Commerce Control List (CCL), as a result of changes in aperture size for spacecraft that warrant ITAR control, in response to public comments and further U.S. Government review; changes to address the movement of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) from the USML to the CCL; other corrections and clarifications to the spacecraft interim final rule; and addition of .y items to Export Control Classification Number 9A515. This final rule is being published in conjunction with the publication of a Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) final rule, which makes changes, including corrections and clarifications, to the provisions adopted in the State Department's own May 13, 2014 rule. The State May 13 rule revised USML Category XV (22 CFR 121.1) to control those articles the President has determined warrant control on the USML. Both May 13 rules and the subsequent related rules are part of the President's Export Control Reform Initiative. This rule is also part of Commerce's retrospective regulatory review plan under Executive Order (EO) 13563 (see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this rule for information on the availability of the plan).