Department of Commerce – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) has suspended the antidumping duty investigation on white grape juice concentrate (WGJC) from Argentina. The basis for this action is an agreement between Commerce and signatory producers/exporters accounting for substantially all imports of WGJC from Argentina, wherein each signatory producer/ exporter has agreed to revise its prices to eliminate completely the injurious effects of exports of the subject merchandise to the United States.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, its implementing regulations, and NMFS' MMPA Regulations for Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Geophysical Surveys Related to Oil and Gas Activities in the Gulf of Mexico, notification is hereby given that a Letter of Authorization (LOA) has been issued to CGG for the take of marine mammals incidental to geophysical survey activity in the Gulf of Mexico.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of the Socio-Economic Panel (SEP) on April 17 and 18, 2023. The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet on April 18-20, 2023.

The SEDAR 79 assessment process of Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic mutton snapper will consist of a Data Workshop, and a series of assessment webinars, and a Review Workshop. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in April, May, and June of 2023. Certain fishermen and shark dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory requirements and to maintain valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop is mandatory for all federally permitted Atlantic shark dealers. The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop is mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and who have also been issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Additional free workshops will be conducted later in 2023 and will be announced in a future notice. In addition, NMFS has implemented online recertification workshops for persons who have already taken an in-person training.

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) amends the regulations for the Population Estimates Challenge Program which will provide eligible general-purpose governmental entities (local governments) with the opportunity to file requests for the review of their population estimates for 2021 and subsequent years in forthcoming estimates series, beginning with the Vintage 2022 series that is scheduled to be published in 2023. Under this program, a governmental unit may file a challenge to its official population estimate by submitting additional data to the Census Bureau for evaluation, or by identifying a technical error in processing input data or producing the estimates. Specifically, the Census Bureau amends its regulations to update the regulation's references pertaining to the input data which are used to produce the official population estimates and revise the evidence required to support a challenge. In this final rule, the Census Bureau responds to comments received during the public comment periodclosed on December 22, 2022on the notice of proposed rulemaking posted in the Federal Register pertaining to ways in which the Population Estimates Challenge Program might be improved.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Herring Committee via webinar to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Groundfish Endangered Species Workgroup (Workgroup) will hold a public meeting.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Herring Advisory Panel via webinar to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

On March 10, 2023, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) issued its final judgment in JA Solar International Limited and JA Solar USA Inc. v. United States, Court No. 21-00514, sustaining the U.S. Department of Commerce's (Commerce) remand results pertaining to the fifth administrative review of the antidumping duty order on crystalline silicon photovoltaic products (solar products) from Taiwan covering the period of review (POR), February 1, 2019, through January 31, 2020. Commerce is notifying the public that the CIT's final judgment is not in harmony with Commerce's final results in the administrative review and that Commerce is amending the final results. with respect to dumping margins assigned to Inventec Solar Energy Corporation (ISEC) and E-TON Solar Tech Co., Ltd. (E-TON).

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from Ukraine were sold at prices below normal value during the period of review (POR) July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Guam Regional Ecosystem Advisory Committee (REAC) to make recommendations to the Council on fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region. This notice announces a change in location for the Guam REAC meeting from the Governor's Complex to the Hilton Guam Resort and Spa.

NMFS has received a request from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to construction activities associated with Phase 2 of the Punta Gorda Lighthouse (PGL) Stabilization Project in Humboldt County, CA. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. NMFS is also requesting comments on a possible one-time, 1 year renewal that could be issued under certain circumstances and if all requirements are met, as described in Request for Public Comments at the end of this notice. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the issuance of the requested MMPA authorization and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision.

NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 20 to the Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for review by the Secretary of Commerce. The intent of Amendment 20 is to improve clarity in the management framework for CPS stocks. This action is administrative in nature and does not change management for CPS stocks, just certain nomenclature in the FMP. This proposed Amendment is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the CPS FMP, and other applicable laws.

This interim rule implements 2023-2025 Atlantic herring fishery specifications, subject to public comment. This action also removes possession limits in Herring Management Area 1B and Area 3, adjusts 2023 fishery specifications to account either for Management Area catch limit overages or carryover of unharvested catch from 2021, updates the target rebuilding date for herring, removes the inshore midwater trawl restricted area regulations, corrects typographical errors in several existing regulations, and restores regulatory requirements that were unintentionally removed from the Code of Federal Regulations. This action is necessary to respond to updated scientific information from a 2022 management track assessment and to achieve the goals and objectives of the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. The approved measures are intended to help prevent overfishing, rebuild the overfished herring stock, achieve optimum yield on a continuing basis, and ensure that management measures are based on the best scientific information available.

NMFS proposes to prohibit the retention and possession of oceanic whitetip sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus) in U.S. waters of the Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, and hammerhead sharks (great (Sphyrna mokarran), smooth (S. zygaena), and scalloped (S. lewini) hammerhead sharks) in U.S. waters of the Caribbean Sea. NMFS is proposing this action in response to two Biological Opinions (BiOps) for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS): one for the pelagic longline (PLL) fishery and one for the non- PLL fisheries. The BiOps strongly encouraged the inclusion of the scalloped hammerhead shark Central and Southwest Atlantic Distinct Population Segment (DPS) and the oceanic whitetip shark on the list of prohibited sharks for recreational and/or commercial HMS fisheries. This proposed rule could impact all HMS permitted fishermen.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene a Stock Assessment Review (STAR) Panel meeting to review the 2023 Pacific mackerel stock assessment. The meeting will be co-hosted by the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center.

Notice is hereby given that MeatEater, Inc., 1203 N. Rouse St., Suite 3E, Bozeman, MT 59715 (Responsible Party: Jason Roehrig), has applied in due form for a permit to conduct commercial and educational photography on marine mammals.