Department of Commerce May 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Magnuson-Stevens Committee in June, 2005 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 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene its Socioeconomic Panel (SEP).

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene its Ecosystem Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC).

The Department of Commerce (the Department) received no comments in response to its preliminary determination that Jindal Poly Films Limited (Jindal Poly Films) is the successor-in-interest to Jindal Polyester Limited (Jindal Polyester). In these final results of review, we have continued to find Jindal Poly Films to be the successor-in-interest to Jindal Polyester.

The President's Export Council (PEC) will hold a full Council meeting to discuss topics related to export expansion. The meeting will include discussion of trade priorities and initiatives, PEC subcommittee activity and proposed letters of recommendation. The PEC was established on December 20, 1973, and reconstituted May 4, 1979, to advise the President on matters relating to U.S. trade. It was most recently renewed by Executive Order 13316.

The NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) announces its intent to evaluate the performance of the Pennsylvania Coastal Management Program. The Coastal Zone Management Program evaluation will be conducted pursuant to section 312 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, (CZMA) and regulations at 15 CFR Part 923, Subpart L. The CZMA requires continuing review of the performance of states with respect to coastal program implementation. Evaluation of Coastal Zone Management Programs requires findings concerning the extent to which a state has met the national objectives, adhered to its Coastal Management Program document approved by the Secretary of Commerce, and adhered to the terms of financial assistance awards funded under the CZMA. The evaluation will include a site visit, consideration of public comments, and consultations with interested Federal, state and local agencies and members of the public. A public meeting will be held as part of the site visit. Notice is hereby given of the date of the site visit for the listed evaluation, and the date, local time, and location of the public meeting during the site visit. The Pennsylvania Coastal Management Program evaluation site visit will be held July 11-15, 2005. One public meeting will be held during the week. The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 13, 2005, at 7 p.m. at the Philadelphia Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Copies of a state's most recent performance reports, as well as OCRM's notification and supplemental request letters to the state, are available upon request from OCRM. Written comments from interested parties regarding this Program are encouraged and will be accepted until 15 days after the public meeting. Please direct written comments to Ralph Cantral, Chief, National Policy and Evaluation Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, NOS/NOAA, 1305 East- West Highway, 10th Floor, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. When the evaluation is completed, OCRM will place a notice in the Federal Register announcing the availability of the Final Evaluation Findings. Notice is hereby given of the availability of the final evaluation findings for the Virgin Islands Coastal Management Program (CMP); and the South Slough (Oregon) and Guana-Tolomato-Matanzas (Florida) National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERRs). Sections 312 and 315 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA), as amended, require a continuing review of the performance of coastal states with respect to approval of CMPs and the operation and management of NERRs. The territory of the Virgin Islands was found to be implementing and enforcing its federally approved coastal management program, addressing the national coastal management objectives identified in CZMA Section 303(2)(A)-(K), and adhering to the programmatic terms of its financial assistance awards. South Slough (Oregon) and Guana- Tolomato-Matanzas (Florida) NERRs were found to be adhering to programmatic requirements of the NERR System. Copies of these final evaluation findings may be obtained upon written request from: Ralph Cantral, Chief, National Policy and Evaluation Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, NOS/NOAA, 1305 East-West Highway, 10th Floor, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, or Ralph.Cantral@noaa.gov, (301) 713-3155, extension 118.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received a scientific research and enhancement permit application relating to Pacific salmon. Permit 1530 would be issued jointly to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Nez Perce Tribe through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (Applicants) to operate the adult fish trap at Lower Granite Dam. The proposed actions are intended to increase knowledge of species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and to help guide management and conservation efforts. It is also intended to facilitate collection of broodstock to supply an artificial propagation program designed to enhance the propagation and survival of threatened Snake River fall chinook salmon.

NMFS is announcing workshops that will demonstrate proper sea turtle handling, resuscitation, and release techniques for vessel operators using bottom longline (BLL) gear to catch sharks in the Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico. The workshops will also summarize the current regulations pertaining to safe handling and release protocols and requirements for possession and use of mitigation equipment for sea turtles and other protected resources.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites interested parties to submit recommendations for workshops covering specific sectors and targeted countries or regions of the world where training in the U.S. system of standards development, conformity assessment, and metrology may facilitate trade. Prospective workshops may be scheduled for one or two week periods. This notice is not an invitation for proposals to fund grants, contracts or cooperative agreements of any kind. NIST will offer a limited number of workshops, based upon the availability of resources. Recommenders are encouraged to consider departmental priorities outlined in part of the soon-to-be released National Export Strategy. NIST will consider recommendations based upon which workshops would be most useful to intended audiences. Additional information about the NIST Standards in Trade Workshops is available at https://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/210/gsig/ sitdescr.htm.

Notice is hereby given that Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC), 301 Railway Avenue, Seward, AK 99664, (Anne Hoover-Miller, Principal Investigator) has been issued a permit to conduct research on harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in rehabilitation at the ASLC.

Notice is hereby given that three applicants have applied in due form for a permit for scientific research on marine mammals.

The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant Regional Administrator) has made a preliminary determination that the subject Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application contains all the required information and warrants further consideration. The Assistant Regional Administrator has also made a preliminary determination that the activities authorized under the EFP would be consistent with the goals and objectives of the Northeast (NE) Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). However, further review and consultation may be necessary before a final determination is made to issue the EFP. Therefore, NMFS announces that the Assistant Regional Administrator proposes to recommend that an EFP be issued that would allow one commercial fishing vessel to conduct fishing operations that are otherwise restricted by the regulations governing the fisheries of the Northeastern United States. The EFP, which would enable researchers to investigate the feasibility of using low profile gillnets to catch flounders while limiting cod bycatch, would allow for exemptions from the FMP as follows: Gulf of Maine (GOM) Rolling Closure Areas III, IV, and V. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed EFPs.

NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amount of Pacific cod from vessels using jig gear to catcher vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 meters (m)) length overall (LOA) using pot or hook-and-line gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to allow the 2005 A season total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod to be harvested.

On December 27, 2004, the U.S. Department of Commerce (the Department) published a preliminary determination in the antidumping duty investigation of purified carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) from Mexico (69 FR 77201). The petitioner is Aqualon Company (Aqualon or petitioner), a division of Hercules Incorporated. The respondent is Quimica Amtex S.A. de C.V. of Mexico (Amtex). We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on the preliminary determination. No interested party submitted case briefs, and no hearing was held. Based upon the results of verification, we have made certain minor changes to the dumping calculations. We continue to find that purified CMC from Mexico is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV) as provided in section 735 of the Tariff Act. The final weighted-average dumping margins are listed below in the section entitled ``Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation.''

On December 16, 2004, the U.S. Department of Commerce (the Department) made its preliminary determination in the antidumping duty investigation of purified carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) from the Netherlands, which was amended on February 3, 2005, pursuant to comments received by Noviant B.V. We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on the preliminary and amended determinations. Based upon the results of verification and our analysis of the comments received, we have made certain changes. We continue to find that purified CMC from the Netherlands was sold in the United States below normal value during the period of investigation. The final weighted- average dumping margins are listed below in the section entitled ``Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation.''

The Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC) will hold a plenary meeting on May 20, 2005, at the MWH Global. The ETTAC will discuss Trade Liberalization of Environmental Goods and Services in the World Trade Organization and the results of the ETTAC Survey on Priority Markets. The afternoon session will include a discussion of the Environmental Law and Policy Center's work with Renewable Energy Sources. The meeting is open to the public and time will be permitted for public comment. Written comments concerning ETTAC affairs are welcome anytime before or after the meeting. Minutes will be available within 30 days of this meeting. The ETTAC is mandated by Public Law 103-392. It was created to advise the U.S. government on environmental trade policies and programs, and to help it to focus its resources on increasing the exports of the U.S. environmental industry. ETTAC operates as an advisory committee to the Secretary of Commerce and the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC). ETTAC was originally chartered in May of 1994. It was most recently rechartered until May 30, 2006. For further information phone Joseph Ayoub, Office of Environmental Technologies Industries (ETI), International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce at (202) 482-0313 or 5225. This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to OEEI at (202) 482-5225.

NMFS is amending the regulations governing the trade of tuna and tuna-like species in the North and South Atlantic Ocean to implement recommendations adopted at the 2004 meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). This final rule lifts the trade restrictions on importing bigeye tuna (BET) from Cambodia; BET and bluefin tuna (BFT) from Equatorial Guinea; and BET, BFT, and swordfish (SWO) from Sierra Leone. Additionally, the final rule corrects section reference conflicts between two rules that were published in the Federal Register on November 17, 2004, and December 6, 2004.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, notice is hereby given that there will be a meeting of the Board of Overseers of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award on June 8, 2005. The Board of Overseers is composed of eleven members prominent in the field of quality management and appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, assembled to advise the Secretary of Commerce on the conduct of the Baldrige Award. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and review information received from the National Institute of Standards and Technology with the members of the Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The agenda will include: Discussions on Nonprofit Eligibility Rules, Baldrige Marketing Team Activities, Baldrige Program/Applicant Metrics, and Use of Loaned Executives to Analyze Baldrige Application Data, a Program and Budget Update and Issues from June 7 Judges' Meeting. All visitors to the National Institute of Standards and Technology site will have to pre-register to be admitted. Please submit your name, time of arrival, e-mail address and phone number to Virginia Davis no later than Monday, June 6, 2005, and she will provide you with instructions for admittance. Ms. Davis' e-mail address is virginia.davis@nist.gov and her phone number is (301) 975-2361.