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

This notice announces the availability of NMFS' final National Gravel Extraction Guidance (Gravel Guidance). In March 2004, NMFS released the draft Gravel Guidance for public comment. Nine comment letters were received from industry groups, state agencies, and unaffiliated citizens. Final revisions to the Gravel Guidance included consideration of these public comments.

Applications for the position of Director, Ocean.US are invited. Ocean.US was created by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) to coordinate the development of an operational integrated and sustained ocean observing system (IOOS). Information from the IOOS system will serve national needs for detecting and forecasting oceanic components of climate variability, facilitating safe and efficient marine operations, ensuring national security, managing resources for sustainable use, preserving and restoring healthy marine ecosystems, mitigating natural hazards, and ensuring public health. The Director will coordinate with vested interest groups on collaborative activities that accomplish Ocean.US goals to integrate ocean observing activities. These groups include Federal agencies, universities, private industry, state and local governments, and non- governmental organizations. The Director will develop and oversee broad-scale cooperative efforts and strategies of a national scope associated with coastal and ocean stewardship. The successful candidate will have high-level management experience and the ability to work with a wide range of people and interests to further the goals of Ocean.US and the IOOS. He or she should have demonstrated experience in administration, legislative and public processes, policy development, and constituent affairs. The Director is expected to lead a nation-wide, interagency effort to build coalitions, and should have experience managing staff and negotiating across organizational levels and boundaries. He or she should also have some familiarity with elements of the IOOS, such as Data Management and Communication, Modeling and Analysis, Research, and Education and Outreach. The successful candidate ideally will have a science background, familiarity with the Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS), the NOPP process, and the Federal spending process, including spending in a legislated, but unappropriated enterprise. He or she must also be able to obtain a security clearance. Applications, which should include a letter of interest, a curriculum vitae, and the names, addresses, and e-mail addresses of at least three references, should be sent to: Ocean.US, 2300 Claredon Blvd Suite 1350, Arlington, VA 22201-3667, Attn: Ms. Nicole Larrain. Review of the applications will begin on June 30, 2005, with a start date of October 1, 2005. The mode of employment will be negotiated, depending on the current employment status of the applicant. The search will remain open until the position is filled. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Notice is hereby given of a public meeting concerning the development of a national system of marine protected areas (MPAs) pursuant to Executive Order 13158 (May 26, 2000). The Gulf of Mexico Region Public Dialogue will be held July 18, 2005, 6:30-9 p.m. in New Orleans, Louisiana. This is the third in a series of regional dialogues to be held around the United States to solicit input from the public concerning their views on a national system of MPAs. Additional meetings will be announced and scheduled pending available resources. Refer to the Web page listed below for background information concerning the development of the national system of MPAs. Meeting room capacity is limited to 75 people, and as such interested participants are required to RSVP via the e-mail address (preferable), fax number, or phone number listed below, by no later than 5 p.m. e.d.t. on July 8, 2005. Attendance will be available to the first 75 people who respond. Those who wish to attend but cannot due to space or schedule limitations can find background materials at the Web page listed below and may submit written statements to the e-mail, fax, or mailing address below. A written summary of the meeting will be posted on the Web site within one month of its occurrence.

NMFS is promulgating emergency regulations, at the request of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to close portions of Federal waters of the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and southern New England to the harvest of shellfish (bivalves), with the exception of sea scallop adductor muscles harvested and shucked at sea, due to the presence in those waters of the toxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). The concentrations of the toxin in the Federal waters is great enough to warrant a public health emergency. The closure will remain in effect until September 30, 2005, with the possibility of a reduction or an extension of the closure based upon FDA's determination that the concentration of the toxin in shellfish is at a level that is safe or unsafe, respectively, for human consumption.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted a comprehensive amendment to its Spiny Lobster, Queen Conch, Reef Fish, and Coral Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) for review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. The amendment proposes to: establish management strategies to end overfishing and rebuild overfished stocks; require standardized collection of bycatch data; minimize bycatch and bycatch mortality to the extent practicable; designate essential fish habitat (EFH) and EFH habitat areas of particular concern (EFH-HAPCs) for managed stocks; and minimize, to the extent practicable, adverse effects on such habitat caused by fishing. The Council is proposing these actions to support the objectives of the Council's Spiny Lobster, Queen Conch, Reef Fish, and Coral FMPs. The intended effect of these proposed actions is to achieve optimum yield in the fisheries and provide social and economic benefits associated with maintaining healthy fishery stocks.

Notice is hereby given that the following individuals and institutions have been issued a permit or permit amendment to conduct research on Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus): the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA (NMML: File No. 782-1768); the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Anchorage, AK (ADF&G: File No. 358-1769); the North Pacific Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. (NPUMMRC: File No. 715-1784); the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Corvallis, OR (ODFW; File No. 434-1669); the Aleutians East Borough, Juneau, AK (AEB: File No. 1010-1641); and the Alaska SeaLife Center, Seward, AK (ASLC: File No. 881-1668).

Notice is hereby given that the Dolphin Institute, 420 Ward Avenue, Suite 212, Honolulu, HI 96814 (Principal Investigator: Adam Pack, Ph.D.) has been issued a permit to conduct scientific research.

On April 26, 2005, in response to a request from the Government of Ukraine, the Department of Commerce published a notice in the Federal Register initiating a changed circumstances review in order to determine whether Ukraine should continue to be treated as a non- market economy country for purposes of the U.S. antidumping duty law (70 FR 21396). The Department has decided to extend the comment period by thirty days, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.302(b), making the new deadline for the submission of public comment July 11, 2005. Written comments (original and six copies) should be sent to Joseph A. Spetrini, Acting Assistant Secretary for Import Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Central Records Unit, Room 1870, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230.

On December 7, 2004, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published the preliminary results of the antidumping duty administrative review of certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat products from Romania. This review covers one manufacturer/exporter of the subject merchandise. The period of review (POR) is November 1, 2002, through October 31, 2003. Based on our analysis of comments received, these final results differ from the preliminary results. The final results are listed below in the ``Final Results of Review'' section.

Notice is hereby given that Dr. Terrie Williams, Department of Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Long Marine Laboratory, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 has been issued an amendment to scientific research Permit No. 984-1587-03.

NMFS closes the commercial fishery for deep-water grouper (misty grouper, snowy grouper, yellowedge grouper, warsaw grouper, and speckled hind) in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico. NMFS has determined the deep-water grouper quota for the commercial fishery will have been reached by June 22, 2005. This closure is necessary to protect the deep-water grouper resource.

A vulnerability was recently identified in the NIST-approved cryptographic hash algorithm, Secure Hash Algorithm-1 (SHA-1). In response, NIST is announcing a public workshop to discuss this vulnerability, assess the status of other NIST-approved hash algorithms, and discuss possible near- and long-term options.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene their Reef Fish Advisory Panel to review the ``Draft Amendment 18A to the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico.''

On May 31, 2005, West Fraser Mills, Ltd. filed a First Request for Panel Review with the United States Section of the NAFTA Secretariat pursuant to Article 1904 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Second requests were filed on June 1, 2005 on behalf of Ontario Forest Industries Association, the Ontario Lumber Manufacturers Association and Tembec, Inc; Weyerhaeuser Company Limited; Cascadia Forest Products, Ltd.; International Forest Products Ltd.; and a third request was received on June 7, 2005 on behalf of Abitibi-Consolidated Company of Canada (formerly known as Donohue Forest Products Inc.) Produits Forestiers Petit Paris Inc., Produits Forestiers la Tuque Inc., and Societe en Commandite Scierie Opitciwan. Panel review was requested of the Notice of Determination Under Section 129 of the Uruguay Round Agreement Act: Antidumping Measures on Certain Softwood Lumber Products from Canada made by the United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration. This determination was published in the Federal Register, (70 FR 22636) on May 31, 2005. The NAFTA Secretariat has assigned Case Number USA-CDA-2005-1904-04 to this request.

The Department of Commerce is postponing the preliminary determination in the antidumping duty investigation of certain orange juice from Brazil from June 27, 2005, until no later than August 16, 2005. This postponement is made pursuant to section 733(c)(1)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act).

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 Department of Commerce (``Commerce'') is withdrawing its final rule entitled ``Imports of Certain Worsted Wool Fabric: Implementation of Tariff Rate Quota Established Under Title V of the Trade and Development Act of 2000'' published on May 12, 2005 (70 FR 24941). That rule finalized tariff rate quotas (TRQ) for a limited quantity of worsted wool fabrics pursuant to Title V of the Trade and Development Act of 2000 (``the Act'') as amended by the Trade Act of 2002. The rule is being withdrawn due to an incorrect effective date.

In response to a request by Shanghai R&R Import Export Company Limited (``Shanghai R&R''), an exporter of subject merchandise, the Department of Commerce (the ``Department'') initiated an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on petroleum wax candles (``candles'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). No other interested party requested a review of Shanghai R&R. The period of review (``POR'') is August 1, 2003, through July 31, 2004. For the reasons discussed below, the Department is rescinding this administrative review.