Department of Commerce February 10, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given that the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division, P.O. Box 12559, Charleston, S.C. 29422-2559, has been issued a permit to take loggerhead (Caretta caretta), Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), green (Chelonia mydas), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles for purposes of scientific research.

On December 29, 2005, the United States Court of International Trade (``Court'') sustained the final remand determination made by the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') pursuant to the Court's remand of the final results of the administrative review of freshwater crawfish tail meat from the People's Republic of China. See Crawfish Processors Alliance v. United States, Consol. Ct. No. 02-00376, Slip Op. 05-166 (Ct. Int'l Trade December 29, 2005) (``CPA Remand III''). This case arises out of the Departments's Notice of Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, and Final Partial Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review 67 FR 19546 (April 22, 2002) (``Final Results''). The final judgment in this case was not in harmony with the Department's April 2002 Final Results.

On November 2, 2005, NMFS published a proposed rule to revise current critical habitat (CH) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) for the northern right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) by designating areas within the North Pacific Ocean. Two areas are proposed for designation: an area in the southeast Bering Sea and a second area in the Gulf of Alaska south of Kodiak Island. In response to a request, a public hearing on this proposed rule will be held on March 2, 2006, in Anchorage, AK.

On October 7, 2005, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published the preliminary results of its third administrative review of the antidumping duty order on steel concrete reinforcing bars (rebar) from Latvia. The review covers one producer of the subject merchandise. The period of review (POR) is September 1, 2003, through August 31, 2004. 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.

On September 8, 2005, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain cut-to-length carbon steel plate from Romania. The review covers Mittal Steel Galati, S.A. (``Mittal Steel'', formerly Ispat Sidex S.A.) a manufacturer of the subject merchandise, and Metalexportimport SA (``MEI''), an unaffiliated exporter. The period of review is August 1, 2003, through July 31, 2004. This administrative review also covers additional producers/exporters of the subject merchandise: Metanef, S.A. (``Metanef''), MINMET S.A. (``MINMET''), CSR SA Resita (``CSR'') and Combinatul de Oteluri Speciali Tirgoviste (``COST''), for which the Department is now finally rescinding this review because these producers/exporters, with the exception of CSR, did not ship subject merchandise during the period of review (``POR''). With respect to CSR, Nucor Corporation (``Nucor''), a petitioner in this proceeding, filed a timely request for withdrawal of the administrative review for this company.

NMFS is opening directed fishing for sablefish with fixed gear managed under the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program. The season will open 1200 hrs, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), March 5, 2006, and will close 1200 hrs, A.l.t., November 15, 2006. This period is the same as the 2006 IFQ and Community Development Quota season for Pacific halibut adopted by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). The IFQ halibut season is specified by a separate publication in the Federal Register of annual management measures.