Department of Commerce March 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is giving notice that it has renewed the Census Advisory Committee on the African American Population.

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is giving notice that it has renewed the Census Advisory Committee on the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Population.

The Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy, DOC issues this final rule with respect to the granting of licenses by Federal agencies on Federally owned inventions. This rule is intended to incorporate changes made by the Technology Transfer Commercialization Act of 2000 and streamlines the licensing procedures to focus primarily on statutory requirements. This final rule responds to comments received in response to a proposed rule published on January 7, 2005 (70 FR 1403).

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the countervailing duty (CVD) order on certain cut-to-length carbon-quality steel plate (CLT plate) from the Republic of Korea (Korea) for the period January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2004, the period of review (POR). For information on the net subsidy rate for the reviewed company, see the ``Preliminary Results of Review'' section of this notice. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results. See the ``Public Comment'' section of this notice.

The Department of Commerce (``Department'') received timely requests to conduct an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on wooden bedroom furniture from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). The anniversary month of this order is January. In accordance with the Department's regulations, we are initiating this administrative review.

The U.S. Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is giving notice that the charter for the Census Advisory Committee of Professional Associations has been renewed.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meetings of its Monkfish Advisory Panel and Monkfish Oversight Committee in March, 2006 to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from these groups will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

On February 21, 2006, The U.S. Department of Commerce issued an Export Trade Certificate of Review to California Tomato Export Group (``CTEG''). This notice summarizes the conduct for which certification has been granted.

NMFS, upon application from BP Exploration (Alaska), (BP), is issuing regulations to govern the unintentional takings of small numbers of marine mammals incidental to operation of an offshore oil and gas platform at the Northstar facility in the Beaufort Sea in state waters. Issuance of regulations, and Letters of Authorization (LOAs) under these regulations, governing the unintentional incidental takes of marine mammals in connection with particular activities is required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) when the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), after notice and opportunity for comment, finds, as here, that such takes will have a negligible impact on the species and stocks of marine mammals and will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of them for subsistence uses. These regulations do not authorize BP's oil development activities as such authorization is not within the jurisdiction of the Secretary. Rather, NMFS' regulations together with Letters of Authorization (LOAs) authorize the unintentional incidental take of marine mammals in connection with this activity and prescribe methods of taking and other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on marine mammal species and their habitat, and on the availability of the species for subsistence uses.

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') is currently conducting the sixth administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain preserved mushrooms from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') covering the period February 1, 2004, through January 31, 2005. This review covers imports of subject merchandise from four manufacturers/exporters: Raoping Yucun Canned Foods Factory (``Raoping Yucun''), Primera Harvest (Xiangfan) Incorporated (``PHX''), Gerber Food (Yunnan) Co., Ltd. (``Gerber'') and Guangxi Yulin Oriental Food Co., Ltd. (``Guangxi Yulin'') . We are preliminarily rescinding the review with respect to Green Fresh Foods (Zhangzhou) Co., Ltd. (``Green Fresh''). We preliminarily find that Yucun sold subject merchandise at less than normal value (``NV'') during the period of review (``POR''). In addition, we find that adverse facts available (``AFA'') are appropriate for PHX, Gerber and Guangxi Yulin. If these preliminary results are adopted in our final results of review, we will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') to assess antidumping duties on all appropriate entries in accordance with these results. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary review results and will issue the final review results no later than 120 days from the date of publication of this notice.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a public workshop on the development of the analysis for the groundfish trawl individual quota program alternatives to be considered by the Council.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Charter Halibut Stakeholder Committee will meet in Anchorage, AK.

On April 1, 2005, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') initiated a sunset review of the suspended antidumping duty investigation on ammonium nitrate from the Russian Federation (``Russia'') pursuant to section 751(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (``the Act''). See Notice of Initiation of Five-year (``Sunset'') Reviews, 70 FR 16800 (April 1, 2005) (``Initiation Notice''). On the basis of notices of intent to participate filed on behalf of domestic interested parties and adequate substantive comments filed on behalf of domestic and respondent interested parties, the Department conducted a full (240-day) review. As a result of this review, the Department finds that termination of the suspended antidumping duty investigation on ammonium nitrate from Russia would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping at the levels indicated in the Final Results of Review section of this notice.

The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries (AA), NOAA, announces the extension of temporary restrictions consistent with the requirements of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan's (ALWTRP)implementing regulations. These restrictions will continue to apply to lobster trap and anchored gillnet fishermen in an area totaling approximately 1,569 nm\2\ (5,382 km\2\) off southeast of Portland, Maine for an additional 15 days. The purpose of this action is to provide immediate protection to an aggregation of Northern right whales (right whales).

NMFS is providing this notice in order to allow Federal and state agencies and the public an opportunity to review and provide comments on two reports, prepared for NMFS by an independent consulting firm, regarding the use of treated wood products in aquatic environments. The intent of the reports is to ensure NMFS is informed of relevant studies and recommendations when making decisions related to the use of treated wood in aquatic environments. This information may be used for future development or revision of NMFS treated wood-use guidelines. NMFS is soliciting public comment on whether the treated wood documents sufficiently summarize the existing body of knowledge concerning copper and creosote treated wood products, including the fate and transport of leached materials, the appropriate use of treated wood products, and the potential effects on living marine resources and their habitats. In addition to this public comment opportunity, the reports will also be subject to independent peer review.

NMFS issues this final rule to amend the geographic coordinates that define the longline fishing prohibited area in waters of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around Guam. This action is necessary to correct an error in one of the published coordinates. The intended effect of this action is to accurately implement the Guam longline closed area.

NMFS announces 2006 and 2007 final harvest specifications and prohibited species catch (PSC) allowances for the groundfish fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to establish harvest limits for groundfish during the 2006 and 2007 fishing years and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP). The intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the groundfish resources in the BSAI in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

NMFS proposes a temporary emergency rule under the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) to implement measures intended to immediately reduce the fishing mortality rate (F) on specific groundfish species to prevent overfishing and maintain the rebuilding program of the Northeast (NE) Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This emergency action includes differential days-at-sea (DAS) counting, reduced trip limits for specific species, and recreational possession restrictions, among other provisions. In addition, this action would continue two programs that would otherwise expire by the end of the 2005 fishing year on April 30, 2006: The DAS Leasing Program and a modified Regular B DAS Program on Georges Bank (GB). Due to the impact of these proposed measures on the monkfish fishery, this temporary emergency action would also limit participation of monkfish Category C, D, or F permits in the proposed Regular B DAS Program and revise the method of calculating available monkfish-only DAS for Category C, D, F, G, or H monkfish vessels. This action is intended to prevent overfishing while maintaining specific programs designed to help mitigate the economic and social impacts of effort reductions under the FMP until more permanent management measures can be implemented through Framework Adjustment (FW) 42 to the FMP.

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') is conducting new shipper reviews of the antidumping duty order on freshwater crawfish tail meat from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') in response to requests from Jiangsu Jiushoutang Organisms-Manufacturers Co. Ltd. (``Jiangsu JOM''), Shanghai Sunbeauty Trading Co., Ltd. (``Shanghai Sunbeauty''), and Qingdao Wentai Trading Co. Ltd. (``Wentai''). The period of review (``POR'') is September 1, 2004, through February 28, 2005. We have preliminarily determined that the new shipper reviews of Jiangsu JOM, Shanghai Sunbeauty, and Wentai should all be rescinded because the sales made by each were not bona fide. Much of the information upon which we relied to analyze the bona fides of the sales is business proprietary; therefore, our full analysis is set forth in: Memorandum to James C. Doyle, Director, Office 9, from Scot T. Fullerton and Prentiss Lee Smith, Case Analysts, Office 9: Bona Fides Analysis and Intent to Rescind New Shipper Review of Freshwater Crawfish Tail Meat from the People's Republic of China for Jiangsu Jiushoutang Organisms-Manufactures Co., Ltd., dated February 23, 2006 (``Jiangsu JOM Memo''), Memorandum to James C. Doyle, Director, Office 9, from Scot T. Fullerton and Prentiss Lee Smith, Case Analysts, Office 9: Bona Fides Analysis and Intent to Rescind New Shipper Review of Freshwater Crawfish Tail Meat from the People's Republic of China for Shanghai Sunbeauty Trading Co. Ltd., dated February 23, 2006 (``Sunbeauty Memo''), and Memorandum to James C. Doyle, Director, Office 9, from Scot T. Fullerton and Prentiss Lee Smith, Case Analysts, Office 9: Bona Fides Analysis and Intent to Rescind New Shipper Review of Freshwater Crawfish Tail Meat from the People's Republic of China for Qingdao Wentai Trading Co. Ltd., dated February 23, 2006 (``Wentai Memo''), public versions of which are on file in the Central Records Unit, room B-099 of the main Commerce Building. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary rescission determination.

The Manufacturing Council will hold a full Council meeting to discuss topics related to the state of manufacturing. The Manufacturing Council is a Secretarial Board at the Department of Commerce, established to ensure regular communication between Government and the manufacturing sector. This will be the fifth meeting of The Manufacturing Council. For information about the Council, please visit its Web site at: https://www.manufacturing.gov/council.