Department of Commerce 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Commerce (Department) proposes to remove its regulations implementing the government-wide common rule on nonprocurement debarment and suspension, currently codified at Title 15, and to adopt the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) guidance at Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) published in the Federal Register on August 31, 2005. This proposed regulatory action would implement the OMB's initiative to streamline and consolidate all federal regulations on nonprocurement debarment and suspension into one part of the CFR. The Department does not intend to modify any of its current policy.

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, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

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, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

NMFS issues this final rule to implement Amendment 13C to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). Amendment 13C establishes management measures to end overfishing of snowy grouper, golden tilefish, vermilion snapper, and black sea bass and measures to allow moderate increases in recreational and commercial harvest of red porgy consistent with the rebuilding program for that stock. For the commercial fisheries, this final rule establishes restrictive quotas for snowy grouper, golden tilefish, vermilion snapper, and black sea bass and, after the quotas are met, prohibits all purchase and sale of the applicable species and restricts all harvest and possession to the applicable bag limit; establishes restrictive trip limits for snowy grouper and golden tilefish; requires at least 2-inch (5.1-cm) mesh in the back panel of black sea bass pots; requires black sea bass pots to be removed from the water after the quota is reached; changes the fishing year for black sea bass; increases the trip limit for red porgy; establishes a red porgy quota that would allow a moderate increase in harvest; and, after the red porgy quota is reached, prohibits all purchase and sale and restricts all harvest and possession to the bag limit. For the recreational fisheries, this final rule reduces the bag limits for snowy grouper, golden tilefish, and black sea bass; increases the minimum size limit for vermilion snapper and black sea bass; changes the fishing year for black sea bass; and increases the bag limit for red porgy. The intended effects of this final rule are to eliminate or phase out overfishing of snowy grouper, golden tilefish, vermilion snapper, and black sea bass; and increase red porgy harvest consistent with an updated stock assessment and rebuilding plan to achieve optimum yield. Finally, NMFS informs the public of the approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the collection-of-information requirements contained in this final rule and publishes the OMB control numbers for those collections.

On June 22, 2006, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published in the Federal Register the notice of intent to rescind the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) from Japan. This review covers four manufactures/ exporters: JFE Steel Corporation (JFE), Nippon Steel Corporation (Nippon), NKK Tubes (NKK) and Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. (SMI). The period of review (POR) covers sales of subject merchandise to the United States during the period August 1, 2004 throughJuly 31, 2005. We provided interested parties with an opportunity to comment on the notice of intent to rescind this administrative review. However, we received no comments from interested parties. Consequently, no changes have been made to the preliminary results of the review.

Notice is hereby given that The Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, 500 Wildlife Parkway, P.O. Box 1060, Columbia, SC 29202-1060 [Charles Scott Pfaff, Responsible Party] has applied in due form for a permit to take shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) for purposes of enhancement.

In recent months, the International Trade Administration has completed a number of investigations into charges that the terms of administrative protective orders issued in connection with antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings have been violated. The results of these investigations are summarized below.

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 invention listed below is jointly owned by the U.S. Government, as represented by the Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Navy. The Department of Commerce's interest in the invention is available for non-exclusive licensing, in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 and 37 CFR Part 404 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally funded research and development.

NMFS will host a half-day meeting with the Atlantic Regional Fishery Management Council Chairs and Executive Directors in October 2006. The intent of this meeting is to discuss science, coordination, and communication issues related to Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS).

The 93rd meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council's (Council) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will convene Tuesday, October 3, 2006, through Thursday October 5, 2006. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific times, dates, and agenda items.

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, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

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, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Salmon Technical Team (STT) and Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Salmon Subcommittee will hold a joint work session, which is open to the public, to review proposed salmon methodology changes.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory committees will hold public meetings, in Dutch Harbor, AK.

On June 1, 2005, the Department of Commerce initiated and the International Trade Commission instituted a sunset review of the antidumping duty orders on antifriction bearings and parts thereof from France and Singapore. As a result of the review, the International Trade Commission determined that revocation of the order on spherical plain bearings and parts thereof from France and the order on ball bearings and parts thereof from Singapore would not be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury to an industry in the United States within a reasonably foreseeable time. Therefore, the Department of Commerce is revoking these two antidumping duty orders.

This document provides notice of vessel monitoring systems (VMS) approved by NOAA for use by vessels participating in the Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and sets forth relevant features of the VMS.

This proposed rule amends regulations of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce (BEA) to set forth the reporting requirements for the BE-120, Benchmark Survey of Transactions in Selected Services and Intangible Assets with Foreign Persons. This rule would replace the rule for a similar but more limited survey, the BE-20, Benchmark Survey of Selected Services Transactions with Unaffiliated Foreign Persons. The agency form number and survey title are being changed because the survey is being reconfigured to reflect changes in BEA's survey program for international services that have occurred since the previous BE-20 survey was conducted, as well as to begin collection of data on transactions with affiliated foreigners and unaffiliated foreigners using the same survey instruments. If adopted the BE-120 survey would be conducted once every five years beginning with fiscal year 2006. The proposed BE-120 survey is intended to cover the universe of selected services transactions and transactions in intangible assets with foreign persons. In nonbenchmark years, universe estimates covering these transactions would be derived from the sample data reported on BEA's follow-on quarterly survey, by extrapolating forward the universe data collected on the BE-120 benchmark survey.