Department of Commerce August 3, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On May 2, 2007, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published in the Federal Register a notice of intent to rescind the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) from Japan. See Oil Country Tubular Goods from Japan: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Intent to Rescind Administrative Review, 72 FR 24275 (May 2, 2007) (Preliminary Results). 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, 2005 through July 31, 2006. 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, we are rescinding this administrative review.

Pursuant to its authority under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), NMFS issues this final regulation to require fishing vessels subject to the jurisdiction of the United States that are identified through the annual determination process specified in the rule to take observers upon NMFS' request. The purpose of this measure is to learn more about sea turtle interactions with fishing operations, to evaluate existing measures to reduce sea turtle takes, and to determine whether additional measures to address prohibited sea turtle takes may be necessary. NMFS and/or interested cooperating entities will pay the direct costs of the observer. Through this rule, NMFS also extends the number of days from 30 to 180 (with a possible 60-day extension) that the agency may place observers in response to a determination by the Assistant Administrator that the unauthorized take of sea turtles may be likely to jeopardize their continued existence under existing regulations. This extension will help the agency address immediate observer needs in response to an emergency sea turtle-related event.

NMFS is implementing regulations to modify the permitting and vessel replacement provisions for Federal limited access permit programs of the Northeastern United States, excluding American lobster. This action is intended to prevent fishing effort beyond what is accounted for in the fishery management plans (FMPs) for each fishery and to reinforce efforts undertaken by state fishery management agencies at targeting regulations specifically for vessels that participate wholly in state water fisheries. These measures are necessary to meet the conservation and management requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson- Stevens Act).

The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries (AA), NOAA, announces temporary restrictions consistent with the requirements of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan's (ALWTRP) implementing regulations. These regulations apply to lobster trap/pot and anchored gillnet fishermen in an area totaling approximately 3,530 nm\2\ (12,108 km\2\), southeast of Chatham, Massachusetts, for 15 days. The purpose of this action is to provide protection to an aggregation of northern right whales (right whales).