Department of Commerce October 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

There has been a change in location of the previously noticed Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Salmon Technical Team (STT), Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Salmon Subcommittee, and Model Evaluation Workgroup (MEW) joint work session, which is open to the public.

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 841 nm\2\ (2,885 km\2\), southeast of Machias, Maine, for 15 days. The purpose of this action is to provide protection to an aggregation of northern right whales (right whales).

On April 12, 2007, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') published in the Federal Register the Preliminary Results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on glycine from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). See Glycine from the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Preliminary Rescission, in Part, 72 FR 18457 (April 12, 2007) (``Preliminary Results''). We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on the Preliminary Results. Based upon our analysis of the comments and information received, we made changes to the margin calculations for the final results. We find that certain manufacturers/exporters sold subject merchandise at less than normal value during the period of review (``POR'') March 1, 2005, through February 28, 2006.

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 current regulations governing the Northeast (NE) multispecies fishery contain a number of inadvertent errors, omissions, and ambiguities, including some that may appear to be inconsistent with the measures adopted by the New England Fishery Management Council (Council) and approved by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) in recent actions taken under the NE Multispecies Fisheries Management Plan (FMP), including Amendment 5, Framework Adjustment (FW) 38, Amendment 13, FW 40-A, FW 41, and FW 42. The intent of this action is to correct these errors and omissions and to clarify specific regulations to ensure consistency with, and accurately reflect the intent of, previous actions under this FMP.

The invention listed below is owned in whole by the U.S. Government as represented by the Department of Commerce. The invention is available for 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.

On July 31, 2007, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published the preliminary results of the new shipper administrative review in the antidumping duty order covering certain forged stainless steel flanges from India. See Certain Forged Stainless Steel Flanges From India: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty New Shipper Administrative Review, 72 FR 41706 (July 31, 2007) (Preliminary Results). The merchandise covered by this review is certain forged stainless steel flanges, manufactured by Micro Forge (India) (Micro Forge), as described in the ``Scope of the Order'' section of this notice. The period of review (POR) is February 1, 2006 through July 31, 2006. We invited parties to comment on our Preliminary Results. We received no comments. Therefore, the final results are unchanged from those presented in the preliminary results. The final weighted-average dumping margin for Micro Forge is listed below in the section entitled ``Final Results of the Review.''

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Salmon Bycatch Workgroup will meet in Anchorage, AK.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Caribbean Council) intends to prepare a DEIS to describe and analyze management alternatives to be included in an amendment to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Spiny Lobster Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and the FMP for the Spiny Lobster Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic. These alternatives will consider measures to implement a minimum import size on spiny lobster. The purpose of this notice of intent is to solicit public comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the DEIS.

NMFS proposes to amend the regulations governing minimum performance standards of fishing gear proposed for use in both the NE multispecies Regular B DAS Program and the Eastern U.S./Canada Haddock SAP. Under the current regulations, the only fishing gear allowed for use in the Eastern U.S./Canada Haddock SAP and the only trawl gear allowed for use in the Regular B DAS Program is a properly configured haddock separator trawl. The purpose of this rule is to ultimately provide greater flexibility to fishermen participating in these programs.

On September 10, 2007, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published its preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products (CORE) from the Republic of Korea (Korea) for the period from August 1, 2005, through July 31, 2006. See Certain Corrosion Resistant Carbon Steel Flat Products from the Republic of Korea: Notice of Preliminary Results and Partial Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 72 FR 51584 (September 10, 2007) (Preliminary Results). We are rescinding the review with respect to the Pohang Iron & Steel Company, Ltd. (POSCO) and Pohang Coated Steel Co., Ltd. (POCOS) (collectively, the POSCO Group).

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) regulations, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to Eglin Air Force Base (EAFB) for the take of marine mammals, by Level B harassment only, incidental to Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal School (NEODS) training operations at EAFB, Florida.

Black coral resources in the Au'au Channel, Hawaii, have declined, possibly due to fishing pressure and an alien invasive soft coral. Current fishing regulations require minimum sizes for the harvest of living black coral colonies of 48 inches (122 cm) in height or one inch (2.54 cm) in stem diameter. Current regulations also exempt certain fishermen from the minimum stem diameter requirement, allowing the harvest of black coral with a smaller \3/4\ inch (1.91 cm) stem diameter by anyone who had reported black coral harvests to the State of Hawaii within the five years prior to April 17, 2002. This final rule removes that exemption to reduce the impacts of fishing on Au'Au Channel black coral resources.

NMFS issues a final rule to implement daily bag limits for sport-caught albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) and bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off California under the Fishery Management Plan for U.S. West Coast Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species (HMS FMP). This final rule is implemented as a conservation measure as part of the 2007-2009 biennial management cycle as established in the HMS FMP Framework provisions for changes to routine management measures.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Salmon Advisory Subpanel (SAS) will hold a work session by telephone conference, which is open to the public, to develop recommendations for the November 2007 Council meeting.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a joint meeting of its Habitat and Environmental Protection Advisory Panel and Coral Advisory Panel in Charleston, SC. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

NMFS is opening directed fishing for groundfish by vessels using trawl gear in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local time, October 10, 2007. This action is necessary to fully use the 2007 Pacific halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) limit specified for vessels using trawl gear in the GOA.

NMFS announces the meeting of the General Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) on November 2, 2007.

The NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) announces its intent to evaluate the performance of the Grand Bay (Mississippi) National Estuarine Research Reserve, the Alabama Coastal Management Program, and the Virgin Islands Coastal Management Program. The Coastal Zone Management Program evaluations will be conducted pursuant to section 312 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended (CZMA) and regulations at 15 CFR Part 923, Subpart L. The National Estuarine Research Reserve evaluation will be conducted pursuant to sections 312 and 315 of the CZMA and regulations at 15 CFR part 921, subpart E and part 923, subpart L. The CZMA requires continuing review of the performance of states with respect to coastal program implementation. Evaluation of Coastal Management Programs and National Estuarine Research Reserves requires findings concerning the extent to which a state has met the national objectives, adhered to its Coastal Management Program document or Reserve final management plan approved by the Secretary of Commerce, and adhered to the terms of financial assistance awards funded under the CZMA. Each evaluation will include a site visit, consideration of public comments, and consultations with interested Federal, State, and local agencies and members of the public. A public meeting will be held as part of each site visit. Notice is hereby given of the dates of the site visits for the listed evaluations, and the dates, local times, and locations of the public meetings during the site visits. Dates and Times: The Grand Bay (Mississippi) National Estuarine Research Reserve evaluation site visit will be held November 27-30, 2007. One public meeting will be held during the week. The public meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 27, 2007, at 6:30 p.m. at the East Jackson County/Orange Grove Community Center, 9313 Old Stage Road, Moss Point, Mississippi. The Alabama Coastal Management Program evaluation site visit will be held December 3-7, 2007. One public meeting will be held during the week. The public meeting will be held on Monday, December 3, 2007, at 5:30 p.m. at 5 RiversAlabama's Delta Resource Center, Tensaw Theater, 309455 Rivers Boulevard, Spanish Fort, Alabama. The Virgin Islands Coastal Management Program evaluation site visit will be held December 3-7, 2007. Three public meetings will be held during the week. The first public meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 4, 2007, at 6 p.m. at the Cyril E. King Airport Terminal Building, Second Floor, Department of Planning and Natural Resources Conference Room, 8100 Lindberg Bay, St. Thomas. The second public meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 5, 2007, at 6 p.m. at the Henry Rohlsen Airport, Second Floor, Port Authority Conference Room, St. Croix. The third public meeting will be held on Thursday, December 6, 2007, at 6 p.m. at the St. John Legislature Conference Room, 109 Enigned Contant, St. John.