Department of Commerce November 19, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the provisions of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted initial benchmark research (Phase I) on voting equipment used in the 2004 elections. (See: https://vote.nist.gov/meeting-08172007/ Usability-Benchmarks-080907.doc). NIST is soliciting interest in Phase II of the benchmark research for voting equipment certified or submitted for certification to the 2005 Voluntary Voting System Guidelines. The NIST research is designed to: (1) Determine the realistic usability benchmarks for current and future voting system technology to support usability performance standards in next generation voluntary voting systems standards, and (2) develop usability test protocols for conformance testing of such standards. NIST may also examine relevant instructions, documentation and error messages, without doing any direct usability studies thereon. Manufacturers interested in participating in Phase II of this research will be asked to execute a Letter of Understanding. Interested parties are invited to contact NIST for information regarding participation, Letters of Understanding and shipping.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) has obtained information with respect to Pasta Lensi S.r.l. (Lensi), a producer/ exporter of pasta from Italy, and American Italian Pasta Company (AIPC), Lensi's corporate parent and importer of subject merchandise produced by Lensi, sufficient to warrant the self-initiation of a changed circumstances review. Interested parties are invited to submit comments, as indicated below.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its, Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), Spiny Lobster Committee, Joint Executive and Finance Committees, Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) Committee, Snapper Grouper Committee, Ecosystem-based Management Committee, SSC Selection Committee (Closed Session), Standard Operations, Policy, and Procedures (SOPPs) Committee, and a meeting of the full Council. The Council will also hold a meeting of the Limited Access Privilege (LAP) Program Exploratory Workgroup and public hearings regarding Amendment 15A to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to address rebuilding plans for snowy grouper, black sea bass, and red porgy, and Amendment 15B to the Snapper Grouper FMP addressing the sale of recreationally- caught snapper grouper species, methods to reduce the effects of incidental hooking on sea turtles and smalltooth sawfish, commercial permit renewal periods and transferability requirements, implementation of a plan to monitor and access bycatch, establishment of reference points, such as Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and Optimum Yield (OY) for golden tilefish, and establishment of allocations for snowy grouper and red porgy. In addition, the Council will hold a public scoping meeting for: 1) Amendment 7 to the Shrimp FMP addressing current qualifying criteria for a limited access program for the South Atlantic rock shrimp fishery and 2) allocation of the South Atlantic commercial king mackerel quota. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for additional details.

NMFS announces that the spiny dogfish commercial quota available to the coastal states from Maine through Florida for the semi-annual quota period, November 1, 2007 - April 30, 2008, has been harvested. Therefore, effective 0001 hours, November 16, 2007, federally permitted commercial vessels may not fish for, possess, transfer, or land spiny dogfish until May 1, 2008, when the 2008 Period 1 quota becomes available. Federally permitted dealers are also advised that they may not purchase spiny dogfish from federally permitted spiny dogfish vessels through April 30, 2007. Regulations governing the spiny dogfish fishery require publication of this notification to advise the coastal states from Maine through Florida that the quota has been harvested and to advise vessel permit holders and dealer permit holders that no Federal commercial quota is available for landing spiny dogfish in these states. This action is necessary to prevent the fishery from exceeding its Period 2 quota and to allow for effective management of this stock.