Department of Commerce December 26, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This final rule amends regulations concerning the reporting requirements for the BE-12, Benchmark Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States. The BE-12 survey is conducted once every 5 years and covers virtually the entire universe of foreign direct investment in the United States in terms of value. The benchmark survey will be conducted for 2007. BEA is changing the reporting requirements on the BE-12 Benchmark survey to: Increase the exemption level for reporting on the BE-12(LF) (Long Form) from $125 million to $175 million; increase the exemption level for reporting on the BE- 12(SF) (Short Form) from $10 million to $40 million; and increase the exemption level for reporting on the BE-12 Bank Form from $10 million to $15 million. In addition, BEA is amending Form BE-12(X) by: Re-naming it the Form BE-12 Claim for Not Filing and deleting several questions, which will be moved to a new Form BE-12 Mini. The Claim for Not Filing will be completed only by persons that are not subject to the reporting requirements of the BE-12 survey but have been contacted by BEA concerning their reporting status. The BE-12 Mini is an abbreviated form for reporting U.S. affiliates with total assets, sales or gross operating revenues, and net income (loss) less than or equal to $40 million.

NMFS, in consultation with the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on salmon bycatch reduction measures in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI), in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The proposed action would replace the current Chinook and Chum Salmon Savings Areas in the BSAI with new regulatory closures, salmon bycatch limits, or a combination of both. These management measures could incorporate current or new bycatch reduction methods. The scope of the EIS will be to determine the impacts to the human environment resulting from these salmon bycatch reduction measures. NMFS will accept written comments from the public to determine the issues of concern and the appropriate range of management alternatives for analysis in the EIS.

NMFS amends 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. The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) may request the Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator) approve additional gear types for use in these programs if they meet the standard. The purpose of this rule is to provide greater flexibility to fishermen participating in these programs.

Notice is hereby given that Dr. Kathryn A. Ono, Department of Biological Sciences, University of New England, Biddeford, ME, has been issued a permit to conduct research on marine mammals.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) will hold a work session, which is open to the public.

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.