Department of Commerce December 31, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS proposes regulations that would limit the harvest of Pacific halibut by guided sport charter vessel anglers in International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) Area 2C of Southeast Alaska to the guideline harvest level (GHL) for that area under two different scenarios. First, if the GHL remains unchanged in 2008, a suite of three management measures are proposed to be added to an existing two- halibut daily catch and size limit. These management measures include a prohibition on the harvest of halibut by charter vessel guides, operators, and crew; a limit on the number of fishing lines that may be used on a charter vessel of six or the number of charter vessel anglers onboard, whichever is less; and an annual catch limit of four halibut per charter vessel angler. Second, if the GHL decreases in 2008, then a one-halibut daily catch limit is proposed to be substituted for the existing two-halibut daily catch limit. The prohibition of halibut harvest by charter vessel guides, operators, and crew, and the 6-line limit also are proposed under the second scenario. This proposed regulatory change is necessary to reduce the halibut harvest in the charter vessel sector to the GHL for Area 2C. The intended effect of this action is a reduction in the poundage of halibut harvested by the guided sport charter vessel sector in Area 2C to the GHL while minimizing adverse impacts on the charter fishery, its sport fishing clients, the coastal communities that serve as home ports for this fishery, and on fisheries for other species.

The Department of Commerce (Department) has determined the allocation for Calendar Year 2008 of imports of certain worsted wool fabrics under tariff rate quotas established by Title V of the Trade and Development Act of 2000 (Public Law No. 106-200), as amended by the Trade Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-210) and the Miscellaneous Trade Act of 2004 (Public law 108-249), and the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-280). The companies that are being provided an allocation are listed below.

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') and the Russian Federation's Federal Atomic Energy Agency (``Rosatom'') have initialed a draft amendment to the Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Investigation on Uranium from the Russian Federation (``Suspension Agreement''). See Initialed Draft Amendment to the Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Investigation on Uranium from the Russian Federation; Request for Comment, 72 FR 68124 (December 4, 2007) (``Draft Amendment''). On December 20, 2007, Power Resources, Inc. (``PRI'') and Crow Butte Resources, Inc (``CBR''), U.S. producers of uranium concentrates, requested a one-week extension to the comment period outlined in the Draft Amendment. The Department is granting this request in full.

This action extends a temporary final rule initially published on October 18, 2005. The regulations contained in the temporary rule, emergency action, published on October 18, 2005, and subsequently extended several times at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will expire on January 1, 2008. This temporary rule extends a closure of Federal waters through December 31, 2008. The FDA has determined that current oceanographic conditions and alga sampling data suggest that the northern section of the Temporary Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP) Closure Area remain closed to the harvest of bivalve molluscan shellfish and that the southern area remain closed to the harvest of whole or roe-on scallops. NMFS is publishing the regulatory text associated with this closure in this temporary emergency rule in order to ensure that current regulations accurately reflect the codified text that has been modified and extended numerous times, so that the public is aware of the regulations being extended through December 31, 2008.

Pursuant to the Withdrawal of the Request for Panel Review and the Complaint, the panel review is terminated as of December 20, 2007. A panel has not been appointed to this panel review. Pursuant to Rule 71(2) of the Rules of Procedure for Article 1904 Binational Panel Review, this panel review is terminated.