Department of Commerce 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On June 6, 2007, the Department of Commerce published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain polyester staple fiber from Taiwan. We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on the preliminary results. Based on our analysis of the comments received and an examination of our calculations, we have made certain changes for the final results. The final weighted-average dumping margin for Far Eastern Textile Limited is listed below in the ``Final Results of the Review'' section of this notice.

In response to requests from United States Steel Corporation (petitioner), Nucor Corporation (Nucor), and G Steel Public Company Limited (G Steel), the Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat products (hot-rolled steel) from Thailand. With regard to the two Thai companies that are subject to this administrative review, G Steel and Nakornthai Strip Mill Public Company Limited (NSM), we preliminarily determine that sales of subject merchandise produced by G Steel have not been made at less than normal value (NV) and that NSM did not have any shipments, entries, or sales of subject merchandise during the period of review (POR). Therefore, this administrative review covers imports of subject merchandise produced and exported by G Steel, and we are preliminarily rescinding the review with respect to NSM. For a full discussion of the intent to rescind with respect to NSM, see the ``Notice of Intent to Rescind in Part'' section of this notice below. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results. Parties that submit comments are requested to submit with each argument (1) a statement of the issue(s), (2) a brief summary of the argument(s), and (3) a table of authorities.

This action corrects a spelling error in final regulations (FR Doc. 03-8822) that were published in the Federal Register on April 15, 2003 (68 FR 18145). This action is necessary to correct a typographical error of an organized tribal entity name in regulations that implement Pacific halibut subsistence fishing management measures. This correcting amendment makes minor, non-substantive changes and does not change operating practices in the subsistence fishery or the rights and obligations of subsistence fishermen managed under the subsistence halibut regulations off Alaska.

On November 21, 2007, The United States Steel Corporation (``U.S. Steel'') filed a First Request for Panel Review with the United States section of the NAFTA Secretariat pursuant to Article 1904 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Panel review was requested of the Final Determination of the Antidumping Duty Review made by the International Trade Commission, respecting Certain Welded Large Diameter Line Pipe from Mexico. This determination was published in the Federal Register (72 FR 59551) on October 22, 2007. The NAFTA Secretariat has assigned Case Number USA-MEX-2007-1904-03 to this request.

NMFS proposes 2008 and 2009 harvest specifications and prohibited species catch allowances for the groundfish fisheries of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to establish harvest limits for groundfish during the 2008 and 2009 fishing years and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area. The intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the groundfish resources in the BSAI in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

NMFS announces that it is considering, and is seeking public comment on proposed rulemaking to control future access to the commercial dolphin/wahoo fishery operating in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ)of the South Atlantic. If changes to the management regime are developed and implemented under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), a control date could be used to limit the number of participants in the fishery. This announcement is intended, in part, to promote awareness of the potential eligibility criteria for future access so as to discourage speculative entry into the fishery while the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and NMFS consider whether and how access to the dolphin/wahoo commercial fishery should be controlled.

On April 23, 2007, NMFS published in the Federal Register a final rule to implement measures requiring observers for participating hagfish vessels in the Federal Register as part of the hagfish information collection program. On June 13, 2007, NMFS published a separate final rule that inadvertently deleted these regulations implemented in the April 23, 2007, rule. This correcting amendment corrects this error by reinstating the language regarding hagfish observer requirements.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) proposes to provide to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data collected from several surveys that it conducts on U.S. direct investment abroad, foreign direct investment in the United States, and U.S. international services transactions for statistical purposes exclusively. In accordance with the requirement of Section 524(d) of the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA), we are providing the opportunity for public comment on this data-sharing action. The data provided to BLS will be used for two purposes: (1) The BLS International Price Program is researching the feasibility of producing price indexes for imports and exports of services, such as financial services, film and tape rentals, and royalties and license fees. BLS will use data from BEA surveys to develop sample frames of companies that trade these services and to directly collect price information from the selected companies. BLS will also use BEA data as weighting sources for the price indexes. Should it prove feasible to produce price indexes for international services, BEA will share data collected in its direct investment and international services surveys with BLS each time BLS draws a new sample and reweights the indexes. BLS will share sample frame and revenue information that it collects with BEA, which will allow BEA to identify errors or omissions in the data collected on its surveys. This data sharing effort will improve the quality of price indexes for imported and exported services that BEA uses in compiling the National Income and Product Accounts. (2) The BLS Division of Foreign Labor Statistics will use BEA data collected on employment, compensation, and (as available) hours worked at the foreign affiliates of U.S. multinational companies to estimate their hourly compensation costs for research comparing the levels and trends of hourly compensation costs of foreign affiliates with the average costs for establishments in the same industries and same host countries as the affiliates.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has issued an amended Export Trade Certificate of Review (``Certificate'') to the U.S. Shippers Association (``USSA'') on November 27, 2007. USSA's application to amend its Certificate was announced in the Federal Register on September 14, 2007 (72 FR 52552), and an amended notice of application for amendment was published on October 4, 2007 (72 FR 56727). The original Certificate No. 85-00018 was issued to USSA on June 3, 1986, and announced in the Federal Register on June 9, 1986 (51 FR 20873). The previous amendment (No. 85-12A018) was issued to USSA on April 6, 2006, and announced in the Federal Register April 12, 2006 (71 FR 18721).

On September 12, 2007, the Department of Commerce published the preliminary results of an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on stainless steel wire rods from India and a notice of intent to rescind the antidumping duty administrative review in part. The administrative review currently covers one manufacturer/exporter, Mukand Ltd., and the review period is December 1, 2005, through November 30, 2006. We stated our intent to rescind the review with respect to the manufacturer/exporter Sunflag Iron & Steel Co., Ltd., in our preliminary results.We have received no comments from interested parties on our preliminary results. We have made no changes to our calculations for the final results of review and, accordingly, have found that Mukand Ltd. made sales at less than normal value in the U.S. market. The final weighted-average dumping margin for this company is listed below in the section entitled ``Final Results of the Review.'' In addition, we have rescinded the administrative review of sales of stainless steel wire rods made by Sunflag Iron & Steel Co., Ltd.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) preliminarily determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of laminated woven sacks (LWS) from the People's Republic of China (PRC). For information on the estimated subsidy rates, see the ``Suspension of Liquidation'' section of this notice. The Department further determines preliminarily that critical circumstances exist, in part, with respect to imports of the subject merchandise. This notice also serves to align the final countervailing duty determination in this investigation with the final determination in the companion antidumping duty investigation of LWS from the PRC.

Export Trading Company Affairs (``ETCA''), International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce, has received an application for an Export Trade Certificate of Review (``Certificate''). This notice summarizes the conduct for which certification is sought and requests comments relevant to whether the Certificate should be issued.

Notice is hereby given that Sea World, Inc., 7007 Sea World Drive, Orlando, Florida 32821, has applied in due form for a permit to import one beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) for the purposes of public display.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a Groundfish Stock Assessment Review Workshop, 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, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

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.