Department of Commerce January 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (TBNMS or sanctuary) is seeking applicants for the following vacant seats on its Sanctuary Advisory Council (council): Higher Education, Recreation, Fishing (recreational, charter, and/or commercial), Business/Economic Development alternate, and Citizen-at-Large. Applicants are chosen based upon their particular expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying; community and professional affiliations; philosophy regarding the protection and management of marine resources; and possibly the length of residence in the area affected by the sanctuary. Applicants who are chosen as members should expect to serve 3-year terms, pursuant to the council's Charter.

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') is extending the time limit for the preliminary results of the administrative review of certain tissue paper products from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). This review covers the period March 1, 2006, through February 28, 2007.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is aligning the final determination in the countervailing duty investigation of certain new pneumatic off-the-road tires (OTR Tires) from the People's Republic of China (PRC) with the final determination in the companion antidumping investigation.

The Department of Commerce (the ``Department'') has determined that a request for a new shipper review of the antidumping duty order on certain cut-to-length steel plate (``CTL steel plate'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''), received in November 2007, meets the statutory and regulatory requirements for initiation. The period of review (``POR'') of this new shipper review is November 1, 2006, through October 31, 2007.

NOAA Research (OAR) publishes this notice on behalf of the NOAA Science Advisory Board (SAB) to announce the availability of the preliminary report of the SAB Extension, Outreach, and Education Working Group's (here called the EOEWG) external review of NOAA's activities in extension, outreach and education activities for public comment. The preliminary report of the EOEWG has been prepared pursuant to the request initiated by the NOAA Science Advisory Board, and approved by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, for an external panel of experts to conduct a review of NOAA's extension, outreach and education programs and provide advice to NOAA on ways to strengthen, coordinate, organize and improve its extension, outreach and education activities to fully engage its constituents.

The Department of Commerce (``Department'') is currently conducting the aligned semi-annual 2005-2006 new shipper review and 2005-2006 administrative review of the antidumping duty order on honey from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). The period of review (``POR'') for both the new shipper review and administrative review is December 1, 2005, through November 30, 2006. Five respondents reported that they had no exports or sales of the subject merchandise during the POR; therefore, we are preliminarily rescinding our review of these companies. We preliminarily determine that Wuhu Qinshi Tangye Co., Ltd. (``Wuhu Qinshi''); Jiangsu Light Industry Products Imp & Exp (Group) Corp. (``Jiangsu Light''); Qinhuangdao Municipal Dafeng Industrial Co., Ltd. (``QMD''); and Inner Mongolia Altin Bee-Keeping (``IMA'') have failed to cooperate by not acting to the best of their ability to comply with our requests for information and, as a result, should be assigned a rate based on adverse facts available. Additionally, we have preliminarily determined that, because the Department has not calculated antidumping duty margins in this segment of the proceeding, the two separate rate companies in the administrative review will be assigned the separate rate margin from the most recent segment of this proceeding in which such a rate was calculated, which in this case is the less than fair value (``LTFV'') investigation. Finally, we have preliminarily determined that QHD Sanhai Honey Co., Ltd. (``QHD Sanhai''), the new shipper respondent, did not make sales of subject merchandise to the United States below normal value. If these preliminary results are adopted in our final results of this review, we will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') to assess antidumping duties on all appropriate entries of subject merchandise during the POR. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results. We will issue the final results no later than 120 days from the date of publication of this notice.

NMFS will hold a two public hearings regarding the Cook Inlet beluga whale subsistence harvest Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS).

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a series of public scoping meetings regarding a proposed Comprehensive Allocation Amendment, Amendment 17 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the South Atlantic, Amendment 18 to the Snapper Grouper FMP for the South Atlantic, and commercial allocation of the South Atlantic king mackerel quota. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

We preliminarily determine that circular welded carbon quality steel pipe (``CWP'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (``LTFV''), as provided in section 733 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the ``Act''). The estimated margins of sales at less than fair value (``LTFV'') are shown in the ``Preliminary Determination'' section of this notice. Pursuant to requests from interested parties, we are postponing for 60 days the final determination and extending provisional measures from a four-month period to not more than six months. Accordingly, we will make our final determination not later than 135 days after publication of the preliminary determination.

NMFS has completed a draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) on the Issuance of Endangered Species Act Permits for Scientific Research on Endangered and Threatened Sea Turtles in the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico.

In response to requests from interested parties, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on hand trucks and certain parts thereof (``hand trucks'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') covering the period December 1, 2005, through November 30, 2006. We have preliminarily determined that sales have been made below normal value (``NV'') by one exporter participating in the review. We have also preliminarily rescinded the review for five exporters that did not have any exports during the period of review (``POR'') or whose request for review was timely withdrawn. We have also preliminarily determined that two companies have not demonstrated that they are entitled to separate rates and have assigned them the rate for the PRC-wide entity. If these preliminary results are adopted in the final results of these reviews, we will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') to assess antidumping duties on all appropriate entries. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results. We will issue the final results no later than 120 days from the date of publication of this notice.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council), its Mid-Atlantic Bycatch Committee, its Research Set-Aside Committee, its Ecosystems Committee, its Protected Resources Committee, its Executive Committee, and its Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Committee, will hold public meetings.

The SEDAR assessments of the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico stocks of king mackerel will consist of a series of three workshops: a Data Workshop, an Assessment Workshop, and a Review Workshop. This is the sixteenth SEDAR. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The final revised management plan for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) has been approved and is now available. The plan is the result of a multi-year management plan review at the FKNMS that included extensive public, as well as state, local and other federal agency involvement. The plan is available for download on the Web site: https://floridakeys.noaa.gov. For a hard copy or data CD of the plan contact the sanctuary office at the contact number identified below.

We, NMFS, have completed a review of the status of black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). After reviewing the best scientific and commercial information available, evaluating threats facing the species, and considering efforts being made to protect black abalone, we have concluded that the species is in danger of extinction throughout all of its range and are proposing to list the species as endangered under the ESA. This proposal is based on information indicating that: the disease known as withering syndrome has spread to areas throughout the range of the species, has been responsible for the local extirpation of populations throughout a large part of the species' range, and threatens remaining black abalone populations; low adult densities below the critical threshold density required for successful fertilization exist throughout a large part of the species' range; and, a number of interacting factors (e.g., suboptimal water temperatures, reduced genetic diversity, and illegal harvest) may further hamper natural recovery of the species. A critical habitat designation is being considered and may be proposed in a subsequent Federal Register notice. If the proposed listing is finalized, a recovery plan will be prepared and implemented.