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

NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration, National Ocean Service, is issuing guidelines to implement the Marine Debris Program (MDP) grant program. The MDP was created by the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq.) to coordinate, strengthen, and enhance the awareness of marine debris efforts within the agency and work with external partners to support research, prevention, and reduction activities related to the issue of marine debris. The NOAA MDP mission is to support a national and international effort focused on preventing, identifying and removing marine debris and to protect and protect our nation's natural resources, oceans, and coastal waterways from the impacts of marine debris. Within the Act, the MDP is directed to develop formal guidelines for the implementation of a grant program and is seeking comments on the proposed grant program guidelines through this document.

The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comment on the crime control export and reexport license requirements contained in the Export Administration Regulations. Specifically, BIS is seeking public input on whether the scope of items currently subject to crime control license requirements should be revised to add or remove items. BIS is also seeking public comments on whether the destinations to which crime control license requirements apply should be revised.

This announcement is a solicitation for proposals for the Comparative Analysis of Marine Ecosystem Organization (CAMEO) Program. The purpose of CAMEO is to strengthen the scientific basis for an ecosystem approach to stewardship of ocean and coastal resources and ecosystems. To fulfill this purpose, CAMEO will assist policy makers and resource managers to make ecosystem-science based decisions that fulfill policy goals and management objectives of society. The program will support research to understand complex dynamics controlling productivity, behavior, population connectivity, climate variability and anthropogenic pressures. It envisages the use of a diverse array of ecosystem models, comparative analyses of managed and unmanaged areas, and ecosystem-scale mapping in support of research, forecasting and decision support. Proposals are requested for 1-2 year projects for initial modeling, retrospective, and pilot studies.

NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 15 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for review by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary). Amendment 15 would modify the FMP to implement a limited entry program for the non-tribal Pacific whiting fishery. Amendment 15 is intended to limit participation in the Pacific whiting fishery within the U.S. West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone until the implementing of a trawl rationalization program in the Pacific whiting fishery.

Notice is hereby given that the University of Wisconsin Extension, the WI Department of Administration's Coastal Management Program and the WI Department of Natural Resources with the support of the Estuarine Reserves Division of the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce, will hold a public hearing for the purpose of receiving comments on the preliminary recommendation that the St. Louis River Estuary be proposed for designation as a National Estuarine Research Reserve in Wisconsin. The state agencies will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. on April 3rd, 2008 at the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical CollegeSuperior Conference Center, 600 North 21st Street, Superior, WI 78701. The views of interested persons and organizations on the proposed site recommendation are solicited, and may be expressed orally and/or in written statements. An informational presentation on the St. Louis River Estuary and the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) is scheduled for 7 p.m. All comments received at the hearing will be considered in a formal nomination by the state to NOAA. The NERRS is a federal-state partnership that is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The system protects more than 1.3 million acres of estuarine habitat for long-term research, monitoring, education and stewardship throughout the coastal United States. Established by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, each reserve is managed by a lead state agency or university, with input from local partners. NOAA provides funding and national programmatic guidance. The NERR site selection effort is a culmination of several years of local, grassroots support for a Wisconsin NERR on Lake Superior. The recommendation of the St. Louis site follows a year-long process to gather information about all of the freshwater estuaries on Lake Superior's south shore. The site selection process involved dozens of meetings with scientists, agency land managers, public officials and citizens.

NMFS is adjusting the 2008 total allowable catch (TAC) amounts for sablefish in the West Yakutat and Southeast Outside Districts. This action is necessary because NMFS has determined that these TACs were incorrectly specified in the Federal Register on February 27, 2008 (73 FR 10562). This action will ensure the sablefish TAC does not exceed the appropriate amount based on the best available scientific information for sablefish in the West Yakutat and Southeast Outside Districts. This action is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP).

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration publishes this notice to announce a 45-day public comment period for the draft report titled, U.S. Climate Change Science Program Synthesis and Assessment Product 2.4 ``Trends in Emissions of Ozone Depleting Substances, Ozone Layer Recovery, and Implications for Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure.'' This draft report is being released solely for the purpose of pre- dissemination peer review under applicable information quality guidelines. This document has not been formally disseminated by NOAA. It does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency policy or determination. After consideration of comments received on the draft report, a revised version along with the comments received will be published on the CCSP web site.

Establishment of the USPDC will result in the provision of advice to the Under Secretary of Commerce on the content of a report that will integrate and evaluate the findings of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program in the context of current and projected global climate change trends, both human-induced and natural, and analyze the effects of current and projected climate change on: ecosystems and biological diversity; agriculture; energy production and use; land and water resources; transportation; and human health and social systems. This advice will be used by NOAA to develop a final product that addresses these topic areas. Following establishment of the USPDC, the first Committee meeting will be held. All sessions of the meeting will be open to the public.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, and implementing regulations, notification is hereby given that an 11-month letter of authorization (LOA) has been issued to the 30th Space Wing, U.S. Air Force, to take four species of seals and sea lions incidental to rocket and missile launches on Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), California.

On September 11, 2007, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on oil country tubular goods, other than drill pipe (``OCTG''), from Korea for the period (``POR'') August 1, 2005 through July 25, 2006. See Oil Country Tubular Goods, Other Than Drill Pipe, from Korea: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 72 FR 51793 (September 11, 2007) (Preliminary Results). This review covers the following manufacturers/ exporters: Husteel Co., Ltd. (``Husteel''), SeAH Steel Corporation (``SeAH''), and Nexteel Co. Ltd. (Nexteel). Based on our analysis of the comments received, we have made changes to the Preliminary Results. For the final dumping margins see the ``Final Results of Review'' section below.

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.

NOAA and the Department of the Interior (DOI) jointly propose the Revised Draft Framework for Developing the National System of Marine Protected Areas (Revised Draft Framework), as required by Executive Order 13158 on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). This Revised Draft Framework provides overarching guidance for collaborative efforts among federal, state, tribal and local governments and stakeholders to develop an effective National System of MPAs (National System) from existing sites, build coordination and collaborative efforts, and identify ecosystem-based gaps in the protection of significant natural and cultural resources for possible future action by the nation's MPA authorities. The document further provides the guiding principles, key definitions, goals, and objectives for the National System, based on the breadth of input received from MPA stakeholders and governmental partners around the nation over the past several years. The intent of this document is to summarize and respond to comments received on the initial draft document during the September 2006 through February 2007 public comment period, and solicit additional public input on the proposed Revised Draft Framework in order to develop a final document that meets the nation's interests in the National System. The Revised Draft Framework incorporates significant modifications based on due consideration of all comments and recommendations received on the initial draft document. At the end of the comment period on this Revised Draft Framework, NOAA will publish the final Framework, again with consideration of input received.

Notice is hereby given that the NMFS Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP), Silver Spring, MD (Dr. Teri Rowles, Principal Investigator) has applied in due form for a permit to conduct enhancement and research activities on marine mammals.

On September 10, 2007, the Department of Commerce published in the Federal Register its preliminary results of administrative review of the countervailing duty order on dynamic random access memory semiconductors from the Republic of Korea for the period January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2005. Following the preliminary results, we conducted verification and provided interested parties with an opportunity to comment on the preliminary results and our verification findings. Based on information received since the preliminary results and our analysis of the comments received, the Department has revised the net subsidy rate for Hynix. The final net subsidy rate for Hynix is listed below in the section entitled ``Final Results of Review.''

On February 11, 2008, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published in the Federal Register the final results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on stainless steel sheet and strip in coils from Mexico covering the period July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006. See Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip in Coils from Mexico; Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 73 FR 7710 (February 11, 2008) (Final Results). We are amending the Final Results to correct a ministerial error in the calculation of the assessment rate applicable to entries of the respondent in this proceeding, ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V. and Mexinox USA, Inc. (collectively, Mexinox), pursuant to section 751(h) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Tariff Act) and 19 CFR 351.224(e).