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

Notice is hereby given that The University of Alaska Museum, 907 Yukon Drive, P.O. Box 756960, Fairbanks, AK 99775 (Dr. Link Olsen, Responsible Party) has been issued an amendment to scientific research Permit No. 704-1698-00.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Salmon Bycatch Workgroup will meet in Anchorage, AK.

NMFS proposes a rule to set the 2009-2010 harvest specifications and management measures for groundfish taken in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California and to revise rebuilding plans for four of the seven overfished rockfish species, consistent with the Mangunson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan. Together, the revisions to rebuilding plans and the 2007-2008 harvest specifications and management measures are intended to rebuild overfished stocks as soon as possible, taking into account the status and biology of the stocks, the needs of fishing communities, and the interaction of the overfished stocks within the marine environment.

NMFS issues this final rule to adopt regulations to implement the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).The regulations establish a national registry of recreational anglers fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), for anadromous species in tidal waters or for Continental Shelf fishery resources beyond the EEZ. Persons will not be required to register with NMFS if they are licensed by a state that provides data determined to be sufficient for the agency's needs. The requirement is intended to improve existing angling effort surveys in order to improve their efficiency, to reduce possible sources of bias and to improve confidence in survey results by anglers and fishery managers.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announces that the following programs are soliciting applications for financial assistance for FY 2009: (1) The NIST Gaithersburg Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Programs, and (2) the NIST Boulder Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Programs. Each program will only consider applications that are within the scientific scope of the program as described in this notice and in the detailed program descriptions found in the Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) announcement for these programs.

In response to requests by interested parties, the Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on honey from Argentina. The review covers four firms, three of which were selected as mandatory respondents (see ``Background'' section of this notice for further explanation). The period of review (POR) is December 1, 2006, through November 30, 2007. We preliminarily determine that sales of honey from Argentina have been made below normal value (NV) by Patagonik S.A. (Patagonik). With respect to the other two mandatory respondents, Asociacion de Cooperativas Argentinas (ACA) and Seylinco, S.A. (Seylinco), we preliminarily determine that their sales of honey have not been made below NV during the POR. We also preliminarily intend to revoke Seylinco from the antidumping duty order subject to its request dated December 31, 2007. Finally, we preliminarily assign the dumping margin calculated for Patagonik to the one company subject to this review but not selected as a mandatory respondent (i.e., Compania Inversora Platense S.A. (CIPSA)). For more information, see the ``Background'' section below; see also ``Preliminary Results of Review,'' below. If these preliminary results are adopted in our final results of administrative review, we will issue appropriate assessment instructions to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results. See ``Preliminary Results of Review,'' below.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announces that the Precision Measurement Grants Program is soliciting applications for financial assistance for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009. The Precision Measurement Grants Program is seeking proposals for significant research in the field of fundamental measurement or the determination of fundamental constants.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Crab Committee will meet January 14, 2009.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Habitat/MPA/Ecosystem Committee, on January 15, 2009, to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

NMFS announces that, effective 0001 hours, December 24, 2008, federally permitted vessels may not fish for, catch, possess, transfer, or land more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of Atlantic herring in or from Management Area 1B (Area 1B) per trip or calendar day until January 1, 2009, when the 2009 TAC becomes available, except for transiting purposes as described in this notice. This action is based on the determination that 95 percent of the Atlantic herring total allowable catch (TAC) allocated to Area 1B for 2008 is projected to be harvested. Regulations governing the Atlantic herring fishery require publication of this notification to advise vessel and dealer permit holders that no TAC is available for the directed fishery for Atlantic herring harvested from Area 1B.

On October 7, 2008, the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce (hereinafter, ``NESDIS'') published a notice of availability of funds (Docket No. 0809261277- 81278-01, I.D. GF001) to establish a NOAA Cooperative Institute for Satellite Climate Studies (73 FR 58560). That notice is hereby rescinded and is replaced with the following revised notice of funding availability. NESDIS invites applications for a Cooperative Institute (CI) that will focus on (1) climate and satellite research and applications, (2) climate and satellite observations and monitoring, and (3) climate research and modeling. Through this competition, NOAA intends to establish competitively a new CI according to the policy and procedures described in NOAA Administrative Order 216-107 and the Cooperative Institute Interim Handbook both available at www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci. The proposed CI should be composed of two or more member institutions (e.g., multiple universities). At least one research institution should be in Maryland, Washington DC or the adjacent states (Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia). At least one research institution should be in North Carolina or the bordering states (Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia) and have a presence in Asheville, North Carolina. NOAA has identified three research themes that will address specific needs within the NOAA Mission Support Satellite Service program and the NOAA Climate Goal that would benefit from collaborations with the CI. The CI should possess outstanding capabilities to work in the three research themes summarized below, as well as possess the capability to conduct outreach and education activities in support of these research themes. I. Climate and Satellite Research and Applications: Research conducted under this theme is associated with the development of new and innovative uses of non-NOAA satellite assets that can ultimately be transitioned into NOAA operations to support climate information needs. This theme also includes performing research and development aimed at improving the utilization of a long time series of satellite measurements that will offer NOAA scientists a homogeneous record of satellite radiances. II. Climate and Satellite Observations and Monitoring: Research conducted under this theme involves (1) designing indices and applications that incorporate satellite observations to detect, monitor and investigate climatic changes and their impacts on coastal and open ocean ecosystems, (2) identifying and meeting the satellite climate needs of a wide variety of users, including research, business and industry, and government and private sector users, and (3) contributing significantly to climate reanalysis projects when satellite data is a key input. III. Climate Research and Modeling: Research conducted under this theme is focused on improving climate forecasts on mesoscale, regional and global scales when satellite data is a key input, and developing regional ecosystem models that can incorporate satellite observations to predict the impact of climate change on these ecosystems, particularly those located in the Mid-Atlantic region. The CI is also expected to play a significant role in National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Test Bed projects when satellite data is a key input. This announcement provides requirements for the proposed CI and includes details for the technical program, evaluation criteria, and competitive selection procedures. Applicants should review the NOAA Administrative Order 216-107 and CI Interim Handbook prior to preparing a proposal for this announcement.

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.

Notice is hereby given that Mark Baumgartner, Ph.D., MS 33, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02543, has requested an modification to scientific research Permit No. 1058-1733.

The Department of Commerce (Department) has determined the allocation for Calendar Year 2009 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.

This final rule announces inseason changes to management measures in the commercial Pacific Coast groundfish fisheries. These actions, which are authorized by the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), are intended to allow fisheries to access more abundant groundfish stocks while protecting overfished and depleted stocks.

Notice is hereby given that Dr. Kathryn A. Ono, Department of Biological Sciences, University of New England, Biddeford, ME has been issued a major amendment to Permit No. 10080-02.

On October 21, 2008, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published in the Federal Register the final results of its administrative review of the antidumping duty order on polyester staple fiber from Taiwan. Our notice of final results stated erroneously that the margin we found for the respondent was 1.72 percent, however, the correct margin is 1.74 percent. No other changes have been made to the final results.