Department of Commerce 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Economic Development Administration (``EDA'') published final regulations in the Federal Register on September 27, 2006. In March 2007, the Office of the Inspector General (``OIG'') published a report titled Aggressive EDA Leadership and Oversight Needed to Correct Persistent Problems in the RLF Program. In the time since the publication of this report, EDA has made significant improvements in the management and oversight of its revolving loan fund (``RLF'') program, including the issuance of written guidance that provides EDA staff with reasonable steps to help better ensure grantee compliance with RLF requirements. EDA is publishing this interim final rule (this ``IFR'') to synchronize the RLF regulations with that guidance. Additionally, EDA is publishing this IFR to make changes to certain definitions in the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms Program regulations set out in 13 CFR part 315. This IFR also provides notice of other substantive and non-substantive revisions made to the EDA regulations.

NMFS announces that the spiny dogfish commercial quota available to the coastal states from Maine through Florida for the semi-annual quota period, November 1, 2008April 30, 2009, has been harvested and will not open for the Period 2 fishery. Therefore, effective 0001 hours, November 1, 2008, federally permitted spiny dogfish vessels may not fish for, possess, transfer, or land spiny dogfish until May 1, 2009, when the Period 1 quota becomes available. Regulations governing the spiny dogfish fishery require publication of this notification to advise the coastal states from Maine through Florida that the quota has been harvested and to advise vessel permit holders and dealer permit holders that no Federal commercial quota is available for landing spiny dogfish in these states. This action is necessary because the fishery has exceeded its annual quota.

The Department of Commerce determines that imports of uncovered innerspring units from South Africa are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value, as provided in section 735 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). The final weighted-average dumping margins are listed below in the section entitled ``Final Determination of Investigation.''

The U.S. Department of Commerce (the Department) preliminarily determines that 1-hydroxyethylidene-1, 1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP) from India is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV), as provided in section 733(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). The estimated margins of sales at LTFV are listed in the ``Preliminary Determination'' section of this notice. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination. 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.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a public meeting of the Louisiana/Mississippi Habitat Protection Advisory Panel (AP).

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a joint meeting of its Habitat and Environmental Protection Advisory Panel and Coral Advisory Panel in Charleston, SC. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a public meeting of the Texas Habitat Protection Advisory Panel (AP).

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 4314(c)(4), Department of Commerce (DOC) announce the appointment of persons to serve as members of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) Performance Review Board (PRB). The NTIA PRB is responsible for reviewing performance ratings, pay adjustments and bonuses of Senior Executive Service (SES) members, and Presidential Rank Awards. The appointment of these members will be for a period of twenty-four (24) months.

On April 17, 2008, the Department of Commerce published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain polyester staple fiber from Taiwan. The period of review is May 1, 2006, through April 30, 2007. 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.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the availability of a final recovery plan for the white abalone (Haliotis sorenseni). This endangered gastropod is a long-lived, slow moving bottom dweller and is a member of the California Haliotids. Currently, isolated survivors have been identified along the mainland coast in Santa Barbara County and at some of the offshore islands and banks along the central California coast. NMFS' ultimate goal is to increase white abalone abundance to viable and self-sustaining levels such that the species can be downlisted to threatened status and eventually removed from the Endangered Species List.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) has determined that sodium metal from France is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV), as provided in section 735 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). The estimated margins of sales at LTFV are listed below in the section entitled ``Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation.''

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for groundfish by vessels using hook-and-line gear in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), except for demersal shelf rockfish in the Southeast Outside District or sablefish in the GOA. This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2008 Pacific halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) limit specified for vessels using hook-and-line gear targeting groundfish other than demersal shelf rockfish in the Southeast Outside District or sablefish in the GOA.

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.

The Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA) is seeking U.S. academic institutions, training centers, and other interested parties who would like to organize joint activities with their counterparts in Vietnam in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). In 2007, the ITA launched the U.S.-Vietnam ICT Commercial Dialogue with the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) in Vietnam to discuss various ICT issues that have an impact on trade between our two countries. The U.S. and Vietnamese companies that participated in the meeting recommended the establishment of a ``public/private partnership for the development of human resources through technical training programs.'' Therefore MIC has proposed that an Academic Advisory Group be created in addition to a Business Advisory Group under the Dialogue. The objective of the Academic Advisory Group would be to facilitate an exchange of ideas on the best curriculum to meet the needs of ICT growth, and to increase opportunities for Vietnamese citizens to study in the ICT field in Vietnam through distance learning mechanisms, or at United States institutions. The initial meeting of the Academic Advisory Group, to be held via videoconference, is tentatively scheduled for November 12, 2008. A representative of the group would make a brief report at the ICT Dialogue Working Group meeting on November 13 in Washington, DC. A follow-up meeting is anticipated in January 2009 in Hanoi.

Pursuant to the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009. Public Law No. 110-329 (2008), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), U.S. Department of Commerce, announces the solicitation of applications for planning and construction grants for public telecommunications facilities under the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP). The PTFP assists, through matching grants, in the planning and construction of public telecommunications facilities in order to: (1) Extend delivery of services to as many citizens as possible by the most cost-effective means, including use of broadcast and non-broadcast technologies; (2) increase public telecommunications services and facilities available to, operated by, and controlled by minorities and women; and (3) strengthen the capability of existing public television and radio stations to provide public telecommunications services to the public.

5 CFR 430.310 requires agencies to publish notice of Performance Review Board appointees in the Federal Register before their service begins. This notice announces the names of new and existing members of the Bureau of Industry and Security's Performance Review Board.

This notice advises the public that a scientific research permit has been issued to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, pursuant of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), and that the decision documents are available upon request.

This announcement provides notice that the Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito Control and Wetlands Management District (the District) has filed an administrative appeal with the U.S. Department of Commerce (the Department), asking that the Department override an objection by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (Massachusetts). Massachusetts objects to the District's proposed Open Marsh Water Management (OMWM) program.

This notice announces the Secretary of Commerce's approval of Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Publication 180-3, Secure Hash Standard, a revision of FIPS 180-2, Secure Hash Standard. The FIPS specifies five secure hash algorithms for use in computing a condensed representation of electronic data, or a message digest. Secure hash algorithms are used with other cryptographic algorithms, such as digital signature algorithms and keyed hash message authentication codes. The revised FIPS incorporates the four hash algorithms that had been specified in FIPS 180-2, and includes an additional algorithm that had been specified in Change Notice 1 to FIPS 180-2. In addition, a basic description of a truncation method that was provided in the Change Notice has been incorporated into the standard. Some technical information in FIPS 180-2 about the security of the hash algorithms may no longer be accurate, as shown by recent research results, and it is possible that further research may indicate additional changes. Therefore, the technical information has been removed from the revised standard, and will be provided in Special Publications (SPs) 800-107 and 800-57, which can be updated in a timely fashion as the technical conditions change.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) Dogfish Monitoring Committee will hold a public meeting.