Department of Commerce 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) publishes this notice to announce the availability of the Draft NOAA Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Research and Management Strategic Plan for public comment. The Draft NOAA Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Research and Management Strategic Plan identifies objectives, priorities and approaches that will guide NOAA's research, management, and international activities from Fiscal Year 2009 through 2013 as they relate to deep coral and sponge ecosystems.

Notice is hereby given that the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) has requested an amendment to scientific research Permit No. 633- 1763.

Notice is hereby given of a meeting of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC). This will be the second meeting to be held in the calendar year 2008. Agenda topics are provided under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice. All full Committee sessions will be open to the public.

NMFS is opening directed fishing for pollock in Statistical Area 610 of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) for 48 hours. This action is necessary to fully use the 2008 total allowable catch (TAC) of pollock specified for Statistical Area 610 of the GOA.

NMFS issues this final rule to implement Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) identifications and descriptions for Pacific salmon included in Amendment 14 to the Pacific Salmon Fishery Management Plan (Salmon FMP). This final rule codifies the EFH identifications and descriptions for freshwater and marine habitats of Pacific salmon managed under the Salmon FMP, including Chinook, coho, and pink salmon. This action is necessary to comply with an order issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho which directed NMFS to codify the EFH identifications and descriptions contained in Amendment 14 to the Salmon FMP.

NMFS informs surfclam and ocean quahog allocation owners that they will be required to purchase their year 2009 cage tags from the National Band and Tag Company. The intent of this notice is to comply with regulations for the Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog fisheries and to promote efficient distribution of cage tags.

NMFS announces the availability of Amendment 4 to the Spiny Lobster Fishery Management Plan (FMP) of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and Amendment 8 to the Joint Spiny Lobster FMP of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic prepared by the Caribbean, South Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils (Councils). Amendments 4 and 8 would establish minimum conservation standards for imported spiny lobster. The intended effect of Amendments 4 and 8 is to eliminate the primary market for lobster that do not meet the minimum size limit or mean size at sexual maturity, which is expected to result in a reduction in the foreign harvest of these undersized animals and increase the spawning stock biomass and long-term potential yield within the pan-Caribbean spiny lobster fishery.

NMFS announces that the State of Florida is transferring commercial bluefish quota to the State of New York from its 2008 quota. By this action, NMFS adjusts the quotas and announces the revised commercial quota for each state involved.

This final rule announces inseason changes to management measures in the Pacific Coast groundfish fisheries including: trip limit adjustments; the reopening of the Pacific whiting primary seasons for the shore-based, catcher/processor, and mothership sectors; bycatch limit increases; and modifications to the trawl Rockfish Conservation Areas. These routine actions, are authorized by the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), and are intended to allow fisheries to access more abundant groundfish stocks while protecting overfished and depleted stocks.

The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries (AA), NOAA, announces temporary restrictions consistent with the requirements of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan's (ALWTRP) implementing regulations. These regulations apply to lobster trap/pot and anchored gillnet fishermen in an area totaling approximately 1,445 nm\2\ (4,956 km\2\), southeast of Portland, Maine for 15 days. The purpose of this action is to provide protection to an aggregation of northern right whales (right whales).

The New England Fishery Management Council's (Council) Groundfish Oversight Committee will meet to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Navy (Navy) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to training activities conducted in the Southern California Range Complex (SOCAL), which extends south and southwest off the southern California coast, for the period of January 2009 through January 2014. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is proposing regulations to govern that take and requesting information, suggestions, and comments on these proposed regulations.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) maintains the Commerce Control List (CCL), which identifies items subject to Department of Commerce export controls. This final rule revises the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to implement changes made to the Wassenaar Arrangement's List of Dual Use Goods and Technologies (Wassenaar List) maintained and agreed to by governments participating in the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual Use Goods and Technologies (Wassenaar Arrangement, or WA). The Wassenaar Arrangement advocates implementation of effective export controls on strategic items with the objective of improving regional and international security and stability. To harmonize with the changes to the Wassenaar List, this rule revises the EAR by amending certain entries that are controlled for national security reasons in Categories 1, 2, 3, 5 Part I (telecommunications), 5 Part II (information security), 6, 7, and 9; adding new entries to the Commerce Control List (CCL), and amending EAR Definitions, as well as adding definitions. The purpose of this final rule is to revise the CCL and definitions of terms used in the EAR to implement Wassenaar List revisions that were agreed upon in the December 2007 Wassenaar Arrangement Plenary Meeting and the Wassenaar List provisions regarding solar cells agreed upon in the December 2006 plenary meeting. This rule also adds or expands unilateral U.S. export controls and national security export controls on certain items to make them consistent with the amendments made to implement the Wassenaar Arrangement's decisions.

On July 1, 2008, we published the notice of initiation of this antidumping duty administrative review with respect to the Borusan Group (and affiliates, Borusan Mannesmann, Boru Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. and Borusan Istikbal Ticaret T.A.S.) and Toscelik Profil ve Sac Endustrisi A.S. (``Toscelik''). See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews and Request for Revocation in Part, 73 FR 37409 (July 1, 2008). We have preliminarily determined that the review of Toscelik should be rescinded.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold four public hearings to solicit comments on proposals to be included in the Draft Amendment 3 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

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)).

On June 5, 2008, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') initiated a sunset review of the antidumping duty order on saccharin from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). On the basis of a notice of intent to participate, and an adequate substantive response filed on behalf of domestic interested parties, as well as a lack of response from respondent interested parties, the Department conducted an expedited (120-day) sunset review. As a result of the sunset review, the Department finds that revocation of the antidumping duty order would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping. The dumping margins are identified in the Final Results of Review section of this notice.