Department of Commerce January 26, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) coastal pelagic species (CPS) advisory bodies will hold meetings, which are open to the public, on February 10-12, 2009. The primary purpose of the meetings is to comment on the draft terms of reference for the CPS stock assessment review process, review 2009 survey plans, develop plans for a report to the Council on long-term sardine allocation, and discuss revisions to the CPS Fishery Management Plan (FMP) in accordance with the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

On October 7, 2008, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) published an announcement (73 FR 58555) soliciting competitive applications from organizations to operate a Minority Business Enterprise Center (MBEC) in Houston, TX for a new three (3) year award period, in accordance with 15 U.S.C. Section 1512 and Executive Order 11625. However, the competition was deemed unsuccessful by MBDA due to a lack of responsive applications. This notice solicits competitive applications for a new operator of the Houston MBEC project and supersedes in its entirety the notice published on October 7, 2008. The Houston MBEC operates through the use of business consultants and provides a range of business consulting and technical assistance services directly to eligible minority-owned businesses in the Houston- Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Responsibility for ensuring that applications in response to this competitive solicitation are complete and received by MBDA on time is the sole responsibility of the applicant. Applications submitted must be to operate a MBEC and to provide business consultation services to eligible clients. Applications that do not meet these requirements will be rejected. This is not a grant program to help start or to further an individual business.