Department of Commerce April 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Commerce (Department) seeks public comment on any subsidies, including stumpage subsidies, provided by certain countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood lumber products to the United States during the period July 1 through December 31, 2009.

The Department of Commerce (``Department'') has determined that a request for a new shipper review of the antidumping duty order on raw flexible magnets (``magnets'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') meets the statutory and regulatory requirements for initiation. The period of review (``POR'') for the new shipper review is September 1, 2009, through February 28, 2010.

NMFS issues this advance notice of proposed rulemaking to announce that it is developing procedures to implement provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act for imports of fish and fish products. NMFS is seeking advance public comment on the development of these procedures and on the types of information to be considered in the process.

Notice is hereby given that a document entitled, ``Final Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Bayou Verdine Site, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana'' (Final DARP/EA), has been approved by the State and Federal natural resource trustee agencies (the Trustees). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is the lead agency publishing this notice in the Federal Register on behalf of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service, acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Interior (USFWS/DOI); Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). The Final DARRP/EA is now available to the public. The document describes the Trustees' assessment of natural resource injuries and resource services losses in the upper Calcasieu Estuary due to past releases of hazardous substances from two facilities situated in the upper Calcasieu Estuary, in Calcasieu Parish, LA, that are presently owned and operated by ConocoPhillips Company and Sasol North America Inc. (collectively, the ``potentially responsible parties'' or PRPs). The Final DARP/EA identifies the restoration project that the Trustees have chosen for use to restore resources and services to compensate the public for assessed losses. The project selected by the Trusteesthe Sabine Unit 99 Restoration Projectwill create over 14 new acres of marsh, enhance the ecological functioning of approximately 247 acres of existing marsh, and increase the expected functional lifespan of these marshes. The restoration site is within the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, within the Calcasieu Estuary.

The Technology Innovation Program Advisory Board, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will meet in open session on Tuesday, May 11, 2010, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Eastern daylight savings time.

In June and November 2009 and January 2010, the United States Court of International Trade (CIT) sustained three final remand redeterminations made by the Department of Commerce (the Department) in the 2003-2004 administrative review of certain steel concrete of reinforcing bars (rebar) from Turkey. See Habas Sinai ve Tibbi Gazlar Istihsal Endustrisi A.S. v. United States, Court No. 05-00613, Slip Op. 09-55 (June 15, 2009) (Habas I); Habas Sinai ve Tibbi Gazlar Istihsal Endustrisi A.S. v. United States, Court No. 05-00613, Slip Op. 09-133 (Nov. 23, 2009) (Habas II); and Nucor Corporation, Gerdau Ameristeel Corporation, and Commercial Metals Company v. United States and Icdas Celik Enerji Tersane ve Ulasim Sanayi A.S., Court No. 05-00616, Slip Op. 10-6 (Jan. 19, 2010) (ICDAS). Because all litigation for this administrative review has now concluded, the Department is issuing its amended final results in accordance with the CIT's decisions.

In response to requests from interested parties, the Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting administrative reviews of the antidumping duty orders on ball bearings and parts thereof from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom for the period May 1, 2008, through April 30, 2009. We have preliminarily determined that sales have been made below normal value by certain companies subject to these reviews. We have also preliminarily determined that myonic GmbH, a firm covered by the administrative review of the order on ball bearings from Germany, is the successor-in- interest to the pre-acquisition myonic GmbH. We are also rescinding the administrative reviews in part for certain firms for which the requests for review of these firms were withdrawn in a timely manner. Finally, we are announcing our intent to revoke the order on ball bearings and parts thereof from the United Kingdom in part with respect to subject merchandise exported and/or sold by Barden/Schaeffler UK to the United States.

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.

As a result of the determinations by the Department of Commerce (the Department) and the International Trade Commission (the Commission) that revocation of the antidumping duty order on hand trucks and certain parts thereof (hand trucks) from the People's Republic of China (PRC) would likely lead to a continuation or recurrence of dumping and material injury to an industry in the United States, the Department is publishing a notice of continuation of the antidumping duty order.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in conjunction with the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC), has undertaken a project related to enhancing overall patent quality. As part of this initiative, the USPTO is conducting two roundtables to obtain public input from organizations and individuals on actions that can improve patent quality and the metrics the USPTO should use to measure progress. The roundtables are open to the public. The USPTO plans to invite a number of roundtable participants from among patent user groups, practitioners, industry, independent inventor organizations, academia, and government. Any member of the public may submit written comments on USPTO patent quality enhancement and metrics as well as on any issue raised at the roundtable.

In accordance with the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act (Act), NMFS, upon a delegation of authority from the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), has determined that the State of New Jersey has failed to carry out its responsibilities under the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (Commission) Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Coastal Sharks (Plan) and that the measures New Jersey has failed to implement and enforce are necessary for the conservation of the shark resource. This determination is consistent with the findings of the Commission on February 4, 2010. Pursuant to the Act, a Federal moratorium on fishing, possession, and landing of all shark species indentified in the Commission Plan is hereby declared and will be effective on July 30, 2010. The moratorium will not be withdrawn by NMFS until New Jersey is found to have come back into compliance with the Commission's Interstate Fisheries Management Plan for Atlantic Coastal Sharks.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 3333 North Torrey Pines Court, La Jolla, CA 92037-1023, has been issued a permit to take green (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtles for purposes of scientific research.

NMFS proposes management measures for the 2010 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass recreational fisheries. The implementing regulations for these fisheries require NMFS to publish recreational measures for the fishing year and to provide an opportunity for public comment. The intent of these measures is to prevent overfishing of the summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass resources.

NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is transferring a portion of its 2010 commercial summer flounder quota to the Commonwealth of Virginia. By this action, NMFS adjusts the quotas and announces the revised commercial quota for each state involved.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the Department of Commerce have initiated a joint review of the Industry Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC) component of the trade advisory committee system. As part of this joint review, USTR and Commerce are seeking comments and suggestions from the public on the appropriate scope of representation on the ITACs.

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') has received requests to conduct administrative reviews of various antidumping and countervailing duty orders and findings with March anniversary dates. We received a timely request to revoke one antidumping duty order in part. In accordance with the Department's regulations, we are initiating those administrative reviews.

NMFS issues this final rule to implement Amendment 31 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP) prepared by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council). This final rule will implement restrictions applicable to the bottom longline component of the reef fish fishery in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the eastern Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). The restrictions include a bottom longline endorsement requirement, a seasonal closed area, and a limitation on the number of hooks that can be possessed and fished. The intent of this rule is to balance the continued operation of the bottom longline component of the reef fish fishery in the eastern Gulf while maintaining adequate protective measures for sea turtles.

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, 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)).

This notice announces a public meeting of the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (Committee). The Committee provides advice to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information on spectrum management matters.