Department of Commerce July 15, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule updates and clarifies export and reexport license requirements on striking weapons, restraint devices, shotguns and parts, optical sighting devices, and electric shock devices. It also adds equipment designed for the execution of humans to the Commerce Control List. This rule makes no changes to the longstanding policy of denial of applications to export or reexport specially designed implements of torture. The rule provides additional illustrative examples of such items and adopts a definition of torture used in a U.S. statute that implements the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. BIS is publishing this rule as part of an ongoing review of crime control license requirements and policy.

In response to requests from interested parties, the Department of Commerce (``Department'') is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on silicon metal from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). The period of review (``POR'') is June 1, 2008, through May 31, 2009. This administrative review covers one mandatory respondent and two respondents that claim they did not ship or sell subject merchandise to the United States during the POR.

NMFS is soliciting applications for American Samoa pelagic longline limited entry permits. At least ten permits of various class sizes will be available for 2010. This notice is intended to announce the availability of permits and to solicit applications for the permits.

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.

NMFS issues a proposed rule that would implement Amendment 94 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP). Amendment 94, if approved, would require participants using nonpelagic trawl gear in the directed fishery for flatfish in the Bering Sea subarea to modify the trawl gear to raise portions of the gear off the ocean bottom. Amendment 94 also would change the boundaries of the Northern Bering Sea Research Area to establish the Modified Gear Trawl Zone (MGTZ) and to expand the Saint Matthew Island Habitat Conservation Area. Nonpelagic trawl gear also would be required to be modified to raise portions of the gear off the ocean bottom if used in any directed fishery for groundfish in the proposed MGTZ. This action is necessary to reduce potential adverse effects of nonpelagic trawl gear on bottom habitat, to protect additional blue king crab habitat near St. Matthew Island, and to allow for efficient flatfish harvest as the distribution of flatfish in the Bering Sea changes. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the FMP, and other applicable laws.