Department of Commerce August 12, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS announces a meeting of the General Advisory Committee and the Scientific Advisory Subcommittee to the U.S. Section to the Inter- American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) on September 17, 2010. Meeting topics are provided under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

On July 28, 2010, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) instructed the Department of Commerce (the Department) to implement its determination under section 129 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA) regarding the investigation of polyethylene retail carrier bags from Thailand. The Department issued its determination on June 29, 2010, regarding the offsetting of dumped comparisons with non-dumped comparisons when making average-to-average comparisons of export price and normal value in the investigation challenged by Thailand before the World Trade Organization (WTO) in United StatesAntidumping Measure on Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags from Thailand. The Department is now implementing this determination.

This document provides NOAA's revised Grant Program Implementation Guidelines (Guidelines) for the Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP or Program) under the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (Act). The Act authorizes the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), through the NOAA Administrator (Administrator) and subject to the availability of funds, to provide matching grants of financial assistance for coral reef conservation projects under the Act. NOAA revised the Implementation Guidelines for the Grant Program, which were originally published in 2002, to be applicable to Fiscal Years (FY) 2011 through FY 2015 and published a draft of the revision in the Federal Register notice of January 19, 2010 (75 FR 3114-3120) for review and comment. NOAA proposes to utilize several existing grant programs and mechanisms to implement the Program. Specific information about each funding category, including available funding, dates, detailed application requirements and evaluation criteria, is published in separate Federal Register notices. In accordance with the Act, NOAA developed a National Coral Reef Action Strategy (Strategy) in 2002 to provide an implementation plan to advance coral reef conservation, including a basis for funding allocations to be made under the Program. In response to an external program review in 2007, a new program manager, development of a `Roadmap' for the future of the Program, and publication in 2009 of the CRCP Goals and Objectives 2010-2015 and CRCP International Strategy, the Program revised its Implementation Guidelines for the Grant Program to align more closely with the Program's new direction. The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register notice of February 11, 2008 (73 FR 7696), are applicable to solicitations under this Program. This document is not a solicitation for project proposals.

NMFS announces final specifications for the 2010-2012 fishing years for the Atlantic herring (herring) fishery. The intent of this final rule is to conserve and manage the herring resource and provide for a sustainable fishery. This final rule also makes minor corrections to existing regulations.