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

The Department of Commerce (``Department'') is conducting the first administrative review of the antidumping duty order on steel wire garment hangers from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') for the period March 25, 2008, through September 30, 2009. The Department has preliminarily determined that sales have been made below normal value (``NV'') by the respondents. If these preliminary results are adopted in our final results of this review, the Department will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') to assess antidumping duties on all appropriate entries of subject merchandise during the period of review (``POR''). Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

NMFS proposes to issue a permit for a period of three years to authorize the incidental, but not intentional, taking of individuals from six marine mammal stocks listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by groundfish fisheries in the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS has made a preliminary determination that incidental taking from commercial fishing will have a negligible impact on the endangered Central North Pacific (CNP) stock of humpback whales, Western North Pacific (WNP) stock of humpback whales, Northeast Pacific (NEP) stock of fin whales, North Pacific stock of sperm whales, and Western U.S. stock of Steller sea lions; and on the threatened Eastern U.S. stock of Steller sea lions. NMFS has insufficient funds to complete TRPs for the two stocks of humpback whales, for the North Pacific stock of sperm whales, and for the Western U.S. stock of Steller sea lions. Take Reduction Plans (TRPs) are not required for the NEP stock of fin whales or the Eastern U.S. stock of Steller sea lions because mortality and serious injury of these stocks incidental to commercial fishing operations are at insignificant levels approaching a zero mortality and serious injury rate. Recovery plans are being prepared or have been completed for these threatened or endangered species. A monitoring plan is in place, and vessels have been registered under the MMPA for the fisheries included in this proposed permit. Accordingly, NMFS proposes to issue the required permits to participants in the Alaska-based groundfish fisheries. NMFS solicits public comments on the negligible impact determination and on the proposal to issue this permit.

NMFS is opening directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the Bering Sea subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area. This action is necessary to fully use the 2010 total allowable catch of Pacific ocean perch specified for the Bering Sea subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area.

Notice is hereby given that Bruce Mate, PhD, Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, OR has been issued a permit to conduct research on marine mammals.

Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke will lead a senior-level business development trade mission to New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, India, February 6-11, 2011. The overall focus of the trip will be commercial opportunities for U.S. companies, including joint ventures and export opportunities. In each city participants will have a market briefings followed by one-on-one appointments with potential buyers/ partners and meetings with high level government officials.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes its final List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2011, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The final LOF for 2011 reflects new information on interactions between commercial fisheries and marine mammals. NMFS must classify each commercial fishery on the LOF into one of three categories under the MMPA based upon the level of serious injury and mortality of marine mammals that occurs incidental to each fishery. The classification of a fishery on the LOF determines whether participants in that fishery are subject to certain provisions of the MMPA, such as registration, observer coverage, and take reduction plan requirements.

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is conducting the 2010 Annual Surveys in the Manufacturing Area. The 2010 Annual Surveys consist of the Current Industrial Reports surveys, the Annual Survey of Manufactures, the Business R&D and Innovation Survey, and the Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders Survey. We have determined that annual data collected from these surveys are needed to aid the efficient performance of essential governmental functions, and have significant application to the needs of the public and industry. The data derived from these surveys, most of which have been conducted for many years, are not publicly available from nongovernmental or other governmental sources.

NMFS, Alaska Region, will present a workshop on seaLandings, a consolidated electronic means of reporting landings and production of commercial groundfish to multiple management agencies for Federal and State fisheries off Alaska, and 2011 recordkeeping and reporting requirements for the Alaska groundfish fisheries and Individual Fishing Quota fisheries.

On September 1, 2010, the Department of Commerce (the Department) initiated sunset reviews of the antidumping duty orders on certain stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. See Initiation of Five-Year (``Sunset'') Review, 75 FR 53664 (September 1, 2010) (Initiation Notice). Because no interested domestic party responded to the sunset review notice of initiation by the applicable deadline, the Department is revoking the antidumping duty orders on certain stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a request for written submissions in the Federal Register of September 30, 2010 (ITA-2010-0006) concerning government programs for protecting the intellectual property rights of U.S. businesses in foreign markets. See 75 FR 60408, Sep. 30, 2010. The agency is conducting a comprehensive review of existing U.S. efforts and seeks public input. This document extends the comment period from October 29, 2010 to November 29, 2010. Comments may be submitted as instructed in the original Federal Register Notice. See ADDRESSES. ITA is taking this action in response to requests for an extension to allow interested persons additional time to submit comments.

In accordance with regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, notification is hereby given that an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to derelict creosote piling and structure removal within the Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area (NRCA) has been issued to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain stainless steel bar from Brazil. The review covers one producer/ exporter of the subject merchandise, Villares Metals S.A. (VMSA). The period of review (POR) is February 1, 2009, through January 31, 2010. The Department has preliminarily determined that VMSA made U.S. sales at prices less than normal value. If these preliminary results are adopted in our final results of administrative review, we will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to assess antidumping duties on all appropriate entries. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results of review. We intend to issue the final results of review no later than 120 days from the publication date of this notice.

In response to a request from ArcelorMittal las Truchas, S.A. de C.V. (AMLT), an exporter of carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod from Mexico, and pursuant to section 751(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), and 19 CFR 351.216 and 351.221(c)(3), the Department is initiating a changed circumstances review of the antidumping order on carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod from Mexico. Based on the information received, we preliminarily determine that AMLT is the successor-in-interest to Siderurgica Lazaro Cardenas las Truchas S.A. de C.V. (Sicartsa) for purposes of determining antidumping duty liability. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council's) Ad Hoc Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat Review Committee (EFHRC) will hold a work session, which is open to the public, to plan the periodic 5-year review of groundfish Essential Fish Habitat (EFH).

NOAA publishes this notice to extend the final application solicitation period for the Fiscal Year 2011 CRCP International Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements. The original solicitation, which was announced in the Federal Register on July 16, 2010, gave an incorrect final application due date of February 21, 2011. This notice corrects that error by extending the final application period for this program until February 22, 2011. As the original announcement states, final applications will be accepted ONLY from those pre-applicants who are invited to submit a final application.

This proposed action would establish the 2011-2012 harvest specifications and management measures for groundfish taken in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (PCGFMP). This action revises the collection of management measures in the groundfish fishery regulations that are intended to keep the total catch of each groundfish species or species complex within the harvest specifications. This action also includes regulations to implement Amendments 16-5 and 23 to the PCGFMP. Amendment 16-5 would revise existing rebuilding plans, create a new rebuilding plan for Petrale sole, which was declared overfished on February 9, 2010, and revise status determination criteria and a harvest control rule for flatfish. This action is consistent with and partially implements Amendment 23 to the PCGFMP. Amendment 23 would make the PCGFMP consistent with the revised National Standard 1 Guidelines (74 FR 3178, January 16, 2009).

Notice is hereby given that the NMFS National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML), Seattle, WA (Responsible Party: John Bengton, Ph.D.), has been issued a minor amendment to Permit No. 14326.