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

The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) announces its intent to prepare an amendment (Amendment 6) to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for monkfish (Lophius americanus) and an EIS to analyze the impacts of any proposed management measures. The purpose of Amendment 6 is to consider one or more catch share management approaches for the monkfish fishery, including, but not limited, to Individual Fishery Quotas (IFQs), sectors, and/or community quotas. The NEFMC is initiating a public process to determine the scope of issues and range of alternatives to be addressed in Amendment 6 and its EIS. The purpose of this notification is to alert the interested public of the commencement of the scoping process and to provide for public participation in compliance with environmental documentation requirements.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announces the availability of the finalized Federal Aquatic Nuisance Species Research Risk Analysis Protocol (Protocol), developed by the Research Protocol Committee, a committee of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force (ANSTF).

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a public meeting of the Florida/Alabama Habitat Protection Advisory Panel (AP).

NMFS is prohibiting retention of longnose skate in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary because the 2010 total allowable catch (TAC) of longnose skate in the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA has been reached.

NMFS is prohibiting retention of big skate in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary because the 2010 total allowable catch (TAC) of big skate in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA has been reached.

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 New England Fishery Management Council's (Council) Herring Committee will meet jointly with its Advisory Panel to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The U.S. Department of Commerce (the Department) is rescinding in part the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain tissue paper products from the People's Republic of China (PRC) for the period of review (POR) of March 1, 2009, to February 28, 2010, with respect to Max Fortune Industrial Limited (Max Fortune Industrial), Max Fortune (FZ) Paper Products Co., Ltd. (formerly known as Max Fortune (FETDE) Paper Products Co., Ltd.) (Max Fortune Fuzhou), and Fujian Provincial Shaowu City Huaguang Special Craft Co., Ltd. (Huaguang Special Craft). This partial rescission is based on the timely withdrawal of the requests for review by the only interested parties that requested the review of these companies. The Department is also fully extending the time limit for completion of the preliminary results of this administrative review with respect to Max Fortune (Vietnam) Paper Products Company Limited (Max Fortune Vietnam) to no later than March 31, 2011.

On May 28, 2010, the U.S. Department of Commerce (``the Department'') published a notice of initiation of an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on magnesium metal from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'').\1\ The review covers one manufacturer/exporter of subject merchandise from the PRC, Tianjin Magnesium International Co., Ltd. (``TMI''). The period of review (``POR'') is April 1, 2009, through March 31, 2010. Following the receipt of a certification of no shipments from TMI, we notified all interested parties of the Department's intent to rescind this review and provided an opportunity to comment on the rescission.\2\ We received no comments. Therefore, we are rescinding this administrative review.

The U.S. Department of Commerce published a document in the Federal Register of November 17, 2010 concerning a notification of an open meeting of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC) on December 7, 2010. The document contained an incorrect e-mail address and an incorrect mailing address.

On September 17, 2010, the United States Court of International Trade (the ``Court'' or ``CIT'') sustained the U.S. Department of Commerce's (the ``Department's'') final results of redetermination pursuant to remand, wherein the Department determined to rescind the administrative review (``AR'') with respect to Dongguan Bon Ten Furniture Co., Ltd. (``Bon Ten'') pursuant to 19 CFR 351.214(j) and 19 CFR 351.213(d)(3).\1\ The period of review (``POR'') is January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2007. As the Court's decision is now final and conclusive, the Department is amending the final results of the 2007 AR of wooden bedroom furniture (``WBF'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') to reflect the Department's redetermination to rescind the AR with respect to Bon Ten.\2\

Notice is hereby given that National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Charles W. Potter, Responsible Party), P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013, has been issued a permit to salvage, collect, receive/possess, and import/export parts from cetaceans and pinnipeds (except for walrus) for scientific research.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) regulations, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) to take marine mammals, by Level B harassment only, incidental to military training exercises at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point Range Complex, North Carolina. The USMC's activities are considered military readiness activities pursuant to the MMPA, as amended by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2004.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 m) length overall (LOA) using hook-and-line or pot gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2010 Pacific cod total allowable catch allocated to catcher vessels less than 60 feet LOA using hook-and-line or pot gear in the BSAI.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and its River Herring and Shad Committee, its Joint Spiny Dogfish Committee, and its Executive Committee will hold public meetings.

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 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene a meeting of the Standing and Special Reef Fish Scientific and Statistical Committees.

This notice announces a public meeting of the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (Committee), which will take place through a telephone conference call (teleconference). The Committee provides advice to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information on spectrum management policy matters.

NOAA is amending the regulations for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS or sanctuary) by eliminating the exemption that allows discharges from within the boundary of the sanctuary of biodegradable effluent incidental to vessel use and generated by marine sanitation devices (MSDs) approved under the Clean Water Act (CWA), and by requiring that MSDs be secured to prevent discharges of treated and untreated sewage. This action builds upon the Environmental Protection Agency's creation of a No Discharge Zone (NDZ) for the state waters of the FKNMS, and will help protect the Florida Keys ecosystem from potentially harmful vessel sewage discharges. An environmental assessment has been prepared for this action pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. The environmental assessment includes a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) regarding the impacts of this rulemaking.

Notice is hereby given that Andre Landry, Ph.D., Texas A&M University at Galveston, Department of Marine Biology, 5007 Avenue U, Galveston, TX 77553, has applied in due form for a permit to take green (Chelonia mydas), Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles for purposes of scientific research.

In June, 2009, pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS issued regulations to govern the unintentional taking of marine mammals incidental to U.S. Navy (Navy) missile launch operations, a military readiness activity, from San Nicolas Island (SNI), California, for the period of June 2009 through June 2014. The second Letter of Authorization (LOA) for the incidental take of marine mammals during the described activities and specified timeframes is effective from June 4, 2010, through June 3, 2011. Following issuance of the LOA, the Navy submitted a revised monitoring plan for their activities at SNI. NMFS has issued a revised LOA, which incorporates the revised monitoring plan, to replace the one that was previously in effect.