Department of Commerce August 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On April 21, 2011, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published the preliminary results of the administrative reviews of the antidumping duty orders on ball bearings and parts thereof from France, Germany, and Italy. The period of review is May 1, 2009, through April 30, 2010. Based on our analysis of the comments received, we have made changes, including corrections of certain programming and other errors in the margin calculations. Therefore, the final results are different from the preliminary results for certain respondents. The final weighted-average dumping margins for the reviewed respondents are listed below in the section entitled ``Final Results of the Reviews.'' We have also determined that Schaeffler Technologies GmbH & Co. KG (Schaeffler Technologies) is the successor-in-interest to Schaeffler KG with respect to the order on ball bearings and parts thereof from Germany.

This rule requires specific gear configuration for pelagic longline fishing in the South Pacific. The requirements apply to U.S. vessels longer than 40 ft (12.2 m) while fishing south of the Equator, and include minimum float line and branch line lengths, number of hooks between floats, and distance between floats and adjacent hooks. The rule also limits the number of swordfish taken. The action is intended to ensure that longline hooks fish deeper than 100 meters (m) to reduce interactions with Pacific green sea turtles. This final rule also makes administrative clarifications to the names of several tunas and marlins.

NMFS has determined that the Atlantic tunas General category daily Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) retention limit should be adjusted from one to three large medium or giant BFT for the September, October- November, and December time periods of the 2011 fishing year, based on consideration of the regulatory determination criteria regarding inseason adjustments. This action applies to Atlantic tunas General category (commercial) permitted vessels and Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Charter/Headboat category permitted vessels (when fishing commercially for BFT).

This notice announces the Bureau of the Census' (hereafter, Census Bureau's) final criteria for defining urban areas based on the results of the 2010 Decennial Census (the term ``urban area'' as used throughout this notice refers generically to urbanized areas of 50,000 or more population and urban clusters of at least 2,500 and less than 50,000 population). This notice also provides a summary of comments received in response to proposed criteria published in the August 24, 2010, Federal Register (75 FR 52174), as well as the Census Bureau's response to those comments. The Census Bureau's urban-rural classification is fundamentally a delineation of geographic areas, identifying both individual urban areas and the rural areas of the nation. The Census Bureau's urban areas represent densely developed territory, and encompass residential, commercial, and other nonresidential urban land uses. The Census Bureau delineates urban areas after each decennial census by applying specified criteria to decennial census and other data. Since the 1950 Census, the Census Bureau has reviewed and revised these criteria, as necessary, for each decennial census. The revisions over the years reflect the Census Bureau's desire to improve the classification of urban and rural territory to take advantage of newly available data, as well as advancements in geographic information processing technology.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Salmon Fishery Management Plan (FMP) Workgroup will meet in Anchorage, AK.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) ad hoc groundfish Essential Fish Habitat Review Committee (EFHRC) will hold a conference call to continue the periodic review of groundfish Essential Fish Habitat (EFH).

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scallop Oversight Committee on September 13, 2011 to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

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 (``Department'') and the International Trade Commission (``ITC'') that revocation of the antidumping duty orders on heavy forged hand tools (i.e., Axes & Adzes, Bars & Wedges, Hammers & Sledges, and Picks & Mattocks) (``Hand Tools'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping and of material injury to an industry in the United States, the Department is publishing a notice of continuation of the antidumping duty orders.

NMFS announces that the spiny dogfish commercial quota available to the coastal states from Maine through Florida for the first semi-annual quota period, May 1, 2011-October 31, 2011, has been harvested. Therefore, effective 0001 hours, August 26, 2011, federally permitted spiny dogfish vessels may not fish for, possess, transfer, or land spiny dogfish until November 1, 2011, when the Period 2 quota becomes available. Regulations governing the spiny dogfish fishery require publication of this notification to advise the coastal states from Maine through Florida that the quota has been harvested and to advise vessel permit holders and dealer permit holders that no Federal commercial quota is available for landing spiny dogfish in these states. This action is necessary to prevent the fishery from exceeding its Period 1 quota and to allow for effective management of this stock.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the adoption of an Endangered Species Act (ESA) recovery plan for the Upper Willamette Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) and the Upper Willamette River steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Distinct Population Segment (DPS), which spawn and rear in tributaries to the Willamette River in western Oregon. The Final Upper Willamette River Conservation and Recovery Plan for Chinook Salmon and Steelhead (Final Recovery Plan) and our summary of and responses to public comments are now available.

Notice is hereby given of a public meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. The meeting will be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This meeting, the 26th bi-annual meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, provides a forum for coordinated planning and action among federal agencies, state and territorial governments, and nongovernmental partners. Please register in advance by visiting the Web site listed below. This meeting has time allotted for public comment. All public comment must be submitted in written format. A written summary of the meeting will be posted on the Web site within two months of its occurrence.

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.

On February 14, 2011, the Department of Commerce (``Department'') published in the Federal Register the Preliminary Results of the fifth administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain frozen warmwater shrimp from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'').\1\ We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on the Preliminary Results. Based upon our analysis of the comments and information received, we continue to find that Hilltop \2\ has not sold subject merchandise at less than normal value (``NV'') during the period of review (``POR''), February 1, 2009, through January 31, 2010.

NMFS implements this temporary final rule to increase the commercial quota for greater amberjack in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) for the 2011 fishing year and reopen the 2011 commercial fishing season for greater amberjack for a limited time period. These actions are necessary to achieve the optimum yield for the fishery, thus enhancing social and economic benefits to the fishery.

The ONMS is seeking applicants for the following seat on the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: (2) Research (Alternate) seats. Applicants are chosen based upon their particular expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying; community and professional affiliations; philosophy regarding the protection and management of marine resources; and possibly the length of residence in the area affected by the sanctuary. Applicants who are chosen as members should expect to serve 3-year terms, pursuant to the Council's Charter. The Council consists also of three state and three federal non-voting ex-officio seats.

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 proposes regulations to implement Amendment 88 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP), which regulates the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program. This proposed Rockfish Program would allocate exclusive harvest privileges to a specific group of license limitation program license holders who used trawl gear to target Pacific ocean perch, pelagic shelf rockfish, and northern rockfish during particular qualifying years. It would retain the conservation, management, safety, and economic gains realized under the Rockfish Pilot Program and resolve identified issues in the management and viability of the rockfish fisheries. This action is necessary to replace particular Rockfish Pilot Program regulations that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2011. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the FMP, and other applicable law.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, and implementing regulations, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued four one-year Letters of Authorization (LOAs) to take marine mammals by harassment incidental to the U.S. Navy's operation of Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active (SURTASS LFA) sonar operations to the Chief of Naval Operations, Department of the Navy, 2000 Navy Pentagon, Washington, DC 20350 and persons operating under his authority.