Department of Commerce October 7, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In response to timely requests, the Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on freshwater crawfish tail meat from the People's Republic of China (PRC). The period of review (POR) is September 1, 2009, through August 31, 2010. Although we have preliminarily determined that sales have not been made below normal value by Xiping Opeck Food Co., Ltd., our analysis of the applicable transactions requires additional information. See discussion below. We have preliminarily determined that sales have been made below normal value by China Kingdom (Beijing) Import & Export Co., Ltd. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results. Parties who submit comments in this review are requested to submit with each argument (1) a statement of the issue and (2) a brief summary of the argument.

This notice amends an earlier notice for the meeting. The SAFMC is adding an agenda item to consider wreckfish stock status and fishing level recommendations to the November 8-10 SSC meeting. The meeting will be held in Charleston, SC. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

Based on the 2010/2011 Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) assessments for sandbar, dusky, and blacknose sharks, NMFS is declaring the following stock status determinations. Sandbar sharks are still overfished, but no longer experiencing overfishing. Dusky sharks are still overfished and still experiencing overfishing (i.e., their stock status has not changed). Blacknose sharks were assessed as two separate stocks for the first time in the 2010/2011 assessment (Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico); therefore, NMFS is making separate stock status determinations for the two blacknose shark stocks. The Atlantic stock is overfished and experiencing overfishing, and the status of the Gulf of Mexico stock is unknown. Scalloped hammerhead sharks were previously determined to be overfished and experiencing overfishing by NMFS in April 2011. As such, NMFS announces its intent to prepare an EIS under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This EIS would assess the potential effects on the human environment of action proposed through rulemaking to rebuild and end overfishing of these stocks, consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). Through the rulemaking process, NMFS would amend the 2006 Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and examine management alternatives available to rebuild these shark stocks and end overfishing, as necessary. To begin scoping for that rulemaking process, NMFS is requesting comments on a range of commercial and recreational management measures, in both directed and incidental fisheries, including, but not limited to, quota levels, regional and seasonal quotas, retention limits, gear modifications, and time/area closures.

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. Air Force (USAF), Eglin Air Force Base (Eglin AFB), to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting air-to-surface (A-S) gunnery missions in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The USAF's activities are considered military readiness activities.

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain new pneumatic off-the-road tires (``OTR tires'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') covering the period September 1, 2009, through August 31, 2010. We have preliminarily determined that the mandatory respondent, Tianjin United Tire & Rubber International Co., Ltd. (``TUTRIC''), made sales of subject merchandise to the United States at prices below normal value (``NV''). Additionally, we also preliminarily determine that Weihai Zhongwei Rubber Co., Ltd. (``Weihai'') had no shipments during the POR, and therefore we intend to rescind the review with respect to Weihai. If these preliminary results are adopted in our final results of review, we will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') to assess antidumping duties on entries of subject merchandise during the POR for which the importer-specific assessment rates are above de minimis. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results. We intend to issue the final results no later than 120 days from the date of publication of this notice, pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (``the Act'').

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), 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 the revision of a continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

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 Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) Trawl Rationalization Regulatory Review Committee (TRREC) will convene a meeting that is open to the public.