Department of Commerce June 13, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service (US&FCS) within the International Trade Administration (ITA) publishes this notice to announce its intent to adjust user fees in light of an independent cost of service study finding, which concluded that the US&FCS is not fully covering its costs for providing trade promotion services under the current fee structure. ITA provides a wide range of trade promotion information and services to U.S. businesses that are exporting or seeking to export. The services considered here are a subset of ITA activities that involve relatively more intensive time engagements with particular client firms; ITA will continue to provide its core information and services without charge. The primary objective of the adjustment to the User Fee Schedule is to ensure that the fees for the more intensive services reflect, to the extent possible, the actual costs incurred by the United States for providing these more intensive trade promotion services. The fee revenue is expected to continue to contribute to ITA's capabilities for assisting U.S. businesses in accessing export markets. In addition, in revising the user fees, the US&FCS proposes to revise the small & medium-sized enterprises (SME) hourly rate discount as well as the SME incentive program piloted in 2008. The US&FCS has historically offered a discount to SME's, defined as those which employ 500 or less persons. Under the User Fee Schedule proposed in this notice, US&FCS will offer a discount of 50 percent per hour to SMEs. The purpose of this notice is to align user fees and authorized activities with actual program costs; and improve our ability to properly recover direct and indirect costs associated with service delivery.

NMFS is announcing the opening date of the commercial Atlantic region non-sandbar large coastal shark fishery. This action is necessary to inform fishermen and dealers about the fishery opening date.

This proposed rule describes how articles the President determines no longer warrant control under Category IX (Military Training Equipment and Training) of the United States Munitions List (USML) would be controlled under the Commerce Control List (CCL) in new Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCNs) 0A614, 0B614, 0D614, and 0E614. This rule is one in a planned series of proposed rules describing how various types of articles the President determines, as part of the Administration's Export Control Reform Initiative, no longer warrant USML control, would be controlled on the CCL and by the EAR. This proposed rule is being published in conjunction with a proposed rule from the Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, which would amend the list of articles enumerated in USML Category IX. The revisions in this rule are part of Commerce's retrospective plan under EO 13563 completed in August 2011. Commerce's full plan can be accessed at: https://open.commerce.gov/news/2011/08/23/commerce-plan- retrospective-analysis-existing-rules.

Four Assessment Workshops via webinars are being added to SEDAR 28. The webinars will be held July 10, 2012, July 24, 2012, August 9, 2012, and August 30, 2012. All webinars will begin at 1 p.m. (Eastern) and are expected to last four hours. The SEDAR 28 Review Workshop was originally scheduled for August 6-10, 2012 and will now be held October 29-November 2, 2012. This is the twenty-eighth SEDAR. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The New England Fishery Management Council's (Council) VMS/ Enforcement Committee and Advisory Panel will meet to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).