Department of Commerce 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS is opening directed fishing for pollock in Statistical Area 610 of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) for 96 hours. This action is necessary to fully use the 2012 total allowable catch of pollock in Statistical Area 610 of the GOA.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for pollock in Statistical Area 630 in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2012 total allowable catch of pollock for Statistical Area 630 in the GOA.

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 4314(c)(4), the Economic Development Administration (EDA), Department of Commerce (DOC), announce the appointment of those individuals who have been selected to serve as members of EDA's Performance Review Board. The Performance Review Board is responsible for (1) reviewing performance appraisals and rating of Senior Executive Service (SES) members and (2) making recommendations to the appointing authority on other performance management issues, such as pay adjustments, bonuses and Presidential Rank Awards for SES members. The appointment of these members to the Performance Review Board will be for a period of twenty-four (24) months.

The ONMS is seeking applications for the following vacant seats on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Agriculture, At-Large (2), Business/Industry, Commercial Fishing, Conservation, Recreation, Recreational Fishing, and Research. 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 should expect to serve until February 2016.

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 information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This request for comments is for information collection requirements from a recently published proposed rule regarding an action to reopen a portion of the Georges Bank Closed Area to the harvest of Atlantic surfclams and ocean quahogs. The full details of this action can be found in the proposed rule. This Federal Register notice is soliciting comments only on the burden estimates for the collection of information requirements under the testing protocol and the letter of authorization requirements that are associated with the proposed rule.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) has determined that imports of circular welded carbon-quality steel pipe (circular welded pipe) from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV), as provided in section 735 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). The estimated margins of sales at LTFV are listed in the ``Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation'' section of this notice.

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of circular welded carbon-quality steel pipe (``circular welded pipe'') from the United Arab Emirates (``UAE'').

This notice sets forth the schedule of a forthcoming meeting of the DoC NOAA National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee (NCADAC). Time and Date: The meeting will be held November 14, 2012 from 9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and November 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Place: This meeting will be held at the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza located at One Veterans Place Silver Spring, MD 20910. Please check the National Climate Assessment Web site for additional information at https://www.globalchange.gov/what-we-do/ assessment. Status: Seating will be available on a first come, first serve basis. Members of the public must RSVP in order to attend all or a portion of the meeting by contacting the NCADAC DFO (Cynthia.Decker@noaa.gov) and alternate DFO (kandis.wyatt@noaa.gov) by 12 p.m. November 9, 2012. The meeting will be open to public participation with a 15-minute public comment period from 11:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on November 14, 2012. The NCADAC expects that public statements presented at its meetings will not be repetitive of previously submitted verbal or written statements. In general, each individual or group making a verbal presentation will be limited to a total time of two minutes. Written comments should be received in the NCADAC DFO's office by Friday, November 9, 2012, to provide sufficient time for NCADAC review. Written comments received by the NCADAC DFO after Friday, November 9, 2012, will be distributed to the NCADAC, but may not be reviewed prior to the meeting date. Special Accommodations: These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for special accommodations may be directed no later than 12 p.m. on Friday, November 9, 2012, to Dr. Cynthia Decker, SAB Executive Director, SSMC3, Room 11230, 1315 East- West Hwy., Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Notice is hereby given cancelling the DoC NOAA National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee (NCADAC) conference call on Tuesday, October 24, 2012 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. Eastern time.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) has determined that imports of circular welded carbon-quality steel pipe (circular welded pipe) from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam) are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less-than-fair value (LTFV), as provided in section 735 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). The estimated margins of sales at LTFV are listed in the ``Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation'' section of this notice.

The U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA) is coordinating a Renewable Energy Policy Business Roundtable, which will be held on December 3, 2012 in Tokyo in conjunction with the U.S.-Japan Energy Policy Dialogue. The U.S. Department of Energythe lead U.S. agency for the bilateral dialogue taking place in Fukushimawill co-chair the Roundtable. ITA is seeking the participation of approximately 20 U.S. companies (up to two representatives per company) in the Roundtable and related events in the Touhoku region. The dialogue will provide an opportunity for Japanese policy-makers to benefit from the viewpoints of U.S. clean energy companies and those companies to be able to learn more about the policy and regulatory landscape for renewable energy developing in Japan at this time. Following the Roundtable, the delegation will travel to Fukushima Prefecture and Sendai for site visits. Participants will learn firsthand the current condition of reconstruction following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and the role of renewable energy in those efforts, including local government incentives. The U.S. Department of Commerce's Commercial Service will also be available in Tokyo to provide its counseling services to participating companies whose products or services include at least 51 percent U.S. content. The Roundtable and Tour support ITA's commitments contained in the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Export Initiative, which aims to significantly increase U.S. RE&EE exports during the National Export Initiative, which sets the ambitious goal of doubling U.S. exports by the end of 2014.

The U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) publishes this notice to announce that the Director of the Census Bureau has determined the need to conduct the 2012 Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS). ARTS covers employer firms with establishments located in the United States and classified in the Retail Trade and/or Accommodation and Food Services sectors as defined by the 2007 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Through this survey, the Census Bureau will collect data covering annual sales, annual e- commerce sales, year-end inventories held inside and outside the United States, total and detailed operating expenses, purchases, accounts receivables, and, for selected industries, merchandise line sales, and percent of e-commerce sales to customers located outside the United States. These data are collected to provide a sound statistical basis for the formation of policy by various government agencies. Results will be available for use for a variety of public and business needs such as economic and market analysis, company performance, and forecasting future demand. The Census Bureau conducts the ARTS to provide continuing and timely national statistical data on retail trade, and accommodation and food services activity annually. The 2012 ARTS is a separate collection and is not part of 2012 Economic Census.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Steller Sea Lion Mitigation Committee (SSLMC) will meet in Juneau, AK.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scallop Advisory Panel 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.

This is a notice in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209(e) and 37 CFR 404.7(a)(1)(i) that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (``NIST''), U.S. Department of Commerce, is contemplating the grant of an exclusive license in the United States of America, its territories, possessions and commonwealths, to NIST's interest in the invention embodied in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61,623/ 957 titled ``Highly Selective Gallium Nitride Nanowire/Titanium Dioxide-Nanocluster Hybrid Sensors for Detection of Benzene and Related Environmental Pollutants,'' NIST Docket No. 11-019 to the University of Maryland, having a place of business at 0133 Cole Student Activities Building, College Park MD 20742-1001. The grant of the license would be for all fields of use.

NMFS announces that the New England Fishery Management Council has submitted Amendment 19 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, incorporating a draft Environmental Assessment and an Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, for review and approval by the Secretary of Commerce. NMFS is requesting comments from the public on Amendment 19, which was developed by the Council to modify management measures that govern the small-mesh multispecies fishery, including accountability measures, year-round possession limits, and the total allowable landings process.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel (AP) in North Charleston, SC.

NMFS proposes to modify the regulations implementing the Northeast (NE) Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to allow vessels to fish with gillnet and longline gear from June through December, and with handline gear from June through August, in a portion of inshore Georges Bank (GB) each year, outside of the requirements of the NE multispecies fishery. This action would allow vessels to harvest spiny dogfish and other non-groundfish species in a manner that is consistent with the bycatch reduction objectives of the FMP.

NMFS announces the availability for public review of the Public Review Draft Recovery Plan (Plan) for the South-Central California Coast (SCCCS) (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Distinct Population (DPS). NMFS is soliciting review and comment from the public and all interested parties on the Plan, and will consider all substantive comments received during the review period before submitting the Plan for final approval. In addition, public meetings will be held as opportunities for learning more about and providing comments on the Public Review Draft Plan (see Public Meetings paragraph).