Department of Commerce March 15, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Assistant Administrator (AA) for Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on behalf of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), publishes annual management measures promulgated as regulations by the IPHC and approved by the Secretary of State governing the Pacific halibut fishery. The AA also announces approval of the Area 2A (waters off the U.S. West Coast) Catch Sharing Plan (CSP), with modifications recommended by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC), along with implementing regulations for 2013, and provides notice of the guideline harvest levels (GHLs) for Areas 2C and 3A. These actions are intended to enhance the conservation of Pacific halibut and further the goals and objectives of the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) (Councils).

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is extending the deadline for submission of certification letters in order to allow additional time for partners and organizations to provide products and technical expertise to support and demonstrate security platforms for exchange of electronic health care information by healthcare providers. Participation in the project is open to all interested organizations.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published a request for comments on the preparation of patent applications, seeking input on potential practices that applicants can employ at the drafting stage of a patent application in order to facilitate examination and bring more certainty to the scope of issued patents. The USPTO has received several requests for additional time to submit comments on the preparation of patent applications. Accordingly, the USPTO is extending the comment period to provide interested members of the public with additional time to submit comments to the USPTO.

The SEDAR 33 assessment of the Gulf of Mexico gag and greater amberjack fisheries will consist of a series of workshops and supplemental webinars. This notice is for a data scoping webinar of the Data Workshop portion of the SEDAR process. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (CS) is publishing this supplement to the Notice of the U.S. Healthcare Trade Mission to Russia published at 77 FR 77032, December 31, 2012, to amend the Notice to revise the dates of the application deadline from March 15, 2013 to the new deadline of March 29, 2013.

NMFS proposes to approve and implement regulations through Framework Adjustment 24 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan (Framework 24), which the New England Fishery Management Council adopted and submitted to NMFS for approval. Framework 24 would set specifications for the Atlantic sea scallop fishery for the 2013 fishing year, including days-at-sea allocations, individual fishing quotas, and sea scallop access area trip allocations. This action would also set precautionary default fishing year 2014 specifications, in case the New England Fishery Management Council delays the development of the next framework, resulting in implementation after the March 1, 2014, start of the 2014 fishing year, and transitional measures are needed. In addition, Framework 24 adjusts the Georges Bank scallop access area seasonal closure schedules, and because that changes exemptions to areas closed to fishing specified in the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, Framework 24 must be a joint action with that plan (Framework Adjustment 49). Framework 24 also continues the closures of the Delmarva and Elephant Trunk scallop access areas, refines the management of yellowtail flounder accountability measures in the scallop fishery, makes adjustments to the industry-funded observer program, and provides more flexibility in the management of the individual fishing quota program.