Department of Commerce April 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes its proposed List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2013, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The proposed LOF for 2013 reflects new information on interactions between commercial fisheries and marine mammals. NMFS must classify each commercial fishery on the LOF into one of three categories under the MMPA based upon the level of serious injury and mortality of marine mammals that occurs incidental to each fishery. The classification of a fishery in the LOF determines whether participants in that fishery are subject to certain provisions of the MMPA, such as registration, observer coverage, and take reduction plan (TRP) requirements. The fishery classifications and list of marine mammal stocks incidentally injured or killed described in the Final LOF for 2012 remain in effect until the effective date of the Final LOF for 2013.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher/processors (C/Ps) using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2013 Pacific cod total allowable catch apportioned to C/Ps using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA.

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, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to Mystic Aquarium, Mystic, Connecticut 06355 [Responsible Party: Stephen Coan, Ph.D.] to collect, import, export, and receive marine mammal parts for scientific research.

The U.S. Department of Commerce is proposing to remove its regulation implementing the Governmentwide common rule on drug-free workplace requirements for financial assistance, and issuing a new regulation to adopt the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance. This regulatory action implements the OMB's initiative to streamline and consolidate into one title of the CFR all Federal regulations on drug-free workplace requirements for financial assistance. These changes constitute an administrative simplification that would make no substantive change in U.S. Department of Commerce policy or procedures for drug-free workplace.

Notice is hereby given that the Scripps Institution of Oceanography [Responsible Party: John Hildebrand, Ph.D.], University of California, 8635 Discovery Way, La Jolla, CA 92093, has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on 35 cetacean species/stocks, including the following endangered whales: blue (Balaenoptera musculus), fin (B. physalus), sei (B. borealis), Southern Resident stock of killer (Orcinus orca), Hawaii insular stock of false killer (Pseudorca crassidens), sperm (Physeter macrocephalus), North Pacific right (Eubalaena japonica), and humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) whales.

This notice announces a public meeting of the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (Committee). The Committee provides advice to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information on spectrum management policy matters.

The Pacific Council will host a meeting of the Council Coordination Committee (CCC) consisting of the eight Regional Fishery Management Council (RFMC) chairs, vice chairs, and executive directors and its subcommittees in May 2013. The intent of this meeting is to discuss issues of relevance to the Councils, including: budget issues, CCC meeting protocols, Managing Our Nation's Fisheries 3 (MONF3) conference results, Endangered Species Act transparency, electronic monitoring, allocation review process, Department of Commerce Office of the Inspector General report action plan, new environmental review process, other topics of concern to the RFMC, and decisions and follow- up activities.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC). The members will discuss and provide advice on issues outlined under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below.

The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Mid- Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) will hold the AP meetings in North Charleston, SC.

The Department of Commerce (``Department'') preliminarily determines that imports from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') of certain graphite electrodes, produced and/or exported by Sinosteel Jilin Carbon Co., Ltd. and Jilin Carbon Import & Export Company (collectively, ``Jilin Carbon''), with an actual or nominal diameter of 17 inches, and otherwise meeting the description of in-scope merchandise, constitutes merchandise altered in form or appearance in such minor respects that it should be included within the scope of the Order.\1\

The meeting of the Smart Grid Advisory Committee (SGAC or Committee) scheduled for Friday, April 19, 2013 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time is cancelled. Notice of this meeting was published in the Federal Register on March 26, 2013.

NMFS hereby reorganizes the regulations implementing the fishery management plans (FMPs) for the following domestic fisheries in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic: Caribbean coral, Caribbean reef fish, Caribbean spiny lobster, Caribbean queen conch, Gulf red drum, Gulf reef fish, Gulf shrimp, Gulf coral, Gulf and South Atlantic coastal migratory pelagics, Gulf and South Atlantic spiny lobster, South Atlantic coral, South Atlantic snapper-grouper, South Atlantic shrimp, Atlantic dolphin and wahoo, South Atlantic golden crab, and South Atlantic pelagic sargassum. This interim final rule does not create any new rights or obligations; it reorganizes the existing regulatory requirements in the Code of Federal Regulations in a more logical format, i.e., by fishery, so constituents and other interested parties can locate regulatory requirements applicable to them more easily. As a part of this reorganization, the implementing regulations for the Gulf and South Atlantic spiny lobster FMP have been consolidated into the same CFR part as all other regulations implementing FMPs in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic. This interim final rule also amends references to Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) collection-of-information requirements to reflect the reorganization. Additionally, this interim final rule also amends references to incorporation by reference (IBR) to reflect updated regulatory references for the Florida Administrative Code. The intended effect of this interim final rule is to improve the organization of these regulations and make them easier for constituents and others to use.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and implementing regulations, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued LOAs to take marine mammals incidental to the explosive removal of offshore oil and gas structures (EROS) in the Gulf of Mexico.

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 October 9, 2012, the Department of Commerce (``Department'') published in the Federal Register the preliminary results of the first administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain magnesia carbon bricks from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'').\1\ We provided interested parties an opportunity to comment on the Preliminary Results. After reviewing the comments and information received, we made no change to the Preliminary Results. The final weighted-average dumping margins for this review are listed below in the ``Final Results of Review'' section of this notice. The period of review (``POR'') is March 12, 2010, through August 31, 2011.