Department of Commerce August 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)).

On May 14, 2013, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on polyethylene retail carrier bags (PRCBs) from Thailand. The period of review (POR) is August 1, 2011, through July 31, 2012. For the final results we continue to find that Trinity Pac Co. Ltd. (Trinity Pac) has sold subject merchandise at less than normal value and that TPN FlexPak Co., Ltd. (TPN) had no shipments during the POR.

This final rule reopens an additional portion of the Georges Bank Closed Area to the harvest of Atlantic surfclams and ocean quahogs. This final rule follows up on a preceding interim final rule that was published in the Federal Register on December 19, 2012. The previous interim final rule reopened a portion of the Georges Bank Closed Area that had been closed to the harvest of Atlantic surfclams and ocean quahogs since 1990 due to the presence of toxins known to cause paralytic shellfish poisoning. However, the area reopened in the interim final rule was reduced in size from the area identified in the proposed rule. Based on comments received on the interim final rule and requests from the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, this final rule will reopen an additional portion of the Georges Bank Closed Area.

NOAA announces the implementation, under the authority of the Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act (RESTORE Act) of 2012, of a new competitive science program to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem and the communities that depend on it.

This notice responds to the Hydrographic Service Improvements Act Amendments of 2002, Public Law 107-372, which requires the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to solicit nominations for membership on the Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP). The HSRP, a Federal advisory committee, advises the Administrator on matters related to the responsibilities and authorities set forth in section 303 of the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act (HSIA) of 1998 (as amended) and such other appropriate matters as the Administrator refers to the Panel for review and advice. Those responsibilities and authorities include, but are not limited to: Acquiring and disseminating hydrographic data and providing hydrographic services, as those terms are defined in the Act; promulgating standards for hydrographic data and services; ensuring comprehensive geographic coverage of hydrographic services; and testing, developing, and operating vessels, equipment, and technologies necessary to ensure safe navigation and maintain operational expertise in hydrographic data acquisition and hydrographic services. The Act states that ``voting members of the Panel shall be individuals who, by reason of knowledge, experience, or training, are especially qualified in one or more of the disciplines and fields relating to hydrographic data and hydrographic services, marine transportation, port administration, vessel pilotage, coastal and fishery management, and other disciplines as determined appropriate by the Administrator.'' The NOAA Administrator welcomes applications from individuals with expertise in navigation data, products and services; marine cartography and geospatial information systems; geodesy; physical oceanography; coastal resource management, including fisheries management and regional marine planning; and other science-related fields. To apply for membership on the Panel, applicants are asked to provide: (1) A cover letter that includes responses to the ``Short Response Questions'' listed below, and (2) a current resume (see ADDRESSES section). NOAA is an equal opportunity employer. Short Response Questions: (1) What area(s) of expertise, as listed above, would you best represent on this panel? (2) What geographic region(s) of the country do you primarily associate your expertise with? (3) Describe your leadership or professional experiences which you believe will contribute to the effectiveness of this panel. (4) Generally describe the breadth and scope of stakeholders, users, or other groups whose views and input you believe you can represent on the panel.

In response to requests from Aqualon Company, a division of Hercules Inc., (Petitioner) and respondents CP Kelco Oy and CP Kelco U.S., Inc. (collectively, CP Kelco), the Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on purified carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) from Finland. The period of review (POR) is July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012. We preliminarily find that CP Kelco made sales at prices below normal value (NV) during the POR. If these preliminary results are adopted in our final results of this review, we will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to assess antidumping duties based on differences between the export price (EP) or constructed export price (CEP) and NV. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

The Bureau of the Census (U.S. Census Bureau) is giving notice of a meeting of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee (C-SAC). The C-SAC will meet in a plenary session from September 19-20, 2013. The Committee will address policy, research, and technical issues relating to a full range of Census Bureau programs and activities, including communications, decennial, demographic, economic, field operations, geographic, information technology, and statistics. Last minute changes to the agenda are possible, which could prevent giving advance public notice of schedule adjustments.

The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration.

The National System of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) provides a mechanism for agencies managing MPAs to work together on common conservation priorities. In January 2013, NOAA and the Department of the Interior (DOI) invited federal, state, commonwealth, territorial and tribal MPA programs with potentially eligible existing MPAs to nominate their sites to the National System of MPAs (national system). A total of 82 nominations were received, including 80 from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and two from the National Park Service. Following a 60-day public review period of these nominations [78 FR 30870], no public comments were received by the National Marine Protected Areas Center (MPA Center). The managing agencies listed above were then asked to make a final determination of their desire to nominate these sites to the national system, which they subsequently confirmed. Finding them to be eligible for the national system, the MPA Center has accepted the nominations for 82 sites and placed them on the List of National System MPAs.

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') has conducted an administrative review of the countervailing duty order on certain oil country tubular goods (``OCTG'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). The period of review is January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2011. We find that Wuxi Seamless Oil Pipe Co., Ltd. (``Wuxi'') and Jiangsu Chengde Steel Tube Share Co., Ltd. (``Jiangsu Chengde'') received countervailable subsidies during the POR.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene a meeting of its Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat Review Committee (EFHRC).

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on this proposed information, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amounts of the Aleut Corporation's pollock directed fishing allowance from the Aleutian Islands subarea to the Bering Sea subarea directed fisheries. This action is necessary to provide opportunity for harvest of the 2013 total allowable catch of pollock, consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area.

NMFS implements management measures described in a regulatory amendment (Regulatory Amendment 15) to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP), as prepared by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). This final rule increases the commercial and recreational ACLs for yellowtail snapper, decreases the commercial ACL for gag, and revises the accountability measure (AM) for gag by removing the requirement that all other South Atlantic shallow-water grouper (SASWG) are prohibited from harvest when the gag commercial ACL is met or projected to be met. In addition, Regulatory Amendment 15 revises the optimum yield (OY) for yellowtail snapper and increases the recreational annual catch target (ACT) for yellowtail snapper harvested in or from the South Atlantic exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This final rule also includes several administrative changes to regulatory text, which are unrelated to the measures contained in Regulatory Amendment 15. The purpose of Regulatory Amendment 15 and this final rule is to provide socio-economic benefits to snapper-grouper fishermen and communities that utilize the snapper-grouper resource, while maintaining fishing mortality at sustainable levels according to the best scientific information available.

On June 28, 2013, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published a notice of initiation of an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain circular welded carbon steel pipes and tubes from Taiwan. The period of review (POR) is May 1, 2012, through April 30, 2013, and the review covers six respondents. Based on a withdrawal of the requests for review of certain companies from United States Steel Corporation (Petitioner), we are now rescinding this administrative review with respect to five of those respondents.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene a meeting of the Salmon Technical Team (STT), the Salmon Advisory Subpanel (SAS), and the Model Evaluation Workgroup (MEW) by telephone conference that is open to the public.

This action makes corrections, clarifications, and other modifications to the regulations that implemented the Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota Program. These changes will not affect the fishing operation of any vessel.

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.