Department of Commerce April 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Ecosystem and Ocean Planning Committee will hold a public meeting.

As a result of this sunset review, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') finds that revocation of the antidumping duty (``AD'') order on circular welded carbon-quality steel line pipe (``welded line pipe'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping. The magnitude of the dumping margins likely to prevail is indicated in the ``Final Results of Sunset Review'' section of this notice.

NMFS is implementing the specifications for fishing year (FY) 2014 for butterfish, as well as other management measures for the species managed under the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. NMFS previously set specifications for longfin squid and Illex squid for 3 years in 2012 (FYs 2012-2014) and, therefore, new specifications for these species are not included in this year's specification rulemaking. Likewise, NMFS set specifications for mackerel for 3 years in 2013 (2013-2015), so new mackerel specifications are not included in this action. This action increases the butterfish acceptable biological catch by 8 percent and the butterfish landings limit by 24 percent compared to FY 2013. This action also increases the butterfish Phase 3 trip limit from 500 lb (0.23 mt) to 600 lb (0.27 mt) for longfin squid/butterfish moratorium permit holders; establishes a 236-mt cap on river herring (blueback and alewife) and shad (American and hickory) catch in the mackerel fishery; and raises the post-closure possession limit for longfin squid to 15,000 lb (6.80 mt) for vessels targeting Illex squid.

The Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) will hold a Special Meeting via telephone conference (teleconference) on April 8, 2014.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Advisory Panel will hold a public meeting.

The Assistant Administrator (AA) for Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), announces approval of the Area 2A (waters off the U.S. West Coast) Catch Sharing Plan (Plan), with modifications recommended by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council), and implementing regulations for 2014. These actions are intended to enhance the conservation of Pacific halibut and further the goals and objectives of the Council. The regulations of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) were published on March 12, 2014 and the sport fishing management measures in this rule are an additional subsection of those regulations.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Risk Policy Working Group (formerly called ABC Control Rule Working Group) 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 notice is to remind the public that U.S. firms are required to report annually to the Department of Commerce (Commerce) information on contracts for the sale of defense articles or defense services to foreign countries or foreign firms that are subject to offsets agreements exceeding $5,000,000 in value. U.S. firms are also required to report annually to Commerce information on offsets transactions completed in performance of existing offsets commitments for which offsets credit of $250,000 or more has been claimed from the foreign representative. This year, such reports must include relevant information from calendar year 2013 and must be submitted to Commerce no later than June 15, 2014.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) recently concluded a twelve-month pilot program called Patents for Humanity to incentivize the use of patented technologies for humanitarian purposes, culminating with an awards ceremony in April 2013. Following the success of this pilot, the USPTO is continuing Patents for Humanity as an annual awards competition. The USPTO will announce an application period each year of the competition. For 2014, applications will be accepted from April 15 to September 15, 2014. Participants will submit program applications describing what actions they have taken with their patented technology to either address humanitarian needs among an impoverished population or further research by others on humanitarian technologies. Applications will be accepted in five categories: (1) Medicine, (2) Nutrition, (3) Sanitation, (4) Household Energy, and (5) Living Standards. Independent judges will review the program applications, and Federal employees from other agencies will recommend awards based on these reviews. For the 2014 competition, two types of awards will be made: Patents for Humanity Awards and honorable mentions. The Patents for Humanity Award is the top award for applicants best representing the Patents for Humanity principles. Patents for Humanity Award recipients in 2014 will receive a certificate to accelerate select matters before the USPTO and public recognition for their efforts, including an award ceremony sponsored by the USPTO. Honorable mentions in 2014 will receive accelerated examination of one patent application and a featured writeup on the USPTO Web site. A portion of honorable mentions may be awarded for the best up and coming technologies. The USPTO expects to award roughly ten Patents for Humanity Awards and up to twenty honorable mentions in 2014. The exact number of awards may vary depending on the number and quality of program applications received. Types of awards for subsequent years will be announced with the application period in the Federal Register. Patents for Humanity certificates awarded through the 2014 competition can be redeemed to accelerate one of the following matters: An ex parte reexamination proceeding, including one appeal to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) from that proceeding; a patent application, including one appeal to the PTAB from that application; or an appeal to the PTAB of a claim twice rejected in a patent application or reissue application or finally rejected in an ex parte reexamination, without accelerating the underlying matter which generated the appeal. Inter partes reexaminations and interference proceedings are not eligible for acceleration, nor are post-grant reviews, inter partes reviews, covered business method reviews, derivation proceedings, or supplemental examinations. Certificates awarded are not transferable to other parties.

As a result of the correction of a significant ministerial error, the Department of Commerce (the Department) preliminarily determines that certain oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from Taiwan are not being, nor are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value, as provided in section 733(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). The period of investigation is July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013. Interested parties are invited to comment on this amended preliminary determination.

Notice is hereby given that Mervi Kunnasranta, Ph.D., University of Eastern Finland, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, 80101 Joensuu Finland, has applied in due form for a permit to conduct commercial/educational photography on harbor seals (Phoca vitulina).

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 B season allowance of the 2014 total allowable catch of pollock for Statistical Area 630 in the GOA.

Framework Adjustment 8 (Framework 8) implements several changes to improve operation of the butterfish discard cap in the longfin squid fishery and the directed butterfish fishery. Framework 8 allocates the butterfish discard cap among trimesters in the same percentages used for the trimester allocations for longfin squid: 43 percent to Trimester I (January to April), 17 percent to Trimester II (May to August), and 40 percent to Trimester III (September to December). Each trimester will close when it is estimated that 95 percent of the butterfish discard cap has been taken. In addition, Framework 8 allows NMFS to transfer, in either direction, up to 50 percent of unused quota between the butterfish landing allocation and the discard cap on the longfin squid fishery. This would occur near the end of the year in order to optimally utilize the butterfish that is available for fishing each year.

Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to Douglas Nowacek, Ph.D., Duke UniversityMarine Laboratory, 135 Duke Marine Lab Rd, Beaufort, NC 28516, to conduct research on 34 cetacean species for scientific research.

Notice is hereby given that National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) (Responsible Party: Lisa Ballance, Ph.D.), Protected Resources Division, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, has applied for two amendments to Scientific Research Permit No. 14097-03.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has withdrawn its request for authorization to take small numbers of marine mammals incidental to conducting sturgeon research in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), over the course of five years from the date of issuance.

Notice is hereby given that Paul Jobsis, Ph.D., University of the Virgin Islands, Department of Biology, 2 John Brewers Bay, St Thomas, VI 00802, has been issued a permit to take green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles for purposes of scientific research.

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') has received requests to conduct administrative reviews of various antidumping and countervailing duty orders and findings with February anniversary dates. In accordance with the Department's regulations, we are initiating those administrative reviews.

The Department of Commerce (``Department'') is conducting the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on magnesium metal from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). The period of review (``POR'') is April 1, 2012, through March 31, 2013. This review covers one PRC company, Tianjin Magnesium International, Co., Ltd. (``TMI''). The Department preliminarily finds that TMI did not have reviewable entries during the POR. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.