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

On December 20, 2013, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on diamond sawblades and parts thereof (diamond sawblades) from the People's Republic of China (the PRC). The period of review (POR) is November 1, 2011, through October 31, 2012. For the final results, we continue to find that certain companies covered by this review made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value.

Based on affirmative final determinations by the Department of Commerce (the Department) and the International Trade Commission (the ITC), the Department is issuing antidumping duty orders on prestressed concrete steel rail tie wire (PC tie wire) from Mexico and the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to the NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818 (Responsible Party: Frank Parish, Ph.D.), to conduct research and enhancement on Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi).

The Department of Commerce (the Department) has determined that revocation of the antidumping (AD) orders on light-walled rectangular pipe and tube (light-walled pipe and tube) from Mexico, Turkey, the People's Republic of China (PRC), and the Republic of Korea (Korea) would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping, and that revocation of the countervailing duty (CVD) order on light-walled pipe and tube from the PRC would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of a countervailable subsidy. The U.S. International Trade Commission (the ITC) has also determined that revocation of these AD and CVD orders would likely lead to a continuation or recurrence of material injury to an industry in the United States. Accordingly, the Department is publishing this notice of the continuation of these AD and CVD orders.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC (Transco) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to expanding a natural gas pipeline system off the coast of New York.

Pursuant to provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App., the Department of Commerce announces the reestablishment of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (the Committee). The Committee shall advise the Secretary of Commerce regarding the development and administration of programs and policies to expand the competitiveness of U.S. exports of renewable energy and energy efficiency goods and services, in accordance with applicable United States regulations. The Committee's work on energy efficiency will focus on technologies, services, and platforms that provide system-level energy efficiency to electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. These include smart grid technologies and services, as well as equipment and systems that increase the resiliency of power infrastructure. For the purposes of this Committee, covered goods and services will not include vehicles, feedstock for biofuels, or energy efficiency as it relates to consumer goods. Non-fossil fuels that are considered renewable fuels (e.g., liquid biofuels and pellets) are included. This notice also requests nominations for membership.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS National Marine Mammal Laboratory, (Responsible Party: Dr. John Bengtson, Director), Seattle, WA, has applied for an amendment to Scientific Research Permit No. 13430-01.

NMFS has received an application from the United States (U.S.) Geological Survey (USGS), Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (L-DEO), and National Science Foundation (NSF) for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting a marine geophysical (seismic) survey in the Atlantic Ocean off the Eastern Seaboard, August to September 2014 and April to August 2015. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an IHA to USGS to incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, 34 species of marine mammals during the specified activity.

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') is amending the final results of the 2011-2012 administrative review of the antidumping duty order on multilayered wood flooring (``MLWF'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') to correct ministerial errors.\1\ The period of review (``POR'') is May 26, 2011 through November 30, 2012.

NMFS has requested the Center for Independent Experts (CIE) to conduct a peer review of the agency's stock assessment of Bering Sea/ Aleutian Islands Atka mackerel. The CIE is a group that provides independent peer reviews of NMFS science nationwide, including reviews of stock assessments for fish and marine mammals. The CIE review will examine whether the assessment incorporates the best available scientific information and provides a reasonable approach to understanding the population dynamics and stock status of Bering Sea/ Aleutian Islands Atka mackerel. The public is invited to attend and observe the presentations and discussions between the CIE panel and the NMFS scientists who collected and processed the data, and designed the underlying model.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has prepared a draft supplemental environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of the potential effects of the operation of five Hatchery and Genetic Management Plans (plans) specifying the propagation of five species of salmon and steelhead in the Elwha River of Washington state. The plans were prepared and submitted jointly by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). All comments and other information received will become part of the public record and will be available for review pursuant to section 10(c) of the ESA.

On November 29, 1999, the President signed into law the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act (the ``Act''), Public Law 106-113, which, among other things, established two Public Advisory Committees to review the policies, goals, performance, budget and user fees of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with respect to patents, in the case of the Patent Public Advisory Committee, and with respect to trademarks, in the case of the Trademark Public Advisory Committee, and to advise the Director on these matters (now codified at 35 U.S.C. 5). The America Invents Act Technical Corrections Act made several amendments to the 1999 Act, including the requirement that the terms of the USPTO Public Advisory Committee members be realigned by 2014, so that December 1 be used as the start and end date, with terms staggered so that each year three existing terms expire and three new terms begin on December 1. Through this Notice, the USPTO is requesting nominations for up to three (3) members of the Patent Public Advisory Committee, and for up to three (3) members of the Trademark Public Advisory Committee for terms of three years that begin on December 1, 2014.

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.

The SEDAR 38 assessment of Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic King Mackerel will consist of a workshop and series of webinars. This notice is for an additional webinar associated with the Assessment portion of the SEDAR process.

On December 16, 2013, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on lightweight thermal paper from Germany.\1\ The period of review (POR) is November 1, 2011, through October 31, 2012. We invited interested parties to comment on the preliminary results. After reviewing the comments received and making one correction to the margin calculation program, we continue to find that Papierfabrik August Koehler SE (Koehler) did not make sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value. The final dumping margin for Koehler, listed below in the section entitled ``Final Results of Review,'' is unchanged from the preliminary results. In addition, we find that Papierfabrik August Koehler SE is the successor-in-interest to Papierfabrik August Koehler AG.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), 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 the continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

NMFS issues a proposed rule to implement Amendment 106 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI FMP). The proposed rule would allow the owner of an American Fisheries Act (AFA) vessel to rebuild or replace the vessel without limitation on the length, weight, or horsepower of the rebuilt or replacement vessel when the vessel is operating in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI). The proposed rule would also allow the owner of an AFA catcher vessel that is a member of an inshore cooperative to remove the vessel from the Bering Sea directed pollock fishery and assign the pollock catch history of the removed vessel to one or more vessels in the inshore cooperative to which the removed vessel belonged. This action is necessary to bring the regulations implementing the BSAI FMP into conformity with the AFA as amended by the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010. This action would also improve vessel safety and operational efficiency in the AFA fleet by allowing the rebuilding or replacement of AFA vessels with safer and more efficient vessels and by allowing the removal of inactive catcher vessels from the AFA fishery. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the AFA, the BSAI FMP, and other applicable laws.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) publishes this final rule to amend two supplements in the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), which contain lists of controlled crude oil and petroleum products (produced or derived from the Naval Petroleum Reserve (NPR)) and unprocessed western red cedar, respectively. These lists provide relevant Census Bureau Schedule B commodity numbers and associated commodity descriptions of these short supply commodities. Many of the Schedule B commodity numbers and associated commodity descriptions listed prior to publication of this rule in the two supplements are now obsolete. This rule updates the lists in the two supplements to remove obsolete descriptions and Schedule B commodity numbers, and to add relevant descriptions and Schedule B commodity numbers for these short supply commodities. This rule also clarifies the description of petroleum products in other sections of the EAR to ensure those references are current. This rule will not alter or otherwise affect BIS's current enforcement practice with respect to the EAR's controls on unprocessed western red cedar or crude oil and petroleum products.

The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS (Assistant Regional Administrator), has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. This EFP would allow two commercial fishing vessels to fish outside of the limited access scallop days-at-sea (DAS) program in support of scallop incidental mortality research conducted by the Coonamessett Farm Foundation. It would also allow the vessels to fish in the Eastern and Western Areas of the Nantucket Lightship Closed Area. Additionally, the EFP would exempt participating vessels from the crew size restriction and reporting requirements, and would allow vessels to temporarily possess various species of fish for sampling purposes only. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed EFPs.

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is requesting nominations of individuals and organizations to the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations. The Census Bureau will consider nominations received in response to this notice, as well as from other sources. The SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice provides committee and membership criteria.

On February 27, 2014, the Department of Commerce (the ``Department'') published the Preliminary Results \1\ of the 2012-2013 administrative review of the antidumping duty order on laminated woven sacks (``sacks'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). The period of review (``POR'') is August 1, 2012, through July 31, 2013. We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on the Preliminary Results, but we received none. The final weighted-average dumping margin for the PRC-wide entity is listed in the ``Final Results of Review'' section below.

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a final rule in the Federal Register on May 29, 2014 (79 FR 30713), amending existing authorizations in the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) for Validated End-Users (VEUs) Samsung China Semiconductor Co. Ltd. (Samsung China) and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) in the People's Republic of China. BIS is correcting an inadvertent typographical error in a citation included in the list of eligible items for SMIC in the May 29 final rule. BIS also makes a conforming change.