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

NMFS issues a proposed rule that would implement Amendment 103 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI FMP) to close year-round the Pribilof Islands Habitat Conservation Zone (PIHCZ) to directed fishing for Pacific cod with pot gear to minimize bycatch and prevent overfishing of Pribilof Islands blue king crab (PIBKC). This action would promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the FMP, and other applicable law.

The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that the National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee, co-chaired by the Departments of Commerce and State, is seeking public comments on the potential market impact of the proposed Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Stockpile Annual Materials Plan. The role of the Market Impact Committee is to advise the National Defense Stockpile Manager on the projected domestic and foreign economic effects of all acquisitions and disposals involving the stockpile and related material research and development projects. Public comments are an important element of the Committee's market impact review process.

This notice amends the Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration Request for Nominations for the Industry Trade Advisory Committees (ITACs) of February 24, 2014 (79 FR 10099) to revise the eligibility criteria to permit federally-registered lobbyists to apply for membership on the ITACs. The Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative no longer maintain an eligibility restriction prohibiting federally-registered lobbyists from applying for appointment on the ITACs in light of a recent policy clarification that the eligibility restriction does not apply to advisory committee members who serve in a representative capacity. The Secretary of Commerce (the Secretary) and the United States Trade Representative (the USTR) will now consider nominations of federally-registered lobbyists for appointment on the 16 ITACs. All other eligibility criteria continue to apply. The full notice is republished in its entirety below for convenience. In February 2014, the Secretary of Commerce (the Secretary) and the United States Trade Representative (the USTR) renewed the charters of the 16 Industry Trade Advisory Committees (ITACs) and the Committee of Chairs of the ITACs for a four-year term to expire on February 14, 2018. The ITACs provide detailed policy and technical advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary and the USTR regarding trade barriers, negotiation of trade agreements, and implementation of existing trade agreements affecting industry sectors; and perform other advisory functions relevant to U.S. trade policy matters as may be requested by the Secretary and the USTR or their designees. There are currently opportunities for membership on each ITAC. Nominations will be accepted for current vacancies and those that occur throughout the remainder of the charter term, which expires on February 14, 2018.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Groundfish Advisory Panel to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from these groups will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

NMFS announces the receipt of an application for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) from the Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation, Inc. (Foundation). If granted, the EFP would authorize the applicants, with certain conditions, to collect and retain limited numbers of specimens that would otherwise be prohibited from possession and retention in South Atlantic Federal waters. This study is intended to characterize catch and discard mortality within the South Atlantic commercial hook-and-line component of the snapper-grouper fishery.

NMFS is opening directed fishing for Greenland turbot in the Bering Sea subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI). This action is necessary to fully use the 2014 initial total allowable catch (ITAC) of Greenland turbot in the Bering Sea subarea of the BSAI.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a public outreach meeting on the Bering Sea Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP).

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of the: Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Committee (CLOSED SESSION); Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) Committee; Advisory Panel Selection Committee; Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Committee; Protected Resources Committee; Golden Crab Committee; Information and Education Committee; Data Collection Committee; Executive Finance Committee; Snapper Grouper Committee; a joint committee meeting of the Dolphin Wahoo Committee and Snapper Grouper Committee; King & Spanish Mackerel Committee; Habitat Committee; Ecosystem-Based Management Committee; and a meeting of the Full Council. The Council will take action as necessary. The Council will also hold an informal public question and answer session regarding agenda items and a formal public comment session. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

On March 24, 2014, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain frozen warmwater shrimp from Thailand.\1\ The period of review (POR) is February 1, 2012, through January 31, 2013. Based on our analysis of the comments received, we made certain changes in the margin calculations. Therefore, the final results differ from the preliminary results. For the final results, we continue to find that all companies involved in this review sold subject merchandise at less than normal value. Finally, we find that 12 companies had no shipments of subject merchandise during the POR.

Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), Division of Wildlife Conservation, Juneau, AK, (Principal Investigator: Michael Rehberg), to conduct research on Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), within incidental disturbance of several pinniped species.

In accordance with regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to Deepwater Wind Block Island Transmission, LLC (DWBIT) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to construction of the Block Island Transmission System.

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.

NMFS proposes regulations to implement the Fishery Management Plan for Regulating Offshore Aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico (FMP), as prepared by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council). The FMP entered into effect by operation of law on September 3, 2009. If implemented, this rule would establish a comprehensive regulatory program for managing the development of an environmentally sound and economically sustainable aquaculture industry in Federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf), i.e., the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The purpose of this rule is to increase the yield of Federal fisheries in the Gulf by supplementing the harvest of wild caught species with cultured product.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) completed the administrative review of the countervailing duty (CVD) order on circular welded carbon steel pipes and tubes (steel pipes and tubes) from Turkey for the January 1, 2012, through December 31, 2012, period of review (POR) in accordance with section 751(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). This review covers multiple exporters/ producers, one of which is being individually examined as a mandatory respondent. We determine that the net subsidy rate for the sole mandatory respondent, Borusan Mannesmann Boru Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (BMB), and Borusan Istikbal Ticaret T.A.S. (Istikbal), (collectively, the Borusan Companies), although revised from the preliminary results, continues to be de minimis. We further continue to find that the net subsidy rates for Erbosan Erciyas Boru Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (Erbosan AS) and Erbosan Erciyas Pipe Industry and Trade Co. Kayseri Free Zone Branch (Erbosan FZB), (collectively Erbosan), and Tosyali dis Ticaret A.S. (Tosyali) and Toscelik Profil ve Sac Endustrisi A.S. (Toscelik Profil), (collectively, Toscelik), the two firms not individually examined in this review, are de minimis and 0.83 percent ad valorem, respectively. Additionally, the Department is rescinding the review of three companies that timely certified that they had no shipments of subject merchandise during the POR.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Kamchatka flounder in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2014 Kamchatka flounder initial total allowable catch (ITAC) in the BSAI.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) requests information about the level of awareness throughout critical infrastructure organizations, and initial experiences with the Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (the ``Framework''). As directed by Executive Order 13636, ``Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity'' (the ``Executive Order''), the Framework consists of standards, methodologies, procedures, and processes that align policy, business, and technological approaches to address cyber risks. The Framework was released on February 12, 2014, after a year-long, open process involving private and public sector organizations, including extensive input and public comments. Responses to this RFIwhich will be posted at https://www.nist.gov/ cyberframework/cybersecurity-framework-rfi.cfmwill inform NIST's planning and decision-making about possible tools and resources to help organizations to use the Framework more effectively and efficiently. They will also help inform future versions of the Framework. The responses will also inform the Department of Homeland Security's Critical Infrastructure Cyber Community C\3\ Voluntary Program. In addition, NIST is interested in receiving comments related to the Roadmap that accompanied publication of the Framework. All information provided will also assist in developing the agenda for a workshop on the Framework being planned for October 2014.