Department of Commerce 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is announcing a December 2, 2014 roundtable and requesting written comments on USPTO use of crowdsourcing to identify relevant prior art. Members of the public are invited to participate at the roundtable. On February 20, 2014, the White House issued a series of executive actions including crowdsourcing prior art as a means to strengthen patent quality. The roundtable will address the executive action by exploring: (1) How the USPTO can utilize crowdsourcing tools to obtain relevant prior art in order to enhance the quality of examination and issued patents; and (2) ways the USPTO can leverage existing private sector solutions for the electronic receipt and hosting of crowdsourced materials as a means to provide prior art to examiners.

The Finance Committee of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Board will hold a Special Meeting via telephone conference (teleconference) on November 17, 2014.

This final rule announces inseason changes to management measures in the Pacific Coast groundfish fisheries. This action, which is authorized by the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (PCGFMP), is intended to allow fisheries to access more abundant groundfish stocks while protecting overfished and depleted stocks.

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.

This final rule makes clarifications and corrections to an interim final rule that was published on May 13, 2014. The May 13 rule added controls to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) for spacecraft and related items that the President has determined no longer warrant control under United States Munitions List (USML) Category XVspacecraft and related items. New Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCNs) 9A515, 9B515, 9D515, and 9E515 created by the May 13 rule and existing ECCNs on the Commerce Control List (CCL) will control such items. The May 13 rule also revised various sections of the EAR to provide the proper level of control for the new ECCNs. The vast majority of the changes included in the May 13 rule have been implemented as published in the interim final rule, so those change are not republished in this final rule. A full description of those changes can be found in the Background section and the regulatory text of the May 13 rule. The changes included in this final rule are limited to corrections and clarifications to what was included in the interim final rule. These corrections and clarifications were also informed by comments received in response to the May 13 rule that included a request for comments.

On June 12, 2014, the Department of Commerce (``Department'') published the preliminary results of antidumping duty new shipper reviews of multilayered wood flooring (``MLWF'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'').\1\ We invited interested parties to comment on our preliminary results. Following our analysis of the comments, we made no changes to our preliminary margin calculations for new shippers Dalian Huade Wood Product Co., Ltd. (``Huade''), Linyi Bonn Flooring Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (``Bonn Flooring''), and Zhejiang Fuerjia Wooden Co., Ltd. (``Fuerjia''), and we continue to find that Huade, Bonn Flooring, and Fuerjia did not make sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold twelve public hearings to solicit Public comments on Draft Omnibus Habitat Amendment 2 to the Habitat Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

NMFS publishes regulations to implement Amendment 96 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP) and an amendment to the Pacific halibut commercial fishery regulations for waters in and off Alaska. Amendment 96 to the FMP and the regulatory amendment modify the Individual Fishing Quota Program for the Fixed- Gear Commercial Fisheries for Pacific Halibut and Sablefish in Waters in and off Alaska (IFQ Program). This action will remove a regulation that prohibits a Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Community Quota Entity (CQE) from transferring and holding small blocks of halibut and sablefish quota share (QS). This action will allow CQEs to acquire additional QS and facilitate CQE community resident participation in the IFQ Program. This action promotes the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982, the FMP, and other applicable law.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod from Mexico. The period of review (POR) is October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013. The review was initiated at the request of Deacero S.A. de C.V. and Deacero USA, Inc. (collectively ``Deacero'').\1\ We preliminarily find that during the POR, Deacero made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value (NV) during the POR. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

NMFS announces that the State of Florida is transferring a portion of its 2014 commercial bluefish quota to the State of New York. By this action, NMFS adjusts the quotas and announces the revised commercial quota for each state involved.

Based on affirmative final determinations by the Department of Commerce (the Department) and the International Trade Commission (ITC), the Department is issuing a countervailing duty (CVD) order on steel concrete reinforcing bar (rebar) from the Republic of Turkey (Turkey).

NMFS proposes to amend the regulations implementing the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to modify the start date of the Massachusetts Restricted Area to begin on February 1, 2015, and to expand the Massachusetts Restricted Area by 912 square miles. In addition, this action also proposes to revise the Federal lobster regulations to be consistent with the revised start date of the Massachusetts Restricted Area. Recent Federal lobster regulations closed the Outer Cape Lobster Management Area to lobster trap fishing from January 15 through March 15, which is consistent with the lobster trap haul-out period in the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster. This proposed rule would adjust the Outer Cape Lobster Management Area closure dates to February 1 through March 31.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites and requests nomination of individuals for appointment to eight existing Federal Advisory Committees: Board of Overseers of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board, Manufacturing Extension Partnership Advisory Board, National Construction Safety Team Advisory Committee, Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction, NIST Smart Grid Advisory Committee, and Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology. NIST will consider nominations received in response to this notice for appointment to the Committees, in addition to nominations already received. Registered Federal lobbyists may not serve on NIST Federal Advisory Committees.

The Department of Commerce (the ``Department'') is conducting the fifth administrative review of the antidumping duty order on steel wire garment hangers from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'').\1\ The Department selected two respondents for individual review, Shanghai Wells,\2\ and Ningbo Dasheng Hanger Ind. Co., Ltd., (``Ningbo Dasheng''). We selected four additional companies as mandatory respondents, but, they did not participate.\3\ The Department preliminarily determines that Shanghai Wells sold subject merchandise in the United States at prices below normal value during the period of review (``POR''), October 1, 2012, through September 30, 2013. In addition, we preliminary determine Ningbo Dasheng, and the Non- Responsive Mandatories failed to cooperate by not acting to the best of their ability to comply with the Department's request for information, warranting the application of facts otherwise available with adverse inferences, pursuant to sections 776(a)-(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (``Act''). As a part of the application of adverse facts available (``AFA''), we are treating Ningbo Dasheng as part of the PRC- wide entity. Additionally, we determine that the four other companies that we selected as mandatory respondents but which did not cooperate are also part of the PRC-wide entity.\4\ If these preliminary results are adopted in our final results of review, we will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') to assess antidumping duties on all appropriate entries of subject merchandise during the POR. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received 11 scientific research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmon, sturgeon, rockfish, and eulachon. The proposed research is intended to increase knowledge of species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and to help guide management and conservation efforts. The applications may be viewed online at: https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/ preview/preview_open_for_comment.cfm.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given that we have issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to the U.S. Navy (Navy) to incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, six species of marine mammals during construction activities associated with a pier replacement project at Naval Base Point Loma, San Diego, California.

This final rule modifies the subsistence harvest regulations for the Eastern Pacific stock of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) based on a petition from the Pribilof Island Aleut Community of St. George Island, Traditional Council (Council). The final rule authorizes Pribilovians of St. George Island to harvest up to 150 male young of the year fur seals annually during a new autumn harvest season from all breeding and hauling grounds, consistent with traditional practices, to meet the community's nutritional and cultural needs. Harvests of sub-adult male fur seals will continue to be authorized during the summer season as under existing regulations, and will be allowed at additional locations. The total number of fur seals harvested annually will remain within the range of 300-500 male animals that has been in place since 1997. Harvests will be coordinated between NMFS and the Council under an existing co-management agreement.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), intends to grant to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) of San Diego, California, an exclusive license to U.S. Patent No. 7,289,907, ``SYSTEM FOR REPORTING HIGH RESOLUTION OCEAN PRESSURES IN NEAR REALTIME FOR THE PURPOSE OF TSUNAMI REPORTING'' issued on October 30, 2007.

In accordance with section 751(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (``the Act''), the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') is automatically initiating the five-year review (``Sunset Review'') of the antidumping and countervailing duty (``AD/ CVD'') orders listed below. The International Trade Commission (``the Commission'') is publishing concurrently with this notice its notice of Institution of Five-Year Review which covers the same orders.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) preliminarily determines that sugar from Mexico is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV), as provided in section 733(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). The period of investigation is January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2013. The estimated weighted-average dumping margins of sales at LTFV are shown in the ``Preliminary Determination'' section of this notice. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination. We intend to issue the final determination 135 days after publication of this preliminary determination in the Federal Register.

On April 28, 2014, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') published its Preliminary Results of the 2012-2013 administrative review of the antidumping duty order on citric acid and certain citrate salts from the People's Republic of China (PRC).\1\ The period of review (``POR'') for the administrative review is May 1, 2012, through April 30, 2013. This POR covers two producers/exporters of subject merchandise: (1) Yixing-Union Biochemical Co., Ltd. (``Yixing''); and (2) Laiwu Taihe Biochemistry Co., Ltd. (``Taihe''). We invited interested parties to comment on our Preliminary Results. Based on our analysis of the comments received, we made certain changes to our margin calculations for Taihe. The final dumping margins for this review are listed in the ``Final Results'' section below.