Department of Commerce March 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On March 16, 2015, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') published a Federal Register notice requesting applications for appointment to the United States-Brazil CEO Forum, providing March 30, 2015, as the deadline to submit applications to the Department for immediate consideration.\1\ This notice extends the deadline from March 30, 2015, to Monday, April 13, 2015.

The New England Fishery Management Council's (Council) Observer Policy Committee will meet to review scientific information affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

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 South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a joint meeting of its Shrimp and Deepwater Shrimp APs in North Charleston, SC. The meeting is open to the public.

The National Ocean Service (NOS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) publishes this notice to announce a series of webinars designed to initiate conversation between federal representatives and stakeholders on a number of topics related to harmful algal blooms (HABs) and hypoxia, as mandated by the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2014 (HABHRCA). HABHRCA tasks federal agencies to advance the understanding of HAB and hypoxia events, and to respond to, detect, predict, control, and mitigate these events to the greatest extent possible. The Interagency Working Group on HABHRCA (IWG-HABHRCA) is comprised of representatives from a number of federal agencies. Through these webinars, the group seeks to connect and speak with a wide range of stakeholders, including relevant management and planning bodies, resource officials, economists, tribal resource management officials, scientists and public health experts, industries affected by HABs and hypoxia, nonprofit groups, the general public, and others. The IWG-HABHRCA would like to consult with stakeholders on topics such as: Regional priorities for ecological, economic, and social research on the causes and impacts of HABs and hypoxia, needs for improved monitoring and early warning, and new approaches to prevention, control, and mitigation; Communication and information dissemination methods that state, tribal, and local governments may undertake to educate and inform the public concerning HABs and hypoxia; and Perceived needs for handling HAB and hypoxia events, as well as an action strategy for managing future situations.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) received requests to conduct administrative reviews of the antidumping duty (AD) orders on certain frozen warmwater shrimp (shrimp) from India and Thailand for the period February 1, 2014 through January 31, 2015. The anniversary month of these orders is February. In accordance with the Department's regulations, we are initiating these administrative reviews. The Department also received a request to defer the initiation of the administrative review for the order on shrimp from Thailand with respect to various Thai companies.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its King and Spanish Mackerel Advisory Panel (AP) in North Charleston, SC. The meeting is open to the public.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold public meetings of the Council and its Committees.

NMFS announces that the length of the recreational season for black sea bass in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic will extend throughout the fishing year. Announcing the length of recreational season for black sea bass is one of the accountability measures (AMs) for the recreational sector. This announcement allows recreational fishermen to maximize their opportunity to harvest the recreational annual catch limit (ACL) for black sea bass during the fishing season while managing harvest to protect the black sea bass resource.

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is giving notice of a meeting of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee (C-SAC). 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. The C-SAC will meet in a plenary session on April 16-17, 2015. Last minute changes to the schedule are possible, which could prevent giving advance public notice of schedule adjustments. Please visit the Census Advisory Committees Web site for the most current meeting agenda at: https://www.census.gov/ cac/. The meeting will be available via webcast at: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/census-live.html.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) has conducted a new shipper review of the antidumping duty order on certain pasta (pasta) from Turkey. The period of review (POR) is July 1, 2013, through January 31, 2014, and covers Be[scedil]san Makarna Gida San. Ve Tic. A.S. (Bessan). Because no interested party commented on the Preliminary Results,\1\ we have not made any changes since the Preliminary Results. The final weighted-average dumping margin for the reviewed firm is listed below in the section entitled ``Final Results of Review.''

By this Notice, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Department of Commerce is informing the public that it is conducting the mandatory survey titled Quarterly Survey of Foreign Airline Operators' Revenues and Expenses in the United States (BE-9). This survey is authorized by the International Investment and Trade in Services Survey Act.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council announces its intent to prepare, in cooperation with NMFS, an amendment to the Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish, and to potentially prepare an EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act to analyze the impacts of any proposed management measures. The current focus of the amendment is to consider alternatives to reduce the capacities of the longfin squid and Illex squid fleets as defined by vessels with limited access permits. This notice announces a public process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed, for identifying concerns and potential alternatives related to capacity in the squid fisheries, and for determining the appropriate level of environmental analysis. This notice alerts the interested public of the scoping process, the potential development of a Draft EIS, and provides for public participation in that process. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold six scoping hearings in April 2015 for this amendment. At the scoping hearings the Council will also take any general comments on mackerel, squid, and butterfish fisheries management, which could inform future Council actions not including this amendment.

NMFS issues regulations to implement Amendment 31 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (FMP). These regulations revise the rules governing the acquisition, use, and retention of quota share established for captains and crew, known as crew quota share or C shares, under the Crab Rationalization Program (CR Program). Regulations implementing Amendment 31 temporarily expand the eligibility requirements for individuals wishing to acquire C share Quota Share (QS) by transfer; establish minimum participation requirements for C share QS holders to be eligible to receive an annual allocation of Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ); establish minimum participation requirements for C share QS holders to be eligible to retain their C share QS and an administrative process for revocation of an individual's C share QS if he or she fails to satisfy the minimum participation requirements; establish a regulatory mechanism to ensure that three percent of the total allowable catch (TAC) for each CR Program crab fishery is allocated as IFQ to holders of C share QS; and remove the prohibition on leasing C share IFQ. In addition, this final rule implements a regulatory amendment to the CR Program that: Establishes an earlier deadline for filing annual IFQ, individual processing quota (IPQ), and crab harvesting cooperative IFQ applications, which increases the amount of time during which NMFS will suspend the processing of IFQ and IPQ transfer applications; shortens the amount of time in which to appeal an initial administrative determination to withhold issuance of IFQ or IPQ; and provides that an applicant's proof of timely filing for IFQ, IPQ, or cooperative IFQ creates a presumption of timely filing. Finally, this final rule revises the reporting period and due date for CR Program registered crab receiver (RCR) Ex-vessel Volume and Value Reports. This final rule is necessary to ensure that individuals who hold C shares are active in the CR Program fisheries and to ensure that application deadlines provide adequate time to resolve disputes. This final rule is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the FMP, and other applicable laws.

NMFS is announcing the withdrawal of a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that was being prepared on two resource management plans (RMPs) and 114 supporting hatchery and genetic management plans (HGMPs) for Puget Sound hatchery programs. The plans were submitted to NMFS by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Puget Sound treaty tribes (referred to as the co- managers) for evaluation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for threatened Puget Sound Chinook salmon and Puget Sound steelhead. Subsequent to the notice of intent to prepare an EIS in 2004, the co- managers have made important changes in hatchery programs for salmon and steelhead. Changes in the programs and updated information important for analysis are being reflected in revised joint RMPs that are generally organized on a watershed-specific basis. In light of this and the ongoing submissions of revised watershed-specific joint hatchery RMPs and considering public comments received on the draft EIS, NMFS has determined that it is appropriate to withdraw the draft EIS. NMFS will conduct NEPA reviews for the revised RMPs that are jointly submitted to NMFS by the co-managers.

Notice is hereby given that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) [Responsible Party: Robert Small, Ph.D., 1255 West 8th Street, Juneau, Alaska 99811-5526] has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on bowhead (Balaena mysticetus), gray (Eschrichtius robustus), humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) and beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) whales.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is proposing to expand the boundaries and scope of Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (HIHWNMS or sanctuary), amend the regulations for HIHWNMS, change the name of the sanctuary, and revise the sanctuary's terms of designation and management plan. The purpose of this action is to transition the sanctuary from a single- species management approach to an ecosystem-based management approach. A draft environmental impact statement and draft revised management plan have been prepared for this proposed action. NOAA is soliciting public comment on the proposed rule, draft environmental impact statement, and draft revised management plan.

NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amounts of the Aleut Corporation pollock directed fishing allowance from the Aleutian Islands subarea to the Bering Sea subarea. This action is necessary to provide opportunity for harvest of the 2015 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.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel (AP) in North Charleston, SC. The meeting is open to the public.

Notice is hereby given of a meeting of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS[supreg]) Advisory Committee (Committee) in Washington, DC.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council and its advisory entities will hold public meetings.