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

The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NMFS, (Assistant Administrator) has issued an affirmative finding annual renewal for the Government of Spain under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This affirmative finding annual renewal will allow yellowfin tuna and yellowfin tuna products harvested in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) in compliance with the International Dolphin Conservation Program (IDCP) by Spanish-flag purse seine vessels or purse seine vessels operating under Spanish jurisdiction to be imported into the United States. The affirmative finding annual renewal was based on review of documentary evidence submitted by the Government of Spain and obtained from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).

The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NMFS, (Assistant Administrator) has issued an affirmative finding 2-year renewal for the Government of Mexico under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This affirmative finding 2-year renewal will allow yellowfin tuna and yellowfin tuna products harvested in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) in compliance with the International Dolphin Conservation Program (IDCP) by Mexican-flag purse seine vessels or purse seine vessels operating under Mexican jurisdiction to be imported into the United States. The affirmative finding 2-year renewal was based on review of documentary evidence submitted by the Government of Mexico and obtained from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).

The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NMFS, (Assistant Administrator) has issued an affirmative finding annual renewal for the Government of El Salvador under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This affirmative finding annual renewal will allow yellowfin tuna and yellowfin tuna products harvested in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) in compliance with the International Dolphin Conservation Program (IDCP) by Salvadoran-flag purse seine vessels or purse seine vessels operating under Salvadoran jurisdiction to be imported into the United States. The affirmative finding annual renewal was based on review of documentary evidence submitted by the Government of El Salvador and obtained from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).

As a result of the determinations by the Department of Commerce (the Department) and the International Trade Commission (the ITC) in their five year (sunset) reviews that revocation of the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on commodity matchbooks from India would likely lead to a continuation or recurrence of dumping and a countervailable subsidy, as well as material injury to an industry in the United States, the Department is publishing a notice of continuation for the AD and CVD orders.

The National Ocean Council Committee on IUU Fishing and Seafood Fraud (NOC Committee) is seeking public input on principles to be used in determining seafood species ``at risk'' for IUU fishing and seafood fraud.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) to incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, three species of marine mammals during estuary management activities conducted at the mouth of the Russian River, Sonoma County, California.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Groundfish Endangered Species Workgroup will hold a meeting, which is open to the public.

On March 26, 2015, NOAA published a proposed rule in the Federal Register proposing to expand the boundaries and scope of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (HIHWNMS) (80 FR 16224). This document adds two additional hearings to the public hearings listed in the proposed rule. The end of the scoping period remains June 19, 2015.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Greenland turbot in the Aleutian Islands subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2015 Greenland turbot initial total allowable catch (ITAC) in the Aleutian Islands subarea of the BSAI.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This is a new information collection for Evaluation Support Services.

The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, is establishing new procedures for Expedited Trade Missions. When the Secretary approves a Decision Memo justifying the use of expedited procedures, the Department of Commerce will endeavor to conduct recruitment and selection for the mission within 2-3 weeks. Applicants should be aware that mission statements for Expedited Trade Missions will NOT be notified in the Federal Register. Instead, they will be posted online at: https://www.export.gov/trademissions/ eg_main_023185.asp. Applicants should also be aware that deadlines for applying for Expedited Trade Missions will be extremely short. The procedures for selecting participants for Expedited Trade Missions will be compressed. All interested parties that meet the conditions of participation are encouraged to apply, and all applicants will be evaluated on an equal basis with respect to the participation criteria.

On Monday, April 27, 2015, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will release the Draft Community Resilience Planning Guide (CRPG) for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems, consisting of two volumes totaling approximately 350 pages, and requests public comments on the draft document. On the same day, NIST will hold a public workshop at Texas Southern University in Houston, TX to present and discuss the Draft CRPG. The agenda will consist of an overview of the NIST Community Resilience Program and an introduction to volumes one (1) and two (2) of the Draft CRPG. A panel of regional and local government representatives will provide insight into their experience with community resilience and how they plan to implement the CRPG in their community. This will be followed by a moderated discussion with participants regarding the opportunities and challenges of implementing the methodology. The Draft CRPG and a suggested comment template will be posted on the NIST Web site at: https://www.nist.gov/ el/building_materials/resilience/framework.cfm. NIST will consider all comments received from the public submitted in accordance with the DATES and ADDRESSES sections below.

The United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (Board) will hold an open meeting by teleconference on Thursday, May 14, 2015. The Board was re-chartered on August 19, 2013, to advise the Secretary of Commerce on matters relating to the travel and tourism industry. During this teleconference, the Board will deliberate on a draft letter to the Secretary outlining the Board's priority recommendations. Board members will also hear an update from the working group formed to help advise on the achievement of the national goal of improving the entry process for international travelers to the United States. The agenda may change to accommodate Board business. The final agenda will be posted on the Department of Commerce Web site for the Board at https://trade.gov/ttab, at least one week in advance of the call.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the Eastern Aleutian district (EAI) of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI) by vessels participating in the BSAI trawl limited access fishery. This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2015 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific ocean perch in the EAI allocated to vessels participating in the BSAI trawl limited access fishery.

NMFS proposes specifications for the 2015 Atlantic bluefish fishery, including catch restrictions for commercial and recreational fisheries. This action is necessary to establish effective catch constraints for the fishing year consistent with regulatory and statutory requirements. The intent of this action is to establish the allowable 2015 harvest levels and other management measures to achieve the target fishing mortality rate, consistent with the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scallop Advisory Panel 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.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scallop Plan Development Team and Advisory Panel 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.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team will hold a meeting, which is open to the public.