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

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on brass sheet and strip (BSS) from Italy.\1\ This review covers one company. The period of review (POR) is March 1, 2014, through February 28, 2015.

In this notice, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) International Trade Administration (ITA) announces that it will begin accepting applications for the International Buyer Program (IBP) for calendar year 2017 (January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2017). The announcement also sets out the objectives, procedures and application review criteria for the IBP. The purpose of the IBP is to bring international buyers together with U.S. firms in industries with high export potential at leading U.S. trade shows. Specifically, through the IBP, the ITA selects domestic trade shows which will receive ITA assistance in the form of global promotion in foreign markets, provision of export counseling to exhibitors, and provision of matchmaking services at the trade show. This notice covers selection for IBP participation during calendar year 2017.

This rule extends emergency permitting and possession limit regulations for the blueline tilefish fishery in waters north of the Virginia/North Carolina border that were implemented on June 4, 2015. This extension is necessary to continue to constrain fishing effort on the blueline tilefish stock while a long-term management plan is developed. The rule is expected to reduce fishing mortality and help ensure the long-term sustainability of the stock.

At the request of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council), this document announces a control date of December 31, 2015, that may be used as a reference date for a future management action to limit future access to the offshore sector of the trawl groundfish fisheries in the Aleutian Islands. This date corresponds to the end of the 2015 fishing season in these fisheries. In October 2015, the Council announced its intent to evaluate participation and effort in the offshore sector of the trawl groundfish fisheries in the Aleutian Islands fisheries in response to a public request to consider further limits on access to the fisheries. This document is intended to promote awareness of possible rulemaking and provide notice to the public that any participation in the offshore sector of the trawl groundfish fisheries in the Aleutian Islands after the control date may not ensure continued access to those fisheries under a future management action. This document is also intended to discourage speculative entry into the fisheries while the Council considers whether and how access to the fisheries may be further limited under a future management action.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP) will hold a public meeting.

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 the proposed 2016 National Survey of Children's Health, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Secretary of Commerce, through the International Trade Administration, Office of Trade and Economic Analysis (OTEA), has received an application for an amended Export Trade Certificate of Review (``Certificate'') from DFA. This notice summarizes the proposed amendment and seeks public comments on whether the amended Certificate should be issued.

The United States Manufacturing Council (Council) will hold an open meeting via teleconference on Wednesday, December 16, 2015. The Council was established in April 2004 to advise the Secretary of Commerce on matters relating to the U.S. manufacturing industry. The purpose of the meeting is for Council members to review and deliberate on a recommendation by the Energy Subcommittee focused on trade missions. The final agenda will be posted on the Department of Commerce Web site for the Council at https://www.trade.gov/manufacturingcouncil/, at least one week in advance of the meeting.

NMFS issues regulations to implement Amendment 15 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP), as prepared and submitted by the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) Fishery Management Council (Council). This final rule revises the FMP framework procedures to streamline the process for changing certain regulations affecting the shrimp fishery. Additionally, Amendment 15 implements changes to the FMP that revise the maximum sustainable yield (MSY), overfishing threshold, and overfished threshold definitions and values for three species of penaeid shrimp. The purpose of this rule and Amendment 15 is to streamline the management process for Gulf shrimp stocks and to revise criteria for determining the overfished and overfishing status of each penaeid shrimp stock using the best available science.

This notice announces the next meeting of the National Technical Information Service Advisory Board (the Advisory Board), which advises the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) on policies and operations of the Service.

NMFS is closing the U.S. pelagic longline fishery for bigeye tuna in the western and central Pacific Ocean as a result of the fishery reaching the 2015 allocation limit for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). This action is necessary to comply with regulations managing this fish stock.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a public meeting of its Law Enforcement Advisory Panel (LEAP) via webinar.

The SEDAR 46 assessment of the Caribbean Data-limited Species will consist of one in-person workshop and a series of webinars. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

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, three species of marine mammals during construction activities associated with a pier maintenance project at Naval Base Kitsap Bremerton, WA.

This notice announces the Department of Commerce's (Department) proposal to amend the system of records entitled ``COMMERCE/NOAA-1, Applicants for the NOAA Corps,'' under the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps) is the uniformed service of NOAA, a bureau of the Department of Commerce. The NOAA Corps provides a cadre of professionals trained in engineering, earth sciences, oceanography, meteorology, fisheries science, and other related disciplines who serve their country by supporting NOAA's mission of surveying the Earth's oceans, coasts, and atmosphere to ensure the economic and physical well-being of the Nation. This record system is necessary in order to identify both minimum eligibility and level of qualification of applicants for the NOAA Corps.

In response to a request by Thai Union Group Public Co., Ltd. (Thai Union Group), a producer/exporter of certain frozen warmwater shrimp (shrimp) from Thailand, and pursuant to section 751(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), 19 CFR 351.216, and 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3)(ii), the Department of Commerce (the Department) is initiating a changed circumstances review (CCR) of the antidumping duty (AD) order on shrimp from Thailand with regard to Thai Union Group. Based on the information received, we preliminarily determine that Thai Union Group is the successor-in-interest to Thai Union Frozen Products Public Co., Ltd. (Thai Union Frozen) for purposes of determining AD liability. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

On November 18, 2015, Irving Paper Limited filed a First Request for Panel Review with the United States Section of the NAFTA Secretariat pursuant to Article 1904 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Also, on November 18, 2015, additional Requests for Panel Review were filed on behalf of Resolute FP Canada Inc., Port Hawkesbury Paper LP, the Government of Canada and the Governments of the Provinces of British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Qu[eacute]bec. Panel Review was requested of the U.S. Department of Commerce's final affirmative countervailing duty determination regarding Supercalendered Paper from Canada. This determination was published in the Federal Register (80 FR 63535), on October 20, 2015. The NAFTA Secretariat has assigned Case Number USA-CDA-2015-1904-01 to this request.

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.