Department of Commerce March 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (MAFMC) Collaborative Research Committee will hold a closed meeting to review and make recommendations on collaborative research project proposals.

NMFS proposes to implement management measures described in a framework action to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP), as prepared by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council). If implemented, this action would revise the recreational closed season for gag and the recreational minimum size limits for gag and black grouper in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) exclusive economic zone. The purpose of this proposed rule is to optimize recreational opportunities to harvest gag and to address inconsistencies in the recreational minimum size limits for gag and black grouper in the Gulf and South Atlantic.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a meeting of the Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC).

NMFS has incorporated public comments into revisions of the guidelines for preparing stock assessment reports (SARs) pursuant to section 117 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The revised guidelines are now complete and available to the public.

The Department of Commerce (Department) preliminarily determines that heavy walled rectangular welded carbon steel pipes and tubes (HWR pipes and tubes) from the Republic of Korea (Korea) are being, or are 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 (POI) is July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015. 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.

The Department of Commerce (Department) preliminarily determines that heavy walled rectangular welded carbon steel pipes and tubes (HWR pipes and tubes) from the Republic of Turkey (Turkey) are being, or are 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 (POI) is July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015. 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.

NOAA is hereby requesting comments on the IOOS Revised Draft PEA.

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.

NMFS publishes the standard ex-vessel prices and fee percentage for cost recovery under the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program. This action is intended to provide participants in a rockfish cooperative with the standard prices and fee percentage for the 2015 fishing year, which was authorized from May 1 through November 15. The fee percentage is 3.0 percent. The fee liability payments were due from each rockfish cooperative by February 15, 2016.

This rule requires reporting of offsets agreements in connection with sales of items controlled on the United States Munitions List (USML) and items controlled in ``600 series'' Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCNs) on the Commerce Control List (CCL) except for certain submersible and semi-submersible cargo transport vessels and related items that are not on the control lists of any of the multilateral export control regimes of which the United States is a member. Since the early 1990s, BIS has required reporting of offsets agreements in connection with sales of items controlled on the USML. Those reporting requirements will continue, unchanged by this rule. Beginning on October 15, 2013, some items have been removed from the USML and been added to 600 series ECCNs. These items were subject to offsets reporting requirements prior to being added to 600 series ECCNs. Some other items have been moved from non-600 series ECCNs to 600 series ECCNs as part of the Administration's Export Control Reform Initiative. This rule requires reporting of offsets agreements in connection with sales of items controlled in 600 series ECCNs regardless of whether the item was added to a 600 series ECCN simultaneously with its removal from the USML or was subject to the EAR prior to its inclusion in a 600 series ECCN, except for certain submersible and semi-submersible cargo transport vessels and related items that are not on the control lists of any of the multilateral export control regimes of which the United States is a member. The changes made by this rule were the subject of a proposed rule for which BIS received no comments. This final rule adopts the text of the proposed rule without change.

The Regional Administrator, NMFS West Coast Region, has determined that an application for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) warrants further consideration and requests public comment on the application. The application requests a 2-year exemption from prohibitions under the Fishery Management Plan for U.S. West Coast Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species (HMS FMP) to test the effects and efficacy of using modified drift gillnet (DGN) gear to fish for swordfish and other highly migratory species (HMS) off the U.S. West Coast in the Pacific Leatherback Conservation Area (PLCA) when environmental conditions are favorable during the PLCA closure period.