Department of Commerce 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its American Samoa Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) Advisory Panel (AP) and Hawaii Archipelago FEP AP to discuss and make recommendations on fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is requesting public comments on the effectiveness of its licensing procedures as defined in the Export Administration Regulations for the export of agricultural commodities to Cuba. BIS will include a description of these comments in its biennial report to the Congress, as required by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000, as amended (TSRA).

This notice lists the membership of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Performance Review Board (NIST PRB) and supersedes the list published on September 3, 2014.

NOAA announces the appointment of members who will serve on the NOAA Performance Review Board (PRB). The NOAA PRB is responsible for reviewing performance appraisals and ratings of Senior Executive Service (SES), Senior Level (SL), and Scientific and Professional (ST) members and making written recommendations to the appointing authority on retention and compensation matters, including performance-based pay adjustments, awarding of bonuses, and reviewing recommendations for potential Presidential Rank Award nominees. The appointment of members to the NOAA PRB will be for a period of two (2) years.

We, NMFS, are issuing regulations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to prevent take by protecting humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from the detrimental effects resulting from approach by humans within 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) of the islands of Hawaii. These regulations are necessary because existing regulations promulgated under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) protecting humpback whales from approach in Hawaii will no longer be in effect upon the effective date of a final rule published elsewhere in today's issue of the Federal Register that separates humpback whales into 14 Distinct Population Segments (DPSs) and identifies the ``Hawaii DPS'' as neither endangered nor threatened. These MMPA regulations prohibit operating an aircraft within 1,000 feet (304.8 m) of a humpback whale, approaching within 100 yards (91.4 m) of a humpback whale by any means, causing a vessel, person or other object to approach within 100 yards (91.4 m) of a humpback whale, or approaching a humpback whale by interception (i.e., placing an aircraft, vessel, person, or other object in the path of a humpback whale so that the whale approaches within a restricted distance). The regulations also prohibit the disruption of normal behavior or prior activity of a humpback whale by any act or omission. Certain vessels and activities are exempt from the prohibition. NMFS finds that there is good cause to waive public notice and comment prior to implementation of these regulations in order to avoid a gap in protections for the whales. However, we are requesting comments on the regulations and Environmental Assessment; NMFS will subsequently publish a final rule with responses to comments and any revisions, if appropriate.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) preliminarily determines that critical circumstances exist for imports of certain carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate (CTL plate) from certain producers and exporters from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Taiwan, and Turkey.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain hot- rolled carbon steel flat products from India (hot-rolled steel). The period of review (POR) is December 1, 2014, through November 30, 2015. This review covers four companies, Ispat Industries Ltd. (Ispat), JSW Steel Ltd. (JSW), JSW Ispat Steel Ltd. (JSW Ispat), and Tata Steel Ltd. (Tata). We preliminarily determine that Ispat, JSW, JSW Ispat, and Tata had no entries of subject merchandise during the POR. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

In conformance with the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the United States Patent and Trademark Office announces the appointment of persons to serve as members of its Performance Review Board.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold two Coral Grant Stakeholder Engagement Meetings to educate fishermen using bottom contacting gear on the importance of coral reef habitats and to gather input on potential coral protection mechanisms and proposed areas that may warrant Habitat Area of Particular Concern designation.

This final rule removes the medium and large vessel bottomfish prohibited fishing areas in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Conditions in the fishery that led to establishing the prohibited areas are no longer present, and the restriction is no longer necessary. This rule also makes administrative housekeeping changes to the description of the CNMI management subarea and to the regulations for the CNMI management subarea crustacean fishing. The intent of this final rule is to improve the viability of the CNMI bottomfish fishery and promote optimum yield while preventing overfishing.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) publishes this notice to announce the Cancer Moonshot Challenge, which was launched on August 22, 2016, to enlist the public's help to leverage the USPTO's intellectual property data, often an early indicator of meaningful research and development, and combine it with other economic and funding data. This challenge supports the goals and objectives of the National Cancer Moonshot, a Presidential initiative to speed up cancer advances, make more therapies available to more patients, and improve the ability to prevent cancer and detect it at an early stage. This notice provides the public with information on participation and application requirements for the challenge, including the judging criteria, submission requirements, and rules of eligibility.

In this rule, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to revise the existing Validated End-User (VEU) list for the People's Republic of China (PRC) by updating the list of eligible destinations (facilities) for VEU Boeing Tianjin Composites Co. Ltd. (BTC). Specifically, BIS amends supplement No. 7 to part 748 of the EAR to change the written address of BTC's existing facility. The physical location of the facility has not changed. BIS updated the facility address after receiving notification of the change from BTC. The End-User Review Committee reviewed and authorized the amendment in accordance with established procedures. The updated address contributes to maintaining accurate location information for BTC's VEU.

NMFS is opening directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher/ processors using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to fully use the 2016 total allowable catch apportioned to catcher/processors using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Mariana Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) Advisory Panel (AP) and Guam Mariana Archipelago FEP AP to discuss and make recommendations on fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region.

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 comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

This document corrects a typographical error in the ADDRESSES section to a proposed rule published on August 25, 2016.

On June 13, 2016 the Department of Commerce (the Department) published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from Taiwan. The period of review (POR) is July 18, 2014, through August 31, 2015. The review covers one producer/exporter of the subject merchandise, Tension Steel Industries Co., Ltd. (Tension Steel). We invited parties to comment on the preliminarily results. None were received. Accordingly, for the final results, we continue to find that Tension Steel did not make sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value.

NMFS announces its approval of the State of North Carolina transferring a portion of its 2016 commercial bluefish quota to the State of New York. This approval of the quota complies with the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan quota transfer provision. This announcement also informs the public of the revised commercial quotas for North Carolina and New York.

NMFS has completed a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) to consider the potential impacts of authorizing an exempted fishing permit (EFP) for longline vessels to fish within the U.S. West Coast exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

NMFS announces that the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has submitted Amendment 16 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan, incorporating the Environmental Assessment and the Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, for review by the Secretary of Commerce, and is requesting comments from the public. Amendment 16 would establish a deep-sea coral protection area in Mid-Atlantic waters where fishing vessels would be prohibited from using most fishing gear that contacts the ocean bottom. The Council developed Amendment 16 to protect deep- sea corals under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act's discretionary provision for deep-sea coral protection. The coral protection measures would prevent expansion of fisheries using ocean bottom-tending fishing gear in areas where there is a high likelihood of deep-sea coral presence and would prevent damage to deep- sea corals in areas where they been observed.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Observer Advisory Committee (OAC) will meet in Seattle, WA.

The SEDAR Steering Committee will meet to discuss the SEDAR process and assessment schedule. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

This action corrects two errors in the total allowable landing values specified in the final rule to implement Framework Adjustment 3 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan published in the Federal Register on August 17, 2016.