Department of Commerce 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In response to a request from Salvi Chemical Industries Ltd. (Salvi), the Department of Commerce (the Department) is initiating a changed circumstances review of the antidumping duty order on glycine from the People's Republic of China (PRC).

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) publishes this notice to request comments on its draft Companion Manual to NOAA Administrative Order NAO 216-6A (``Companion Manual'') containing policy and procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and related authorities. Included in the Companion Manual are NOAA's proposed revised categorical exclusions (CE) and related extraordinary circumstances. Pursuant to Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations, NOAA is soliciting comments on its proposed procedures from members of the interested public. Additionally, in this notice, NOAA is providing a synopsis of the proposed changes to NOAA's CEs to assist the public in reviewing those changes.

The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA), is organizing a Trade Mission to Taiwan and Hong Kong, with an optional stop in Guangzhou (China), focused on Smart Technologies in the Information and Communication Technology Sector on April 24-28, 2017. The goal of this trade mission is to provide U.S. participants with first-hand market information and one-on-one meetings with technology partners in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Guangzhou, including potential agents and distributors of smart technologies, so they can position themselves to enter or expand their presence in those markets. The mission is intended to help expand U.S. exports to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China for U.S. technology providers of smart transportation, smart building and financial technology (fintech). The mission will introduce these suppliers to business partners, industry representatives, and government officials in Taiwan and Hong Kong, with an optional stop in Guangzhou (for smart transportation and smart building only) to learn about and benefit from various smart city projects and opportunities in these respective cities. Increasingly, smart city technologies are seen as means to keep metropolitan and national economies competitive. A smart city market research report published by Navigant in 2014 forecast that the annual smart city technology investment in the Greater China region (China, Taiwan and Hong Kong) will grow from US$1 billion to US$5 billion by 2023. This figure represents only the smart technology part of much larger smart city projects across different industries and sectors, such as:

The Bureau of the Census (U.S. Census Bureau) is giving notice of a meeting of the Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee (FESAC). The Committee will advise the Directors of the Economics and Statistics Administration's (ESA) two statistical agencies, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the Census Bureau, and the Commissioner of the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on statistical methodology and other technical matters related to the collection, tabulation, and analysis of federal economic statistics. Last minute changes to the agenda are possible, which could prevent giving advance public notice of schedule adjustments.

On July 12, 2016, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain small diameter carbon and alloy seamless standard, line, and pressure pipe (under 4\1/2\ inches) from Japan. The period of review (POR) is June 1, 2014, through May 31, 2015. The review covers five producers or exporters of subject merchandise. We invited parties to comment on the Preliminary Results. None were received. Accordingly, for the final results, we continue to find that that NKK Tubes (NKK) had no shipments during the POR. Further, we continue to find that subject merchandise has been sold in the United States at less than normal value by JFE Steel Corporation (JFE), Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (NSSMC), Nippon Steel Corporation (NSC), and Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. (SMI).

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod (wire rod) from Mexico. The period of review (POR) is October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015. This review covers two producers/exporters of the subject merchandise: Deacero S.A.P.I. de C.V. (aka Deacero S.A. de C.V., hereinafter referred to as Deacero) and ArcelorMittal Las Truchas, S.A. de C.V. (AMLT). We preliminarily determine that Deacero made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value (NV) during the POR. Additionally, we preliminarily determine that AMLT had no shipments during the POR. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory committees will meet December 6 through December 14, 2016 in Anchorage, AK.

NMFS will hold a 2-day Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Advisory Panel (AP) meeting in December 2016. The intent of the meeting is to consider options for the conservation and management of Atlantic HMS, specifically Amendment 5b to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The meeting is open to the public.

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.

We, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), are reopening the public comment period on the proposed rule under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to prohibit swimming with and approaching a Hawaiian spinner dolphin within 50 yards (45.7 m) (for persons, vessels, and objects), including approach by interception. The comment period for the proposed rule that published on August 24, 2016 (81 FR 57854) closed on October 23, 2016. NMFS is reopening the public comment period for an additional 15 days to provide the public with additional time to submit information and to comment on this proposed rule.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) will hold a public meeting of its Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish (MSB) Committee and its MSB Advisory Panel.

NMFS implements accountability measures (AMs) for the gray triggerfish recreational sector in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) for the 2017 fishing year through this temporary rule. NMFS has determined that the 2016 recreational annual catch limit (ACL) for Gulf gray triggerfish was exceeded; therefore, NMFS reduces the gray triggerfish recreational ACL and annual catch target (ACT) in 2017. As a result of the recreational ACL and ACT overages in 2016, the gray triggerfish 2017 recreational season in the Gulf EEZ will not open on January 1, 2017, and will remain closed for the entire 2017 fishing year. This closure is necessary to protect the Gulf gray triggerfish resource.

Section 3136 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (NDAA) mandates that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) also be consulted with respect to each authorization under section 57b.(2) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (AEA), to a covered foreign country as defined in section 3136(i)(2) of the NDAA. This amendment to the Procedures Established Pursuant to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978 implements this consultation requirement.

NMFS has received a request from Excelerate Energy, L.P. (Excelerate) and Tetra Tech, Inc. (Tetra Tech), on behalf of the Northeast Gateway[supreg] Energy BridgeTM, L.P. (Northeast Gateway or NEG) and Algonquin Gas Transmission, L.L.C. (Algonquin) for an authorization to take small numbers of 14 species of marine mammals, by Level B harassment, incidental to operating, maintaining, and repairing a liquefied natural gas (LNG) port and the Algonquin Pipeline Lateral (Pipeline Lateral) facilities by NEG and Algonquin, in Massachusetts Bay. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an authorization to NEG and Algonquin to incidentally take, by Level B harassment, small numbers of marine mammals during the specified activity for a period of one year.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) preliminarily determines that heat-treated extruded aluminum products that meet the chemical specifications for 5050-grade aluminum alloy, regardless of producer, exporter, or importer, constitute later-developed merchandise, and are circumventing the antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on aluminum extrusions from the People's Republic of China (PRC). The Department also preliminarily intends to rescind its minor alterations anti-circumvention.

In response to requests from ArcelorMittal USA LLC, Nucor Corporation, United States Steel Corporation, and AK Steel Corporation, as well as Steel Dynamics, Inc. and California Steel Industries, (collectively, Domestic Producers), the Department of Commerce (the Department) is initiating anti-circumvention inquiries to determine whether certain imports of corrosion-resistant steel products (CORE), produced in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam) using carbon hot-rolled steel (HRS) and cold-rolled steel (CRS) flat products manufactured in the People's Republic of China (PRC), are circumventing the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on CORE from the PRC.

The Department of Commerce (``Department'') preliminarily determines that certain carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate (``CTL plate'') from Japan is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (``LTFV''). The period of investigation (``POI'') is April 1, 2015, through March 31, 2016. 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 (the Department) preliminarily determines that certain carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate (CTL plate) from the Federal Republic of Germany (Germany) is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation (POI) is April 1, 2015, through March 31, 2016. 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 (the Department) preliminarily determines that certain carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate (CTL plate) from the Republic of Korea (Korea) is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation (POI) is April 1, 2015, through March 31, 2016. 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 (the Department) preliminarily determines that certain carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate (CTL plate) from Austria is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation (POI) is April 1, 2015, through March 31, 2016. 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 (the Department) preliminarily determines that certain carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate (CTL plate) from Belgium is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation (POI) is April 1, 2015, through March 31, 2016. 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 SEDAR 50 assessment of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico stock of Blueline Tilefish will consist of a series of workshops and webinars: Stock Identification (ID) Work Group Meeting; Data Workshop; Assessment Workshop and Webinars; and a Review Workshop. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.