Department of Commerce December 7, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On October 31, 2017, the Department of Commerce (Department) published in the Federal Register the preliminary determination of the less-than-fair-value investigation of carbon and alloy steel wire rod (wire rod) from Spain. The Department is amending its preliminary determination to correct a significant ministerial error.

Notice is hereby given that Kerri Smith, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Ave., El Paso, Texas 79968, has applied in due form for a permit to receive, import and export marine mammal specimens for scientific research.

On June 7, 2017, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published a notice of initiation of an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain activated carbon from the People's Republic of China (PRC). Based on the timely withdrawal of the requests for review of certain companies, we are now rescinding this administrative review for the period April 1, 2016 through March 31, 2017, with respect to 184 companies.

On September 19, 2017, the United States Court of International Trade (the CIT) entered final judgment sustaining the Department of Commerce's (the Department) second remand results pertaining to 18th administrative review of the antidumping duty order on fresh garlic from the People's Republic of China (PRC) for Hebei Golden Trading Co., Ltd. (Golden Bird) and Shenzhen Xinboda Industrial Co., Ltd. (Xinboda). The Department is notifying the public that the final judgment in this case is not in harmony with the final results and partial rescission of the 18th antidumping duty administrative review and that the Department has amended the dumping margins found for Xinboda and Golden Bird.

On June 6, 2017, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published in the Federal Register the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on diffusion- annealed, nickel-plated flat-rolled steel products (nickel-plated, flat-rolled steel) from Japan. The review covers two producers/ exporters of the subject merchandise, Toyo Kohan Co., Ltd (Toyo Kohan) and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metals Corporation (NSSMC). The period of review (POR) is May 1, 2015, through April 30, 2016. As a result of our analysis of the comments and information received, these final results differ from the preliminary results of review. For the final weighted- average dumping margin, see the ``Final Results of Review'' section, below. Further, we continue to find that NSSMC had no reviewable shipments of subject merchandise during the POR.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting the 22nd administrative review of the antidumping duty order on fresh garlic from the People's Republic of China (PRC) and two concurrent new shipper reviews. The period of review (POR) for the administrative and new shipper reviews is November 1, 2015, through October 31, 2016. The Department preliminarily determines that mandatory respondent, Shandong Jinxiang Zhengyang Import & Export Co., Ltd. (Zhengyang) sold subject merchandise to the United States at less than normal value (NV). We also preliminarily find that the review request made by the Coalition for Fair Trade in Garlic (the CFTG) was not valid, and accordingly have preliminarily rescinded the review with respect to seven companies, including the other mandatory respondent, Zhengzhou Harmoni Spice Co., Ltd. (Harmoni). The Department also preliminarily determines that the new shipper reviews respondents, Qingdao Joinseafoods Co., Ltd. and Join Food Ingredient Inc. (collectively, Join) and Zhengzhou Yudi Shengjin Agricultural Trade Co., Ltd. (Yudi), each made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing regulations under the Tuna Conventions Act to revise trip limits on the commercial catch of Pacific bluefin tuna applicable to 2018. U.S. commercial fishing vessels are subject to a biennial limit for 2017 and 2018. Preliminary estimates indicate that the catch limit in 2018 is approximately 120 metric tons (mt). To avoid exceeding the biennial limit, NMFS is proposing a 1-mt trip limitexcept for large-mesh drift gillnet vessels, which would be subject to a 2-mt trip limit throughout 2018 or until the 2018 catch limit is reached and the fishery is closed. This action is necessary to contribute to the rebuilding of Pacific bluefin tuna and for the United States to satisfy its obligations as a member of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).