Department of Commerce January 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) proposes to remove its regulations governing reservation clauses, petitions from the refusal of a primary examiner to admit an amendment, the publication of amendments to the regulations, and limits that the Director can impose on the number of inter partes reviews and post-grant reviews heard by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. These regulations are unnecessary or superfluous and in some cases have expired, and their removal will help streamline USPTO's body of regulations without reducing the availability of services for the public. This proposed rule arises out of the USPTO's work during FY 2017 to identify and propose regulations for removal, modification, and streamlining because they are outdated, unnecessary, ineffective, costly, or unduly burdensome on the agency or the private sector. The revisions proposed herein would put into effect the work the USPTO has done, in part through its participation in the Regulatory Reform Task Force established by the Department of Commerce pursuant to Executive Order 13777, to review and identify regulations that are candidates for removal.

NMFS and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene a Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review (WPSAR) of the draft 2017 benchmark stock assessments for Guam coral reef fish.

The Council will hold a meeting of its SSC SEP to receive updates on fisheries issues being addressed by the Council and provide recommendations as appropriate. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

On December 26, 2017, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) published its preliminary results of changed circumstances reviews (CCRs) and intent to revoke, in part, the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from the People's Republic of China (China) with respect to certain solar panels (collectively, the Orders). Specifically, Commerce preliminarily determined that the producers accounting for substantially all of the production of the domestic like product to which the Orders pertain lacked interest in the relief provided by the Orders with respect to certain solar panels of a sufficiently small size, voltage, amperage, and wattage, among other characteristics, as described below. Commerce invited interested parties to comment on the preliminary results. No party submitted comments. For the final results of these CCRs, Commerce is revoking, in part, the Orders as to imports of certain solar panels as described below.

NMFS, Southeast Region, in collaboration with the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council), intends to prepare a DEIS to describe and analyze management alternatives to be included in the State Management Program for Recreational Red Snapper Amendment to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (State Management Program Amendment). The State Management Program Amendment will consider alternatives that would allocate the total recreational red snapper annual catch limit (ACL) for the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) among the individual Gulf states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, and designate the components of the recreational sector that would be included under a state's management program (private angling and/or charter vessel/headboat (for-hire) components). These decisions would form the basis for individual state amendments to the FMP to allow each of the Gulf states to establish management measures for the recreational harvest of red snapper in adjacent Gulf Federal waters. State management would enable each state to specify the management measures that best meet the needs of its constituents, thereby addressing regional socio-economic concerns. The purpose of this NOI is to inform the public of upcoming opportunities to provide additional comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the DEIS, as specified in this notice.

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

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on multilayered wood flooring (MLWF) from the People's Republic of China (China). The period of review (POR) is December 1, 2015, through November 30, 2016. The review covers two mandatory respondents, Jiangsu Senmao Bamboo and Wood Industry Co., Ltd. (Jiangsu Senmao) and Jilin Forest Industry Jinqiao Flooring Group Co., Ltd. (Jinqiao Flooring). We preliminarily determine that sales of subject merchandise by Jiangsu Senmao have not been made at prices below normal value (NV) and that Jinqiao Flooring is not eligible for a separate rate and, therefore, remains part of the China-wide entity. In addition, we are preliminarily granting separate rates to 70 producers/exporters, including Jiangsu Senmao, and determine that 16 producer/exporters made no shipments of subject merchandise during the POR. Finally, we are rescinding the review with respect to Dalian Penghong Floor Products Co., Ltd. (Dalian Penghong). We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

The Department of Commerce (Department) determines that imports of carbon and alloy steel wire rod (wire rod) from Ukraine are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The final estimated weighted-average dumping margins of sales at LTFV are listed below in the section entitled ``Final Determination.'' The period of investigation is January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2016.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC) will hold a two-day meeting to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The United States Patent and Trademark Office published in the Federal Register on June 11, 2015 a final rule, which became effective on July 11, 2015, revising the Trademark Rules of Practice. This document reinstates three paragraphs, which were inadvertently deleted as a result of an error in the amendatory instructions.

In compliance with Executive Order 12866, entitled ``Regulatory Planning and Review,'' and the Regulatory Flexibility Act, as amended, the Department of Commerce (Commerce), in the spring and fall of each year, publishes in the Federal Register an agenda of regulations under development or review over the next 12 months. Rulemaking actions are grouped according to prerulemaking, proposed rules, final rules, long-term actions, and rulemaking actions completed since the spring 2017 agenda. The purpose of the agenda is to provide information to the public on regulations that are currently under review, being proposed, or issued by Commerce. The agenda is intended to facilitate comments and views by interested members of the public. Commerce's fall 2017 regulatory agenda includes regulatory activities that are expected to be conducted during the period November 1, 2017, through October 31, 2018.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Groundfish Committee to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a four-day meeting to consider actions affecting the Gulf of Mexico fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold an Archipelagic Plan Team (APT) meeting to discuss and make recommendations on fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) has received requests to conduct administrative reviews of various antidumping and countervailing duty orders and findings with November anniversary dates. In accordance with Commerce's regulations, we are initiating those administrative reviews.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the United States Department of Commerce is establishing the Genome Editing Consortium with the goal of bringing together stakeholders across the genome editing community to identify and address measurement and standards needs to support this technical area. The Consortium intends to evaluate genome editing assay pipelines, develop benchmark materials, generate benchmark data, develop suggested minimal information reporting for public studies, and generate a common lexicon for genome editing studies, with the intent these resources can be used to increase confidence in evaluating genome editing and lower the risk to utilizing these technologies in research and commercial products. Participation fees will be at least $20,000 annually or in- kind contributions of equivalent value. Participants will be required to sign a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA).

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.

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.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) implemented a pilot program (Extended Missing Parts Pilot Program) in which an applicant, under certain conditions, can request a 12-month time period to pay the search fee, the examination fee, any excess claim fees, and the surcharge (for the late submission of the search fee and the examination fee) in a nonprovisional application. The Extended Missing Parts Pilot Program benefits applicants by providing additional time to determine if patent protection should be soughtat a relatively low costand by permitting applicants to focus efforts on commercialization during this period. The Extended Missing Parts Pilot Program benefits the USPTO and the public by adding publications to the body of prior art, and by removing from the USPTO's workload those nonprovisional applications for which applicants later decide not to pursue examination. The USPTO is extending the Extended Missing Parts Pilot Program until January 2, 2019, to allow the USPTO to continue its evaluation of the pilot program. The requirements of the program have not changed.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments on a proposed extension of an existing information collection: 0651-0028 (Fastener Quality Act Insignia Recordal Act).