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

On March 23, 2018, the State of New York submitted a petition to the Secretary of Commerce requesting rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act. The petition requests that NMFS revise the current state-by-state commercial quota allocations in the summer flounder fishery. This notice announces that NMFS, acting on the Secretary's behalf, has received this request, and provides the opportunity for public comment.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS Greater Atlantic Region Fisheries Office (GARFO), 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester MA 01930 [Responsible Party: Julie Crocker], has applied in due form for a permit to take Atlantic (Acipenser oxyrinchus) and shortnose (A. brevirostrum) sturgeon parts for purposes of scientific research.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that sales of chlorinated isocyanurates (chlorinated isos) from Spain by Ercros S.A. (Ercros), were not sold at less than normal value during the period of review (POR) June 1, 2016, through May 31, 2017. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

NMFS approves and implements management measures to designate 13 New Jersey artificial reefs as special management zones under the black sea bass provisions of the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan. The intent of these measures is to reduce user group conflicts and help maintain the intended socioeconomic benefits of the artificial reefs to the maximum extent practicable.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that countervailable subsidies are not being provided to producers and exporters of rubber bands from Thailand for the period of investigation of January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2017. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) is sponsoring a meeting via webinar to review a new method proposed to improve catch estimation methods in sparsely sampled mixed stock fisheries. The Methodology Review webinar is a follow-up to a March 28-29, 2018 Methodology Review. The webinar meeting is open to the public.

The SEDAR 58 assessment(s) of the Atlantic stock(s) of cobia will consist of a series of workshops and webinars: Stock ID Workshop; Stock ID Review Workshop; Stock ID Joint Cooperator Technical Review; Data Workshop; Assessment Workshop and/or Webinars; and a Review Workshop. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

On March 22, 2018, the United States Court of International Trade (the Court) issued its final judgment in Itochu Building Products Co., Inc., et al. v. United States, Consol. Court No. 12-00065, sustaining the U.S. Department of Commerce's (Commerce) final remand results in the second administrative review of certain steel nails from the People's Republic of China (China). Commerce is notifying the public that the final judgment in this case is not in harmony with Commerce's final results of the administrative review, covering the period of review (POR) August 1, 2009, through July 31, 2010, and that Commerce is amending the final results with respect to the dumping margins assigned to Tianjin Jinchi Metal Products Co., Ltd. (Jinchi) and Tianjin Jinghai County Hongli Industry & Business Co. (Hongli). Because Jinchi's and Hongli's margins changed, the margin for those companies not individually examined but receiving a separate rate also changed.

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 Acting Chief Financial Officer/Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Administration, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration, with the concurrence of the General Services Administration, renewed the Charter for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation Nomination Evaluation Committee on February 13, 2018.

NMFS proposes to modify the baseline annual U.S. quota and subquotas for Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) and the baseline annual U.S. North Atlantic albacore (northern albacore or NALB) quota. The proposed action also would modify regulations to update regulatory language on school BFT to reflect current ICCAT requirements. Finally, NMFS also proposes to make a minor change to the Atlantic tunas size limit regulations to address retention, possession, and landing of bigeye and yellowfin tuna damaged by shark bites. This action is necessary to implement binding recommendations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), as required by the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA), and to achieve domestic management objectives under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

The National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Advisory Committee (Committee) will hold an open meeting in-person and via teleconference on Thursday, August 30, 2018 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The primary purposes of this meeting are to update the Committee on the progress of planning for the NCST technical investigation to study building failures and emergency response and evacuation during Hurricane Maria, which made landfall in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, and the implementation of recommendations from previous NCST investigations, including the Joplin tornado investigation. The agenda may change to accommodate Committee business. The final agenda will be posted on the NIST website at https://www.nist.gov/topics/disaster-failure-studies/national - construction-safety-team-ncst/advisory-committee.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) and a representative of the Ukrainian signatory producer/exporter of certain oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from Ukraine, Interpipe, have signed an amendment to the Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Duty Investigation on Certain Oil Country Tubular Goods from Ukraine (Agreement). The amendment to the Agreement extends the Agreement for one additional year, specifying that the Agreement shall terminate five years after the applicable date of the original agreement, on July 10, 2019.

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.

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.

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.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has received petitions for certification of eligibility to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance from the firms listed below. Accordingly, EDA has initiated investigations to determine whether increased imports into the United States of articles like or directly competitive with those produced by each of the firms contributed importantly to the total or partial separation of the firms' workers, or threat thereof, and to a decrease in sales or production of each petitioning firm.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the approval of Amendment 115 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area, Amendment 105 to the FMP for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska, Amendment 49 to the FMP for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs, Amendment 13 to the FMP for the Salmon Fisheries in the EEZ Off Alaska, and Amendment 2 to the FMP for Fish Resources of the Arctic Management Area, (collectively Amendments). These Amendments revise the FMPs by updating the description and identification of essential fish habitat (EFH), and updating information on adverse impacts to EFH based on the best scientific information available. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the FMPs, and other applicable laws.

Pursuant to provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Department of Commerce announces the renewal of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (the Committee). The Committee shall advise the Secretary of Commerce regarding the development and administration of programs and policies to expand the competitiveness of U.S. exports of renewable energy and energy efficiency goods and services. The Committee's work on energy efficiency will focus on technologies, services, and platforms that provide system-level energy efficiency to electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. These include smart grid technologies and services, as well as equipment and systems that increase the resiliency of power infrastructure such as energy storage. For the purposes of this Committee, covered goods and services will not include vehicles, feedstock for biofuels, or energy efficiency as it relates to consumer goods. Non-fossil fuels that are considered renewable fuels (e.g., liquid biofuels and pellets) are included. This notice also requests nominations for membership.