Department of Commerce August 1, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding forty-four entities (eight entities and thirty-six subordinate institutions) to the Entity List. The entities that are being added to the Entity List have been determined by the U.S. Government to be acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. These entities will be listed on the Entity List under the destination of China. This rule also modifies one entry under China to provide additional addresses and names for the entity at issue.

NMFS proposes to make administrative revisions to the renewal process for Federal vessel permits, licenses, and endorsements, and dealer permits (hereafter referred to collectively as permits) in the NMFS Southeast Region. This proposed rule would remove the regulatory requirement that NMFS must mail a renewal application to a permit holder (vessel or dealer) whose Federal permit is expiring. NMFS will continue to provide notice of the upcoming expiration date to the permit holder. This proposed rule would also remove the regulatory requirement that NMFS must notify an applicant of any deficiency in a renewal application only through sending a letter via traditional mail, such as through the U.S. Postal Service, which would allow NMFS expanded options for notifying permit holders. The purpose of this proposed rule is to reduce the administrative costs and burden to NMFS of renewing Federal permits, while still maintaining the needed information and services to the public.

Based on affirmative final determinations by the Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the International Trade Commission (the ITC), Commerce is issuing a countervailing duty (CVD) order on ripe olives from Spain. In addition, Commerce is amending its final CVD determination with respect to ripe olives from Spain to correct ministerial errors.

In accordance with the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), the Department of Commerce (Commerce) is automatically initiating the five-year reviews (Sunset Reviews) of the antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) order(s) listed below. The International Trade Commission (the Commission) is publishing concurrently with this notice its notice of Institution of Five-Year Reviews which covers the same order(s).

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the Western Aleutian district (WAI) of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI) by vessels participating in the BSAI trawl limited access fishery. This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2018 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific ocean perch in the WAI allocated to vessels participating in the BSAI trawl limited access fishery.

Under Section 10 of the America Invents Act (AIA), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) may set or adjust by rule any patent or trademark fee established, authorized, or charged, respectively. The USPTO currently is planning to propose to set or adjust patent fees pursuant to its Section 10 fee setting authority. As part of the rulemaking process to set or adjust patent fees, the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) is required under Section 10 of the AIA to hold a public hearing about any proposed patent fees, and the USPTO is required to assist PPAC in carrying out that hearing. To that end, the USPTO will make its proposed patent fees available as set forth in the Supplementary Information section of this Notice before any PPAC hearing and will help the PPAC to notify the public about the hearing. Accordingly, this document announces the dates and logistics for the PPAC public hearing regarding USPTO proposed patent fees. Interested members of the public are invited to testify at the hearing and/or submit written comments about the proposed patent fees and the questions posed on PPAC's website about the proposed fees.

NMFS adjusts the North and South Atlantic swordfish baseline quotas for 2018 based on available underharvest from the 2017 adjusted U.S. quotas. 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).

NMFS's Office of Protected Resources (OPR) has received a request from NMFS's Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to fisheries research conducted in multiple specified geographical regions, over the course of five years from the date of issuance. As required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is proposing regulations to govern that take, and requests comments on the proposed regulations. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the issuance of the requested MMPA authorization and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision.