Department of Commerce August 31, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Based on affirmative final determinations by the Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the International Trade Commission (ITC), Commerce is issuing a countervailing duty order on cast iron soil pipe fittings (soil pipe fittings) from the People's Republic of China (China).

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (L-DEO) to incidentally take, by Level A and/or Level B harassment, marine mammals during a Marine Geophysical Survey in the North Pacific Ocean.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of the following: Advisory Panel Selection Committee (Closed Session); Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) Committee; Standard Operating, Policy, and Procedure (SOPPs) Committee; Spiny Lobster Committee; Habitat Protection and Ecosystem-Based Management Committee; Snapper Grouper Committee; Mackerel Cobia Committee; and Executive Finance Committee. The Council meeting week will also include a Recreational Fishing Workshop, a formal public comment period, and a meeting of the full Council.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Groundfish Plan Teams will meet September 18, 2018 through September 21, 2018.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Groundfish Advisory Panel 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 Department of Commerce (DOC) announces the appointment of those individuals who have been selected to serve as members of the Departmental Performance Review Board. The Performance Review Board is responsible for reviewing performance appraisals and ratings of Senior Executive Service (SES) members and making recommendations to the appointing authority on other performance management issues, such as pay adjustments, bonuses and Presidential Rank Awards. The appointment of these members to the Performance Review Board will be for a period of twenty-four (24) months.

NMFS proposes regulations to implement measures in Amendment 20 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan and corrections to existing regulations. This action is necessary to prevent the reactivation of latent effort in the longfin squid fishery, preserve economic opportunities for more recently active participants in the longfin squid fishery, avoid overharvest during Trimester II (May-August) of the longfin squid fishery, and reduce potential negative impacts on inshore spawning longfin squid aggregations and squid egg masses. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council intends that these proposed measures would promote the sustainable utilization and conservation of the squid and butterfish resources, while promoting the sustained participation of fishing communities and minimizing adverse economic impacts on such communities.