Department of Commerce 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee will meet September 23, 2019 through September 24, 2019.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Advisory Panel will hold a public webinar meeting, jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Advisory Panel.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks comments on the Preliminary Draft of the NIST Privacy Framework: A Tool for Improving Privacy through Enterprise Risk Management (``Preliminary Draft''). The Preliminary Draft was developed by NIST using information collected through the Request for Information (RFI) that was published in the Federal Register on November 14, 2018, and a series of open public workshops and webinars. NIST developed the Preliminary Draft in collaboration with public and private stakeholders. It is intended for voluntary use to help organizations: Better identify, assess, manage, and communicate privacy risks when designing or deploying systems, products, and services; foster the development of innovative approaches to protecting individuals' privacy; and increase trust in systems, products, and services. The Preliminary Draft is available electronically from the NIST website at: https://www.nist.gov/privacy-framework.

NMFS announces a public meeting of the Permanent Advisory Committee (PAC) to advise the U.S. Commissioners to the Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPFC) on October 10-11, 2019. Meeting topics are provided under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is soliciting public comment on a proposed revision to Voluntary Product Standard (PS) 1-09, Structural Plywood. The standard, prepared by the Committee for PS 1, establishes requirements (for those who choose to adhere to the standard) for the principal types and grades of structural plywood and provides a basis for common understanding among producers, distributors, and users of the product. This standard covers the wood species, veneer grading, adhesive bonds, panel construction and workmanship, dimensions and tolerances, marking, moisture content and packaging of structural plywood intended for construction and industrial uses.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a webinar on September 20, 2019.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is rescinding its administrative review of the antidumping duty (AD) order on polyethylene terephthalate film, sheet, and strip (PET film) from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the period of review (POR), November 1, 2017, through October 31, 2018.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is rescinding its administrative review of the antidumping duty order on 1- hydroxyethylidene-1, 1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP) from the People's Republic of China (China) for the period May 1, 2018, through April 30, 2019.

The Office of Trade and Economic Analysis (``OTEA'') of the International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce, received an application for an amended Export Trade Certificate of Review (``Certificate''). This notice summarizes the proposed amendment and requests comments relevant to whether the amended Certificate should be issued.

NMFS and the Operational Assessment Oversight Panel will convene the Groundfish Operational Assessment Peer Review Meeting for the purpose of reviewing stock assessments of haddock, cod, yellowtail flounder, windowpane flounder, American plaice, pollock, and white hake. The Operational Assessment Peer Review is a formal scientific peer-review process for evaluating and presenting stock assessment results to managers for fish stocks in the offshore U.S. waters of the northwest Atlantic. Assessments are prepared by Stock Assessment Workshop (SAW) working groups and reviewed by an independent panel of stock assessment experts called the Operational Assessment Oversight Panel (AOP). The public is invited to attend the presentations and discussions between the review panel and the scientists who have participated in the stock assessment process.

NMFS's Office of Protected Resources (OPR), upon request from NMFS's Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), hereby issues regulations to govern the unintentional taking of marine mammals incidental to fisheries research conducted in multiple specified geographical regions over the course of five years. These regulations, which allow for the issuance of Letters of Authorization (LOA) for the incidental take of marine mammals during the described activities and specified timeframes, prescribe the permissible methods of taking and other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on marine mammal species or stocks and their habitat, as well as requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such taking.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the annual allowance of the 2019 Pacific cod total allowable catch apportioned to trawl catcher vessels in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is rescinding its administrative review of utility scale wind towers (wind towers) from the People's Republic of China (China) for the period of review (POR) February 1, 2018, through January 31, 2019, based on the withdrawal of the request for review.

NMFS is opening directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 meters) length overall (LOA) using hook-and-line or pot gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI). This action is necessary to fully use the 2019 total allowable catch of Pacific cod allocated to catcher vessels less than 60 feet LOA using hook-and-line or pot gear in the BSAI.

NMFS announces the availability of a scoping document and its intent to initiate an amendment to the 2006 Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Given recent revisions to the National Standard guidelines and recent NMFS policy directives, which aim to improve and streamline fishery management procedures to enhance their utility for managers and the public, NMFS has determined it is necessary to: Reassess current HMS FMP objectives to reflect the changing needs of the HMS fisheries, and potentially adopt revised FMP objectives; review stock status determination criteria (SDC) for internationally-managed HMS and adopt such criteria, rather than continue to apply domestic criteria, which at times differ; review the standardized bycatch reporting methodology (SBRM) for certain HMS fisheries and update, if necessary; consider triggers for initiating allocation reviews for quota-managed HMS stocks and adopt such triggers, if appropriate; and consider revising the publication date of the annual HMS Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report and adopt such revision. The goal of the scoping document is to examine potential options and modify domestic HMS fishery management measures to be consistent with the national standards guidelines and recent NMFS policy directives, and to request additional information and input from consulting parties and the public prior to development of Amendment 12 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic HMS FMP.

NMFS has received a request from Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC (Transco), a subsidiary of Williams Partners L.P., to take marine mammals incidental to construction activities associated with the Raritan Bay Pipeline. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. NMFS is also requesting comments on a possible one-year renewal that could be issued under certain circumstances and if all requirements are met, as described in Request for Public Comments at the end of this notice. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the issuance of the requested MMPA authorizations and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision.

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 the City of Alameda (City) to incidentally harass, by Level A and B harassment only, marine mammals during pile driving and removal activities during construction of a ferry terminal at Seaplane Lagoon, Alameda Point, San Francisco, California.

Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) section 610 requires that NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) periodically review existing regulations that have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities, such as small businesses, small organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions. The RFA does not require agencies to periodically review existing regulations that were originally certified under RFA section 605 as a rule that will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. However, an agency may exercise its discretion to review certified rules to assess whether changed conditions may mean that the existing rules now have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. This plan describes how ONMS will exercise its discretion to conduct this assessment for specified rules certified under RFA section 605 and describes the regulations proposed for review in 2020.

As a result of this expedited sunset review, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) finds that revocation of this countervailing duty (CVD) order would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of a countervailable subsidy at the levels indicated in the ``Final Results of Review'' section of this notice.

This notice announces an additional public hearing for a proposed rule NMFS published on July 12, 2019. The proposed rule would adjust regulatory measures that reduce bluefin tuna bycatch in the pelagic longline fishery for Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS).

Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in October, November, and December of 2019. Certain fishermen and shark dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory requirements and to maintain valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop is mandatory for all federally permitted Atlantic shark dealers. The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop is mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and who have also been issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Additional free workshops will be conducted during 2020 and will be announced in a future notice.

NMFS reduces the commercial trip limit for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel (Atlantic king mackerel) in or from Federal waters in the Atlantic southern zone off the Florida east coast between the border of Flagler and Volusia Counties and the border of Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties to 50 fish per day. This commercial trip limit reduction is necessary to protect the Atlantic king mackerel resource.