Department of Commerce March 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for pollock in the West Yakutat District of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2020 total allowable catch of pollock in the West Yakutat District of the GOA.

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 SEDAR 65 assessment of the Atlantic stock of Blacktip Shark will consist of a series of workshops and webinars: Data Workshop; Assessment Webinars; and a Review workshop.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that Dongbu Steel Co., Ltd/Dongbu Incheon Steel Co., Ltd. (Dongbu) received countervailable subsidies that are above de minimis, and that Hyundai Steel Company (Hyundai Steel) received countervailable subsidies that are de minimis. The period of review (POR) is January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017.

NMFS is opening directed fishing for sablefish with fixed gear managed under the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program and the Community Development Quota (CDQ) Program. The season will open 1200 hours, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), March 14, 2020, and will close 1200 hours, A.l.t., November 15, 2020. This period is the same as the 2020 commercial halibut fishery opening dates adopted by the International Pacific Halibut Commission. The IFQ and CDQ halibut season is specified by a separate publication in the Federal Register of annual management measures.

NMFS is publishing its draft 2020 List of Foreign Fisheries (LOFF), as required by the regulations implementing the Fish and Fish Product Import Provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The draft 2020 LOFF reflects new information received from nations submitting their 2019 Progress Reports on interactions between commercial fisheries exporting fish and fish products to the United States and marine mammals, and updates the 2017 LOFF. NMFS classified each commercial fishery in this draft 2020 LOFF into one of two categories, either ``export'' or ``exempt,'' based upon frequency and likelihood of incidental mortality and serious injury of marine mammals likely to occur incidental to each fishery. The classification of a fishery on the draft 2020 LOFF determines which regulatory requirements will be applicable to that fishery for it to receive a comparability finding necessary to export fish and fish products to the United States from that fishery.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that Jindal Poly Films Ltd. (India) (Jindal) made sales of subject merchandise below normal value, but that SRF Limited of India (SRF) did not make sale of subject merchandise below normal value. The period of review (POR) is July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Ad Hoc Sablefish Management and Trawl Allocation Attainment Committee (SaMTAAC) will hold a webinar meeting, which will be open to the public.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a joint public meeting of its Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Committee and Plan Development Team 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.

NMFS has received a request from Virginia Electric and Power Company, d/b/a Dominion Energy Virginia (Dominion), for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities off the coast of Virginia in the area of Research Lease of Submerged Lands for Renewable Energy Activities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Virginia (Lease No. OCS-A-0497), in support of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) Project. 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.

NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to training exercises at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point Range Complex, North Carolina. 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. The USMC's activities are considered military readiness activities pursuant to the MMPA, as amended by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (NDAA).

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.

NMFS is closing the commercial fishery for the aggregated large coastal sharks (LCS) and hammerhead shark management groups in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region. This action is necessary because the commercial landings of sharks in the aggregated LCS management group in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region for the 2020 fishing season are projected to reach 80 percent of the available commercial quota, and are projected to reach 100 percent of the quota by the end of the fishing season, and the aggregated LCS and hammerhead shark management groups are quota-linked under the regulations. This closure will affect anyone commercially fishing for sharks in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region.

The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on behalf of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), publishes as regulations the 2020 annual management measures governing the Pacific halibut fishery that have been recommended by the IPHC and accepted by the Secretary of State. This action is intended to enhance the conservation of Pacific halibut and further the goals and objectives of the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC).

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda for a meeting of the Ocean Exploration Advisory Board (OEAB). OEAB members will discuss and provide advice on Federal ocean exploration programs, with a particular emphasis on the topics identified in the section on Matters to Be Considered.

On May 24, 2018, the United States Court of International Trade (CIT) issued a final judgment in Vinh Hoan Corporation et al. v. United States, Consol. Court No. 13-00156 (Vinh Hoan). On July 31, 2018, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) notified the public that the final judgment in that case is not in harmony with Commerce's final results of the underlying administrative review, and, as a result, it also amended the final results, involving the antidumping duty (AD) order on certain frozen fish fillets (fish fillets) from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam) covering the period of review (POR) August 1, 2010 through July 31, 2011. Commerce hereby amends the prior notice.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) continues to find that: (1) Sailun Group Co., Ltd. (Sailun Group) is the successor-in-interest to Sailun Jinyu Group Co., Ltd. (Sailun Jinyu); (2) Sailun (Dongying) Tire Co., Ltd. (Sailun Dongying) is the successor-in-interest to Shandong Jinyu Industrial Co., Ltd. (Shandong Jinyu); and (3) Sailun Group (Hong Kong) Co., Limited. (Sailun HK) is the successor-in- interest to Sailun Jinyu Group (Hong Kong) Co., Limited. (Sailun Jinyu HK). As a result, Sailun Group, Sailun Dongying and Sailun HK are entitled to the antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) cash deposit rates of Sailun Jinyu, Shandong Jinyu and Sailun Jinyu HK, respectively.

The New England Fishery Management Council's is convening its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) via webinar 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.

NMFS announces the re-opening of the commercial longline component for golden tilefish in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic through this temporary rule. The most recent commercial longline landings data for golden tilefish indicate the commercial longline annual catch limit (ACL) for the 2020 fishing year has not yet been reached. Therefore, NMFS re-opens the commercial longline component for golden tilefish in the South Atlantic EEZ for 9 days to allow the commercial longline ACL to be caught while minimizing the risk of the commercial ACL being exceeded.

The U.S. Government has decided to extend through May 15, 2020, the temporary general license to Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei) and one hundred and fourteen of its non-U.S. affiliates on the Entity List. In order to implement this decision, this final rule revises the temporary general license to remove the expiration date of April 1, 2020, and substitutes the date of May 15, 2020. In this same issue, BIS is publishing a notification of inquiry titled, Request for Comments on Future Extensions of Temporary General License (TGL), requesting comments on future extensions of a temporary general license under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).