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

The SEDAR 70 stock assessment process for Gulf of Mexico greater amberjack will consist of a series of data and assessment webinars. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

NMFS publishes for public review and comment information regarding a permit application for transshipment of farmed salmon from aquaculture operations in Maine to processing plants in Canada by Canadian flagged vessels. The application for a transshipment permit is submitted under provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). This action is necessary for NMFS to make a determination that the permit application can be approved.

On May 28, 2020, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), on behalf of the Executive Branch, published a Notice seeking comments in accordance with the Secure 5G and Beyond Act of 2020 to inform the development of an Implementation Plan for the National Strategy to Secure 5G. Through this Notice, NTIA is extending the comment deadline by seven days from June 18, 2020, to June 25, 2020.

Notice is hereby given that Wildstar Films, Ltd., Embassy House, Queens Avenue, Bristol, United Kingdom, BS8 1SB (Responsible Party: Jo Harvey), has applied in due form for a permit to conduct commercial or educational photography on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is soliciting applications for membership on the United States Integrated Ocean Observing System Advisory Committee (the Committee), which is a Federal advisory committee. Members of the Committee will fulfill the requirements of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 (the Act). The Committee provides advice to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and to the Interagency Ocean Observation Committee on the planning, integrated design, operation, maintenance, enhancement, and expansion of the United States Integrated Ocean Observing System (U.S. IOOS). U.S. IOOS promotes research to develop, test, and deploy innovations and improvements in coastal and ocean observation technologies and modeling systems, addresses regional and national needs for ocean information, gathers data on key coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes variables and ensures timely and sustained dissemination and availability of these data for societal benefits. U.S. IOOS benefits national safety, the economy, and the environment through support for national defense, marine commerce and forecasting, navigation safety, weather, climate, energy siting and production, economic development, ecosystem-based management of marine and coastal areas, conservation of ocean and coastal resources and public safety. The Act requires the establishment and administration of this Committee by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. NOAA will hereby accept applications for membership on the Committee to fill two vacancies that occurred in late 2019. These vacancy appointments shall be for the remainder of the unexpired term of the vacancy, which ends August 15, 2021. An individual so appointed may subsequently be appointed for an additional three-year term. The Act states: ``Members shall be qualified by education, training, and experience to evaluate scientific and technical information related to the design, operation, maintenance, or use of the [Integrated Ocean Observing] System, or use of data products provided through the System.'' NOAA encourages individuals with expertise in oceanographic data, products, and services; coastal management; fisheries management; coastal and marine spatial planning; geodesy; water levels; and other science-related fields to submit applications for Committee membership. To apply for membership on the Committee, applicants should submit a resume highlighting their qualifications as indicated in the ADDRESSES section. NOAA is an equal-opportunity employer.

This action provides participants in the Pacific Coast Groundfish Trawl Rationalization Program (Trawl Program), Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program with the updated 2020 fee percentage needed to calculate the required payments for the cost recovery fees due for the remainder of 2020. For the remainder of calendar year 2020, NMFS announces that the Shorebased IFQ Program fee percentage will be 2.88 percent.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office for Coastal Management will hold a public meeting to solicit comments on the performance evaluation of the Maryland Coastal Management Program and Chesapeake Bay Maryland National Estuarine Research Reserve.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) is revising the rules of practice pertaining to patent term adjustment in view of the decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit) in Supernus Pharm., Inc. v. Iancu (Supernus). The Federal Circuit in Supernus held that a reduction of patent term adjustment must be equal to the period of time during which the applicant failed to engage in reasonable efforts to conclude prosecution of the application. The USPTO is revising the provisions pertaining to reduction of patent term adjustment for alignment with the Federal Circuit decision in Supernus.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting via webinar of its Standing, Reef Fish, Mackerel, Spiny Lobster, Red Drum, Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Scientific and Statistical Committees (SSC).

NMFS announces the limited opening of commercial and recreational red snapper in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic for the 2020 fishing year. This notice announces the red snapper commercial season opening date and the opening and closing dates for the red snapper recreational season, according to the accountability measures (AMs). This season announcement for South Atlantic red snapper allows fishers to maximize their opportunity to harvest the commercial and recreational annual catch limits (ACLs) while also managing harvest to protect the red snapper resource.

NMFS corrects the final rule that implemented management measures described in a framework action to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP), which published in the Federal Register on April 14, 2020. In addition to revising the commercial trip limit in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) exclusive economic zone for greater amberjack, the final rule revised the boundaries of several Gulf reef fish management areas to reflect a change in the seaward boundary of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. That framework action final rule contained an incorrect waypoint for the Gulf reef fish longline and buoy gear restricted area. The purpose of this correcting amendment is to fix that error.

On May 19, 2020, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published the Notice of Request for Public Comments on Section 232 National Security Investigation of Imports of Laminations for Stacked Cores for Incorporation into Transformers, Stacked Cores for Incorporation into Transformers, Wound Cores for Incorporation into Transformers, Electrical Transformers, and Transformer Regulators. Today's notice extends the deadline for written comments to July 3, 2020 and for rebuttal comments to July 24, 2020.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of wood mouldings and millwork products (millwork products) from the People's Republic of China (China). The period of investigation is January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

Based on a request from Memory Experts Inc., dba PowerTraveller (Memory Experts), the Department of Commerce (Commerce) is initiating changed circumstances reviews to consider the possible revocation, in part, of the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on crystalline silicon photovoltaic products from the People's Republic of China (China) with respect to certain off-grid portable small panels.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is issuing a correction to a previously published Federal Register notice pertaining to the antidumping duty order on ceramic tile from the People's Republic of China (China).

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed topics of discussion for upcoming public meetings of the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness (Committee).

This notice sets forth the proposed schedule and agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC). The members will hear presentations and discuss COVID-19 impacts on marine communities and agency operations, the E.O. Promoting American Seafood competitiveness and Economic Growth, seafood promotion and marketing in the U.S., and recommendations related to offshore wind citing and operations.

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.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for pollock by vessels using trawl gear in the Herring Savings Areas of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2020 herring bycatch allowance specified for the midwater trawl pollock fishery in the BSAI. This action includes prohibiting directed fishing for pollock by vessels participating in the Community Development Quota Program.

Notice is hereby given that Oregon State University, Marine Mammal Institute, 2030 Southeast Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365 (Responsible Party: Bruce Mate, Ph.D.)., has applied for an amendment to Scientific Research Permit No. 21585.

NMFS announces approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of collection-of-information requirements contained in regulations published in a final rule on December 20, 2019. The final rule implements International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements in Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) Resolution C-18-06 (Resolution (Amended) on a Regional Vessel Register) and amendments to existing regulations governing inclusion on the IATTC Regional Vessel Register (Vessel Register) by purse seine vessels fishing in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). The intent of this final rule is to inform the public of the effectiveness of the collection-of-information requirements associated with the final rule. This final rule also corrects the regulatory text to implement two collection-of-information requirements that were included in the December 20, 2019, final rule and inadvertently set to become effective on January 21, 2020, before being approved by OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Those two collection-of-information requirements were corrected in a correcting amendment in a final rule published on February 13, 2020 and are made effective in this final rule.

This final rule announces routine inseason adjustments to management measures in commercial groundfish fisheries. This action is intended to allow commercial fishing vessels to access more abundant groundfish stocks, while protecting overfished and depleted stocks.