Department of Commerce September 21, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is rescinding the administrative review of the antidumping duty (AD) order on biodiesel from Indonesia for the period of review (POR) April 1, 2019 through March 31, 2020, based on the timely withdrawal of the request for review.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish (MSB) Advisory Panel (AP) will hold a meeting.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council's (Council) St. Thomas/St. John District Advisory Panel (STT/STJ DAP) will hold a public virtual meeting to address the items contained in the tentative agenda included in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2020 total allowable catch of Pacific ocean perch in the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes its proposed List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2021, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The LOF for 2021 reflects new information on interactions between commercial fisheries and marine mammals. NMFS must classify each commercial fishery on the LOF into one of three categories under the MMPA based upon the level of mortality and serious injury of marine mammals that occurs incidental to each fishery. The classification of a fishery on the LOF determines whether participants in that fishery are subject to certain provisions of the MMPA, such as registration, observer coverage, and take reduction plan (TRP) requirements.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, and implementing regulations, notification is hereby given that a Letter of Authorization (LOA) has been issued to the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) for the take of marine mammals incidental to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities construction project in Cook Inlet, Alaska.

NMFS extends this temporary rule (also referred to herein as ``emergency action'') to provide it with authority to continue to waive observer coverage requirements. NMFS is taking this action to address public health concerns relating to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The intended effect is to provide the waiver mechanism necessary to respond to the ongoing public health emergency. This action also authorizes NMFS to waive some training or other program requirements to ensure that as many observers are available as possible while ensuring the safety and health of the observers and trainers.

NMFS is correcting a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on December 20, 2019, that requires all skimmer trawl vessels 40 feet and greater in length to use turtle excluder devices (TEDs) designed to exclude small sea turtles in their nets. There is an error in the description of the small turtle TED flap. This correction is necessary to prevent sea turtle bycatch and mortality.