Department of Commerce August 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that certain companies made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value. The period of review (POR) is April 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021. Additionally, Commerce is rescinding this review with respect to multiple companies. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

Federal Illex squid vessel permit holders are prohibited from fishing for, catching, possessing, transferring or landing more than 10,000 lb (4,535 kg) of Illex squid per trip, and from landing Illex squid more than once per calendar day. This prohibition is required when NMFS projects that 94 percent of the 2021 annual catch limit has been caught. This action is intended to prevent over-harvest of Illex squid for the fishing year.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a webinar workshop to demonstrate electronic vessel trip reporting (eVTR) through an approved software application in preparation for required commercial electronic reporting.

NMFS announces the rescission of the July 30, 2009, and March 31, 2014, skate wing and bait fishery control dates. The New England Fishery Management Council has decided to discontinue development of limited access alternatives for both the skate wing and skate bait fisheries as part of Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan. The Council also stated that the existing control dates for each sector of the fishery are too outdated to be used should the Council reconsider limited access for the skate fisheries in the future and has requested that NMFS rescind both control dates. This notification informs stakeholders and the public of this decision, and that July 30, 2009, and March 31, 2014, are no longer considered dates for entry into the bait and skate wing fisheries, respectively.

Recognizing the vital importance of clean technologies in tackling the global climate crisis and spurring U.S. innovation and creating well-paying jobs, the Department of Commerce (DOC), in partnership with the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (SPEC), has made it a top priority to encourage growth and ensure U.S. innovation and competitiveness in clean technologies sectors. To that end, via this general solicitation, the International Trade Administration (ITA) is requesting public comments on clean technologies export competitiveness. This stakeholder input will inform the Department's effort to develop a ``U.S. Clean Technologies Export Competitiveness Strategy'', which intends to identify key issues influencing the deployment of these goods and services, highlight potential opportunities and challenges, and identify possible actions for the DOC and federal government to take in order to foster U.S. export competitiveness in clean technologies sectors.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers/exporters of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled into modules (solar cells), from the People's Republic of China (China) during the period of review (POR) January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018. Commerce is also rescinding this review with respect to forty companies that had no reviewable entries during the POR.

On August 18, 2021, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) issued its final judgment in Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International Trade Investigations or Negotiations, et al. v. United States, et al., Consol. Court No. 19-00122, sustaining the Department of Commerce's (Commerce) remand results pertaining to the expedited review of the countervailing duty (CVD) order on certain softwood lumber products (softwood lumber) from Canada covering the period January 1, 2015, through December 31, 2015. Commerce is notifying the public that the CIT's final judgment is not in harmony with Commerce's final results of the expedited review, and that Commerce is rescinding the final results; reinstating the CVD order for Les Produits Forestiers D&G Lt[eacute]e (D&G), Marcel Lauzon Inc. (MLI), North American Forest Products Ltd. (NAFB) (located in New Brunswick), Roland Boulanger & Cie Lt[eacute]e (Roland), and Scierie Alexandre Lemay & Fils Inc. (Lemay) (including their cross-owned affiliates); and reassigning the cash deposit rate for the companies covered by the Final Results of Expedited Review.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that sales of forged steel fittings from Taiwan were made at less than normal value (NV) during the period of review (POR), September 1, 2019, through August 31, 2020. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

NMFS announces one inseason action in the 2021 ocean salmon fisheries. This inseason action modified the fishing days per calendar week in the recreational ocean salmon fishery in the area from Queets River, WA, to Leadbetter Point, WA (Westport subarea).

NMFS is soliciting nominations for appointments to the United States Advisory Panel (AP) established in the Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Canada on Pacific Hake/Whiting (Pacific Whiting Treaty). Nominations are being sought to fill two positions on the AP; one beginning immediately, and one beginning on December 1, 2021. Terms are 4 years, the position to begin immediately would fill a vacancy of which the appointee would serve the remainder of the term, which began on September 16, 2019. Appointees will be eligible for reappointment at the expiration of the terms.

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the proposed reinstatement, with change, of the Economic Census prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the Western Aleutian district (WAI) of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI) by vessels participating in the BSAI trawl limited access sector fishery. This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2021 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific ocean perch in the WAI allocated to vessels participating in the BSAI trawl limited access sector fishery.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Monitoring Committee will hold a public webinar meeting.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Skate Advisory Panel 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.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received five plans for hatchery programs rearing and releasing Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and sockeye salmon in the Lake Washington basin. The plans describe hatchery programs operated by the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). This document serves to notify the public of the availability and opportunity to comment on a draft Environmental Assessment and Proposed Evaluation and Determination document on the proposed hatchery plans.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that Nippon Steel Corporation (NSC) and Tokyo Steel Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Tokyo Steel), producers and exporters of hot-rolled steel flat products (hot- rolled steel) from Japan, sold subject merchandise in the United States at prices below normal value during the period of review (POR) October 1, 2018, through September 30, 2019. In addition, Commerce determines that Honda Trading Canada, Inc. (Honda), Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic), and Mitsui & CO., Ltd. (Mitsui) had no shipments during the POR.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Crab Plan Team will meet September 13, 2021, through September 17, 2021 and on September 24, 2021.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Herring Advisory Panel 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 is opening directed fishing for groundfish, other than pollock, by non-Rockfish Program catcher vessels using trawl gear in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to fully use the 2021 groundfish total allowable catch available for non-Rockfish Program catcher vessels directed fishing for groundfish, other than pollock, using trawl gear in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA.

On July 12, 2021, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) published the initiation and preliminary results of a changed circumstances review (CCR) of the antidumping duty (AD) order on certain softwood lumber products from Canada. For these final results, Commerce continues to find that CHAP Alliance, Inc. (CHAP) is the successor-in-interest to L'Atelier de R[eacute]adaptation au Travail de Beauce Inc. (L'Atelier) in the context of the AD order on certain softwood lumber products from Canada.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that exporters/producers of stainless steel flanges from India made sales at prices below normal value during the period of review (POR) March 28, 2018, through September 30, 2019.

NMFS announces a valid specified fishing agreement that allocates up to 1,500 metric tons (t) of the 2021 bigeye tuna limit for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to U.S. longline fishing vessels. The agreement supports the long-term sustainability of fishery resources of the U.S. Pacific Islands, and fisheries development in the CNMI.

NMFS is adjusting the commercial retention limit for directed shark limited access permit holders from 45 to 55 large coastal sharks (LCS) other than sandbar sharks per vessel per trip in the Gulf of Mexico region. In the eastern Gulf of Mexico sub-region, this applies to any shark in the aggregated LCS, hammerhead, or blacktip management groups. In the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region, because aggregated LCS and hammerhead management groups are closed, this increase applies only to the blacktip management group. The retention limit will remain at 55 LCS other than sandbar sharks through the remainder of 2021, or until NMFS announces via a notification in the Federal Register another adjustment to the retention limit or a fishery closure. This retention limit adjustment affects anyone with a directed shark limited access permit fishing for LCS in the Gulf of Mexico region.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that the sole mandatory respondent made sales of stainless steel bar (SS Bar) from India below normal value during the period of review (POR) February 1, 2019, through January 31, 2020.