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

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Groundfish Subcommittee of the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will hold an online meeting to review requested analyses exploring scale uncertainty in the new spiny dogfish stock assessment and rebuilding analyses for copper rockfish and quillback rockfish in California.

NMFS is transferring 113.8 metric tons (mt) of Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) quota from the Reserve category to the General category. This action is intended to account for an accrued overharvest of 53.8 mt from previous time-period subquotas and to provide further opportunities for General category fishermen to participate in the September General category fishery, based on consideration of the regulatory determination criteria regarding inseason adjustments. This action would affect Atlantic tunas General category (commercial) permitted vessels and Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Charter/Headboat permitted vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially for BFT.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is amending the final results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod (wire rod) from Mexico to correct a ministerial error. The period of review (POR) is October 1, 2018, through September 30, 2019.

NMFS announces the effective date for previously approved vessel location tracking requirements applicable to an owner or operator of charter vessel or headboat for which NMFS has issued a valid Federal charter vessel/headboat permit for federally managed reef fish or coastal migratory pelagic (CMP) species in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). The purpose of this final rule is to announce the effective date for vessel location tracking requirements for reef fish and CMP in the Gulf that NMFS previously delayed indefinitely on July 21, 2020.

NMFS implements an accountability measure for red snapper in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic. NMFS projects commercial landings of red snapper have reached the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) for the 2021 fishing year. Therefore, NMFS is closing the commercial sector for red snapper in the South Atlantic EEZ. This closure is necessary to protect the red snapper resource.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of certain walk-behind snow throwers and parts thereof (snow throwers) from the People's Republic of China (China). The period of investigation (POI) is January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers/ exporters of certain passenger vehicle and light truck tires (passenger tires) from the People's Republic of China (China) during the period of review (POR), January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2019. In addition, we are rescinding the review with respect to 19 companies, and announcing our preliminary intent to rescind this review with respect to eight other companies. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that NTSF Seafoods Joint Stock Company (NTSF), a producer and exporter of frozen fish fillets (fish fillets) from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam) did not make sales of subject merchandise at prices below normal value (NV) during the period of review (POR) August 1, 2019, through July 31, 2020. Commerce also preliminarily determines that it is appropriate to apply facts available, with adverse inferences (AFA) to East Sea Seafoods Joint Stock Company (ESS), an exporter of fish fillets from Vietnam. We also preliminarily determine that one additional company, Green Farms Seafood Joint Stock Company (Green Farms), is eligible for separate rate status, 32 companies did not establish eligibility for a separate rate and are part of the Vietnam-wide entity, and 15 companies had no shipments during the POR. Finally, we are rescinding this review with respect to 13 companies. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

The purpose of this notice is to request public comments on the potential market impact of the proposed Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Stockpile Annual Materials Plan (AMP). Potential changes to the AMP are discussed and decided by the National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee, co-chaired by the Departments of Commerce and State. The role of this committee is to advise the National Defense Stockpile Manager on the projected domestic and foreign economic effects of all acquisitions, conversions, and disposals involving the National Defense Stockpile and related material research and development projects. Public comments are an important element of the committee's market impact review process.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Committee (Committee) will hold a public meeting.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Halibut and Sablefish Individual Fishing Quota Committee (IFQ Committee) will meet.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Advisory Panel will hold a public meeting.

On August 20, 2021, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) issued its final judgment in Echjay Forgings Private Limited v. United States, Consol. Court no. 18-00230, sustaining the Department of Commerce (Commerce)'s remand redetermination pertaining to the antidumping duty (AD) investigation of stainless steel flanges (flanges) from India covering the period of investigation, July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017. Commerce is notifying the public that the CIT's final judgment is not in harmony with Commerce's final determination in that investigation, and that Commerce is amending the final determination and the resulting AD order with respect to the dumping margin assigned to Echjay Forgings Private Limited (Echjay) and the ``all other'' companies.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the individual fishing quota (IFQ), Federal dealer reporting, and Federal charter vessel and headboat (for-hire vessel) reporting programs specific to the reef fish fishery in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) and the coastal migratory pelagic (CMP) fisheries in the Gulf, the Regional Administrator (RA), Southeast Region, NMFS, has determined that Hurricane Ida has caused catastrophic conditions in the Gulf for certain Louisiana parishes. This temporary rule authorizes any dealer in the affected area described in this temporary rule who does not have access to electronic reporting to delay reporting of trip tickets to NMFS and authorizes IFQ participants within the affected area to use paper-based forms, if necessary, for basic required administrative functions, e.g., landing transactions. This rule also authorizes any Federal for-hire owner or operator in the affected area described in this temporary rule who does not have access to electronic reporting to delay reporting of logbook records to NMFS. This temporary rule is intended to facilitate continuation of IFQ, dealer, and Federal for- hire reporting operations during the period of catastrophic conditions.

The Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), in consultation with the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the Director of National Intelligence, shall establish the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee (the NAIAC or the Committee) in accordance with the requirements of Section 5104 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020, and in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended. The Committee shall provide advice to the President and the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office on matters related to the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative (Initiative). The purposes of the Initiative are: (1) Ensuring continued United States leadership in artificial intelligence research and development; (2) leading the world in the development and use of trustworthy artificial intelligence systems in the public and private sectors; (3) preparing the present and future United States workforce for the integration of artificial intelligence systems across all sectors of the economy and society; and (4) coordinating ongoing artificial intelligence research, development, and demonstration activities among the civilian agencies, the Department of Defense, and the Intelligence Community to ensure that each informs the work of the others.

NMFS has received a request from the St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society (Society) for authorization to take marine mammals over the course of 5 years (2021-2026) incidental to conducting aircraft operations, lighthouse renovation, light maintenance activities, and tour operations on the St. George Reef Lighthouse Station (Station) on Northwest Seal Rock (NWSR). Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is proposing regulations to govern that take, and requests comments on the proposed regulations. 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 notification of our decision.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is initiating a changed circumstances review (CCR) of the antidumping duty (AD) order on certain activated carbon (activated carbon) from the People's Republic of China (China). Further, Commerce preliminarily determines that Jacobi Carbons AB (Jacobi AB) and its affiliates, Tianjin Jacobi International Trading Co. Ltd. (Tianjin Jacobi) and Jacobi Carbons Industry (Tianjin) Co. Ltd. (JCC) (collectively, Jacobi), should be collapsed with its new wholly-owned Chinese affiliate, Jacobi Adsorbent Materials (JAM), and the single entity, inclusive of JAM, should be assigned the same AD cash deposit rate assigned to Jacobi for purposes of determining AD liability in this proceeding. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

This final rule amends the Department of Commerce's (Department) regulations under the Privacy Act. The Privacy Act regulations are being updated to make technical changes to include a System of Records Notice, COMMERCE/DEPT-27, to the Department's regulations concerning Privacy Act general and specific exemptions.