Department of Commerce December 16, 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA), seeks nominations for immediate consideration to fill positions on the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness (``the Committee''). The Committee advises the Secretary on the necessary elements of a comprehensive policy approach to supply chain competitiveness. The Department intends for the Committee to play a key role in formulating recommendations to address current global supply chain challenges, including identifying key bottlenecks in supply chains and actionable solutions to address them, advising on the latest advances in supply chain management technology and how to apply them to the current challenges in the economy, and developing long term recommendations to make supply chains more resilient. The Department seeks members who, by virtue of their current roles and past experience, bring a track record of effective senior executive leadership on issues impacting the U.S. and global supply chains.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing to issue a permit to authorize the incidental, but not intentional, take of specific Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed marine mammal species or stocks under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), in the California (CA) thresher shark/swordfish drift gillnet fishery and the corresponding high seas component of the fishery as defined on the MMPA List of Fisheries as the Pacific highly migratory species drift gillnet fishery.

NMFS has received a request from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Scripps) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to marine geophysical surveys in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. 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 1 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 issues this temporary rule to withhold a portion of the red grouper commercial allocation for the 2022 fishing year in anticipation of an upcoming rulemaking that would, among other measures, reduce the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) and annual catch target (ACT) through Amendment 53 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP). This action would withhold the distribution of red grouper and gag multi-use individual fishing quota (IFQ) allocation on January 1, 2022, in the amount equal to the anticipated reduction in the allocation for shareholders in the groupers and tilefishes IFQ (GT-IFQ) program.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is soliciting comments from the public regarding a proposed revision of the management plan for the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR or Reserve). A management plan provides a framework for the direction and timing of a reserve's programs, allows reserve managers to assess a reserve's success in meeting its goals and to identify any necessary changes in direction, and is used to guide programmatic evaluations of the reserve. Plan revisions are required of each reserve in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System at least every five years. This revised plan is intended to replace the plan approved in 2013.