Department of Commerce March 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued two consecutive IHAs to the United States Department of the Air Force (DAF) to incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, marine mammals during two years of testing of the Long Range Cannon (LRC) system at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB), California. The DAF's activities are considered military readiness activities pursuant to the MMPA, as amended by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (2004 NDAA).

In response to the Russian Federation's (Russia's) further invasion of Ukraine, and to protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, the Department of Commerce has added new and highly restrictive license requirements and policies for certain transactions involving Russia and Belarus under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). In order to recognize partner countries that have committed to implementing substantially similar new export controls on Russia and Belarus in their domestic laws, the Department of Commerce has published a list of countries excluded from portions of these new U.S. export controls. These exclusions apply specifically to certain requirements under the EAR related to foreign-produced items. In this rule, the Department of Commerce adds the Republic of Korea (South Korea) to the list of excluded countries.

Notice is hereby given that Deborah Giles, Ph.D., Wild Orca, 6523 California Ave. SW, #172, Seattle, Washington 98136, has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on marine mammals.

The Census Bureau will conduct a tribal consultation on the next set of 2020 Census Data Products on March 24, 2022, via national webinar, and review the 2010 Demonstration Data ProductDemographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC). The tribal consultation meeting reflects the Census Bureau's continuous commitment to strengthen nation-to-nation relationships with federally recognized tribes. The Census Bureau's procedures for outreach, notice, and consultation ensure involvement of tribes, to the extent practicable and permitted by law, before making decisions or implementing policies, rules, or programs that affect federally recognized tribal governments. These meetings are open to citizens of federally and state recognized tribes by invitation. In that regard, the Census Bureau is seeking comments on the 2010 Demonstration DataDHC, and asking tribal governments to identify the problematic table, level of geography, and a description of the use case, along with the likely implications should the data be released as-is. Tribes will have four weeks after consultation to analyze the 2010 Demonstration Data ProductDHC.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that certain steel nails (nails) from the People's Republic of China (China) were sold in the United States at less than normal value for the period of review (POR) August 1, 2019, through July 31, 2020. Commerce continues to find that the two mandatory respondents, Qingdao D&L Group Ltd. (Qingdao D&L) and Shanghai Yueda Nails Industry Co., Ltd., a.k.a. Shanghai Yueda Nails Co. (Shanghai Yueda), are not eligible for a separate rate and are to be considered part of the China-wide entity. Moreover, we continue to find that Shanghai Curvet Hardware Products Co., Ltd. (Shanghai Curvet) and Tianjin Zhonglian Metals Ware Co., Ltd. (Tianjin Zhonglian) are eligible for a separate rate and that 21 companies had no shipments.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene a webinar meeting of its Groundfish Management Team (GMT) to discuss items on the Pacific Council's April 2022 meeting agenda. This meeting is open to the public.

The SEDAR 74 assessment of Gulf of Mexico red snapper will consist of a Data workshop, a series of assessment webinars, and a Review workshop. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

NMFS will convene the Research Track Assessment Peer Review Meeting for the purpose of reviewing northern shortfin squid and butterfish stocks. The Research Track Assessment Peer Review is a formal scientific peer-review process for evaluating and presenting stock assessment results to managers for fish stocks in the offshore U.S. waters of the northwest Atlantic. Assessments are prepared by the research track working group and reviewed by an independent panel of stock assessment experts from the Center of Independent Experts (CIE). The public is invited to attend the presentations and discussions between the review panel and the scientists who have participated in the stock assessment process.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued an order granting a one-year interim extension of the term of U.S. Patent No. 6,953,476.

In 2021, four observed mortalities or serious injuries (M&SI) of false killer whales occurred incidental to the Hawaii deep-set longline fishery within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around Hawaii on January 18, 2021, March 26, 2021, April 17, 2021, and November 19, 2021. These M&SI met the established annual trigger of four observed M&SI for closing the Southern Exclusion Zone (SEZ) to deep-set longline fishing under the False Killer Whale Take Reduction Plan (Plan) regulations. In accordance with the Plan regulations a closure of the SEZ is required through the end of the fishing year. Because the injury determination for the fourth interaction meeting the trigger was not available until January 2022, the timeframe for closing the SEZ in 2021 had passed, and the SEZ was not closed. In accordance with the Plan regulations, the requirements for closure of the SEZ were met in 2021, therefore, if the trigger is met in 2022, the process for closure of the SEZ will follow the procedures described in the Plan regulations.

In response to Belarus's substantial enabling of the Russian Federation's (Russia)'s further invasion of Ukraine, this rule is adding new license requirements and review policies for Belarus to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to render Belarus subject to the same sanctions that were imposed on Russia under the EAR effective February 24, 2022. These new sanctions impose new Commerce Control List (CCL)-based license requirements for Belarus; revise the two foreign ``direct product'' rules (FDP rules) that are specific to Russia and Russian `military end users' to make them also applicable to Belarus and Belarusian `military end users;' specify a license review policy of denial applicable to all of the license requirements on Belarus that are being added in this rule, with certain limited exceptions; significantly restrict the use of EAR license exceptions; expand the existing `military end use' and `military end user' control scope to include Belarus for all items ``subject to the EAR'' other than food and medicine designated EAR99; and add two new Belarusian entities to the Entity List as `military end users.' This rule also imposes a license requirement for nuclear nonproliferation items for exports and reexports to Belarus and removes Belarus from Country Group A:4 under the EAR. In addition, for Belarus and Russia, this rule amends the availability of License Exceptions AVS and ENC and includes clarifying guidance on the availability of CCD.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that Reliance Industries Limited (Reliance), a producer/exporter of fine denier polyester staple fiber (fine denier PSF) from India, received countervailable subsidies that are above de minimis during the period of review, January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020.

On February 2, 2022, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) published its preliminary determination in the less-than-fair-value investigation of urea ammonium nitrate solutions (UAN) from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad) in the Federal Register. Commerce is amending this preliminary determination to correct a significant ministerial error.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of freight rail coupler systems and certain components thereof (freight rail couplers) from the People's Republic of China (China) during the period of investigation January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that Sahamitr Pressure Container Plc. (also known as Sahamitr Pressure Container Public Company Limited) made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value during the period of review (POR), December 27, 2018, through July 31, 2020.

NMFS is proposing to modify the baseline annual U.S. quota and subquotas for Atlantic bluefin tuna and the baseline annual U.S. North Atlantic albacore (northern albacore) quota. This action is necessary to implement binding recommendations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) adopted in 2021, as required by the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA), and to achieve domestic management objectives under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed topics for a meeting of the Civil Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee (CINTAC).

The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, on behalf of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), publishes as regulations the 2022 annual management measures governing the Pacific halibut fishery that have been recommended by the IPHC and accepted by the Secretary of State. These measures are intended to enhance the conservation of Pacific halibut and further the goals and objectives of the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that certain companies under review sold subject merchandise at less than normal value during the period of review (POR), February 1, 2020, through January 31, 2021. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results of this review.

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 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 preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

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.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that certain producers/exporters subject to this administrative review made sales of stainless steel bar (SS bar) from India at less than normal value (NV). Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results of review.