Department of Commerce February 24, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) maintains, as part of its Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the Commerce Control List (CCL), which identifies certain items subject to Department of Commerce jurisdiction. During the December 2021 Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies (WA) Plenary meeting, Participating States of the WA (Participating State) made certain decisions affecting the WA control lists, which BIS is now implementing via amendments to the CCL. On August 15, 2022, BIS published a final rule that implemented some of these decisions by adding to the CCL four technologies that met the criteria for emerging or foundational technologies under Section 1758 of the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (ECRA). This final rule implements the remaining controls agreed to during the December 2021 WA Plenary meeting by revising the CCL, as well as certain EAR provisions, including License Exception Adjusted Peak Performance (APP). This final rule also makes corrections to align the scope of Significant Item (SI) license requirements throughout the EAR and makes a revision to License Exception Strategic Trade Authorization (STA).

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) continues to find that Zhangzhou Hongwei Foods Co., Ltd. (Zhangzhou Hongwei) and Zhanjiang Regal Integrated Marine Resources Co., Ltd. (Zhanjiang Regal), exporters of certain frozen warmwater shrimp (shrimp) from the People's Republic of China (China) under review, had no shipments of subject merchandise during the period of review (POR), February 1, 2021, through January 31, 2022. Commerce also continues to find that the 134 remaining companies subject to this review are part of the China-wide entity because they did not demonstrate their eligibility for separate rates.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Department of Commerce, in collaboration with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Health and Human Services, is extending the written comment period for the notice titled ``Joint USPTO-FDA Collaboration Initiatives; Notice of Public Listening Session and Request for Comments'' that was published in the Federal Register on November 7, 2022, until March 10, 2023.

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI or Medal) is the nation's highest honor for technological achievement, bestowed by the president of the United States on America's leading innovators. The Medal is awarded to individuals, teams (up to four individuals), companies or divisions of companies for their outstanding contributions to America's economic, environmental and social well- being. The NMTI Nomination Evaluation Committee will meet in a closed session on March 13, 2023. The primary purpose of the meeting is to discuss the relative merits of the people, teams, and companies nominated for the NMTI.

NMFS closes the southern area Angling category fishery for large medium and giant (``trophy'' (i.e., measuring 73 inches (185 cm) curved fork length or greater)) Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT). The southern area trophy fishery is defined as south of 39[deg]18' N lat., and outside of the Gulf of Mexico. This action applies to Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Angling and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels when fishing recreationally.

The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA), is organizing an Executive-led Business Development Mission to Kenya on March 28-30, 2023. Executive-led Business Development Mission to KenyaThis notice is to update the prior Federal Register notice to reflect that the application deadline was extended to February 10, 2023 and to amend the mission dates to reflect that the mission scheduled no longer includes the optional stop in Tanzania.