Department of Commerce April 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC).

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold four in-person public hearings and two webinars to solicit public comments on Reef Fish Amendment 56: Modifications to Catch Limits, Sector Allocation, and Recreational Fishing Seasons for Gulf of Mexico Gag.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is announcing the date, time, and place of a public hearing that will be held by the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) on the USPTO's proposed setting or adjusting of patent fees pursuant to the USPTO's fee setting authority under section 10 of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA), as amended. The USPTO will make its proposed patent fees availableas set forth in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this noticebefore the PPAC hearing. The public is invited to testify at the hearing and submit written comments regarding proposed patent fees.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Crab Plan Team will meet May 16, 2023 through May 18, 2023.

The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The Exempted Fishing Permit would allow commercial fishing vessels to fish outside fishery regulations in support of research conducted by the applicant. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed Exempted Fishing Permits.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) has determined not to revoke the order on floor-standing, metal-top ironing tables and certain parts thereof from the People's Republic of China (China).

The New England Fishery Management Council is convening its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) 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.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), this notice announces, the United States Investment Advisory Council (IAC) will hold a public meeting on May 1, 2023 at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, DC. In August 2022, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo appointed a new cohort of members to serve two-year terms. Members of this cohort will meet for the third time to continue to discuss matters related to foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United States and the programs and policies to promote and retain such investments across the country.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that countervailable subsidies were provided to certain exporters/producers of refillable stainless steel kegs (kegs) from the People's Republic of China (China) during the period of review (POR) January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020.

Notice is hereby given that Erin Ashe, Ph.D., Oceans Initiative, 117 E Louisa St. #135, Seattle, Washington 98102, has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research or marine mammals.

In accordance with the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), NOAA is initiating the process to consider designating the submerged lands and waters surrounding the Pacific Remote Islands to the full extent of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as a new national marine sanctuary. NOAA will prepare a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the sanctuary designation process to discuss environmental impacts and inform decision makers and the public of reasonable alternatives that would avoid or minimize adverse impacts or enhance the quality of the human environment. NOAA is initiating the public scoping process to invite comments on the scope and significance of issues to be addressed in the DEIS that are related to designating this area as a national marine sanctuary. The results of this scoping process will assist NOAA in moving forward with the designation process, which would include the preparation and release of draft designation documents, as well as the formulation of alternatives for the DEIS.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) plays an important role in incentivizing and protecting innovation, including innovation enabled by artificial intelligence (AI), to ensure continued U.S. leadership in AI and other emerging technologies (ET). On February 14, 2023, the USPTO published a Federal Register Notice requesting comments regarding AI and Inventorship. The USPTO is announcing a public listening session on May 8, 2023, titled ``AI Inventorship Listening Session.'' The purpose of the listening session is to seek stakeholder input on the current state of AI technologies and inventorship issues that may arise in view of the advancement of such technologies, as set forth in the questions posed in the Federal Register Notice of February 14, 2023.

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

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites organizations to provide letters of interest describing products and technical expertise to support and demonstrate security platforms for the Mitigating Cybersecurity Risk in Telehealth Smart Home Integration project. This notice is the initial step for the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) in collaborating with technology companies to address cybersecurity challenges identified under the Mitigating Cybersecurity Risk in Telehealth Smart Home Integration project. Participation in the project is open to all interested organizations.

Notice is hereby given that permits and permit amendments have been issued to the following entities under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), as applicable.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council's (Council) Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management Technical Advisory Panel (EBFM TAP) will hold hybrid meetings to address the items on the tentative agenda included in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Citizen Science Operations Committee via webinar May 4-5, 2023.

NMFS proposes to implement harvest specifications and management measures for the 2023 non-tribal directed commercial Pacific halibut fishery that operates south of Point Chehalis, WA (46[deg]53.30' N lat.) in the International Pacific Halibut Commission's regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California. Specifically, NMFS is proposing the 2023 directed commercial fishing periods and fishing period catch limits by vessel size class. The proposed action includes two 58-hour fishing periods for the directed commercial fishery. The first fishing period would begin at 0800 hours on June 27 and close at 1800 hours on June 29. The second fishing period would start at 0800 hours on July 11 and close at 1800 hours on July 13. Additionally, NMFS is proposing four catch limit apportionments across eight vessel size classes (A-H) for both fishing periods. These actions are intended to conserve Pacific halibut and provide fishing opportunity where available.