Department of Commerce June 1, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS issues this notice to inform the public that there will be a decrease of the fee rate required to repay the reduction loan financing the Southeast Alaska Purse Seine Salmon Fishing Capacity reduction program. Effective June 1, 2023, NMFS is decreasing the Loan B fee rate to one percent of landed value to ensure timely repayment of the loan. The fee rate for Loan A will remain unchanged at one percent of landed value.

On June 3, 2022, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) implemented the Climate Change Mitigation Pilot Program as a component of its ongoing efforts to encourage and incentivize innovation in the climate space and as an example of its commitment to policies tackling climate change. The initial phase of the programending June 5, 2023has sought to positively impact the climate by accelerating the examination of patent applications for products and processes designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Through this notice, the USPTO is expanding the program to include innovations in any economic sector that are designed to make progress toward achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. This includes innovations designed to remove greenhouse gases already present in the atmosphere; reduce and/or prevent additional greenhouse gas emissions; and/or monitor, track, and/or verify greenhouse gas emission reductions. The USPTO is also increasing the filing limitations for petitions under the program and extending the duration of the program. These changes will permit more applications to qualify for the program, thereby allowing more innovations that will aid in achieving national climate goals to be advanced out of turn for examination. As with the existing program, applications accepted into the expanded program will be advanced out of turn (accorded special status) for first action on the merits. The conditions, eligibility requirements, and guidelines of the expanded program will be the same as those established for the existing program, unless modified by this notice. By expanding and extending the program, the USPTO aims to emphasize the urgency of zero- and negative-emissions solutions, and further encourage investment in an equitable, clean energy future.

In response to a request from Worthington Industries (Worthington), the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is initiating a country-wide circumvention inquiry to determine whether imports of non-refillable steel cylinders (non-refillable cylinders), which have a water capacity between 100 and 299 cubic inches, are circumventing the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on non- refillable cylinders from the People's Republic of China (China).