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

The Department of Commerce is currently seeking nominations of individuals for consideration for appointment by the Secretary of Commerce to serve as members of one of the 61 District Export Councils (DECs) nationwide. DECs are closely affiliated with the U.S. Export Assistance Centers (USEACs) of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (US&FCS), which is part of the Global Markets unit within the International Trade Administration, and play a key role in the planning and coordination of export activities in their communities.

On June 9, 2023, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) issued its final judgment in Jilin Forest Industry Jinqiao Flooring Group Co., Ltd. v. United States, Court no. 18-00191, sustaining the Department of Commerce (Commerce)'s second remand results pertaining to the administrative review of the antidumping duty (AD) order on multilayered wood flooring (MLWF) from the People's Republic of China (China) covering the period December 1, 2015, though November 30, 2016. Commerce is notifying the public that the CIT's final judgment is not in harmony with Commerce's final results of the administrative review, and that Commerce is amending the final results with respect to the dumping margin assigned to Jilin Forest Industry Jinqiao Flooring Group Co., Ltd. (Jilin Forest).

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that Goodluck India Limited (Goodluck) made sales of certain cold-drawn mechanical tubing of carbon and alloy steel (CDMT) from India in the United States at prices below normal value (NV) during the periods of review (PORs) of November 22, 2017, through May 31, 2019 (AR1) and June 1, 2019, through May 31, 2020 (AR2).

In response to a request from AM Stone Cabinets, Inc. (AM Stone), the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is initiating changed circumstances reviews (CCR) of the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on certain quartz surface products (quartz surface products) from the People's Republic of China (China) to determine whether the quartz surface products imported by AM Stone into the United States and exported by Universal Quartz and Stone Industrial SDN BHD (Universal Quartz) from Malaysia were manufactured in Malaysia with non-Chinese origin quartz slab.

In response to a covered merchandise referral by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that certain carbon steel butt-weld pipe fittings (butt-weld pipe fittings) exported from Vietnam to the United States that were produced using rough fittings from China are not subject to the scope of the antidumping (AD) order. Additionally, Commerce preliminarily determines that butt-weld pipe fittings exported from Vietnam to the United States that were produced using unfinished fittings from China are subject to the scope of the AD order.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is amending the final results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain steel racks and parts thereof from the People's Republic of China (China) to correct a ministerial error. The period of review is September 1, 2020, through August 31, 2022.

NMFS is implementing annual harvest specifications and management measures for the northern subpopulation of Pacific sardine (hereafter, Pacific sardine), for the July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, fishing year. This final rule will prohibit most directed commercial fishing for Pacific sardine off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. Pacific sardine harvest will be allowed only in the live bait fishery, minor directed fisheries, as incidental catch in other fisheries, or as authorized under exempted fishing permits. The incidental harvest of Pacific sardine will be limited to 20 percent by weight of all fish per trip when caught with other stocks managed under the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan, or up to 2 metric tons per trip when caught with non-Coastal Pelagic Species stocks. The annual catch limit for the 2023-2024 Pacific sardine fishing year is 3,953 metric tons. This final rule is intended to conserve and manage the Pacific sardine stock off the U.S. West Coast.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) will convene an online meeting of its Ad Hoc Equity and Environmental Justice Committee (EEJC) to elect a chair and make plans for its first working meeting. This meeting is open to the public.

We, NMFS, announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and to designate critical habitat concurrent with the listing. We have reviewed the information presented in the petition as well as information readily available in our files and find that the petition does not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned actions may be warranted. Therefore, we are denying this petition.

We, FWS and NMFS (collectively referred to as the ``Services'' or ``we''), propose to amend portions of our regulations that implement section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The Services are proposing these changes to further clarify and improve the interagency consultation processes, while continuing to provide for the conservation of listed species.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) submitted Amendment 49 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper- Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP) for review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, Amendment 49 to the FMP would revise the overfishing limit (OFL), acceptable biological catch (ABC), annual optimum yield (OY), sector allocations, the total and sector annual catch limits (ACLs), commercial minimum size limit, the commercial seasonal trip limits, and the April spawning season closure. In addition, Amendment 49 would remove the recreational annual catch targets (ACTs) for species in the FMP. The purpose of Amendment 49 is to ensure catch limits are based on the best scientific information available and to ensure overfishing does not occur for the South Atlantic greater amberjack stock, while increasing social and economic benefits.

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.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, its implementing regulations, and NMFS' MMPA Regulations for Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Geophysical Surveys Related to Oil and Gas Activities in the Gulf of Mexico, notification is hereby given that a Letter of Authorization (LOA) has been issued to Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (Chevron) for the take of marine mammals incidental to geophysical survey activity in the Gulf of Mexico.

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 Cybersecurity for the Water and Wastewater Sector: A Practical Reference Design for Mitigating Cyber Risk in Water and Wastewater Systems 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 Cybersecurity for the Water and Wastewater Sector: A Practical Reference Design for Mitigating Cyber Risk in Water and Wastewater Systems project. Participation in the project is open to all interested organizations.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is rescinding the administrative review of the countervailing duty (CVD) order on sulfanilic acid from India, covering the period January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022.

NMFS announces approval of a Marine Conservation Plan (MCP) for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

The SEDAR 87 assessment process of Gulf of Mexico white, pink, and brown shrimp will consist of a Data Workshop, and a series of assessment webinars, and a Review Workshop. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.