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

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) is revising the rules of practice pertaining to patent term adjustment to require that the patent term adjustment statement regarding information disclosure statements be submitted on an Office form using the appropriate document code. The use of the Office form and document code will streamline certain aspects of prosecution by more accurately capturing and accounting for the patent term adjustment statement without unnecessary back-and-forth between the Office and applicant. It will also conserve resources by eliminating the need for a manual review of the patent term adjustment statement. Applicants who submit a patent term adjustment statement regarding information disclosure statements without using the Office form or the appropriate document code will need to request reconsideration of the patent term adjustment for the information disclosure statement to not be considered a failure to engage in reasonable efforts to conclude the prosecution (processing or examination) of the application. The Office conducts a redetermination of patent term adjustment in response to this request, and the redetermination will include the Office's manual review of the patent term adjustment statement.

NMFS issues regulations to implement management measures described in Amendment 54 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) (Amendment 54), as prepared by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council). This final rule and Amendment 54 revise Gulf greater amberjack sector allocations and catch limits. The purposes of this final rule and Amendment 54 are to end overfishing of Gulf greater amberjack and to update catch limits to be consistent with the best scientific information available.

The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA), is announcing one upcoming trade mission that will be recruited, organized, and implemented by ITA. This mission is: Executive-Led Cybersecurity Business Development Mission to Taiwan, South Korea, and JapanSeptember 18-26, 2023. A summary of the mission is found below. Application information and more detailed mission information, including the commercial setting and sector information, can be found at the trade mission website: https://www.trade.gov/trade- missions. For this mission, recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner, including publication in the Federal Register, posting on the Commerce Department trade mission calendar (https:// www.trade.gov/trade-missions-schedule) and other internet websites, press releases to general and trade media, direct mail, broadcast fax, notices by industry trade associations and other multiplier groups, and publicity at industry meetings, symposia, conferences, and trade shows.

As a result of the determinations by the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) that revocation of the antidumping duty (AD) orders and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia would likely lead to the continuation or recurrence of dumping, and countervailable subsidies, and material injury to an industry in the United States, Commerce is publishing a notice of continuation of these AD and CVD orders.

NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Space Force (USSF) for authorization to take small numbers of six species of marine mammals, by Level B harassment only, incidental to rocket and missile launches and other base operations at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB). USSF is requesting a 5-year Letter of Authorization for takes resulting from these activities (2024-2029). Pursuant to regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is announcing receipt of the Space Force's request for the development and implementation of regulations governing the incidental taking of marine mammals. NMFS invites the public to provide information, suggestions, and comments on the Space Force's application and request.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that certain gas powered pressure washers (pressure washers) from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam) are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation is April 1, 2022, through September 30, 2022. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

The Department of Commerce is amending the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding 43 entities under 50 entries to the Entity List. These entities have been determined by the U.S. Government to be acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. These entries are listed on the Entity List under the destinations of China (31), Kenya (1), Laos (1), Malaysia (1), Pakistan (4), Singapore (1), South Africa (3), Thailand (1), the United Arab Emirates (5), and the United Kingdom (2). This rule also removes one entity from the Entity List under the destination of Latvia.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) published notice in the Federal Register of June 6, 2023, in which Commerce amended the antidumping duty order on truck and bus tires from the People's Republic of China (China). This notice contained an incorrect description of the amended order effective date, the merchandise that should be liquidated, and the merchandise which remains subject to the order and which remains enjoined.

The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (REEEAC or the Committee) will hold an in-person meeting, accessible to the public in-person and online, on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, DC. Registration instructions for the public to attend either in-person or online are provided below. The meeting has a limited number of spaces for members of the public to attend in-person. Requests to attend in-person will be considered on a first-come first-served basis.

Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to the following entity under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), as applicable.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Mariana Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) Guam Advisory Panel (AP) to discuss and make recommendations on fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region.

NMFS has received a request from Ocean Wind II, LLC (Ocean Wind II) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to marine site characterization surveys offshore of New Jersey in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Commercial Lease of Submerged Lands for Renewable Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Area OCS-A 0532 and associated export cable routes (ECRs) to landfall locations in New Jersey.

Through this notice, the International Trade Administration (ITA) of the Department of Commerce announces a roundtable discussion with U.S. industry representatives and U.S. government officials. ITA invites applications from a wide array of industry representatives to participate in the roundtable, ranging from existing manufacturers of goods and providers of services to prospective new market entrants. Participants will have products that are or will be produced in the United States along the hydrogen value chain.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the availability for public comment the draft Conservation Plan for the Eastern Pacific Stock of Northern Fur Seal (Laaqudan) (Conservation Plan). The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) requires the Secretary of Commerce to develop a northern fur seal conservation plan for the purpose of conserving and restoring the species or stock to its optimum sustainable population. Accordingly, NMFS published its first conservation plan for the Pribilof Islands population in 1993 and a revised version in 2007. This current revision is required to include the latest research and management changes for the Eastern Pacific stock of northern fur seals (formerly the Pribilof Islands population).

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.