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

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is initiating and issuing expedited preliminary results of changed circumstances reviews (CCR) of the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on certain metal lockers and parts thereof (metal lockers) from the People's Republic of China (China), to revoke the orders, in part, with respect to certain gun safes. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold public meetings of the Council, including joint meetings with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board, the ASMFC Interstate Fishery Management Program Policy Board, and the ASMFC Bluefish Management Board.

We, NMFS, propose to designate critical habitat for the Rice's whale (Balaenoptera ricei) by designating waters from the 100 meter (m) isobath to the 400 m isobath in the Gulf of Mexico (GOMx), pursuant to section 4 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We have considered economic, national security, and other relevant impacts of the proposed designation. We are not excluding any particular area from the critical habitat designation. We seek comments on all aspects of the proposed critical habitat designation and will consider information received before issuing a final designation.

NMFS announces inseason actions for certain subareas in the Pacific halibut recreational fishery in the International Pacific Halibut Commission's regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California. Specifically, this action adds the following fishing dates: the Washington Puget Sound subarea to open 7 days per week from August 17 through September 30; the Washington North Coast subarea to open 7 days per week from August 17 through September 30; the Columbia River and Washington South Coast subareas to open August 26 and 27, September 8, 9, and 22; and Oregon Central Coast subarea to open 7 days per week from August 3 through October 31. This action is intended to conserve Pacific halibut and provide angler opportunity where available.

On July 12, 2023, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) issued its final judgment in Danyang Weiwang Tools Manufacturing Co., Ltd. et al. v. United States, Consol. Court No. 19-00006, sustaining the U.S. Department of Commerce's (Commerce) remand results pertaining to the antidumping duty administrative review on diamond sawblades and parts thereof from the People's Republic of China (China) covering the period of review, November 1, 2016, through October 31, 2017. 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 Danyang Weiwang Tools Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Quanzhou Zhongzhi Diamond Tool Co., Ltd., and Chengdu Huifeng New Material Technology Co., Ltd. (collectively, the Separate Rate Respondents).

NMFS has received a request from the United States Navy for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to the Mole Pier South Berth Floating Dry Dock Project in San Diego Bay. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. NMFS is also requesting comments on a possible one-time, one-year renewal that could be issued under certain circumstances and if all requirements are met, as described in Request for Public Comments at the end of this notice. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the issuance of the requested MMPA authorization and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a four-day meeting to consider actions affecting the Gulf of Mexico fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) will hold an online meeting, which is open to the public.

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.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is rescinding a circumvention inquiry regarding whether certain lawn mowers assembled or completed in the United States by attaching Chinese cutting deck shells (attached to at least one significant non-engine component) to internal combustion engines are circumventing the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on certain walk-behind lawn mowers and parts thereof (lawn mowers) from the People's Republic of China (China).

NMFS will convene the Research Track Assessment Peer Review Meeting for the purpose of reviewing the Atlantic cod stocks western Gulf of Maine, eastern Gulf of Maine, southern New England, Georges Bank. The Research Track Assessment Peer Review is a formal scientific peer-review process for evaluating and presenting stock assessment results to managers for fish stocks in the offshore U.S. waters of the northwest Atlantic. Assessments are prepared by the research track working group and reviewed by an independent panel of independent stock assessment experts. The public is invited to attend the presentations and discussions between the review panel and the scientists who have participated in the stock assessment process.

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 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 on the proposed revision of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Department), via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), requests additional input from interested parties on how to enhance NOAA's delivery of climate data, information, science, and tools (``climate services'') and ensure that this delivery is equitable and accounting for the needs and priorities of a diverse set of user communities as they engage in climate preparedness, adaptation, and resilience planning. Building on the work that NOAA is already doing to prepare communities for increasing climate impacts, the input from this Request for Information (RFI) will be used to create an Action Plan that will inform more equitable and inclusive design, production, and delivery of climate services for users of all disciplines and backgrounds.

This notice invites non-Federal entities to partner with the ocean and coastal mapping programs of NOAA's National Ocean Service on jointly-funded projects of mutual interest, and establishes selection criteria and submission requirements for such projects under the NOAA Rear Admiral Richard T. Brennan Ocean Mapping Fund program. With this funding opportunity, NOAA will match selected non-Federal partners at a 70:30 NOAA: partner ratio for projects totaling up to $1,000,000, and proposing to contract for ocean, coastal and/or Great Lakes mapping data. Selected non-Federal partners further benefit from this opportunity by leveraging NOAA's contracting (NOAA has a pool of pre- qualified technical experts in surveying and mapping) and data management expertise. This ocean and coastal mapping funding opportunity is subject to the availability of funds.

We, NMFS, published a proposed rule on April 7, 2023 to list the Atlantic humpback dolphin (Sousa teuszii) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in response to a petition from the Animal Welfare Institute, the Center for Biological Diversity, and VIVA Vaquita to list the species. Following publication of this proposed rule, NMFS became aware of cartographic guidance bulletin 38, issued by the Department of State's Office of the Geographer and Global Issues on December 16, 2020, and determined that the preamble to our proposed rule was not in alignment with the guidance. This correction removes all references to the name ``Western Sahara'' from the proposed rule's preamble and identifies Morocco as a country within the species' range, per the guidance. Additionally, this correction includes changes to the ``International Regulatory Mechanisms'' subsection of the proposed rule resulting from the inclusion of Morocco as a range country for the Atlantic humpback dolphin (S. teuszii). We are also reopening the public comment period for the proposed rule.

We, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), propose to designate specific areas in the marine environment as critical habitat for six distinct population segments (DPSs) of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended. The DPSs that occur in waters under U.S. jurisdiction include the threatened North Atlantic, South Atlantic, East Pacific, and Central North Pacific DPSs and the endangered Central South Pacific and Central West Pacific DPSs. Proposed critical habitat includes nearshore areas from the mean high water line to 20 m depth located along the coasts of Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, California (which also includes nearshore areas from the mean high water line to 10 km offshore), Hawai`i, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. It also includes Sargassum habitat, from 10 m depth to the outer boundary of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. Based on consideration of economic impacts, we propose to exclude multiple areas from designation. We are soliciting comments on all aspects of the proposed critical habitat designations and will consider information received prior to making final designations. We are also announcing public informational meetings and public hearings.

Based upon the timely withdrawal of all review requests, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) is rescinding the administrative reviews covering the periods of review and the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders identified in the table below.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has modified the incidental harassment authorization (IHA) renewal that was issued to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) for the Ferry Berth Improvements Project in Tongass Narrows, Ketchikan, Alaska, on March 1, 2023.

NMFS is opening directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the Bering Sea subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to fully use the 2023 total allowable catch of Pacific ocean perch (POP) specified for the Bering Sea subarea of the BSAI.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to certain producers and exporters of certain pasta (pasta) from Italy during the period of review (POR) January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021. Additionally, Commerce is rescinding the review with respect to two companies. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA), is organizing an Executive-Led Cybersecurity Business Development Mission to Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan on September 18-26, 2023. This notice is to update the prior Federal Register notice to reflect that the application deadline is now extended to July 21, 2023 and the proposed timetable has been updated to include additional events.

NMFS received a request from the City of Seattle, Washington (City) for the renewal of their currently active incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to take marine mammals incidental to the Pier 58 Reconstruction Project. These activities are a subset of the initial work or are nearly identical to work covered in the current authorization. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, prior to issuing the currently active IHA, NMFS requested comments on both the proposed IHA and the potential for renewing the initial authorization if certain requirements were satisfied. The renewal requirements have been satisfied, and NMFS is now providing an additional 15-day comment period to allow for any additional comments on the proposed renewal not previously provided during the initial 30-day comment period.

NMFS is adjusting the Harpoon category bluefin tuna (BFT) daily retention limit from the default of no more than 10 large medium and giant BFT (i.e., measuring 73 inches (185 cm) or greater curved fork length (CFL)), combined, to 5 large medium and giant BFT, combined, per vessel per day/trip. This action maintains the incidental daily catch limit of two large medium BFT (measuring 73 inches to less than 81 inches (206 cm)) per vessel per day/trip. This action applies to Atlantic Tunas Harpoon category permitted vessels and will be effective for the remainder of the 2023 Harpoon category fishing season, which ends November 15, 2023.