Department of Commerce February 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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 SEDAR 95 assessment of the Atlantic stock of cobia will consist of a series of data and assessment webinars. A SEDAR 95 Data Scoping Webinar is scheduled for March 18, 2024. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold a two day in-person meeting of its Shrimp Advisory Panel (AP).

NMFS is announcing that the Pacific bluefin tuna (PBF) 2024 annual catch limit for U.S. commercial fishing vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) is 720 metric tons (mt).

On February 8, 2024, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) issued its final judgment in American Manufacturers of Multilayered Wood Flooring v. United States, Court No. 21-00595, Slip Op. 24-13 (CIT February 8, 2024), sustaining the U.S. Department of Commerce's (Commerce) 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, 2018, through November 30, 2019. 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 certain non-individually-examined companies.

The Secretary of Commerce, through the Office of Trade and Economic Analysis (OTEA) of the International Trade Administration, has received an application for an amended Export Trade Certificate of Review (Certificate). This notice summarizes the proposed application and seeks public comments on whether the Certificate should be issued.

NMFS proposes 2024 specifications and projected 2025 specifications for Atlantic mackerel. The implementing regulations for the Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) require us to publish specifications for the upcoming fishing year for each of these species and to provide an opportunity for public comment. The proposed specifications are intended to establish allowable harvest levels that will prevent overfishing, consistent with the most recent scientific information.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments on the extension of an existing information collection: 0651-0060 (National Medal of Technology and Innovation Nomination Application). The purpose of this notice is to allow 60 days for public comment preceding submission of the information collection to OMB.

In this rule, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding 93 entities under 95 entries to the Entity List. These entries are listed on the Entity List under the destinations of the People's Republic of China (China) (8), India (1), Kyrgyzstan (2), Russia (63), South Korea (1), Turkey (16), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (4). Two entities are added to the Entity List under two destinations, accounting for the difference in the totals. 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.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received 17 scientific research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmon, steelhead, green sturgeon, rockfish, and eulachon. The proposed activities in all permits are intended to increase knowledge of species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and to help guide management and conservation efforts. The applications may be viewed online at: https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/preview/ preview_open_for_comment.cfm.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is initiating and issuing 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 metal safes. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

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 Bureau of Industry and Security is amending the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding two entities under seven entries to the Entity List. These entities are listed under the destinations of Canada (1), the People's Republic of China (China) (1), India (1), Japan (1), Malaysia (1), Sweden (1), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (1). Some entities are added under multiple entries, accounting for the difference in the totals. This final rule also modifies two existing entries on the Entity List under the destination of China. This final rule removes one entity under the destination of the UAE.

NMFS announces the approval of amendment 24 to the Pacific Salmon Fishery Management Plan (Salmon FMP). The intent of amendment 24 is to clarify the technical process for reviewing updates to the models used to determine the Chinook salmon abundance threshold that may trigger additional management measures to limit the impact of ocean salmon fisheries on Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW). The whales are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Chinook salmon, some of which are listed as threatened under the ESA, are their preferred prey. This action is administrative in nature and does not change the formula for calculating the threshold or the fishery management responses currently described in the Salmon FMP.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, and implementing regulations, notification is hereby given that a Letter of Authorization (LOA) has been issued to Empire Offshore Wind, LLC (Empire Wind) for the taking of marine mammals incidental to the construction of the Empire Wind Project (hereafter known as the ``Project'').

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a joint public meeting of its Monkfish and Dogfish Committees 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.

NMFS proposes a catch limit of 457 metric tons (t) for Western and Central North Pacific Ocean (WCNPO) striped marlin caught by U.S. fishing vessels in the Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (Commission or WCPFC) Convention area north of the Equator and west of 150[deg] W longitude (the action area) and a retention limit of 443 t for U.S. fishing vessels with Hawaii longline limited entry permits. If the retention limit is projected to be reached, NMFS will prohibit retention of striped marlin caught in the WCNPO by Hawaii longline vessels for the calendar year. Action is required under Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Section 304(i) to address U.S. fishing vessels' relative impact on this internationally managed stock, which is overfished and experiencing overfishing.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that Garware Hi-Tech Films Limited (Garware Hi-Tech) is the successor-in-interest to Garware Polyester Limited (Garware Polyester) for purposes of the antidumping duty (AD) order on polyethylene terephthalate film, sheet, and strip (PET film) from India. Accordingly, Garware Hi-Tech is entitled to Garware Polyester's AD cash deposit rates with respect to entries of subject merchandise in the above referenced proceedings. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is initiating changed circumstances reviews (CCRs) to determine if Borusan Birle[scedil]ik Boru Fabrikalari Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (Borusan Boru) is the successor-in-interest to Borusan Mannesmann Boru Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (BMB) in the context of the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on circular welded carbon steel standard pipe and tube products (standard pipe), welded line pipe (WLP), certain oil tubular goods (OCTG), and large diameter welded pipe (LDWP) from the Republic of Turkey (Turkey).

On October 30, 2023, President Biden issued an Executive order on ``Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence,'' which directed the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, and in consultation with the Secretary of State, to conduct a public consultation process and issue a report on the potential risks, benefits, other implications, and appropriate policy and regulatory approaches to dual-use foundation models for which the model weights are widely available. Pursuant to that Executive order, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) hereby issues this Request for Comment on these issues. Responses received will be used to submit a report to the President on the potential benefits, risks, and implications of dual-use foundation models for which the model weights are widely available, as well as policy and regulatory recommendations pertaining to those models.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) finds that certain producers/exporters of cold-rolled steel flat products (cold-rolled steel) from the Republic of Korea (Korea) subject to this administrative review made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value during the period of review (POR), September 1, 2021, through August 31, 2022.

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 on certain cold- drawn mechanical tubing of carbon and alloy steel (cold-drawn mechanical tubing) from the Federal Republic of Germany (Germany), India, Italy, the People's Republic of China (China), the Republic of Korea (Korea), and Switzerland, and the countervailing duty (CVD) orders on cold-drawn mechanical tubing from India and China would likely lead to a continuation or recurrence of dumping, 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 proposes Federal management measures for the summer flounder and black sea bass recreational fisheries. The implementing regulations for these fisheries require NMFS to publish recreational measures for the fishing year and to provide an opportunity for public comment. The intent of this action is to set management measures that allow the recreational fisheries to achieve, but not exceed, the recreational harvest targets and thereby prevent overfishing.