Department of Commerce August 27, 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In this rule, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding 123 entities under 131 entries to the Entity List. These entries are listed on the Entity List under the destinations of Canada (1), the People's Republic of China (China) (42), the Crimea Region of Ukraine (1), Cyprus (1), Iran (11), Kazakhstan (1), Kyrgyzstan (1), Russia (63), Turkey (8), Ukraine (1), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (1). Three entities are added to the Entity List under two destinations and two entities are added to the Entity List under three destinations, which accounts 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.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 2 to the Puerto Rico Fishery Management Plan (FMP), Amendment 2 to the St. Croix FMP, and Amendment 2 to the St. Thomas and St. John FMP (jointly Amendment 2) for review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, Amendment 2 would prohibit and restrict the use of certain net gear in U.S. Caribbean Federal waters and would require a descending device be available and ready for use on vessels when fishing for federally managed reef fish in U.S. Caribbean Federal waters. The purpose of Amendment 2 is to protect habitats and species from the potential negative impacts associated with the use of certain net gear and to enhance the survival of released reef fish in U.S. Caribbean Federal waters.

On August 13, 2024, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) issued its final judgment in Yama Ribbons and Bows Co., Ltd. v. United States, Court No. 21-00402, sustaining the U.S. Department of Commerce's (Commerce) final results of redetermination pertaining to the administrative review of the countervailing duty order on narrow woven ribbons with woven selvedge (ribbons) from the People's Republic of China (China) covering the period January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018. 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 countervailable subsidy rate assigned to Yama Ribbons and Bows Co. (Yama).

NMFS has received a request from Rio Grande LNG, LLC, (Rio Grande) for the reissuance of a previously issued incidental harassment authorization (IHA) with the only change being effective dates. The initial IHA authorized take of three species of marine mammals incidental to activities associated with the construction of a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in the Brownsville Ship Channel (BSC), Cameron County, Texas. The project has been delayed and none of the work covered in the initial IHA has been conducted. The initial IHA was effective from July 1, 2020, through June 31, 2021. Rio Grande has requested reissuance with new effective dates of January 15, 2025, through January 14, 2026. The scope of the activities and anticipated effects remain the same, authorized take numbers are not changed, and the required mitigation, monitoring, and reporting remains the same as included in the initial IHA. NMFS is, therefore, issuing an identical IHA to cover the incidental take analyzed and authorized in the initial IHA.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of the following: Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) Committee, Habitat and Ecosystem Committee, and Snapper Grouper Committee. The meeting week will also include a formal public comment session and meetings of the Full Council.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a meeting of its Herring Advisory Panel 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.