Department of Commerce 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS has received a request from the Port of Alaska (POA) for authorization to take small numbers of marine mammals incidental to construction activities related to the Port of Alaska Modernization Program (PAMP) Phase 2B: Cargo Docks Replacement Project, including impact and vibratory pile driving at the POA in Anchorage, Alaska, over the course of 5 years from the date of issuance. Pursuant to regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is announcing receipt of the POA'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 POA's application and request.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public hybrid meeting of its Joint Groundfish Advisory and Recreational 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.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is rescinding the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on utility scale wind towers (wind towers) from the People's Republic of China (China) for the period of review (POR) February 1, 2022, through January 31, 2023.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office or USPTO) proposes to update its rules governing amendment practice in trial proceedings under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) to make permanent certain provisions of the Office's motion to amend pilot program (MTA pilot program) and to revise the rules that allocate burdens of persuasion in connection with motions to amend (MTAs). The Office proposes to revise its rules of practice to provide for issuance of preliminary guidance in response to an MTA and to provide a patent owner with the option for filing one additional revised MTA. Further, the Office proposes to revise the rules to clarify that a preponderance of evidence standard applies to any new ground of unpatentability raised by the Board and to clarify that when exercising the discretion to grant or deny an MTA or to raise a new ground of unpatentability, the Board may consider all evidence of record in the proceeding, including evidence identified through a prior art search conducted by the Office at the Board's request and added to the record. These rules better ensure the Office's role of issuing robust and reliable patents, and the predictability and certainty of post-grant trial proceedings before the Board. These changes would apply to the existing consolidated set of rules relating to the Office trial practice for inter partes review (IPR), post-grant review (PGR), and derivation proceedings that implemented provisions of the AIA providing for trials before the Office.

The Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board (ISPAB) will meet Wednesday, March 20, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time, and Thursday, March 21, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., Eastern Time. All sessions will be open to the public.

In accordance with the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is automatically initiating the five-year reviews (Sunset Reviews) of the antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) order(s) and suspended investigation(s) listed below. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is publishing concurrently with this notice its notice of Institution of Five-Year Reviews which covers the same order(s) and suspended investigation(s).

The FirstNet Authority Board will convene an open public meeting of the Board and Board Committees.

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 reinstatement without change of the Current Population Survey Basic Demographics as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued a renewal incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to Bluepoint Wind, LLC, (BPW) to incidentally harass marine mammals incidental to marine site characterization surveys in coastal waters off of New York and New Jersey in the New York Bight, specifically within the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Commercial Lease of Submerged Lands for Renewable Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf (Lease) Area OCS-A 0537 and associated export cable route (ECR) area.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that mattresses from Italy are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation (POI) is July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that mattresses from India are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation (POI) is July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that mattresses from Bulgaria are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation (POI) is July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that mattresses from Kosovo are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation is July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that mattresses from the Philippines are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation (POI) is July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that Hyundai Steel Co., Ltd. (Hyundai Steel) and POSCO/POSCO International Corporation (collectively POSCO), producers/exporters of certain cold- rolled steel flat products (cold-rolled steel) from the Republic of Korea (Korea), received countervailable subsidies during the period of review (POR) January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that mattresses from Spain are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation (POI) is July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold its 151st Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), Executive and Budget Standing Committee (SC) and its 198th Council meeting to take actions on fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region. The Council will also hold a joint meeting of the Advisory Panel (AP), the Fishing Industry Advisory Committee (FIAC), and the Non-Commercial Fisheries Advisory Committee (NCFAC). The correction is for the Executive and Budget SC to be held on March 15, 2024. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will hold a public meeting.

NMFS will convene the Research Track Assessment Peer Review Meeting for the purpose of reviewing Golden Tilefish. 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 stock assessment experts from the Center of Independent Experts (CIE). 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 North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Pacific Northwest Crab Industry Advisory Committee (PNCIAC) will meet March 15, 2024.

NMFS proposes revisions to regulations that implement the Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This proposed action would remove a rebuilding plan for Snohomish River coho salmon from regulation, as this stock has been rebuilt and is no longer required to be managed under a rebuilding plan.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that Shanghai Yueda Nails Co., Ltd., a.k.a. Shanghai Yueda Nails Industry Co., Ltd. (Shanghai Yueda), an exporter of certain steel nails from the People's Republic of China (China), sold subject merchandise in the United States at prices below normal value (NV) during the period of review (POR) August 1, 2021, through July 31, 2022. Commerce further determines that certain companies made no shipments of the subject merchandise during the POR.

This notice announces the availability of the Final Environmental Assessment (EA) on the issuance of an Endangered Species Act (ESA) Enhancement of Survival Permit to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for the operation of the Fall Creek Hatchery coho salmon program. The Fall Creek Hatchery coho salmon program is operated under an associated Hatchery Genetic Management Plan (HGMP). This notice also announces that NMFS has decided to issue a permit (15755-2M) to CDFW for activities described in their HGMP, and has authorized the HGMP for the Fall Creek Hatchery coho salmon program in the Klamath River watershed in California.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda for a meeting of the Science Advisory Board (SAB). The members will discuss issues outlined in the section on Matters to be considered.