Department of Commerce 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) published notice in the Federal Register of April 8, 2024, in which Commerce made its preliminary determination of critical circumstances, in part, in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of aluminum lithographic printing plates (printing plates) from the People's Republic of China (China) for Fujifilm Printing Plate (China) Co., Ltd. (FFPS) and Shanghai National Ink Co. Ltd. (Shanghai National). This notice listed the incorrect date for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to begin the suspension of liquidation for entries of subject merchandise for FFPS and Shanghai National.

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 Voting and Registration Supplement as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.

This notice announces the next meeting of the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) Advisory Board (the Advisory Board).

The Internet of Things (IoT) Advisory Board will meet Tuesday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 15, 2024 from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., eastern time. Both sessions will be open to the public.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) published in the Federal Register of April 1, 2024, in which Commerce announced the initiation of five-year reviews (Sunset Reviews) of the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) order(s) and suspended investigation(s). That notice listed an incorrect case number in the "Initiation of Review" section.

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 Census Bureau is giving notice of a virtual meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations (NAC). The Committee will address policy, research, and technical issues relating to a full range of Census Bureau programs and activities, including the decennial census, demographic and economic statistical programs, field operations, and information technology. Last minute changes to the schedule are possible, which could prevent giving advance public notice of schedule adjustments.

This action implements measures for the Northeast multispecies common pool fishery and other measures under Regional Administrator authority for the 2024 fishing year. This action is necessary to ensure that the Northeast multispecies common pool fishery may achieve the optimum yield for the relevant stocks, while controlling catch to help prevent in-season closures or quota overages. These measures include possession and trip limits, the allocation of zero trips into the Closed Area II Yellowtail Flounder/Haddock Special Access Program for common pool vessels to target yellowtail flounder, and the closure of the Regular B Days-at-Sea Program.

The United States Investment Advisory Council (IAC). is renewed for an additional two-year period, as a necessary committee that is in the public interest.

NMFS approves and implements the 2024 specifications and projected 2025 specifications for Atlantic mackerel as recommended by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. These specifications establish allowable harvest levels that will prevent overfishing, consistent with the most recent scientific information.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues this guidance to inform practitioners and the public of the important issues that patent and trademark professionals, innovators, and entrepreneurs must navigate while using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in matters before the USPTO. The USPTO recognizes the possibility that AI will be used to prepare and prosecute patent and trademark applications, as well as other filings before the Office including filings submitted to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). While the USPTO is committed to maximizing AI's benefits and seeing them distributed broadly across society, the USPTO recognizes the need, through technical mitigations and human governance, to cabin the risks arising from the use of AI in practice before the USPTO. At this time, based on the USPTO's engagement with stakeholders through the USPTO's AI and Emerging Technologies (ET) Partnership (AI/ET Partnership) and a review of existing rules, the USPTO has determined that existing rules protect the USPTO's ecosystem against such potential perils. This guidance reminds individuals involved in proceedings before the USPTO of the pertinent rules and policies, helps inform those same individuals of the risks associated with the use of AI systems, and provides suggestions to mitigate those risks. The USPTO will continue to engage with the public, including through the AI/ET Partnership, as the use of AI advances and evolves.

NMFS has received a request from the United States Navy (Navy) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to 2 years of construction activities associated with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest (NAVFAC NW) Maintenance and Pile Replacement (MPR) project in Puget Sound, Washington. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue two consecutive 1-year incidental harassment authorizations (IHAs) to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. NMFS is also requesting comments on a possible one-time, 1-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 authorizations and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of refillable stainless steel kegs (kegs) from the People's Republic of China (China), during the period of review (POR) January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that imports of R-410B, R-407G, and a custom hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blend of 50-percent R-125 and 50-percent R-134a (custom HFC blend) which are blended in the People's Republic of China (China) using China-origin HFC components and further processed in the United States, are circumventing the antidumping duty (AD) order on HFC blends from China. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, its implementing regulations, and NMFS' MMPA Regulations for Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Geophysical Surveys Related to Oil and Gas Activities in the Gulf of Mexico, notification is hereby given that a Letter of Authorization (LOA) has been issued to Shell Offshore Inc. (Shell) for the take of marine mammals incidental to geophysical survey activity in the Gulf of Mexico.

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 New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is holding three regional workshops to hear and discuss feedback from the public to inform development of its Atlantic Cod Management Transition Plan. Workshop summaries will be presented at a future Council meeting.

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.

Pursuant to the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to Columbia Gulf, LLC (Columbia Gulf) to incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, marine mammals during pile driving activities associated with the East Lateral XPRESS construction project (the Project) in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. There are no changes from the proposed authorization in this final authorization.

NMFS, in response to the request of the U.S. Space Force (USSF), hereby issues regulations and a Letter of Authorization (LOA) to govern the unintentional taking of marine mammals incidental to launches and supporting activities at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in Vandenberg, California, from April 2024 to April 2029. Missile launches conducted at VSFB, which comprise a portion of the activities, are considered military readiness activities under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (2004 NDAA). These regulations, which allow for the issuance of LOAs for the incidental take of marine mammals during the described activities and specified timeframes, prescribe the permissible methods of taking and other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on marine mammal species or stocks and their habitat, as well as requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such taking.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is giving notice of a meeting of the Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee (FESAC or the Committee). The Committee advises the Directors of the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Census Bureau, and the Commissioner of the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on statistical methodology and other technical matters related to the collection, tabulation, and analysis of federal economic statistics. An agenda will be accessible prior to the meeting at https://apps.bea.gov/ fesac/.