Industry and Security Bureau 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice is to advise the public that the National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee, co-chaired by the Departments of Commerce and State, is seeking public comments on the potential market impact of proposed changes in the disposal levels of excess Chromium Metal, Ferrochromium, and Tungsten ores and concentrates under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 Annual Materials Plan (AMP).

This rule revises delivery addresses, telephone and facsimile numbers; makes a nomenclature change, and corrects a citation error. This rule revises the delivery address for the ENC Encryption Request Coordinator and the office within BIS that receives encryption review requests and reports. The rule also revises the facsimile number for the Office of Exporter Services, corrects the name of the Outreach and Educational Services Division, revises the office to which a voluntary self-disclosure may be sent, revises the title and address of the official to whom a voluntary self-disclosure may be sent, and corrects a citation error. These actions are being taken to reflect the reorganization or movement of certain offices or functions, and to correct an error in the regulations. This action is not intended to have a substantive effect on the rights or obligations of the public.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is publishing this final rule to amend the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by increasing the country scope of chemical/biological (CB) controls on those Commerce Control List (CCL) entries that contain chemical/ biological equipment and related technology included on the Australia Group (AG) Common Control Lists. Specifically, this final rule expands the country scope of the CB license requirements for these CCL entries from certain countries of concern for chemical/biological weapons reasons to all destinations, worldwide, except for those countries that participate in the Australia Group (AG). These changes are intended to make the EAR license requirements that apply to chemical/biological equipment and related technology identified on the AG Common Control Lists consistent with the AG ``Guidelines for Transfers of Sensitive Chemical or Biological Items.'' In addition, this rule amends certain end-user and end-use based controls in the EAR by expanding these controls to include transfers (in-country), as well as exports and reexports. Specifically, this final rule expands the EAR restrictions on certain chemical and biological weapons end-uses to apply to exports, reexports, and transfers of items subject to the EAR to or within any country or destination, worldwide. Prior to the publication of this rule, such restrictions applied only to exports and reexports. Finally, this rule amends the EAR by expanding the country scope of the restrictions on certain activities of U.S. persons to include activities in support of the design, development, production, stockpiling, or use of chemical or biological weapons in or by any country or destination, worldwide. This change makes the country scope of these U.S. person controls consistent with the country scope of the chemical and biological weapons end-user/end-use controls in Section 744.4 of the EAR, as described above.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is reviewing the recommendations contained in the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General Report entitled ``Deemed Export Controls May Not Stop the Transfer of Sensitive Technology to Foreign Nationals in the U.S.'' (Final Inspection Report No. IPE-16176-March 2004). Certain of these recommendations would require regulatory changes that would affect existing requirements and policies for deemed export licenses. BIS is seeking comments on how these revisions would affect industry, the academic community, and U.S. government agencies involved in research.

In this rule, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to implement further changes to export and reexport controls with respect to Libya. The majority of changes are based on comments submitted to BIS as requested in an earlier interim rule. This rule also corrects an inadvertent error in that interim rule.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) publishes this notice to announce that the agency will hold a meeting on March 28, 2005 for organizations interested in exporting ``tools of trade'' items for humanitarian work in Sudan under a License Exception, as provided under the rule BIS published in the Federal Register on February 18, 2005. U.S. Government officials will provide information at this meeting on the use of this License Exception for Sudan. This meeting is open to the public.

This rule revises the Defense Priorities and Allocations System to allow a person rejecting a rated order to give his or her reasons for the rejection through electronic means rather than requiring a person to submit the rationale in writing.

This rule makes technical corrections to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by updating internal agency process matters, clarifying license exceptions, correcting citation errors and clarifying paperwork requirements. None of these technical corrections change the current interpretations or licensing requirements of the EAR.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).