Department of Commerce – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS is issuing this notice to advise Federal, state, and local government agencies and the public of withdrawal of the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed operation of salmon hatchery programs in the Nooksack River Basin in Washington.

Notice is hereby given that Pacific Whale Foundation (Responsible Party: Jens Curie), 300 Ma'alaea Rd. Ste. 211, Wailuku, Hawaii 96793, has applied for an amendment to Scientific Research Permit No. 27099.

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 Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (Chevron) for the take of marine mammals incidental to geophysical survey activity in the Gulf of Mexico.

NMFS has received a request from the City and Borough of Sitka (CBS) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to Sitka seaplane base construction activities over two years in Sitka, Alaska. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue two incidental harassment authorizations (IHA) to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. NMFS is also requesting comments on possible one- time, 1-year renewals for each IHA 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 United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is publishing guidelines for USPTO employees to use, regardless of the technology, for ascertaining compliance with the enablement requirement of the patent laws during the examination of utility patent applications and the review of utility patents in light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Amgen Inc. et al. v. Sanofi et al. These guidelines, which also inform the public of the USPTO's practices, provide that when considering whether claims in a utility patent application or patent are enabled, USPTO personnel will continue to use the In re Wands factors to ascertain whether the amount of experimentation required to enable the full scope of the claimed invention is reasonable. Publishing these guidelines will promote consistent analysis of the enablement requirement of the patent laws by USPTO employees and will result in clearer USPTO communications to applicants, patentees, and relevant third parties concerning any deficiencies in enablement compliance. These guidelines will also promote the consistent treatment of enablement, both by the patent examining corps in patent applications and reexamination proceedings and by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) in ex parte appeals and post-patent issuance proceedings.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that Shanghai Tainai Bearing Co., Ltd. (Tainai) sold tapered roller bearings and parts thereof, finished and unfinished, (TRBs) from the People's Republic of China (China) at less than normal value (NV) during the period of review (POR), June 1, 2021, through May 31, 2022.

Notice is hereby given that Sean Todd, Ph.D., College of the Atlantic, 105 Eden Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, has applied in due form for a permit for scientific research on marine mammal parts.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a 4-day hybrid meeting to consider actions affecting the Gulf of Mexico fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

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) order and countervailing duty (CVD) order on cast iron soil pipe fittings (soil pipe fittings) from the People's Republic of China (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 the AD and CVD orders.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that tin mill products from the Republic of Turkey (Turkey) are not being, or are not likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV) for the period of investigation January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that tin mill products from the Netherlands are not being, or are not likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV) for the period of investigation January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that imports of tin mill products from Germany are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation is January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that imports of tin mill products from the People's Republic of China (China) 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 December 31, 2022.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is announcing the Public Engagement Partnership meeting series to facilitate increased engagement with the public about the patent system. The USPTO will host the first meeting of the Public Engagement Partnership series virtually and in person at the USPTO headquarters on March 1, 2024. The purpose of this meeting is to provide education about the patent system and to share ideas, experiences, and insights related to the administration of the system.

In accordance with 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 the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) to incidentally harass marine mammals during construction associated with the Hydaburg Seaplane Base Refurbishment Project in Hydaburg, Alaska.

The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (REEEAC or the Committee) will hold an in-person meeting, accessible to the public in-person and online, on Thursday, January 25, 2024 at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, DC. Registration instructions for the public to attend either in-person or online are provided below. The meeting has a limited number of spaces for members of the public to attend in-person. Requests to attend in-person will be considered on a first-come first-served basis.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that the producers/exporters subject to this administrative review made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value during the period of review (POR), July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022. Additionally, Commerce determines that four companies for which we initiated a review had no shipments during the POR.

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.

NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is transferring a portion of its 2023 commercial summer flounder quota to the State of Connecticut. This adjustment to the 2023 fishing year quota is necessary to comply with the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) quota transfer provisions. This announcement informs the public of the revised 2023 commercial quotas for North Carolina and Connecticut.

The Secretary of Commerce, through the Office of Trade and Economic Analysis (``OTEA'') of the International Trade Administration, has received notice of the relinquishing of an Export Trade Certificate of Review (``Certificate'').

The SEDAR 88 assessment of Gulf of Mexico red grouper will consist of a series of webinars. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.