15 CFR Chapter IX - NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expanded the boundaries of Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (now renamed Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary or GFNMS) and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (CBNMS) to an area north and west of their previous boundaries with a final rule published on March 12, 2015. The final rule entered into effect on June 9, 2015. At that time, NOAA postponed the effectiveness of the discharge requirements in both sanctuaries' regulations in the areas added to GFNMS and CBNMS boundaries in 2015 with regard to U.S. Coast Guard activities for six months. Since then, NOAA published three documents to extend the postponement of the discharge requirements to provide adequate time for completion of an environmental assessment, and subsequent rulemaking, as appropriate. The current extension would end on June 9, 2017. This document extends the postponement of the discharge requirements for these activities for another six months for the same reasons.

This rule amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding sixteen persons to the Entity List. The sixteen persons who are added to the Entity List have been determined by the U.S. Government to be acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. These sixteen persons will be listed on the Entity List under the destinations of Pakistan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. This final rule is also modifying two existing entries in the Entity List under the destinations of China and Hong Kong.

Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) section 610 requires that the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) periodically review existing regulations that have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities, such as small businesses, small organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions. This plan describes how ONMS will perform this review and describes the regulation proposed for review during the current review-cycle.

This rule makes minor technical changes to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulation. It also adopts as a final rule without change the proposed rule updating USTR's Privacy Act implementing regulation. USTR published both the FOIA and Privacy Act rules in December 2016.

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) issues this Final Rule amending the Foreign Trade Regulations (FTR) to reflect new export reporting requirements. Specifically, the Census Bureau is making changes related to the implementation of the International Trade Data System (ITDS), in accordance with the Executive Order 13659, Streamlining the Export/Import Process for American Businesses. The ITDS was established by the Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act of 2006. The changes also include the addition of the original Internal Transaction Number (ITN) data element in the Automated Export System (AES). Lastly, the Census Bureau is making remedial changes to improve clarity of the reporting requirements. These changes are discussed in detail in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is amending the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding six (6) persons to the Unverified List (the “Unverified List” or UVL); revising two addresses and adding an alternate name, or a.k.a., for one (1) person currently listed on the UVL; and revising three addresses, adding three additional addresses, and adding an alternate name, or a.k.a, for one (1) person currently listed on the UVL. The six persons are being added to the UVL on the basis that BIS could not verify their bona fides because an end-use check could not be completed satisfactorily for reasons outside the U.S. Government's control. Two addresses are revised for one person currently listed on the UVL to add the official Hong Kong district name. In addition, this rule adds an alternate name for this person. This rule also revises three addresses for an additional person currently listed on the UVL to add the official Hong Kong district names and correct a previous error. Finally, this rule adds three additional addresses and an alternate name for this person, as BIS has determined this person is receiving U.S. exports at additional addresses and using an additional name.

NMFS is amending the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) based on the results of the 2016 stock assessment update for Atlantic dusky sharks. Based on this assessment, NMFS determined that the dusky shark stock remains overfished and is experiencing overfishing. Consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), NMFS is implementing management measures that will reduce fishing mortality on dusky sharks to end overfishing and rebuild the dusky shark population consistent with legal requirements. The final measures could affect HMS-permitted commercial and recreational fishermen who harvest sharks or whose fishing vessels interact with sharks in the Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.

On March 24, 2016, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a final rule, Temporary General License. The March 24 final rule created a temporary general license that restored, for a specified time period, the licensing requirements and policies under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) for exports, reexports, and transfers (in-country) as of March 7, 2016, to two entities (ZTE Corporation and ZTE Kangxun) that were added to the Entity List on March 8, 2016. At this time, the U.S. Government has decided to extend the temporary general license until March 29, 2017. In order to implement this decision, this final rule revises the temporary general license to remove the expiration date of February 27, 2017, and to substitute the date of March 29, 2017. This final rule makes no other changes to the EAR.

In accordance with the memorandum of January 20, 2017, from the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, entitled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,” published in the Federal Register on January 24, 2017 (the Memorandum), this action delays the effective date of the final rule published on January 19, 2017.

NMFS published a “Stay of final rule” on January 31, 2017—in accordance with the memorandum of January 20, 2017, from the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, entitled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,” published in the Federal Register on January 24, 2017 (the Memorandum)—to delay the effective date of the final rule NMFS published on December 28, 2016. This notification corrects the effectiveness date from “March 12, 2017” to “March 11, 2017.” For consistency and clarity, the complete new DATES section has been set out below in its entirety.

In accordance with the memorandum of January 20, 2017, from the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, entitled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,” published in the Federal Register on January 24, 2017 (the Memorandum), this action temporarily delays the implementation date of one revision implemented by the final rule entitled “Commerce Control List: Removal of Certain Nuclear Nonproliferation (NP) Column 2 Controls” published by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) in the Federal Register on November 25, 2016. The final rule amended the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to remove nuclear nonproliferation (NP) Column 2 license requirements from certain pressure tubes, pipes, fittings, pipe valves, pumps, numerically controlled machine tools, oscilloscopes, and transient recorders on the Commerce Control List (CCL).

In accordance with the memorandum of January 20, 2017, from the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, entitled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,” published in the Federal Register on January 24, 2017 (the Memorandum), this action stays the final rule NMFS published on December 28, 2016, in order to delay its effective date.

This rule updates the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) legal authority citations in the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to cite the most recent Presidential notice continuing an emergency declared pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. This is a non-substantive rule that only updates authority paragraphs of the EAR. It does not alter any right, obligation or prohibition that applies to any person under the EAR.

This rule revises the policy of review for applications for licenses to export or reexport to Sudan certain items that are intended to ensure the safety of civil aviation or the safe operation of fixed-wing, commercial passenger aircraft. Such applications will now be reviewed under a general policy of approval rather than a general policy of denial. This rule also revises the review policy from a general policy of denial to a general policy of approval for applications for licenses to export or reexport to Sudan certain items for use to inspect, design, construct, operate, improve, maintain, repair, overhaul or refurbish railroads in Sudan. This rule does not create any new license requirements or remove any existing license requirements for exports or reexports to Sudan. BIS is making these licensing policy changes in connection with ongoing U.S.-Sudan bilateral engagement, and with the aim of enhancing the safety of Sudan's civil aviation and improving the country's railroads. This action takes into account the United States' goals to improve regional peace and security. This rule also removes two instances of “contract sanctity dates” pertaining to the export and reexport of certain items to Sudan from the EAR that currently serve no practical purpose. BIS is taking these actions in coordination with the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is amending the Sudanese Sanctions Regulations.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding five entities to the Entity List. These five 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. BIS is taking this action in conjunction with the designations made by the Office of Foreign Asset Controls, Department of the Treasury, under amended Executive Order 13694. This final rule lists these entities on the Entity List under the destination of Russia.

This rule proposes revisions to the Department of Commerce's (Department) regulations under the Privacy Act. The Department has issued a notice of its intent to establish a new system of records entitled “COMMERCE/DEPARTMENT-27, Investigation and Threat Management Records,” which includes system exemptions from certain provisions of the Privacy Act. The Privacy Act regulations are being updated to make technical changes to the applicable exemptions as a result of the new system of records, COMMERCE/DEPARTMENT-27. The Privacy Act regulations are also being updated to reflect organization changes affecting the Department's officials authorized to deny requests for records under the Freedom of Information Act, and requests for records and for correction or amendment under the Privacy Act.