32076 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 99 / Monday, May 22, 2000 / Notices

April 17, 2000. The NAFTA Secretariat

has assigned Case Number MEX-USA–

00–1904–01 to this request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Caratina L. Alston, United States

Secretary, NAFTA Secretariat, Suite

2061, 14th and Constitution Avenue,

Washington, D.C. 20230, (202) 482–

5438.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Chapter

19 of the North American Free-Trade

Agreement (‘‘Agreement’’) establishes a

mechanism to replace domestic judicial

review of final determinations in

antidumping and countervailing duty

cases involving imports from a NAFTA

country with review by independent

binational panels. When a Request for

Panel Review is filed, a panel is

established to act in place of national

courts to review expeditiously the final

determination to determine whether it

conforms with the antidumping or

countervailing duty law of the country

that made the determination.

Under Article 1904 of the Agreement,

which came into force on January 1,

1994, the Government of the United

States, the Government of Canada and

the Government of Mexico established

Rules of Procedure for Article 1904

Binational Panel Reviews (‘‘Rules’’).

These Rules were published in the

Federal Register on February 23, 1994

(59 FR 8686).

A first Request for Panel Review was

filed with the Mexican Section of the

NAFTA Secretariat, pursuant to Article

1904 of the Agreement, on May 4, 2000,

requesting panel review of the final

determination described above.

The Rules provide that:

(a) A Party or interested person may

challenge the final determination in

whole or in part by filing a Complaint

in accordance with Rule 39 within 30

days after the filing of the first Request

for Panel Review (the deadline for filing

a Complaint is June 5, 2000);

(b) A Party, investigating authority or

interested person that does not file a

Complaint but that intends to appear in

support of any reviewable portion of the

final determination may participate in

the panel review by filing a Notice of

Appearance in accordance with Rule 40

within 45 days after the filing of the first

Request for Panel Review (the deadline

for filing a Notice of Appearance is June

19, 2000); and

(c) The panel review shall be limited

to the allegations of error of fact or law,

including the jurisdiction of the

investigating authority, that are set out

in the Complaints filed in the panel

review and the procedural and

substantive defenses raised in the panel

review.

Dated: May 15, 2000.

Caratina L. Alston,

United States Secretary, NAFTA Secretariat.

[FR Doc. 00–12728 Filed 5–19–00; 8: 45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–GT–U

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 051200F]

North Pacific Fishery Management

Council; Public Meetings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery

Management Council (Council) and its

advisory committees will hold public

meetings.

DATES: The Council and its advisory

committees will meet in Portland, OR

the week of June 5, 2000. See

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific

dates and times.

ADDRESSES: All meetings will be held at

the Doubletree Hotel-Portland

Downtown, 310 SW. Lincoln, Portland,

OR.

Council address: North Pacific

Fishery Management Council, 605 W.

4th Ave., Suite 306, Anchorage, AK

99501–2252.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Council staff, telephone: 907–271–2809.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Advisory Panel will begin at 8:00 a.m.,

Monday, June 5, and continue through

Thursday, June 8. The Scientific

Committee will begin at 8:00 a.m. on

Monday, June 5, and continue through

Wednesday, June 7.

The Council will begin their plenary

session at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June

7, continuing through Monday, June 12.

All meetings are open to the public

except Executive Sessions which may

be held during the week to discuss

litigation and/or personnel matters.

Council: The agenda for the Council’s

plenary session will include the

following issues. The Council may take

appropriate action on any of the issues

identified.

1. Reports

(a) Executive Director’s Report.

(b) State Fisheries Report by Alaska

Dept. of Fish and Game.

(c) NMFS Management Report.

(d) Enforcement and Surveillance

reports by NMFS and the Coast Guard.

2. Observer Program:

(a) Final action on regulatory

amendments.

(b) Observer Committee Report.

3. American Fisheries Act:

(a) Final action on inshore

cooperative structure.

(b) Initial review of groundfish

processor sideboards and excessive

share caps.

(c) Review crab processing capacity

and activities during 2000 opilio season.

(d) Review methods for allocating

pollock to inshore cooperatives,

calculations of Pacific cod sideboards,

and crab sideboard exemptions.

(e) Status report on development of

Supplemental Environmental Impact

Statement for the American Fisheries

Act.

4. Steller Sea Lion Protection:

(a) Status report on Reasonable and

Prudent Alternatives for Pacific cod.

(b) Report on Russian sea lion

research and management.

5. Staff Tasking:

(a) Review current tasking and

proposals received; direction to staff on

new amendments/analyses.

(b) Determine next steps for

rationalization of Gulf of Alaska Pacific

cod.

(c) Provide staff direction on

development of Gulf of Alaska

cooperatives.

(d) Provide staff direction for next

steps in essential fish habitat

stakeholder process; determine need for

revisions to crab fishery management

plan and halibut regulations to protect

corals and sponges.

6. Magnuson-Stevens Act

Reauthorization Issues:

Review current legislative proposals

and recommendations from Council

Chairmen’s meeting.

7. Groundfish Management:

(a) Status report on development of

groundfish Supplemental

Environmental Impact Statement.

(b) Initial review of amendment to

revise process for setting annual fishery

specifications.

8. Crab Management:

(a) Final action on rebuilding plans

for St. Matthew blue and Opilio crabs.

(b) Updates on crab cooperatives and

permit buyback program.

(c) Crab Interim Action Committee

report on appeals.

Advisory Meetings

Advisory Panel: With the exception of

the reports listed under Item 1, the

agenda for the Advisory Panel will

mirror that of the Council listed above.

Scientific and Statistical Committee

(SSC): The Scientific and Statistical

Committee will address the following

items on the Council agenda:

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 99 / Monday, May 22, 2000 / Notices 32077

1. Inshore cooperative structure and

groundfish processing sideboards and

excessive share caps.

2. Observer program changes.

3. Groundfish Management:

(a) Status report on development of

groundfish Supplemental

Environmental Impact Statement; and

(b) Initial review of amendment to

revise process for setting annual fishery

specifications.

4. Steller sea lion protection.

5. Review of halibut charter

individual fishing quota program

analytical outline.

Other Committee/Workgroup &

Industry Meetings

During the meeting week, the

following groups will hold meetings to

discuss various agenda issues of

interest:

Crab Permit Buyback Industry

Meeting: Monday, June 5, 7:00 p.m.

Crab Interim Action Committee:

Tuesday, June 6, 1:00 p.m.

Crab Cooperative Industry Meeting:

Tuesday, June 6, 7:00 p.m.

Gulf of Alaska Cooperative

Committee: Thursday, June 8, 6:00 p.m.

Ecosystems Committee: Friday, June

9, 6:00 p.m.

Other committees and workgroups

may hold impromptu meetings

throughout the meeting week. Such

meetings will be announced during

regularly-scheduled meetings of the

Council, Advisory Panel, and SSC, and

will be posted at the hotel.

Although non-emergency issues not

contained in this agenda may come

before this Council for discussion, in

accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens

Fishery Conservation and Management

Act, those issues may not be the subject

of formal Council action during this

meeting. Council action will be

restricted to those issues specifically

identified in the agenda and any issues

arising after publication of this notice

that require emergency action under

section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens

Act, provided the public has been

notified of the Council’s intent to take

final action of address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

These meetings are physically

accessible to people with disabilities.

Requests for sign language

interpretation or other auxiliary aids

should be directed to Helen Allen at

907–271–2809 at least 7 working days

prior to the meeting date.

Dated: May 17, 2000.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–12835 Filed 5–19–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 051500A]

Marine Mammals; File No. 782–1446

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of application for

amendment.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

Alaska Fisheries Science Center,

National Marine Mammal Laboratory,

7600 Sand Point Way, NE, Seattle, WA

98115 has requested an amendment to

scientific research Permit No. 782–1446.

DATES: Written or telefaxed comments

must be received on or before June 21,

2000.

ADDRESSES: The amendment request

and related documents are available for

review upon written request or by

appointment in the following office(s):

Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, NMFS,

1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705,

Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/713–

2289);

Alaska Region, National Marine

Fisheries Service, NOAA, P.O. Box.

21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668 (907/

586–7221); and

Northwest Region, National Marine

Fisheries Service, NOAA, 7600 Sand

Point Way, NE, BIN C15700, Seattle,

WA 98115–0070 (206/526–6150).

Southwest Region, National Marine

Fisheries Service, NOAA,501 West

Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach,

CA 90802–4213 (562/980–4021).

Written comments or requests for a

public hearing on this request should be

submitted to the Chief, Permits and

Documentation Division, F/PR1, Office

of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315

East-West Highway, Room 13130, Silver

Spring, MD 20910. Those individuals

requesting a hearing should set forth the

specific reasons why a hearing on this

particular amendment request would be

appropriate.

Comments may also be submitted by

facsimile at (301) 713–0376, provided

the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy

submitted by mail and postmarked no

later than the closing date of the

comment period. Please note that

comments will not be accepted by

e-mail or other electronic media.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Simona Roberts or Ruth Johnson, 301/

713–2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

subject amendment to Permit No. 782–

1446, issued on May 8, 1998 (63 FR

27265) is requested under the authority

of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of

1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et

seq.), the Regulations Governing the

Taking and Importing of Marine

Mammals (50 CFR part 216), the

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as

amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and

the regulations governing the taking,

importing, and exporting of endangered

and threatened species (50 CFR 222–

226).

Permit No. 782–1446 authorizes the

permit holder to conduct aerial, ground

and boat surveys annually for stock

assessment of harbor seals (Phoca

vitulina), California sea lions (Zalophus

californianus), Steller sea lions

(Eumetopias jubatus), and northern

elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris).

The permit holder requests

authorization to amend this permit to

chemically immobilize adult male

California sea lions in Oregon,

Washington, and California for the

removal of Satellite-Linked Time Depth

Recorders (SLTDR).

In compliance with the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial

determination has been made that the

activity proposed is categorically

excluded from the requirement to

prepare an environmental assessment or

environmental impact statement.

Concurrent with the publication of

this notice in the Federal Register,

NMFS is forwarding copies of this

application to the Marine Mammal

Commission and its Committee of

Scientific Advisors.

Dated: May 15, 2000.

Ann Terbush,

Chief, Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–12837 Filed 5–19–00; 8: 45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

[I.D. 032300B]

Marine Mammals; File No. 960–1528–00

AGENCIES: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce; U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service (USFWS), Interior.