23276 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 81 /Tuesday, April 28, 1998 / Notices

Thus, we are not including this program

in our investigation.

8. Reduced electricity rates.

Petitioners provided a 1994 Price

Waterhouse publication entitled Doing

Business in South Africa which

indicates that companies in energyintensive industries may negotiate

special tariffs with the relevant

authority and/or the Electricity Supply

Commission (ESKOM), a state

enterprise. In the 1993 investigation of

certain steel products from South

Africa, petitioners also alleged that steel

producers in South Africa may benefit

from special electricity rates that can be

negotiated with ESKOM, but the

Department did not initiate an

investigation of electricity rates. See

1993 Initiation, 58 FR 32515. The

statement from in Price Waterhouse

publication contains no new

information or evidence of changed

circumstances which would warrant a

reexamination of electricity rates in

South Africa. Thus, we are not

including this program in our

investigation.

9. World-Player Scheme. According to

IDC publications provided in the

petition, this scheme makes low-interest

financing available to manufacturers for

the acquisition of fixed assets

(machinery and equipment) in order to

improve their competitiveness following

changes in the tariff protection policy.

The description of the World-Player

Scheme itself does not indicate that the

scheme is designed to promote exports;

rather, it indicates that its focus is to

assist companies competing with

imports. In addition, although the IDC

publications indicate that the scheme is

available to manufactures whose total

nominal import tariff rates have

decreased by ten percentage points,

petitioners have not provided

information indicating that changes in

tariffs rates are limited to a specific

enterprise or industry, or group thereof.

Distribution of Copies of the Petition

In accordance with section

702(b)(4)(A)(i) of the Act, copies of the

public version of the petition have been

provided to the representatives of

Belgium, Italy, Korea, and South Africa.

We will attempt to provide copies of the

public version of the petition to all the

exporters named in the petition, as

provided for under section 351.203(c)(2)

of the Department’s regulations.

ITC Notification

Pursuant to section 702(d) of the Act,

we have notified the ITC of these

initiations.

Preliminary Determination by the ITC

The ITC will determine by May 15,

1998, whether there is a reasonable

indication that an industry in the

United States is materially injured, or is

threatened with material injury, by

reason of imports of stainless steel plate

in coils from Belgium, Italy, the

Republic of Korea, and the Republic of

South Africa. A negative ITC

determination will, for any country,

result in the investigation being

terminated with respect to that country;

otherwise, the investigations will

proceed according to statutory and

regulatory time limits.

This notice is published pursuant to

section 777(i) of the Act.

Dated: April 20, 1998.

Robert S. LaRussa,

Assistant Secretary for Import

Administration.

[FR Doc. 98–11275 Filed 4–27–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 042098B]

Marine Mammals; Scientific Research

Permit (PHF# 898–1451)

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of application.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

Attractions Hawaii, P.O. Box 1060,

Pacific Davies Center, Honolulu, Hawaii

96808, has applied in due form for a

permit to take Hawaiian monk seals

(Monachus schauinslandi) for purposes

of scientific research and enhancement.

DATES: Written comments must be

received on or before May 28, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The application and related

documents are available for review

upon written request or by appointment

in the following office(s):

Permits Division, Office of Protected

Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West

Highway, Room 13130, Silver Spring,

MD 20910 (301) 713–2289;

Regional Administrator, Southwest

Region, 501 West Ocean Boulevard,

Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213

(562) 980-4001; and

Protected Species Program Manager,

Pacific Islands Area Office, 2570 Dole

Street, Room 106, Honolulu, HI 9682–

2396 (808) 973–2987.

Written data or views, or requests for

a public hearing on this request, should

be submitted to the Director, Office of

Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 EastWest Highway, Room 13705, Silver

Spring, MD 20910. Those individuals

requesting a hearing should set forth the

specific reasons why a hearing on this

application 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 email or by other electronic media.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jeannie Drevenak, (301) 713–2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

subject permit 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

fish and wildlife (50 CFR 222.23).

The application is for the permanent

transfer of five (5) currently captive,

unreleasable adult Hawaiian monk seals

to Sea Life Park Hawaii for research and

enhancement purposes. The primary

objective of the proposed activity is to

make the seals available for scientific

research on an opportunistic basis in

order to benefit the wild population of

Hawaiian monk seals. A secondary

objective is to increase public awareness

of the status of the Hawaiian monk seal

through education efforts and by

providing an opportunity to observe the

species in captivity.

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: April 22, 1998.

Ann D. Terbush,

Chief, Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98–11243 Filed 4–27–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F