27708 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 97 /Wednesday, May 20, 1998 / Notices

Extension of Preliminary Results

The Department initiated this

administrative review on October 30,

1997 (62 FR 58705). Under section

751(a)(3)(A) of the Act, the Department

may extend the deadline for completion

of an administrative review if it

determines that it is not practicable to

complete the review within the

statutory time limit of 365 days. Because

of the complexity and novelty of certain

issues in this case, it is not practicable

to complete this review within the

statutory time limit of 365 days. The

Department, therefore, is extending the

time limit for the preliminary results of

the aforementioned review to August 3,

1998. See memorandum from Maria

Harris Tildon to Robert S. LaRussa,

which is on file in Room B–099 at the

Department’s headquarters. The

deadline for the final results of this

review will continue to be 120 days

after publication of the preliminary

results.

This extension of time limit is in

accordance with section 751(a)(3)(A) of

the Act and section 351.213(h)(2) of the

Department’s regulations.

Dated: May 14, 1998.

Maria Harris Tildon,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, AD/CVD

Enforcement Group II.

[FR Doc. 98–13429 Filed 5–19–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and

Technology

Visiting Committee on Advanced

Technology; Meeting

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards

and Technology, Department of

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of partially closed

meeting.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal

Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app.

2, notice is hereby given that the

Visiting Committee on Advanced

Technology, National Institute of

Standards and Technology (NIST), will

meet Tuesday, June 9, 1998 from 8:30

a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Visiting

Committee on Advanced Technology is

composed of fifteen members appointed

by the Director of NIST who are eminent

in such fields as business, research, new

product development, engineering,

labor, education, management

consulting, environment, and

International relations. The purpose of

this meeting is to review and make

recommendations regarding general

policy for the Institute, its organization,

its budget, and its programs within the

framework of applicable national

policies as set forth by the President and

the Congress. The agenda will include

an update on NIST programs, NIST

Planning for International Standards

and Recent Developments in

international Standards, the

Manufacturing Extension Partnership,

and a laboratory tour. Discussions

scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. and to

end at 9:10 a.m. on June 9, 1998, on

staffing of management positions at

NIST and the NIST budget, including

funding levels of the Advanced

Technology Program and the

Manufacturing Extension Partnership

scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. and to

end at 5 p.m. on June 9, 1998, will be

closed.

DATES: The meeting will convene June

9, 1998, at 8:30 a.m. and will adjourn at

5 p.m. on June 9, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in

the Employees Lounge (seating capacity

80, includes 38 participants),

Administration Building, at NIST,

Gaithersburg, Maryland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Chris E. Kuyatt, Visiting Committee

Executive Director, National Institute of

Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD 20899, telephone

number (301) 975–6090.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Assistant Secretary for Administration,

with the concurrence of the General

Counsel, formally determined on

February 13, 1998, that portions of the

meeting of the Visiting Committee on

Advanced Technology which involve

discussion of proposed funding of the

Manufacturing Extension Partnership

and the Advanced Technology Program

may be closed in accordance with 5

U.S.C. 552b(c)(9)(B), because those

portions of the meetings will divulge

matters the premature disclosure of

which would be likely to significantly

frustrate implementation of proposed

agency actions; and that portions of

meetings which involve discussion of

the staffing issues of management and

other positions at NIST may be closed

in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(6),

because divulging information

discussed in those portions of the

meetings is likely to reveal information

of a personal nature where disclosure

would constitute a clearly unwarranted

invasion of personal privacy.

Dated: May 14, 1998.

Robert E. Hebner,

Acting Deputy Director.

[FR Doc. 98–13427 Filed 5–19–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 051398A]

RIN 0648–AH77

Atlantic Shark Fisheries; Notice of

Availability

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the

Highly Migratory Species Management

Division has prepared a final document

considering the economic effects and

potential alternatives to the 1997 quotas

on the Atlantic large coastal shark

fishery, as ordered by the Middle

District Court of Florida, Tampa

Division, on February 26, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the

final document should be sent to Margo

Schulze, Highly Migratory Species

Management Division (F/SF1), National

Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD

20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Margo Schulze or Karyl Brewster-Geisz,

301–713–2347; fax: 301–713–1917.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

fishery for Atlantic sharks is managed

under the Fishery Management Plan for

Sharks of the Atlantic Ocean prepared

by NMFS under authority of section

304(g) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act, as

amended, and was implemented on

April 26, 1993, through regulations

found at 50 CFR part 678.

On April 2, 1997 (62 FR 16648),

NMFS reduced the large coastal shark

commercial quota and recreational bag

limit by 50 percent as proposed, with an

exception for an additional recreational

allowance of two Atlantic sharpnose

sharks per person per trip. The

prohibition on possession of white

sharks was modified to allow for a

catch-and-release-only recreational

fishery. Otherwise, all measures were

implemented as proposed. Partly

because NMFS received comments that

indicated the proposed measures may

have a significant economic impact on

a substantial number of small entities

and because it wanted to ensure that the

impacts were thoroughly analyzed,

NMFS prepared a Final Regulatory

Flexibility Analysis (FRFA) that

assessed the economic impacts of the

regulation on small entities engaged in

the Atlantic shark fishery in the final

rule. In that FRFA, NMFS reaffirmed its
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 97 /Wednesday, May 20, 1998 / Notices 27709

conclusion from the proposed rule stage

that the 1997 quotas would not have a

significant economic impact on a

substantial number of small entities

engaged in the large coastal shark

fishery.

On May 2, 1997, a coalition of

commercial shark fishermen, dealers,

and organizations sued the Secretary of

Commerce (Secretary) to set aside the

1997 commercial shark quotas based on

allegations of uncertainty in the data

used in stock assessments, on lack of

international management, and on

NMFS’ determination that there would

be no significant economic impact on a

substantial number of small entities

engaged in the Atlantic shark fishery.

On February 27, 1998, Judge Steven D.

Merryday, U.S. District Court, Middle

District of Florida, Tampa Division,

issued an amended order that found

‘‘that the Secretary acted within his

regulatory discretion in setting the

quotas but failed to conduct a proper

analysis to determine the quota’s

economic effect on small businesses’’ (p.

1). Judge Merryday ordered that the

agency submit further analyses on or

before May 15, 1998, and retained

jurisdiction over the case pending

review of the analyses. The quotas are

maintained until further order of the

Court. On April 14, 1998, NMFS

announced the availability of the draft

consideration of the economic effects

and potential alternatives to the 1997

quotas on the Atlantic large coastal

shark fishery in response to the judicial

order. Public comment was requested

on the assumptions, analysis, and

conclusions in the draft document. The

comments received were considered

and used to improve the document. A

summary of the comments and NMFS

response to each are contained within

the document. This final document was

submitted to the United States District

Court for the Middle District of Florida,

Tampa Division, on May 15, 1998.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated: May 14, 1998.

Gary C. Matlock,

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98–13352 Filed 5–19–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 051498A]

Small Takes of Marine Mammals

Incidental to Specified Activities;

Offshore Seismic Activities in the

Beaufort Sea

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of application

and proposed authorization for a small

take exemption; request for comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request

from Western Geophysical/Western

Atlas International of Houston, Texas

(Western Geophysical) for an

authorization to take small numbers of

marine mammals by harassment

incidental to conducting seismic

surveys in the Beaufort Sea in state and

Federal waters. Under the Marine

Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS

is requesting comments on its proposal

to authorize Western Geophysical to

incidentally take, by harassment, small

numbers of bowhead whales and other

marine mammals in the above

mentioned areas during the open water

period of 1998.

DATES: Comments and information must

be received no later than June 19, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the

application should be addressed to

Michael Payne, Chief, Marine Mammal

Division, Office of Protected Resources,

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver

Spring, MD 20910–3225. A copy of the

application, a 1996 environmental

assessment (EA), and a list of references

used in this document may be obtained

by writing to this address or by

telephoning one of the contacts listed

here.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kenneth R. Hollingshead, (301) 713–

2055, Brad Smith, (907) 271–5006.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Section 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the

MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) directs

the Secretary of Commerce to allow,

upon request, the incidental, but not

intentional taking of marine mammals

by U.S. citizens who engage in a

specified activity (other than

commercial fishing) within a specified

geographical region if certain findings

are made and either regulations are

issued or, if the taking is limited to

harassment, notice of a proposed

authorization is provided to the public

for review.

Permission may be granted if NMFS

finds that the taking will have a

negligible impact on the species or

stock(s) and will not have an

unmitigable adverse impact on the

availability of the species or stock(s) for

subsistence uses and that the

permissible methods of taking and

requirements pertaining to the

monitoring and reporting of such taking

are set forth.

On April 10, 1996 (61 FR 15884),

NMFS published an interim rule

establishing, among other things,

procedures for issuing incidental

harassment authorizations under section

101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA for activities

in Arctic waters. For additional

information on the procedures to be

followed for this authorization, please

refer to that document.

Summary of Request

On April 15, 1998, NMFS received an

application from Western Geophysical

requesting an authorization for the

harassment of small numbers of several

species of marine mammals incidental

to conducting seismic surveys during

the open water season in the Beaufort

Sea between Harrison Bay and Flaxman

Island, AK. Weather permitting, the

survey is expected to take place between

approximately July 1 and October 20,

1998. A detailed description of the work

proposed for 1998 is contained in the

application (Western Geophysical, 1998)

and is available upon request (see

ADDRESSES).

Description of Habitat and Marine

Mammal Affected by the Activity

A detailed description of the Beaufort

Sea ecosystem and its associated marine

mammals can be found in the EA

prepared for this authorization or in

other documents (Minerals Management

Service (MMS), 1992, 1996). This

information is incorporated by reference

and need not be repeated here. A copy

of the EA is available upon request (see

ADDRESSES).

Marine Mammals

The Beaufort/Chukchi Seas support a

diverse assemblage of marine mammals,

including bowhead whales (Balaena

mysticetus), gray whales (Eschrichtius

robustus), belukha (Delphinapterus

leucas), ringed seals (Phoca hispida),

spotted seals (Phoca largha) and

bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus).

Descriptions of the biology and

distribution of these species and of

others can be found in several other

documents (Western Geophysical, 1998;

BPXA, 1996b, 1998; Lentfer, 1988;