Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 174 / Friday, September 9, 2005 / Notices 53637 

Council by developing a comprehensive 

EFH Management Plan. A complete 

description of the background and need 

for the Omnibus Amendment and a list 

of scoping hearings can be found in the 

original February 24, 2004, NOI and are 

not repeated here. 

Due largely to public clarity and 

issues of complexity, the Council 

intends to complete the EFH Omnibus 

Amendment 2 action in two phases or 

volumes with one accompanying EIS 

and Magnuson-Stevens Act document. 

Separation of this large action into two 

phases (volumes) will allow for the 

continued sequential development of 

the Omnibus Amendment but avoids 

the creation of an extremely large and 

complex action that may not be 

decipherable from the public’s 

perspective. Further, in order to meet 

the Sustainable Fisheries Act intention 

of the EFH mandate, it is prudent to take 

a step-wise approach. For instance, it is 

necessary to determine what is EFH 

prior to conducting an evaluation of the 

potential effects of fishing gear on EFH 

and to develop a range of alternatives to 

minimize, mitigate or avoid any impacts 

that are more than minimal and less 

than temporary in nature. As such, the 

Council would complete the Omnibus 

Amendment 2 in two phases. Phase 1 

(Volume 1 of the EIS) would include a 

review and update of EFH designations 

and consideration of HAPCs (not 

including consideration of management 

measures or restrictions), an update of 

prey species list, an update of nonfishing impacts, and an update of 

research and information needs. Phase 2 

(Volume 2 of the EIS) would include 

reviewing and updating a gear effects 

evaluation and optimizing management 

measures for minimizing the adverse 

effects of fishing on EFH across all 

FMPs, including the potential 

consideration of management measures 

for HAPCs designated in Phase 1. The 

proposed sequence of events is 

described in Table 1. 

TABLE 1. EVENTS OR MILESTONES OF

PHASED APPROACH. 

Step Event/Milestone 

1 Council files modified Notice of Intent to clearly explain to the public the new 

course of action. 

2 Council considers topics 

outlined in Phase 1 and 

develops a range of alternatives. 

TABLE 1. EVENTS OR MILESTONES OF

PHASED APPROACH.—Continued 

Step Event/Milestone 

3 Council prepares Draft 

Volume 1 of preliminary 

EIS to include components 

in Step 2. 

4 Public Hearings/Public 

Comment Period on Volume 1. 

5 Council considers public 

comments and makes final 

decisions on Phase 1 topics. 

6 Council completes Final 

Volume 1 containing analysis of Phase 1 topics. 

7 Council considers topics 

outlined in Phase 2 and 

develops a range of alternatives. 

8 Council prepares Draft 

Volume 2 of EIS to include 

components in Step 7. 

9 Public Hearings / Public 

Comment Period on combined Volume 1 and Volume 2. 

10 Council considers public 

comments and makes final 

decisions on Phase 2 topics. 

11 Council completes Final 

Volume 2 containing analysis of Phase 2 topics. 

12 Council prepares and submits merged Volume 1 

and Volume 2 to NMFS as 

complete EIS/MagnusonStevens Act FMP Amendment documents. 

13 NMFS reviews EIS and 

issues a record of decision. 

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

Dated: September 2, 2005. 

Emily Menashes 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 05–17943 Filed 9–8–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 082305D] 

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meetings; Correction 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of cancellation of public 

meetings. 

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery 

Management Council (Council) has 

cancelled the public meetings that were 

scheduled for September 12–16, 2005, 

in New Orleans, LA. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The initial 

notice was published in the Federal 

Register on August 30, 2005, in FR Doc. 

E5–4719, beginning on page 51347. The 

meetings will be rescheduled at a later 

date and announced in the Federal 

Register. 

Dated: September 6, 2005. 

Emily Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E5–4932 Filed 9–8–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Hydrographic Services Review Panel 

Meeting 

AGENCY: National Ocean Service, 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting (via 

conference call). 

SUMMARY: The Hydrographic Services 

Review Panel (HSRP) was established 

by the Secretary of Commerce to advise 

the Under Secretary of Commerce for 

Oceans and Atmosphere on matters 

related to the responsibilities and 

authorities set forth in section 303 of the 

Hydrographic Services Improvement 

Act of 1998, its amendments, and such 

other appropriate matters that the Under 

Secretary refers to the Panel for review 

and advice. The purpose of the 

conference call is to allow Panel 

members to vote on final 

recommendations initiated during a 

public meeting in Durham, New 

Hampshire, on August 18–19, 2005. 

Written public comments should be 

53638 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 174 / Friday, September 9, 2005 / Notices 

submitted to the DFO by September 26, 

2005. 

Date and Time: The conference call 

will convene at 2 p.m. eastern time, 

September 28, 2005, and end at about 

3:30 p.m. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Captain Roger L. Parsons, NOAA, 

Designated Federal Officer (DFO), Office 

of Coast Survey, National Ocean 

Service, NOAA (N/CS), 1315 East West 

Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 

20910; Telephone: 301–713–2770, Fax: 

301–713–4019; e-mail: 

Hydroservices.panel@noaa.gov or visit 

the NOAA HSRP Web site at http:// 

nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/ocs/hsrp/ 

hsrp.htm. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

conference call is available to the public 

through the following, toll free call-in 

number: (888) 323–2712, participant 

passcode 9738110. Interested members 

of the public may call this number and 

listen to the meeting. Persons with 

hearing impairments may follow the 

proceedings by calling the Federal Relay 

Service [TTY (800) 877–8339, Voice 

(866) 377–8642 or Voice Carry-Over 

(877) 877–6280] and provide the Service 

with the conference call number and 

participant passcode. Be sure to notify 

the operator that it is a ‘‘Conference 

Call’’ before you provide call number 

and participant passcode. To ensure an 

appropriate number of phone lines for 

the public, persons are asked to register 

by visiting https:// 

www.mymeetings.com (choose ‘‘web 

rsvp’’ and enter Conference ID 4907175, 

Conference Passcode 9738110) by 

September 23, 2005. 

Matters To Be Considered: A quorum 

vote is required for recommendations 

related to NOAA Hydrographic Services 

Role in the Integrated Ocean Observing 

System (IOOS), The National Ocean 

Service Mapping and Charting 

Contracting Policy and Expansion 

Strategy and NOAA’s Core Capability. 

The recommendations will be posted 

before the conference call; please visit 

http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/ocs/ 

hsrp/hsrp.htm. 

Dated: September 8, 2005. 

Mitchell Luxenberg, 

Acting Chief Financial Officer, Ocean 

Services and Coastal Zone Management, 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 05–17891 Filed 9–8–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–JE–P 

COMMITTEE FOR THE 

IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE 

AGREEMENTS 

Extension of Period of Determination 

on Request for Textile and Apparel 

Safeguard Action on Imports from 

China 

September 2, 2005. 

AGENCY: The Committee for the 

Implementation of Textile Agreements 

(the Committee). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Committee is extending 

through October 1, 2005, the period for 

making a determination on whether to 

request consultations with China 

regarding imports of knit fabric 

(Category 222). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jay 

Dowling, Office of Textiles and Apparel, 

U.S. Department of Commerce, (202) 

482-4058. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Authority: Section 204 of the Agriculture 

Act of 1956, as amended; Executive Order 

11651, as amended. 

Background 

On November 19, 2004, the 

Committee received a request from the 

American Manufacturing Trade Action 

Coalition, the National Council of 

Textile Organizations, the National 

Textile Association, and UNITE HERE 

requesting that the Committee limit 

imports from China of knit fabric 

(Category 222) due to the threat of 

market disruption. 

The Committee determined that this 

request provided the information 

necessary for the Committee to consider 

the request and solicited public 

comments for a period of 30 days. See 

Solicitation of Public Comments on 

Request for Textile and Apparel 

Safeguard Action on Imports from 

China, 69 FR 75516 (Dec. 17, 2004). 

On December 30, 2004, the Court of 

International Trade preliminarily 

enjoined the Committee from 

considering or taking any further action 

on this request and any other requests 

‘‘that are based on the threat of market 

disruption’’. U.S. Association of 

Importers of Textiles and Apparel v. 

United States, 350 F. Supp. 2d 1342 

(CIT 2004). On April 27, 2005 the U.S. 

Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit 

granted the U.S. government’s motion 

for a stay and reversed the lower Court 

on June 28, 2005. U.S. Association of 

Importers of Textiles and Apparel v. 

United States, 413 F. 3d 1344 (Fed. Cir. 

2005). Thus, CITA resumed 

consideration of this case. 

The public comment period for this 

request had not yet closed when the 

injunction took effect on December 30, 

2004. The number of calendar days 

remaining in the public comment period 

beginning with and including December 

30, 2004 was 20 days. On May 9, 2005, 

therefore, the Committee published a 

notice in the Federal Register reopening the comment period and 

inviting public comments to be received 

not later than May 31, 2005. See 

Rescheduling of Consideration of 

Request for Textile and Apparel 

Safeguard Action on Imports from 

China and Solicitations of Public 

Comments, 70 FR 24397 (May 9, 2005). 

The Committee’s Procedures, 68 FR 

27787 (May 21, 2003) state that the 

Committee will make a determination 

within 60 calendar days of the close of 

the public comment period as to 

whether the United States will request 

consultations with China. If the 

Committee is unable to make a 

determination within 60 calendar days, 

it will cause to be published a notice in 

the Federal Register, including the date 

by which it will make a determination. 

The 60 day determination period for 

this case expired on August 12, 2005. 

However, the Committee decided to 

extend until August 31, 2005, the period 

for making a determination on this case 

in order to consult with the domestic 

textile and apparel industry and 

members of Congress about whether to 

pursue a broader agreement with China 

on imports of Chinese textile and 

apparel products to the United States. 

Because of these consultations, the 

Committee was unable to make a 

determination within 60 days of the 

close of the public comment period. See 

Extension of Period of Determination on 

Request for Textile and Apparel 

Safeguard Action on Imports from 

China, 70 FR 45705 (August 8, 2005). 

The Committee is unable to make a 

determination within the extended 

period because it is continuing to 

evaluate conditions in the market for 

knit fabric. Therefore, the Committee is 

further extending the determination 

period to October 1, 2005. 

James C. Leonard III, 

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation 

of Textile Agreements. 

[FR Doc.E5–4943 Filed 9–8–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–S