Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 127 / Monday, July 1, 1996 / Notices 33905

Street and Constitution Avenue, NW.,

Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202)

482–2786.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On May 31, 1995, the Department

received a request for administrative

reviews of these countervailing duty

orders from the GOS and the Minebea

group, producers and exporters of the

subject merchandise from Singapore, for

the period January 1, 1994, through

December 31, 1994. No other interested

party requested reviews of the

countervailing duty order. On June 15,

1995, the Department published in the

Federal Register (60 FR 31447) a notice

of ‘‘Initiation of Countervailing Duty

Administrative Reviews’’ initiating

administrative reviews of the

countervailing duty orders on the

Minebea group for that period. On June

16, 1996, the GOS and the Minebea

group withdrew their request for

reviews.

Section 355.22(a)(5) of the

Department’s regulations stipulates that

the Secretary may permit a party that

requests a review to withdraw the

request not later than 90 days after the

date of publication of the notice of

initiation of the requested review. This

regulation also provides that the

Secretary may extend the time limit for

withdrawal of the request if it is

reasonable to do so.

Based on a statement of no further

interest in the orders filed by the

petitioner, the Department completed

changed circumstances reviews and

revoked these orders effective January 1,

1995. (See Antifriction Bearings and

Parts Thereof from Singapore; Final

Results of Changed Circumstances

Countervailing Duty Reviews and

Revocation Countervailing Duty Orders,

61 FR 20796, May 8, 1996). Further, no

other interested party requested reviews

of the countervailing duty orders in this

case, and we have received no

submissions regarding the GOS and the

Minebea group’s withdrawal of their

request for reviews. Therefore, under

the circumstances presented in these

reviews, we are waiving the 90-day

requirement in section 355.22(a)(5) of

the Department’s regulations.

Accordingly, we are terminating these

reviews of the countervailing duty

orders on antifriction bearings and parts

thereof from Singapore.

This notice is published in

accordance with 19 CFR 355.22(a)(5).

Dated: June 25, 1996.

Joseph A. Spetrini,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Compliance.

[FR Doc. 96–16746 Filed 6–28–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–M

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 062596A]

RIN 0648–AH58

Atlantic Coast Weakfish; Intent to

Prepare a Supplemental Environmental

Impact Statement

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a

supplemental environmental impact

statement (SEIS); request for written

comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces its intent to

prepare an SEIS to assess the impact of

Atlantic Coast weakfish harvests and

possible proposed regulations on the

natural and human environment. This

notice of intent requests public input

(written comments) on issues that

NMFS should consider in preparing the

SEIS. In addition, the SEIS will examine

specific recommendations to the

Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) by

the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries

Commission (Commission) in its

Amendment 3 to the Fishery

Management Plan For Weakfish (Plan)

and new stock assessment information.

Public hearings for the SEIS will be

scheduled at a later date. This notice

also references the published Final

Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)

information and announces that NMFS

is considering measures for the 1996

fishing year and beyond for the Atlantic

Coast weakfish fishery in the exclusive

economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: Written comments on the intent

to prepare the SEIS will be accepted

until July 22, 1996. Public hearings will

be announced in the Federal Register at

a later date.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent

to: Richard H. Schaefer, Director, Office

of Fisheries Conservation and

Management (F/CM), National Marine

Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West

Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom

Meyer, telephone (301) 713–2339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Section 804(b) of the Atlantic Coastal

Fisheries Cooperative Management Act

(ACFCMA) enacted in December 1993,

(Public Law 103–206) states that, in the

absence of an approved and

implemented fishery management plan

(FMP) under the Magnuson Fishery

Conservation and Management Act

(Magnuson Act), 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.,

and after consultation with the

appropriate Fishery Management

Council(s) (Council), the Secretary of

Commerce (Secretary) may implement

regulations to govern fishing in the EEZ

that are:

1. Necessary to support the effective

implementation of an Atlantic States

Marine Fisheries Commission

(Commission) coastal fishery

management plan (CFMP); and

2. Consistent with the national

standards set forth in section 301 of the

Magnuson Act (16 U.S.C. 1851).

These regulations may include

measures recommended by the

Commission to the Secretary that are

necessary to support the provisions of a

CFMP. Regulations issued by the

Secretary to implement an approved

FMP prepared by the appropriate

Council(s) or the Secretary under the

Magnuson Act shall supersede any

conflicting regulations issued by the

Secretary under section 804(b) of

ACFCMA.

The provisions of sections 307

through 311 of the Magnuson Act (16

U.S.C. 1857 through 1861) regarding

prohibited acts, civil penalties, criminal

offenses, civil forfeitures, and

enforcement shall apply with respect to

regulations issued under section 804(b)

of ACFCMA as if such regulations were

issued under the Magnuson Act.

In accordance with the ACFCMA, the

Secretary of Commerce (Secretary)

implemented a final rule, after

publishing an FEIS, to impose a

moratorium on fishing for weakfish in

the EEZ, Federal Register (60 FR 58246)

on November 27, 1995. However, the

rule was vacated by the U.S. Federal

District Court, Norfolk, Virginia, on

February 16, 1996. The basis for the

court’s decision was that the Atlantic

States Marine Fisheries Commission’s

(Commission) Fishery Management Plan

For Weakfish (FMP) did not contain

recommendations to the Secretary and,

therefore, cannot be considered a valid

FMP under the Act.

The regulations have not been

enforced since the judge issued his

order.

The Commission has recently adopted

Amendment 3 to the FMP (Amendment

3); it includes the following specific

recommendations for Secretarial action

in the EEZ to support the Commission’s

FMP:
33906 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 127 / Monday, July 1, 1996 / Notices

1. Require a minimum weakfish size

of 12 inches total length;

2. Require that weakfish harvested in

the EEZ be landed in accordance with

the landing laws of the state in which

they are landed, with the exception that

weakfish harvested in the EEZ may not

be landed in a ‘‘de minimus’’ state;

3. Require minimum mesh sizes in the

EEZ ‘‘consistent’’ with a 12–inch

minimum fish size. Non-directed

fisheries using smaller mesh sizes may

possess no more than 150 pounds of

weakfish in any one day; and

4. Require that any ‘‘flynets’’ used in

the EEZ south of Cape Hatteras be

operated in compliance with the

applicable regulations of the adjacent

state(s).

All states which have declared an

interest in the management of fisheries

for weakfish are to implement

Amendment 3 by October 1, 1996.

NMFS will assess the Commission’s

recommendations during the SEIS

process.

Management responsibility for

weakfish resides primarily with the

coastal states through the Commission’s

Fishery Management Plan For Weakfish

(Plan). This Plan was adopted in 1985

by the coastal states from Maine through

Florida in response to severe declines in

the weakfish catches and populations

along the coast. Increasingly strict state

regulations have been imposed by

amendments to the Plan since 1985 to

restrict further the harvest of weakfish

by recreational and commercial fisheries

and to allow rebuilding of the stocks.

However, as indicated in the FEIS

published in September 1995, even with

these restrictions, the weakfish

population is not showing signs of

recovery . The FEIS clearly indicates

that the weakfish stock is overfished

and beginning to suffer recruitment

failure. Harvest restrictions are

definitely needed if weakfish are to

recover.

Based on the recent stock

assessments, NMFS will consider

measures to regulate the Atlantic Coast

weakfish fishery in the EEZ for the 1996

fishing year and beyond, including: (1)

A prohibition on the taking or

possession of weakfish in the EEZ; (2)

applying state regulations to the EEZ; (3)

imposition of specific Federal

regulations on weakfish fishing in the

EEZ as recommended by the

Commission’s Amendment 3 to Plan;

and (4) status quo or no action taken.

The Mid-Atlantic Council’s workload

will not permit it to undertake a Plan at

this time. NMFS has determined that

regulations in the EEZ must be

implemented to support the CFMP for

weakfish if there is to be a cooperative

state and Federal effort to rebuild the

weakfish stock.

NMFS has determined that the

preparation of an SEIS is appropriate,

because of the potentially significant

impact of EEZ regulations on the human

environment, and because no specific

EEZ recommendations were available in

the Commission’s Plan when the 1995

FEIS was prepared. The current

Amendment 3 to the Plan has such

recommendations (alternative 3), which

will be assessed during the SEIS

process. Participants in this fishery will

be affected and may face more restricted

harvest of the weakfish resource while

the natural stocks of weakfish are

allowed to recover.

Date: June 25, 1996.

Richard H. Schaefer,

Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and

Management, National Marine Fisheries

Service.

[FR Doc. 96–16623 Filed 6–28–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

[I.D. 051696C]

Marine Mammals; Scientific Research

Permit No. 1004 (P595)

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service, (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of permit.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a

permit for scientific research has been

issued to the Whale Conservation

Institute, 191 Weston Road, Lincoln,

MA 01773.

ADDRESSES: The permit and related

documents are available for review

upon written request or by appointment,

in the following offices:

Permits Division, Office of Protected

Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West

Highway, Room 13130, Silver Spring,

MD 20910 (301/713–2289); and

Director, Northeast Region, NMFS,

One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA

01930–2298 (508/281–9250).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

September 28, 1995, notice was

published in the Federal Register (60

FR 50189) that a request for a scientific

research permit had been submitted by

the above-named organization. The

request was to import biopsy samples

collected from both dead stranded and

living, free-ranging animals in the

territorial waters of Argentina, Mexico,

Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile,

over a 2-year period. The requested

permit has been issued 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 (ESA)

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

the regulations governing endangered

species permits (50 CFR parts 217–227).

Issuance of this Permit as required by

the ESA of 1973 was based on a finding

that the permit: (1) Was applied for in

good faith; (2) will not operate to the

disadvantage of the endangered species

which is the subject of this permit; and

(3) is consistent with the purposes and

policies set forth in section 2 of the

ESA.

Dated: June 21, 1996.

William W. Windom,

Acting Chief, Permits and Documentation

Division, Office of Protected Resources,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 96–16622 Filed 6–28–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Correction of Information Collection

Activity Proposed

AGENCY: Corporation for National and

Community Service (CNCS).

ACTION: Correction to information

collection activity proposed.

SUMMARY: This document contains

corrections to the notice of 60-day

comment period prior to submitting

Volunteers In Service To America PreApplication Inquiry, Volunteers In

Service To America Project Application,

Volunteers In Service To America

Project Grant Application, and

AmeriCorps*VISTA Project Progress

Report forms, published in the Federal

Register Volume 61, No. 116 (June 14,

1996), pp. 30226–30227.

DATES: AmeriCorps*VISTA will

consider written comments on the

proposed applications and reporting

requirements received no later than

August 13, 1996.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

As published, the Notice omitted the

need for each proposed collection of

information to solicit comments which:

• Evaluate the accuracy of the

proposed collection of information is

necessary for the proper performance of

the functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility:

• Evaluate the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information,

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used: