Title: Specified Risk Materials.

OMB Control Number: 0583-0129.

Expiration Date: 2/29/2020.

Type of Request: Renewal of an approved information collection.

Abstract: FSIS has been delegated the authority to exercise the functions of the Secretary (7 CFR 2.18, 2.53), as specified in the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) (21 U.S.C. 601, et seq. ) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) (21 U.S.C. 451, et seq. ). FSIS protects the public by verifying that meat and poultry products are safe, wholesome, not adulterated, and correctly labeled.

FSIS requires official establishments that slaughter cattle or process carcasses or parts of cattle to develop written procedures for the removal, segregation, and disposition of SRMs. The Agency requires that these establishments maintain daily records to document the implementation and monitoring of their procedures for the removal, segregation, and disposition of SRMs, as well as any corrective actions that they take to ensure that the procedures are effective (9 CFR 310.22).

FSIS also requires official slaughter establishments that transport carcasses or parts of cattle 30 months of age and older and containing vertebral columns to other federally inspected establishments to maintain records verifying that the receiving establishments removed and properly disposed of the portions of the vertebral column designated as SRMs (9 CFR 310.22(g)).

This monitoring and recordkeeping is necessary for establishments to ensure, in a manner that can be verified by FSIS, that meat and meat products distributed in commerce for use as human food do not contain SRMs.

The approval for this information collection will expire on February 29, 2020. There are no changes to the existing information collection. FSIS has made the following estimates for the renewal information collection:

Estimate of Burden: FSIS estimates that it will take respondents an average of approximately .116 hours per response.

Respondents: Official establishments that slaughter cattle or process parts of cattle.

Estimated No. of Respondents: 3,512.

Estimated No. of Annual Responses per Respondent: 303.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 123,916 hours.

Copies of this information collection assessment can be obtained from Gina Kouba, Office of Policy and Program Development, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065, South Building, Washington, DC 20250-3700; (202) 720-5627.

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of FSIS's functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of FSIS's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the method and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques, or other forms of information technology. Comments may be sent to both FSIS, at the addresses provided above, and the Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Washington, DC 20253.

Responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record.

Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy development is important. Consequently, FSIS will announce this Federal Register publication on-line through the FSIS web page located at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register.

FSIS will also announce and provide a link to this Federal Register publication through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal Register notices, FSIS public meetings, and other types of information that could affect or would be of interest to our constituents and stakeholders. The Constituent Update is available on the FSIS web page. Through the web page, FSIS can provide information to a much broader, more diverse audience. In addition, FSIS offers an email subscription service which provides automatic and customized access to selected food safety news and information. This service is available at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/subscribe. Options range from recalls to export information, regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves and have the option to password protect their accounts.

No agency, officer, or employee of the USDA shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, or political beliefs, exclude from participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to discrimination any person in the United States under any program or activity conducted by the USDA.

To file a complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, which may be accessed online at http://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you or your authorized representative.

Send your completed complaint form or letter to USDA by mail, fax, or email:

Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410.

Fax: (202) 690-7442.

Email: program.intake@usda.gov.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

The proposed action is to revise the Forest Plan to address the identified need to change the existing Forest Plan. According to the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), forest plans are to be revised on a 10 to 15-year cycle. The purpose and need for revising the current Forest Plan is (1) the Forest Plan is over 30 years old and has been amended 24 times, (2) since the Forest Plan was approved in 1986, there have been changes in economic, social, and ecological conditions, new policies and priorities, and new information based on monitoring and scientific research, and (3) to address the preliminary need to change to the existing plan, which is summarized below.

Extensive public and employee involvement, along with science-based evaluations, will help shape the preliminary need to change the existing Forest Plan, so a proposed plan can be developed and analyzed in an EIS.

The Ashley National Forest planning team has developed preliminary need to change statements in the document “Preliminary Need to Change the Ashley National Forest Land Management Plan,” available for review on the Ashley forest plan revision website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/ashley/landmanagement/planning. This document was developed based on public comments on and information in the Ashley National Forest Assessment. The responsible official will use public comments on the preliminary need to change information to develop an identified need to change that will provide the basis for revising the Forest Plan.

The preliminary need to change the Forest Plan has been organized into five focus topics. Focus topics make it easier to ensure the purpose and need to revise the Forest Plan are met. The focus topics are as follows:

1. There is need for sustainable recreation (balance recreation use with ecological integrity, address population increases and aging populations; and address shifts in types of preferred recreation.)

2. There is need for economic resiliency (balancing local communities and economies with ecosystem services generated on the Ashley National Forest) including municipal water, recreation activities, employments and tourism.

3. There is need to manage traditional resource uses (conserve and encourage traditional uses such as mineral development, livestock grazing, timber and woodland products use, fuelwood collection, etc.) and balance them with other multiple uses while transitioning from commodity based goods to a focus on restoration, resiliency and sustainability within emerging economic opportunities.

4. There is need to manage cultural resources, improving tribal relationships and partnerships, to provide for subsistence and other cultural activities, including guidance to manage areas of tribal importance.

5. There is need to manage for resilient ecosystems and watersheds (protect and restore terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and reduce conifer encroachment in vegetation communities associated with wildlife diversity and grazing).

The preliminary need to change information has led to development of a “Proposal to Revise the Land Management Plan.” Public review and comments on these documents will help the Ashley National Forest responsible official and planning team to refine the need to change the Forest Plan and develop a proposed revised Forest Plan that will be analyzed in a draft EIS.

The Ashley National Forest is the lead agency for the environmental analysis process during the revision of the Forest Plan. The following counties have been formally identified as cooperating agencies for Utah: Daggett, Duchesne, Summit, Utah and Uintah Counties. The State of Utah—Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office and the Conservation Districts for Daggett, Uintah and Duchesne also serve as cooperating agencies. Entities formally identified as cooperating agencies for Wyoming include the State of Wyoming Governor's Policy Office, Sweetwater County and two Conservation Districts for Wyoming; Sweetwater and Uinta. The Ute and Eastern Shoshone Tribes did not sign formal agreements with the Ashley National Forest but are treated similar to cooperators because of their sovereign status.

Mike Richardson, Acting Forest Supervisor, Ashley National Forest

The Ashley National Forest is preparing an EIS to revise the existing 1986 Forest Plan. The environmental analysis process is meant to inform the Forest Supervisor so he can decide which alternative best maintains and restores National Forest System terrestrial and aquatic resources while providing ecosystem services and multiple uses, as required by the NFMA and the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act.

The revised Forest Plan will describe the strategic intent of managing the Ashley National Forest for the next 10 to 15 years and will address the identified need to change the existing Forest Plan. The revised Forest Plan will provide management direction in the form of desired conditions, objectives, standards, guidelines, and suitability of lands. The revised Forest Plan will identify management areas and geographic areas, the timber sale program quantity, and the river segments found eligible for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The revised Forest Plan may also include preliminary administration recommendations for wilderness designation by Congress. The revised Forest Plan will identify suitable uses of the Ashley National Forest, and it will identify a variety of recreation opportunities. The revised Forest Plan will provide a description of the plan area and its distinctive roles and contributions within the broader landscape, identify watersheds that are a priority for maintenance or restoration, include a monitoring program, and contain information reflecting expected possible actions over the life of the plan.

The revised Forest Plan will provide broad, strategic guidance that is consistent with other laws and regulations. Though strategic guidance will be provided, no decisions will be made regarding the regulation of public activities and access to federal lands; the management of individual roads, trails, or areas associated with the Travel Management Rule (36 CFR part 212); or permitted activities, such as outfitters and guides, or grazing. These activities, projects, and site-specific management actions are managed through separate administrative and regulatory processes. Similarly, no decision regarding oil and gas leasing availability will be made, although plan components may be brought forward or developed in the future that will help guide oil and gas leasing availability decisions that may be necessary. Some actions (such as hunting regulations), although important, are outside Forest Service authority and cannot be included in the proposed action.

The “Preliminary Need to Change the Ashley National Forest Land Management Plan” and the “Proposal to Revise the Land Management Plan” are available for review at the Ashley National Forest Planning website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/ashley/landmanagement/planning. In addition to these documents, the Ashley National Forest is requesting review and comment on the Wilderness Evaluation Report and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Eligibility Report, also available on the website. Congress has the authority to make wilderness and wild and scenic river designations; however, the 2012 Planning Rule requires the Forest Service to evaluate and make recommendations for such designations through the plan revision process. Both evaluations are a multi-step process that require public feedback throughout the forest plan revision process. Further opportunities for public participation will be provided on the inventories, evaluations, analyses, and, for wilderness, preliminary administrative recommendations.

This Notice of Intent initiates the scoping process, which guides the development of the EIS. The Ashley National Forest uses multiple means of communication and notification about forest plan revision information and events. These include newspaper, radio, TV, posters, social media and electronic notices. Informal phone networks have been developed to get information to members of the public that do not use electronic communication along with a newsletter update for important steps in the process that is mailed by postal mail. The Ashley National Forest encourages all those interested to sign up for information electronically on the Ashley National Forest Planning website https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/ashley/landmanagement/planning, submit comments, and continue to monitor the website for updates.

Written comments received in response to this notice will be considered to determine the need to change the existing plan, further develop the proposed action, and identify potential significant issues. Significant issues will help form the basis for developing alternatives to the proposed action. Comments received on the Wilderness Evaluation Report and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Eligibility Report will be considered to refine report findings as well as the process.

It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times and in such manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of the EIS. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly articulate the reviewer's issues and contentions, and make suggestions for changes or inclusions. Comments received in response to this notice, including the names and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered in the environmental analysis process; however, anonymous comments will not provide the Ashley National Forest the ability to provide the respondent with subsequent environmental documents. Refer to the Ashley National Forest website https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/ashley/landmanagement/planning for information on when public meetings will be scheduled for refining the proposed action and to begin identifying possible alternatives.

The decision to approve the revised Forest Plan will be subject to the objection process for the planning process (36 CFR part 219, subpart B). Only those individuals and entities who submit substantive formal comments related to this Forest Plan revision during the opportunities for public comment as provided in 36 CFR part 219, subpart A, may file an objection. The burden is on the objector to demonstrate compliance with requirements for objection (36 CFR 219.53).

Preparation of the revised Forest Plan for the Ashley National Forest began with the publication of a notice of initiation in the Federal Register on July 22, 2016 (81 FR 47749) using the 2012 Forest Service planning rule (36 CFR 219 (2012)).

The Agency encourages applications that will help improve life in rural America. See information on the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity found at www.usda.gov/ruralprosperity. Applicants are encouraged to consider projects that provide measurable results in helping rural communities build robust and sustainable economies through strategic investments in infrastructure, partnerships and innovation.

Key strategies include:

To leverage investments in rural property, the Agency also encourages projects located in rural Opportunity Zones where projects should provide measurable results in helping communities build robust and sustainable economies. An Opportunity Zone is an economically-distressed community where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. Localities qualify as Opportunity Zones if they have been nominated for that designation by the state and that nomination has been certified by the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury via his delegation of authority to the Internal Revenue Service.

To combat a key threat to economic prosperity, rural workforce and quality of life, the Agency also encourages applications that will support the Administration's goal to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with Substance Use Disorder (including opioid misuse) in high-risk rural communities by strengthening the capacity to address prevention, treatment and/or recovery at the community, county, state, and/or regional levels:

Key strategies include:

• Prevention: Reducing the occurrence of Substance Use Disorder (including opioid misuse) and fatal substance-related overdoses through community and provider education and harm reduction measures such as the strategic placement of overdose reversing devices, such as naloxone;

• Treatment: Implementing or expanding access to evidence-based treatment practices for Substance Use Disorder (including opioid misuse) such as medication-assisted treatment (MAT); and

• Recovery: Expanding peer recovery and treatment options that help people start and stay in recovery.

To focus investments in areas with the largest opportunity for growth in prosperity, the Agency encourages applications that serve the smallest communities with the lowest incomes, with an emphasis on areas where at least 20 percent of the population is living in poverty, according to the American Community Survey data by census tracts (or Reservation boundary for Indian tribes).

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the information collection requirements associated with the CF Program, as covered in this Notice, have been approved by the Office of Management Budget (OMB) under OMB Control Number 0575-0173.

Federal Agency Name: Rural Housing Service (“RHS,” an Agency of USDA in the Rural Development mission area).

Solicitation Opportunity Title: Announcement of the Availability of Disaster Relief Act 2019 Grant Funds for Community Facilities.

Announcement Type: Notice of Funds Availability.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.766.

Dates: Applications will be accepted on a continual basis, beginning on the publication date of this Notice, until funds are exhausted.

This program is designed to provide supplemental grant funding for eligible CF applicants and eligible CF projects related to the consequences of Hurricanes Michael and Florence and wildfires occurring in calendar year 2018, tornadoes and floods occurring in calendar year 2019, and other natural disasters.

Details on eligible CF applicants and eligible CF projects may be found in Section C. Eligibility Information below.

The applicable Statutory or Regulatory authorities for this action are incorporated by reference and include the following:

• Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, 2019, Public Law 116-20, dated June 6, 2019, Rural Development Rural Community Facilities Program Account.

• 7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(19), The Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act.

• 2 CFR parts 200 and 400, uniform Federal grant awards regulations.

• 7 CFR 3570, subpart B, Community Facilities Grant Program regulations.

The Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, 2019, Public Law 116-20, dated June 6, 2019, provides the Rural Housing Service's CF Program $150,000,000 in supplemental grant funding of which $150,000,000 is available for eligible CF applicants and eligible CF projects related to the consequences of Hurricanes Michael and Florence and wildfires occurring in calendar year 2018, tornadoes and floods occurring in calendar year 2019, and other natural disasters.

Funds will be allocated to the USDA Rural Development State Offices with a disaster(s) identified in the Disaster Relief Act 2019. The allocation of funds will be based on an adaption of 7 CFR 1940, subpart L, Methodology and Formulas for Allocation of Loan and Grant Program Funds.

1. Applicant eligibility. An eligible CF applicant must:

(i) Be one of the types of entities outlined in 7 CFR 3570.61(a);

(ii) Be unable to finance the proposed project from its own resources, or through commercial credit as outlined in 7 CFR 3570.61(c); and

(iii) Have the legal authority and responsibility to own, construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facility as outlined in 7 CFR 3570.61(e).

2. Project Eligibility. An eligible CF project must:

(i) Be an eligible facility as outlined in 7 CFR 3570.61(b);

(ii) Be financially feasible as outlined in 7 CFR 3570.61(d); and

(iii) Be for public use as outlined in 7 CFR 3570.61(f).

3. Eligible use of grant funds.

(i) Grant funds may be used for purposes outlined in 7 CFR 3570.62;

(ii) Grant funds may not be used for purposes outlined in 7 CFR 3570.63(a); and

(iii) The project expenses do not need to be in direct relationship or a result of an eligible Disaster Relief Act 2019 disaster.

4. Project Location Eligibility. To be eligible for CF grant funds under this Notice:

(i) The eligible CF project must be located in a rural area in a county (or a rural area of a Reservation for Indian tribes) with a Major Disaster Declaration as declared by the President of the United States;

(ii) The Major Disaster Declaration must be related to the consequences of Hurricanes Michael and Florence and wildfires occurring in calendar year 2018, tornadoes and floods occurring in calendar year 2019, and other natural disasters.

(iii) The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must have provided a notice declaring the Major Disaster Declaration and assigned a FEMA disaster recovery (DR) number.

The term rural or rural area is defined in section 343(a)(13)(C) of the CONAct (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)) as a city, town or, unincorporated area that has a population of not more than 20,000 inhabitants. The boundaries for unincorporated areas in determining populations will be based on the Census Designated Places(s)(CDP). Data from the most recent decennial census of the United States will be used in determining population. Any rural community impacted by a major declared disaster DR-4407 may have the governor in the affected state, or the governor's designee, certify the area's population as a rural area with respect to eligibility for loans, grants, and technical assistance under rural development programs funded by the Department of Agriculture until data from the 2020 United States Census is available. The certification will be provided to the Rural Development State Director of California.

For information on determining if a project is located in an area with a Major Disaster Declaration, go to the Community Facilities section of the Rural Development Disaster Assistance site located at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/services/rural-development-disaster-assistance.

5. Eligible grant amounts. Grant assistance will be provided on a graduated scale with smaller communities with the lowest median household income being eligible for a higher proportion of grant funds. Grant funds will be limited to:

(i) The percentages of eligible projects costs outlined in 7 CFR 3570.63(b); and

(ii) The maximum grant assistance allowed in accordance with 7 CFR 3570.66.

The requirements for submitting an application can be found at 7 CFR 3570.65. Applications will be processed in the processing office designated by the USDA Rural Development State Office in the state where the applicant's project is located. Agency state office contact information is available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/offices/state-offices. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.

Applications will be reviewed in accordance with 7 CFR 3570.71 (a)-(d) and scored on a priority basis in accordance with 7 CFR 3570.67. If at anytime the demand for grant funds is greater than the amount of grant funds available, a priority ranking scoring system will be used to determine which projects are funded.

Applicants selected for funding will be provided a Letter of Conditions. Upon acceptance of the conditions, the applicant will sign and return to the processing office Forms RD 1942-46, “Letter of Intent to Meet Conditions,” and RD 1940-1, “Request for Obligation of Funds.” The grant is approved on the date an Agency signed copy of Form RD 1940-1, “Request for Obligation of Funds,” is mailed to the applicant.

Prior to the disbursement of grant funds, applicants approved for funding will be required to sign an Agency approved Grant Agreement, meet any pre-disbursement conditions outlined in the Letter of Conditions, and meet the applicable Statutory or Regulatory authority for this action listed in Section A. Program Description.

In the event the application is not approved, the applicant will be notified in writing of the reasons for rejection and provided applicable review and appeal rights in accordance with 7 CFR part 11.

USDA Rural Development State Office in the state where the applicant's project is located. Agency state office contact information is available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/offices/state-offices.

1. Civil Rights. Programs referenced in this Notice are subject to applicable Civil Rights Laws. These laws include the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended in 1988, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

2. Non-Discrimination Statement. In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information ( e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410;

(2) Fax: (202) 690-7442; or

(3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

This meeting is available to the public through the following toll-free call-in number: 800-367-2403, conference ID number: 7887893. Any interested member of the public may call this number and listen to the meeting. Callers can expect to incur charges for calls they initiate over wireless lines, and the Commission will not refund any incurred charges. Callers will incur no charge for calls they initiate over land-line connections to the toll-free telephone number. Persons with hearing impairments may also follow the proceedings by first calling the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 and providing the Service with the conference call number and conference ID number.

Members of the public are entitled to make comments during the open period at the end of the meeting. Members of the public may also submit written comments; the comments must be received in the Regional Programs Unit within 30 days following the meeting. Written comments may be mailed to the Western Regional Office, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 300 North Los Angeles Street, Suite 2010, Los Angeles, CA 90012. They may be faxed to the Commission at (213) 894-0508, or emailed Ana Victoria Fortes at afortes@usccr.gov. Persons who desire additional information may contact the Regional Programs Unit at (213) 894-3437.

Records and documents discussed during the meeting will be available for public viewing prior to and after the meeting at https://www.facadatabase.gov/FACA/FACAPublicViewCommitteeDetails?id=a10t0000001gzkUAAQ.

Please click on “Committee Meetings” tab. Records generated from this meeting may also be inspected and reproduced at the Regional Programs Unit, as they become available, both before and after the meeting. Persons interested in the work of this Committee are directed to the Commission's website, https://www.usccr.gov, or may contact the Regional Programs Unit at the above email or street address.

Exceptional Circumstance: Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.150, the notice for this meeting is given less than 15 calendar days prior to the meeting because of the exceptional circumstances of recovery from the government shutdown.

This meeting is available to the public through the following toll-free call-in number: 800-353-6461 conference ID number: 9209019. Any interested member of the public may call this number and listen to the meeting. Callers can expect to incur charges for calls they initiate over wireless lines, and the Commission will not refund any incurred charges. Callers will incur no charge for calls they initiate over land-line connections to the toll-free telephone number. Persons with hearing impairments may also follow the proceedings by first calling the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 and providing the Service with the conference call number and conference ID number.

Members of the public are entitled to make comments during the open period at the end of the meeting. Members of the public may also submit written comments; the comments must be received in the Regional Programs Unit within 30 days following the meeting. Written comments may be mailed to the Western Regional Office, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 300 North Los Angeles Street, Suite 2010, Los Angeles, CA 90012. They may be faxed to the Commission at (213) 894-0508, or emailed Ana Victoria Fortes at afortes@usccr.gov . Persons who desire additional information may contact the Regional Programs Unit at (213) 894-3437.

Records and documents discussed during the meeting will be available for public viewing prior to and after the meeting at https://www.facadatabase.gov/FACA/FACAPublicViewCommitteeDetails?id=a10t0000001gzkUAAQ .

Please click on “Committee Meetings” tab. Records generated from this meeting may also be inspected and reproduced at the Regional Programs Unit, as they become available, both before and after the meeting. Persons interested in the work of this Committee are directed to the Commission's website, https://www.usccr.gov, or may contact the Regional Programs Unit at the above email or street address.

Background

This preliminary determination is made in accordance with section 733(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Commerce published the notice of initiation of this investigation on March 4, 2019. 1 On July 1, 2019, Commerce postponed the preliminary determination of this investigation and the revised deadline is now September 3, 2019. 2 For a complete description of the events that followed the initiation of this investigation, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. 3 A list of topics included in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is included as Appendix II to this notice. The Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at https://access.trade.gov, and to all parties in the Central Records Unit, room B8024 of the main Commerce building. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed and the electronic versions of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum are identical in content.

The product covered by this investigation is fabricated structural steel from Canada. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see Appendix I.

In accordance with the preamble to Commerce's regulations, 4 the Initiation Notice set aside a period of time for parties to raise issues regarding product coverage ( i.e., scope). 5 Certain interested parties commented on the scope of the investigation as it appeared in the Initiation Notice. For a summary of the product coverage comments and rebuttal responses submitted on the record for this preliminary determination, and accompanying discussion and analysis of all comments timely received, see the Preliminary Scope Decision Memoranda. 6 Commerce is preliminarily modifying the scope language as it appeared in the Initiation Notice. See the revised scope in Appendix I to this notice.

Commerce is conducting this investigation in accordance with section 731 of the Act. Commerce has calculated export prices in accordance with section 772(a) of the Act. Commerce calculated constructed export prices have been calculated in accordance with section 772(b) of the Act. Normal value is calculated in accordance with section 773 of the Act. For a full description of the methodology underlying the preliminary determination, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

For this preliminary determination, Commerce calculated a zero or de minimis estimated weighted-average dumping margin for each individually examined producer and/or exporter of the subject merchandise. Consistent with section 733(b)(3) of the Act, Commerce disregards de minimis rates and preliminarily determines that these individually examined respondents with de minimis rates have not made sales of subject merchandise at LTFV.

Consistent with section 733(d) of the Act, Commerce has not calculated an estimated weighted-average dumping margin for all other producers and exporters because it has not made an affirmative preliminary determination of sales at LTFV.

Because Commerce has made a negative preliminary determination of sales at LTFV with regard to subject merchandise, Commerce will not direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to suspend liquidation or to require a cash deposit of estimated antidumping duties for any such entries.

Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis performed to interested parties in this preliminary determination within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of publication of this notice in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).

As provided in section 782(i)(1) of the Act, Commerce intends to verify the information relied upon in making its final determination.

Case briefs or other written comments may be submitted to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance no later than seven days after the date on which the last verification report is issued in this investigation. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in case briefs, may be submitted no later than five days after the deadline date for case briefs. 8 Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), parties who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this investigation are encouraged to submit with each argument: (1) A statement of the issue; (2) a brief summary of the argument; and (3) a table of authorities.

Interested parties may address Commerce's preliminary scope determinations in scope briefs which may be submitted no later than 21 days after the publication of the preliminary antidumping duty (AD) determinations on fabricated structural steel from Canada, China, and Mexico in the Federal Register . Scope rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the scope case briefs, may be submitted no later than five days after the deadline for the scope case briefs. These deadlines, which are based on publication in the Federal Register of the preliminary determinations in the AD investigations of fabricated structural steel, apply to both the on-going AD and countervailing duty (CVD) fabricated structural steel investigations. Thus, there is only one briefing schedule for scope case and rebuttal briefs in the AD and CVD fabricated structural steel investigations. For all scope issues, parties must file separate and identical documents on the records of all of the ongoing AD and CVD investigations of fabricated structural steel from Canada, China, and Mexico through ACCESS. No new factual information may be included in scope case or rebuttal briefs.

Parties should include all arguments about scope-related issues in the scope case and rebuttal briefs. Commerce does not intend to permit arguments about scope-related issues in the investigation-specific case and rebuttal briefs regarding other issues. Should these investigations result in the imposition of orders, interested parties may submit requests for a scope ruling after the publication of any such orders in the Federal Register .

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to request a hearing, limited to issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs, must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce, within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice. Requests should contain the party's name, address, and telephone number, the number of participants, whether any participant is a foreign national, and a list of the issues to be discussed. If a request for a hearing is made, Commerce intends to hold the hearing at the U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230, at a time and date to be determined. Parties should confirm by telephone the date, time, and location of the hearing two days before the scheduled date.

Section 735(a)(2)(B) of the Act provides that a final determination may be postponed until not later than 135 days after the date of the publication of the preliminary determination if, in the event of a negative preliminary determination, a request for such postponement is made by the petitioner. On July 23, 2019, the petitioner requested that Commerce postpone the final determination. 9 In accordance with section 735(a)(2)(B) of the Act, because the preliminary determination is negative, and the petitioner has requested the postponement of the final determination, Commerce is postponing the final determination. Accordingly, Commerce will make its final determination by no later than 135 days after the date of publication of this preliminary determination, pursuant to section 735(a)(2) of the Act.

In accordance with section 733(f) of the Act, Commerce will notify the International Trade Commission (ITC) of its preliminary determination. If the final determination is affirmative, the ITC will determine 75 days after the final determination whether these imports are materially injuring, or threaten material injury to, the U.S. industry.

This determination is issued and published in accordance with sections 733(f) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(c).

Chapter 19 of Article 1904 of NAFTA provides a dispute settlement mechanism involving trade remedy determinations issued by the Government of the United States, the Government of Canada, and the Government of Mexico. Following a Request for Panel Review, a Binational Panel is composed to review the trade remedy determination being challenged and issue a binding Panel Decision. There are established NAFTA Rules of Procedure for Article 1904 Binational Panel Reviews (Rules) and the NAFTA Panel Decision has been notified in accordance with Rule 70. For the complete Rules, please see https://www.nafta-sec-alena.org/Home/Texts-of-the-Agreement/Rules-of-Procedure/Article-1904.

Panel Decision: On September 4, 2019, the Binational Panel issued its Interim Decision and Order which affirmed in part and remanded in part the Final Determination by United States International Trade Commission. In accordance with NAFTA Article 1904.8, for reasons more fully set forth in within the Analysis section of the Decision (which shall be controlling in the event of conflict), and based upon the evidence in the administrative record, the applicable law, the written submissions of the Parties, and oral argument at the Panel's hearing, the Panel remands the Commission's determinations as follows:

With respect to the Business Cycle and Conditions of Competition, the Panel remands this issue to the Commission and directs the Commission to reconsider the record evidence in relation to the business cycle(s) distinctive to the U.S. lumber industry, and to apply its findings in its analysis of volume, price effects, impact, and causation.

With respect to the use of Post-Petition data, the Panel remands the Commission's decision to reduce the weight it accorded to interim 2017 data and directs the Commission to provide a reasoned determination on whether or not to reduce the weight accorded to interim 2017 data;

The Panel directs the Commission to clarify whether or not it is also reducing the weight accorded to third- and fourth-quarter 2017 data. If, upon reconsideration, the Commission decides to reduce the weight given to post-petition data, the Commission is further directed to clarify what weight, if any, it is giving to post-petition data and the reasons for this determination.

With respect to the Substitutability conclusions, the Panel remands the matter to the Commission, and directs it to reconsider its calculation of substitution elasticity, explaining how it reached its conclusion and demonstrating how that conclusion was applied in the Commission's analysis of volume, price effects, impact, and causation; and demonstrate how, and to what extent, the limitations to substitutability implied in its conclusion that the goods were “at least moderately substitutable” factored into the Commission's analysis of volume, price effects, impact, and causation.

With respect to the Volume analysis, the Panel remands this determination to the Commission and directs the Commission to consider all record evidence to demonstrate how, and to what extent, the limitations to substitutability implied in its conclusion that the goods were “at least moderately substitutable” factored into its conclusion that subject imports experienced significant gains in market share directly at the expense of the domestic industry. The Panel directs the Commission to further reconsider its volume analysis as the Commission determines appropriate.

With respect to the Price Effects analysis, as to the Domestic Capacity aspect of the price suppression analysis, the Panel remands this determination to the Commission and directs the Commission to consider whether to take the more recent Forest Economic Advisors (“FEA”) data into account in its domestic capacity analysis, explain its decision, and, if it decides to take the updated FEA data into account, reconsider its price effects analysis as it determines is appropriate.

As to the Different Softwood Species aspect of the price suppression analysis, the Panel remands this determination to the Commission and directs the Commission to reconsider its conclusion that the prices of different species closely track each other to take into consideration that price movements of one species “affect” prices of other species, the existence of a “great difference in price movement” of one species compared to another, and that prices for different species “generally track” each other, as well as any other record evidence, and to determine what effect such reconsideration has on its price suppression analysis.

As to the Cost of Goods Sold (“COGS”) and Pricing Trends aspect of the price suppression issue, the Panel remands this determination to the Commission and directs the Commission to reconsider its COGS and price trends analysis to take into account the Commission's finding that subject imports and domestic products are at least moderately substitutable, and determine what effect such reconsideration has on its finding that subject imports prevented price increases which otherwise would have occurred to a significant degree.

With respect to the Questionnaire Responses aspect of the price suppression analysis, the Panel remands this determination to the Commission and directs the Commission to reconsider the record evidence, its conclusion that purchasers confirmed purchasing subject imports rather than domestic product solely due to their lower prices, and to determine what effect such reconsideration has on its price suppression analysis.

With respect to the Impact issue, the Panel found that the Commission's finding of adverse impact is lawful and supported by substantial evidence in light of its determinations regarding post-petition data, substitutability, volume, price effects, and the business cycle, which have been remanded elsewhere in this decision. If, in any of these remands, the Commission reaches a different finding or conclusion on the particular issue, then the Panel directs the Commission to determine and explain what effect such reconsideration has on its impact analysis.

With respect to the Causation issue, the Panel found that the Commission's finding of causation is lawful and supported by substantial evidence in light of its determinations regarding volume, price effect, and impact. If, after reconsideration, the Commission reaches a different finding or conclusion on any of these issues, then the Panel directs the Commission to determine and explain what effect such reconsideration has on its causation analysis.

The Panel ordered the Commission to submit its redetermination on remand within 90 days from the issuance of the Interim Panel Decision and Order. For the full Interim Panel Decision and Order, please see https://www.nafta-sec-alena.org/Home/Dispute-Settlement/Decisions-and-Reports.

On May 1, 2019, Commerce published in the Federal Register a notice of opportunity to request an administrative review of the CVD order on HEDP from China for the period January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018. 1 On May 31, 2019, Compass Chemical International LLC (Compass Chemical), a domestic interested party, filed a timely request for review with respect to Shandong Taihe Chemicals Co., Ltd., Shandong Taihe Water Treatment Technologies Co., Ltd., and Henan Qingshuiyuan Technology Co., Ltd., in accordance with section 751(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), and 19 CFR 351.213(b). 2 Pursuant to this request, and in accordance with section 751(a) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.221(c)(1)(i), we initiated an administrative review of these companies. 3 On August 26, 2019, Compass Chemical filed a timely withdrawal of request for the administrative review. 4

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1), the Secretary will rescind an administrative review, in whole or in part, if the party that requested the review withdraws the request within 90 days of the date of publication of the notice of initiation of the requested review. As noted above, Compass Chemical, the only party to file a request for review, withdrew its request by the 90-day deadline. Accordingly, we are rescinding the administrative review of the CVD order on HEDP from China for the period January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018, in its entirety.

Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to assess CVD duties on all appropriate entries of HEDP from China. CVD duties shall be assessed at rates equal to the cash deposit of estimated CVD duties required at the time of entry, or withdrawal from warehouse, for consumption, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(c)(1)(i). Commerce intends to issue appropriate assessment instructions to CBP 15 days after the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register .

This notice serves as a reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of CVD duties prior to liquidation of the relevant entries during this review period. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in Commerce's presumption that reimbursement of CVD duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of doubled CVD duties.

This notice also serves as a reminder to all parties subject to administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility concerning the disposition of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305. Timely written notification of the return/destruction of APO materials or conversion to judicial protective order is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and terms of an APO is a violation which is subject to sanction.

This notice is issued and published in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.213(d)(4).

Background

Commerce's procedures for the conduct of Sunset Reviews are set forth in its Procedures for Conducting Five-Year (Sunset) Reviews of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders, 63 FR 13516 (March 20, 1998) and 70 FR 62061 (October 28, 2005). Guidance on methodological or analytical issues relevant to Commerce's conduct of Sunset Reviews is set forth in Antidumping Proceedings: Calculation of the Weighted-Average Dumping Margin and Assessment Rate in Certain Antidumping Duty Proceedings; Final Modification, 77 FR 8101 (February 14, 2012).

In accordance with section 751(c) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.218(c), we are initiating the Sunset Review of the following AD order:

As a courtesy, we are making information related to sunset proceedings, including copies of the pertinent statute and Commerces's regulations, Commerce's schedule for Sunset Reviews, a listing of past revocations and continuations, and current service lists, available to the public on Commerce's website at the following address: http://enforcement.trade.gov/sunset/. All submissions in this Sunset Review must be filed in accordance with Commerce's regulations regarding format, translation, and service of documents. These rules, including electronic filing requirements via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS), can be found at 19 CFR 351.303. 1

Any party submitting factual information in an AD/CVD proceeding must certify to the accuracy and completeness of that information. 2 Parties must use the certification formats provided in 19 CFR 351.303(g). 3 Commerce intends to reject factual submissions if the submitting party does not comply with applicable revised certification requirements.

On April 10, 2013, Commerce modified two regulations related to AD/CVD proceedings: the definition of factual information (19 CFR 351.102(b)(21)), and the time limits for the submission of factual information (19 CFR 351.301). 4 Parties are advised to review the final rule, available at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/2013/1304frn/2013-08227.txt, prior to submitting factual information in these segments. To the extent that other regulations govern the submission of factual information in a segment (such as 19 CFR 351.218), these time limits will continue to be applied. Parties are also advised to review the final rule concerning the extension of time limits for submissions in AD/CVD proceedings, available at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/2013/1309frn/2013-22853.txt, prior to submitting factual information in this segment. 5

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.103(d), Commerce will maintain and make available a public service list for this proceeding. Parties wishing to participate in this five-year review must file letters of appearance as discussed at 19 CFR 351.103(d)). To facilitate the timely preparation of the public service list, it is requested that those seeking recognition as interested parties to a proceeding submit an entry of appearance within 10 days of the publication of the Notice of Initiation. Because deadlines in Sunset Reviews can be very short, we urge interested parties who want access to proprietary information under administrative protective order (APO) to file an APO application immediately following publication in the Federal Register of this notice of initiation. Commerce's regulations on submission of proprietary information and eligibility to receive access to business proprietary information under APO can be found at 19 CFR 351.304-306.

Domestic interested parties, as defined in section 771(9)(C), (D), (E), (F), and (G) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.102(b), wishing to participate in the Sunset Review must respond not later than 15 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register of this notice of initiation by filing a notice of intent to participate. The required contents of the notice of intent to participate are set forth at 19 CFR 351.218(d)(1)(ii). In accordance with Commerce's regulations, if we do not receive a notice of intent to participate from at least one domestic interested party by the 15-day deadline, Commerce will automatically revoke the order without further review. 6

If we receive an order-specific notice of intent to participate from a domestic interested party, Commerce's regulations provide that all parties wishing to participate in the Sunset Review must file complete substantive responses not later than 30 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register of this notice of initiation. The required contents of a substantive response, on an order-specific basis, are set forth at 19 CFR 351.218(d)(3). Note that certain information requirements differ for respondent and domestic parties. Also, note that Commerce's information requirements are distinct from the Commission's information requirements. Consult Commerce's regulations for information regarding Commerce's conduct of Sunset Reviews. Consult Commerce's regulations at 19 CFR part 351 for definitions of terms and for other general information concerning antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings at Commerce.

This notice of initiation is being published in accordance with section 751(c) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.218(c).

This preliminary determination is made in accordance with section 733(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Commerce published the notice of initiation of this investigation on March 4, 2019. 1 On July 1, 2019, Commerce postponed the preliminary determination of this investigation and the revised deadline is now September 3, 2019. 2 For a complete description of the events that followed the initiation of this investigation, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. 3 A list of topics included in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is included as Appendix II to this notice. The Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at https://access.trade.gov, and to all parties in the Central Records Unit, room B8024 of the main Commerce building. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed and the electronic versions of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum are identical in content.

The product covered by this investigation is fabricated structural steel from Mexico. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see Appendix I.

In accordance with the preamble to Commerce's regulations, 4 the Initiation Notice set aside a period of time for parties to raise issues regarding product coverage ( i.e., scope). 5 Certain interested parties commented on the scope of the investigation as it appeared in the Initiation Notice. For a summary of the product coverage comments and rebuttal responses submitted on the record for this preliminary determination, and accompanying discussion and analysis of all comments timely received, see the Preliminary Scope Decision Memoranda. 6 Commerce is preliminarily modifying the scope language as it appeared in the Initiation Notice. See the revised scope in Appendix I to this notice.

Commerce is conducting this investigation in accordance with section 731 of the Act. Commerce has calculated export prices in accordance with section 772(a) of the Act. Commerce calculated constructed export prices in accordance with section 772(b) of the Act. Normal value is calculated in accordance with section 773 of the Act. For a full description of the methodology underlying the preliminary determination, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

Pursuant to section 776(a) and (b) of the Act, Commerce has preliminarily relied upon facts otherwise available, with adverse inferences, to assign an antidumping margin to several companies that failed to properly respond to Commerce's quantity and value questionnaire (the non-responsive companies). 7 For a full description of the methodology underlying the preliminary determination, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

Section 733(d)(1)(ii) of the Act provides that Commerce shall preliminarily determine an estimated all-others rate for all exporters and producers not individually examined. This rate shall be an amount equal to the weighted average of the estimated weighted-average dumping margins established for exporters and producers individually investigated, excluding any zero and de minimis margins, and any margins determined entirely under section 776 of the Act.

In this investigation, Commerce preliminarily found a zero rate for Corey S.A. de C.V./Industrias Recal S.A. de C.V. 8 Therefore, the only rate that is not zero, de minimis, or based entirely on facts otherwise available is the rate calculated for Building Systems de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (BSM). Consequently, the rate calculated for BSM is also assigned as the rate for all other producers and exporters.

Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated weighted-average dumping margins exist:

In accordance with section 733(d)(2) of the Act, Commerce will direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to suspend liquidation of entries of subject merchandise, as described in Appendix I, entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register . Further, pursuant to section 733(d)(1)(B) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(d), Commerce will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit equal to the estimated weighted-average dumping margin or the estimated all-others rate, as follows: (1) The cash deposit rate for the respondents listed above will be equal to the company-specific estimated weighted-average dumping margins determined in this preliminary determination; (2) if the exporter is not a respondent identified above, but the producer is, then the cash deposit rate will be equal to the company-specific estimated weighted-average dumping margin established for that producer of the subject merchandise except as explained below; and (3) the cash deposit rate for all other producers and exporters will be equal to the all-others estimated weighted-average dumping margin.

Because the estimated weighted-average dumping margin for Corey is zero or de minimis, certain entries of shipments of subject merchandise from Corey will not be subject to suspension of liquidation or cash deposit requirements. In such situations, Commerce applies the exclusion to the provisional measures to the producer/exporter combination that was examined in the investigation. Accordingly, Commerce is directing CBP not to suspend liquidation of entries of subject merchandise produced and exported by Corey. Entries of shipments of subject merchandise from Corey in any other producer/exporter combination, or by third parties that sourced subject merchandise from the excluded Corey producer/exporter combination, are subject to the provisional measures.

Should the final estimated weighted-average dumping margin be zero or de minimis for subject merchandise produced and exported by Corey, entries of subject merchandise produced and exported by Corey will be excluded from the potential antidumping duty order. An exclusion for subject merchandise produced and exported by Corey is not applicable to subject merchandise from Corey in any other producer/exporter combination or by third parties that sourced subject merchandise from the excluded Corey producer/exporter combination.

Commerce normally adjusts cash deposits for estimated antidumping duties by the amount of export subsidies countervailed in a companion countervailing duty (CVD) proceeding, when CVD provisional measures are in effect. Accordingly, where Commerce preliminarily made an affirmative determination for countervailable export subsidies, Commerce has offset the estimated weighted-average dumping margin by the appropriate CVD rate. Any such adjusted cash deposit rate may be found in the Preliminary Determination section above.

Should provisional measures in the companion CVD investigation expire prior to the expiration of provisional measures in this LTFV investigation, Commerce will direct CBP to begin collecting estimated antidumping duty cash deposits unadjusted for countervailed export subsidies at the time that the provisional CVD measures expire. These suspension of liquidation instructions will remain in effect until further notice.

Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis performed to interested parties in this preliminary determination within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of publication of this notice in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).

As provided in section 782(i)(1) of the Act, Commerce intends to verify the information relied upon in making its final determination.

Case briefs or other written comments may be submitted to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance no later than seven days after the date on which the last verification report is issued in this investigation. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in case briefs, may be submitted no later than five days after the deadline date for case briefs. 10 Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), parties who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this investigation are encouraged to submit with each argument: (1) A statement of the issue; (2) a brief summary of the argument; and (3) a table of authorities.

Interested parties may address Commerce's preliminary scope determinations in scope briefs which may be submitted no later than 21 days after the publication of the preliminary antidumping (AD) determinations on fabricated structural steel from Canada, China and Mexico in the Federal Register . Scope rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the scope case briefs, may be submitted no later than five days after the deadline for the scope case briefs. These deadlines, which are based on publication in the Federal Register of the preliminary determinations in the AD investigations of fabricated structural steel, apply to both the on-going AD and CVD fabricated structural steel investigations. Thus, there is only one briefing schedule for scope case and rebuttal briefs in the AD and CVD fabricated structural steel investigations. For all scope issues, parties must file separate and identical documents on the records of all of the ongoing AD and CVD investigations of fabricated structural steel from Canada, China, and Mexico through ACCESS. No new factual information may be included in scope case or rebuttal briefs.

Parties should include all arguments about scope-related issues in the scope case and rebuttal briefs. Commerce does not intend to permit arguments about scope-related issues in the investigation-specific case and rebuttal briefs regarding other issues. Should these investigations result in the imposition of orders, interested parties may submit requests for a scope ruling after the publication of any such orders in the Federal Register .

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to request a hearing, limited to issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs, must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce, within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice. Requests should contain the party's name, address, and telephone number, the number of participants, whether any participant is a foreign national, and a list of the issues to be discussed. If a request for a hearing is made, Commerce intends to hold the hearing at the U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230, at a time and date to be determined. Parties should confirm by telephone the date, time, and location of the hearing two days before the scheduled date.

Section 735(a)(2) of the Act provides that a final determination may be postponed until not later than 135 days after the date of the publication of the preliminary determination if, in the event of an affirmative preliminary determination, a request for such postponement is made by exporters who account for a significant proportion of exports of the subject merchandise, or in the event of a negative preliminary determination, a request for such postponement is made by the petitioner. Section 351.210(e)(2) of Commerce's regulations requires that a request by exporters for postponement of the final determination be accompanied by a request for extension of provisional measures from a four-month period to a period not more than six months in duration.

From July 22 through July 24, 2019, the Full Member Subgroup of the American Institute of Steel Construction, LLC (the petitioner), Corey, and BSM requested that Commerce postpone the final determination. 11 In accordance with section 735(a)(2)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(2)(ii), because: (1) The preliminary determination is affirmative; (2) the requesting exporters account for a significant proportion of exports of the subject merchandise; and (3) no compelling reasons for denial exist, Commerce is postponing the final determination and extending the provisional measures from a four-month period to a period not greater than six months. Accordingly, Commerce will make its final determination no later than 135 days after the date of publication of this preliminary determination.

In accordance with section 733(f) of the Act, Commerce will notify the International Trade Commission (ITC) of its preliminary determination. If the final determination is affirmative, the ITC will determine before the later of 120 days after the date of this preliminary determination or 45 days after the final determination whether these imports are materially injuring, or threaten material injury to, the U.S. industry.

This determination is issued and published in accordance with sections 733(f) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(c).

Background

This preliminary determination is made in accordance with section 733(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Commerce published the notice of initiation of this investigation on March 4, 2019. 1 On July 1, 2019, Commerce published the postponement of the preliminary determination of this investigation, and the revised deadline is now September 3, 2019. 2 For a complete description of the events that followed the initiation of this investigation, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. 3 A list of topics included in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is included as Appendix II to this notice. The Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at https://access.trade.gov, and to all parties in the Central Records Unit, room B8024 of the main Commerce building. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed and the electronic versions of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum are identical in content.

The product covered by this investigation is fabricated structural steel from China. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see Appendix I.

In accordance with the preamble to Commerce's regulations, 4 the Initiation Notice set aside a period of time for parties to raise issues regarding product coverage ( i.e., scope). 5 Certain interested parties commented on the scope of the investigation as it appeared in the Initiation Notice. For a summary of the product coverage comments and rebuttal responses submitted on the record for this preliminary determination, and accompanying discussion and analysis of all comments timely received, see the Preliminary Scope Decision Memoranda. 6 Commerce is preliminarily modifying the scope language as it appeared in the Initiation Notice. See the revised scope in Appendix I to this notice.

Commerce is conducting this investigation in accordance with section 731 of the Act. Export prices were calculated in accordance with section 772(a) of the Act. Commerce calculated constructed export prices in accordance with section 772(b) of the Act. Because China is a non-market economy within the meaning of section 771(18) of the Act, normal value (NV) was calculated in accordance with section 773(c) of the Act.

In addition, Commerce has relied on facts available under section 776(a) of the Act to determine the cash deposit rate assigned to the China-wide entity. Furthermore, pursuant to section 776(a) and (b) of the Act, because the China-wide entity did not cooperate to the best of its ability in responding to Commerce's requests for data, Commerce preliminarily has relied upon facts otherwise available, with adverse inferences, for the China-wide entity. For a full description of the methodology underlying Commerce's preliminary determination, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

In the Initiation Notice, 7 Commerce stated that it would calculate exporter/producer combination rates for the respondents that are eligible for a separate rate in this investigation. Policy Bulletin 05.1 describes this practice. 8 For a list of the respondents that established eligibility for their own separate rates and the exporter/producer combination rates applicable to these respondents, see Appendix III.

Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated weighted-average dumping margins exist:

In accordance with section 733(d)(2) of the Act, Commerce will direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to suspend liquidation of subject merchandise, as described in Appendix I, entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register , except for entries of subject merchandise produced and exported by Modern Heavy. Because the estimated weighted-average dumping margin for Modern Heavy is zero, we are not directing CBP to suspend liquidation of entries of the merchandise produced and exported by this company.

Further, pursuant to section 733(d)(1)(B) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(d), Commerce will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit equal to the weighted average amount by which NV exceeds U.S. price, and, where appropriate, adjusted for export subsidies and estimated domestic subsidy pass-through as indicated in the chart above, as follows: (1) For the producer/exporter combinations listed in the table above, the cash deposit rate is equal to the combination listed in the table; (2) for all combinations of Chinese producers/exporters of merchandise under consideration that have not established eligibility for their own separate rates, the cash deposit rate will be equal to the rate established for the China-wide entity; and (3) for all third-country exporters of merchandise under consideration not listed in the table above, the cash deposit rate is the cash deposit rate applicable to the Chinese exporter/producer combination (or the China-wide entity) that supplied that third-country exporter.

Because the estimated weighted-average dumping margin for Modern Heavy is zero, entries of shipments of subject merchandise from this company will not be subject to suspension of liquidation or cash deposit requirements. In such situations, Commerce applies the exclusion to the provisional measures to the producer/exporter combination that was examined in the investigation. Accordingly, Commerce is directing CBP not to suspend liquidation of entries of subject merchandise produced and exported by Modern Heavy. Entries of shipments of subject merchandise from this company in any other producer/exporter combination, or by third parties that sourced subject merchandise from the excluded producer/exporter combination, are subject to the provisional measures at the China-wide rate.

Should the final estimated weighted-average dumping margin be zero or de minimis for Modern Heavy, entries of shipments of subject merchandise from this producer/exporter combination will be excluded from the potential antidumping duty order. The exclusion is not applicable to merchandise exported to the United States by this respondent in any other producer/exporter combinations or by third parties that sourced subject merchandise from the excluded producer/exporter combination.

Commerce normally adjusts cash deposits for estimated antidumping duties by the amount of export subsidies countervailed in a companion countervailing duty (CVD) proceeding or domestic subsidy pass-through, when CVD provisional measures are in effect. Accordingly, where Commerce preliminarily made an affirmative determination for domestic subsidy pass-through or countervailable export subsidies, Commerce has offset the estimated weighted-average dumping margin by the appropriate CVD rate(s). As explained in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum, we have not adjusted for any cash deposit rates for domestic subsidy pass-through, but we have adjusted rates for export subsidies. Any such adjusted cash deposit rate may be found in the Preliminary Determination section above.

Should provisional measures in the companion CVD investigation expire prior to the expiration of provisional measures in this LTFV investigation, Commerce will direct CBP to begin collecting estimated antidumping duty cash deposits unadjusted for countervailed export subsidies at the time that the provisional CVD measures expire. These suspension of liquidation instructions will remain in effect until further notice.

Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis performed to interested parties in this preliminary determination within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of publication of this notice in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).

As provided in section 782(i)(1) of the Act, Commerce intends to verify information relied upon in making its final determination.

Case briefs or other written comments may be submitted to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance no later than seven days after the date on which the last verification report is issued in this investigation. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in case briefs, may be submitted no later than five days after the deadline date for case briefs. 11 Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), parties who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this investigation are encouraged to submit with each argument: (1) A statement of the issue; (2) a brief summary of the argument; and (3) a table of authorities.

Interested parties may address Commerce's preliminary scope determinations in scope briefs which may be submitted no later than 21 days after the publication of the preliminary antidumping duty (AD) determinations on fabricated structural steel from Canada, China, and Mexico in the Federal Register . Scope rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the scope case briefs, may be submitted no later than five days after the deadline for the scope case briefs. These deadlines, which are based on publication in the Federal Register of the preliminary determinations in the AD investigations of fabricated structural steel, apply to both the ongoing AD and CVD fabricated structural steel investigations. Thus, there is only one briefing schedule for scope case and rebuttal briefs in the AD and CVD fabricated structural steel investigations. For all scope issues, parties must file separate and identical documents on the records of all of the ongoing AD and CVD investigations of fabricated structural steel from Canada, China, and Mexico through ACCESS. No new factual information may be included in scope case or rebuttal briefs.

Parties should include all arguments about scope-related issues in the scope case and rebuttal briefs. Commerce does not intend to permit arguments about scope-related issues in the investigation-specific case and rebuttal briefs regarding other issues. Should these investigations result in the imposition of orders, interested parties may submit requests for a scope ruling after the publication of any such orders in the Federal Register .

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to request a hearing, limited to issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs, must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce, within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice. Requests should contain the party's name, address, and telephone number, the number of participants, whether any participant is a foreign national, and a list of the issues to be discussed. If a request for a hearing is made, Commerce intends to hold the hearing at the U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230, at a time and date to be determined. Parties should confirm by telephone the date, time, and location of the hearing two days before the scheduled date.

Section 735(a)(2) of the Act provides that a final determination may be postponed until not later than 135 days after the date of the publication of the preliminary determination if, in the event of an affirmative preliminary determination, a request for such postponement is made by exporters who account for a significant proportion of exports of the subject merchandise, or in the event of a negative preliminary determination, a request for such postponement is made by the petitioners. Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.210(e)(2), Commerce requires that requests by respondents for postponement of a final AD determination be accompanied by a request for extension of provisional measures from a four-month period to a period not more than six months in duration.

From July 19 through July 23, 2019, the Full Member Subgroup of the American Institute of Steel Construction, LLC (the petitioner), Jinhuan Construction Group Co., Ltd. (Jinhuan), and Modern Heavy Industries (Taicang) Co., Ltd. (Modern Heavy) requested that Commerce postpone the final determination and that provisional measures be extended to a period not to exceed six months. 12 In accordance with section 735(a)(2)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(2)(ii), because (1) the preliminary determination is affirmative; (2) the requesting exporters account for a significant proportion of exports of the subject merchandise; and (3) no compelling reasons for denial exist, Commerce is postponing the final determination and extending the provisional measures from a four-month period to a period not greater than six months. Accordingly, Commerce will make its final determination no later than 135 days after the date of publication of this preliminary determination.

In accordance with section 733(f) of the Act, Commerce will notify the International Trade Commission (ITC) of its preliminary determination of sales at LTFV. If the final determination is affirmative, the ITC will determine before the later of 120 days after the date of this preliminary determination or 45 days after the final determination whether imports of the subject merchandise are materially injuring, or threaten material injury to, the U.S. industry.

This determination is issued and published in accordance with sections 733(f) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(c).

The Citizen Science Projects Advisory Committee serves as advisors to the Council's Citizen Science Program. Committee members include representatives from the Council's fishery Advisory Panels (AP), Habitat & Ecosystem AP, and Information & Education AP. Their responsibilities include identifying citizen science research and data needs across all the Council's fishery management plans; assisting with development of volunteer engagement strategies for recruiting, training, retaining, and communicating with volunteers; and serving as outreach ambassadors for the Program.

During the meeting, the Committee will receive an overview of the Citizen Science Program including background information and an update on the current program. The Committee will also review the Citizen Science Program's research priorities, discuss and provide recommendations as appropriate.

The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council office (see ADDRESSES ) 5 days prior to the meeting.

Type of Review: Regular submission (Extension of a current information collection). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) requests an extension to a current collection of information under OMB Control No. 0648-0673.

The American lobster fishery is cooperatively managed by the states and NMFS under the authority of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act. This collection of information is in response to several addenda to Amendment 3 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster that work to reduce trap fishing effort through limited entry fishing and trap allocation limit reductions. This program is intended to help control fishing effort while increasing economic flexibility in the American lobster trap fishery.

Currently, Federal lobster permit holders qualified to fish with trap gear in Lobster Conservation Management Areas 2 and 3 are undergoing scheduled annual trap allocation reductions of 5 percent per year until 2021 (Area 2) and 2020 (Area 3). In 2015, in an effort to help mitigate the economic burden of these reductions, NMFS and state agencies implemented the Lobster Trap Transfer Program that allows all qualified Federal lobster permit holders to buy and sell trap allocation from Areas 2, 3, or Outer Cape Cod. Each transaction includes a conservation tax of 10 percent, which deducts a number of traps equal to 10 percent of the total number of traps with each transfer, permanently removing them from the fishery.

NMFS collects annual application forms from lobster permit holders who wish to buy and/or sell Area 2, 3, or Outer Cape Area trap allocation through the Trap Transfer Program. The transfer applications are only accepted during a 2-month period (from August 1 through September 30) each year, and the revised allocations for each participating lobster permit resulting from the transfers become effective at the start of the following Federal lobster fishing year on May 1. Both the seller and buyer of the traps are required to sign the application form, which includes each permit holder's permit and vessel information, the number of traps sold, and the revised number of traps received by the buyer, inclusive of the amount removed according to the transfer tax. Both parties must sign the form as an agreement to the number of traps in the transfer. The parties must date the document and show that the transferring permit holder has sufficient allocation to transfer and the permit holder receiving the traps has sufficient room under any applicable trap cap. This information allows NMFS to process and track transfers of lobster trap allocations through the Trap Transfer Program, and better enables the monitoring and management of the American lobster fishery as a whole.

Applications for the Trap Transfer Program are accepted annually from August 1 through September 30 by mail, fax, or email.

OMB Control Number: 0648-0673.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Review: Regular submission (Extension of a current information collection).

Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit organizations; Individuals or households; Federal government; and State, Local, or Tribal government.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 102.

Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 17.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $573.24 in reporting/recordkeeping costs.

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

The Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils, in conjunction with NOAA Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions have implemented the Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) process, a multi-step method for determining the status of fish stocks in the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a multi-step process including: (1) Data Workshop, (2) a series of assessment webinars, and (3) A Review Workshop. The product of the Data Workshop is a report that compiles and evaluates potential datasets and recommends which datasets are appropriate for assessment analyses. The assessment webinars produce a report that describes the fisheries, evaluates the status of the stock, estimates biological benchmarks, projects future population conditions, and recommends research and monitoring needs. The product of the Review Workshop is an Assessment Summary documenting panel opinions regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the stock assessment and input data. Participants for SEDAR Workshops are appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils and NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, HMS Management Division, and Southeast Fisheries Science Center. Participants include data collectors and database managers; stock assessment scientists, biologists, and researchers; constituency representatives including fishermen, environmentalists, and NGO's; International experts; and staff of Councils, Commissions, and state and federal agencies.

The items of discussion during the Assessment Webinar are as follows:

1. Using datasets and initial assessment analysis recommended from the in-person workshop, panelists will employ assessment models to evaluate stock status, estimate population benchmarks and management criteria, and project future conditions.

2. Participants will recommend the most appropriate methods and configurations for determining stock status and estimating population parameters.

Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. Action will be restricted to those issues specifically identified in this notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the intent to take final action to address the emergency.

The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council office (see ADDRESSES ) at least 5 business days prior to each workshop.

This request is for an extension, without change, of a currently approved information collection.

The Southern Distinct Population Segment of North American green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris; hereafter, “Southern DPS”) was listed as a threatened species in April 2006. Protective regulations under section 4(d) of the ESA were promulgated for the species on June 2, 2010 (75 FR 30714) (the final ESA 4(d) Rule). To comply with the ESA and the protective regulations, entities must obtain take authorization prior to engaging in activities involving take of Southern DPS fish unless the activity is covered by an exception or exemption. “Take” is defined as to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct. Certain activities described in the “exceptions” provision of 50 CFR 223.210(b) are not subject to the take prohibitions if they adhere to specific criteria and reporting requirements. Under the “exemption” provision of 50 CFR 223.210(c), the take prohibitions do not apply to scientific research, scientific monitoring, and fisheries activities conducted under an approved 4(d) program or plan; similarly, take prohibitions do not apply to tribal resource management activities conducted under a Tribal Plan for which the requisite determinations described in 50 CFR 223.102(c)(3) have been made.

To ensure that activities qualify under exceptions to or exemptions from the take prohibitions, local, state, and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, academic researchers, and private organizations are asked to voluntarily submit detailed information regarding their activity on a schedule to be determined by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) staff. This information is used by NMFS to (1) track the number of Southern DPS fish taken as a result of each action; (2) understand and evaluate the cumulative effects of each action on the Southern DPS; and (3) determine whether additional protections are needed for the species, or whether additional exceptions may be warranted. NMFS designed the criteria to ensure that plans meeting the criteria would adequately limit impacts on threatened Southern DPS fish, such that additional protections in the form of a federal take prohibition would not be necessary and advisable.

Respondents have a choice of either electronic or paper forms. Methods of submittal include email of electronic forms, and mail and facsimile transmission of paper forms.

OMB Control Number: 0648-0613.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Review: Regular submission.

Affected Public: Not-for-profit institutions; State, Local, or Tribal government; Federal government; business or other for-profit organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 58

Estimated Time per Response: Written notification describing research, monitoring or habitat restoration activities, 40 hours; development of fisheries management and evaluation plans or state 4(d) research programs, 40 hours; reports, 5 hours; development of a tribal fishery management plan, 20 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,760.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $200.

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

Public comment periods will be provided throughout the agendas. The order in which agenda items are addressed may change. The meetings will run as late as necessary to complete scheduled business.

These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Kitty M. Simonds, telephone: (808) 522-8220; fax: (808) 522-8226, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

The subject permit is requested under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq. ) and the regulations governing the taking and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).

The applicant proposes to film up to 2,000 common dolphins, 300 Pacific white-sided dolphins, 500 northern right whale dolphins, and 100 California sea lions off the coast of Newport, CA. Underwater video would be taken for a television documentary series on American wildlife for the National Geographic Channel. Filming could occur by vessel using a pole camera, by unmanned aircraft system, or by scuba diving. The permit would expire on December 31, 2020.

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 the application to the Marine Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.

Notice is hereby given of a meeting of MAFAC's CBP Task Force. The MAFAC was established by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) and, since 1971, advises the Secretary on all living marine resource matters that are the responsibility of the Department of Commerce. The MAFAC charter and meeting information are located online at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/partners#marine-fisheries-advisory-committee-. The CBP Task Force reports to MAFAC and is being convened to develop recommendations for long-term goals to meet Columbia Basin salmon recovery, conservation needs, and harvest opportunities, in the context of habitat capacity and other factors that affect salmon mortality. More information is available at the CBP Task Force web page: http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/columbia_river/index.html.

The meeting time and agenda are subject to change. Meeting topics include updates to the biological strategies for achieving goals and exploring analytical tools to assess social, cultural, economic, and ecological considerations that affect salmon and steelhead conservation and recovery.

The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Katherine Cheney, 503-231-6730, by September 18, 2019.

ED, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. ED is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of ED; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might ED minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award.

OMB Control Number: 1875-NEW.

Type of Review: A new information collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 120.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 120.

Abstract: Pursuant to Executive Order 13870 of May 2, 2019, as published in the Federal Register at 84 FR 20,523-20,527 (May 9, 2019) (Executive Order 13870), ED, in consultation with the Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism and the National Science Foundation, has developed and implemented, consistent with applicable law, an annual Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award to be presented to one elementary and one secondary school educator per year who best instill skills, knowledge, and passion with respect to cybersecurity and cybersecurity-related subjects. ED will solicit nominations for the two individual educators who will be awarded this Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award.

Additional Information: An emergency clearance approval for the use of the system is described below due to the following conditions: The program office anticipates announcing this award on October 1, 2019. In recognition of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the announcement of the Award will be on or around October 1, 2019. However, the Department must wait until the Systems of Records Notice (SORN) is published in the Federal Register to accept nominations. The Department anticipates that the SORN should be published by December 2019 (or sooner), at which point nominations can be submitted to the Department. The nomination period will likely close January 31, 2020. By announcing in October, this allows nominators more time to put together the information required to submit nominations. The Department will prompt nominators to refer to the website for updated details on when nominations can be submitted to the Department. Between February and April 2020, the Department will conduct an internal review of the nominations, recommend one elementary and one secondary awardee to the Department of Education's Office of the Secretary, and awardees will be recognized during Teacher Appreciation Week in May 2020. This quick timeline will ensure meeting the President of the United States' Executive Order 13870 directive to make awards within one year of signage.

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the renewed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) 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; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

This information collection request contains: (1) OMB No.: 1910-0400 (Renewal); (2) Information Collection Request Title: DOE Financial Assistance Information Clearance; (3) Type of Review: Renewal; (4) Purpose: This information collection package covers mandatory collections of information necessary to annually plan, solicit, negotiate, award and administer grants and cooperative agreements under the Department's financial assistance programs. The information is used by Departmental management to exercise management oversight with respect to implementation of applicable statutory and regulatory requirements and obligations. The collection of this information is critical to ensure that the Government has sufficient information to judge the degree to which awardees meet the terms of their agreements; that public funds are spent in the manner intended; and that fraud, waste, and abuse are immediately detected and eliminated; (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 10,125; (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 36,714; (7) Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 524,040; and (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

In the Federal Register of August 21, 2019, Document 2019-19792, on page 43598, in the third column, correct the Time and Place to read:

Time and Place: Wednesday, September 11, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. until 1:45 p.m. A break for lunch will be at the expense of the attendee. Security processing will be necessary for reentry into the building. The meeting will be held at EXIM headquarters in the Main Conference Room—11th floor, 811 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20571.

On June 15, 1984, OMB delegated to the Board authority under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) to approve and assign OMB control numbers to collections of information conducted or sponsored by the Board. Board-approved collections of information are incorporated into the official OMB inventory of currently approved collections of information. Copies of the PRA Submission, supporting statements, and approved collection of information instrument(s) are placed into OMB's public docket files.

Report title: Recordkeeping and Disclosure Requirements Associated with the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection's (Bureau) Regulation E (Electronic Fund Transfers).

Agency form number: FR E.

OMB control number: 7100-0200.

Effective Date: Immediately.

Frequency: Event generated.

Respondents: State member banks (SMBs) and their subsidiaries, subsidiaries of bank holding companies, U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banks (other than federal branches, federal agencies, and insured state branches of foreign banks), commercial lending companies owned or controlled by foreign banks, and organizations operating under section 25 or 25A of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 601-604a; 611-631).

Estimated number of respondents: Gift card exclusion policies and procedures, Gift card policy and procedures, Transmitter error resolution standards and recordkeeping requirements, Acts of agents, Initial disclosures, Change-in-terms, Error resolution, Remittance transfer disclosures, and Time limits and extent of investigations, 970 respondents; Periodic statements, 71 respondents; Pre-acquisition disclosures (short form disclosure)—one time, Pre-acquisition disclosures (long form disclosure)—one time, Periodic statement alternative—one time, and Pre-acquisition disclosures (short form disclosure)—ongoing, 5 respondents; and internet posting and submission of prepaid account agreements—one time and internet posting and submission of prepaid account agreements—ongoing, 6 respondents.

Estimated average hours per response: Gift card exclusion policies and procedures, Gift card policy and procedures, Transmitter error resolution standards and recordkeeping requirements, Acts of agents, Remittance transfer disclosures, and Pre-acquisition disclosures (long form disclosure)—one time, 8 hours; Initial disclosures, 0.03 hours; Change-in-terms, 0.02 hours; Periodic statements, 7 hours; Error resolution, 0.5 hours; Time limits and extent of investigation, 4.5 hours; Pre-acquisition disclosures (short form disclosure)—one time, 40 hours; Periodic statement alternative—one time, 24 hours; internet posting and submission of prepaid account agreements—one time, 1 hour; Pre-acquisition disclosures (short form disclosure)—ongoing, 4 hours; and internet posting and submission of prepaid account agreements—ongoing, 0.08 hours.

Estimated annual burden hours: Gift card exclusion policies and procedures, Gift card policy and procedures, Transmitter error resolution standards and recordkeeping requirements, and Acts of agents, 7,760 hours; Initial disclosures, 7,275 hours; Change-in-terms, 6,596 hours; Periodic statements, 5,964 hours; Error resolution, 14,550 hours; Remittance transfer disclosures, 93,120 hours; Time limits and extent of investigations, 52,380 hours; Pre-acquisition disclosures (short form disclosure)—one time, 1,914 hours, Pre-acquisition disclosures (long form disclosure)—one time, 383 hours; internet posting and submission of prepaid account agreements—one time, 6 hours, Pre-acquisition disclosures (short form disclosure)—ongoing, 191 hours; Periodic statement alternative—one time, 1,148 hours, and internet posting and submission of prepaid account agreements—ongoing, 2 hours.

General description of report: The Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA) requires consumers be provided meaningful disclosures about the basic terms, costs, and rights relating to electronic fund transfer (EFT) services involving a consumer's account. The disclosures required by the EFTA are triggered by specific events. The disclosures inform consumers, for example, about the terms of the EFT service, activity on the account, potential liability for unauthorized transfers, and the process for resolving errors.

Legal authorization and confidentiality: Section 904 of the EFTA (12 U.S.C. 1693b) authorizes the Bureau to issue regulations to carry out the purposes of the EFTA, which establishes the basic rights, liabilities, and responsibilities of consumers who use EFT and remittance transfer services and of financial institutions or other persons that offer these services. The Bureau's Regulation E, 12 CFR part 1005, implements the EFTA. An institution's recordkeeping and disclosure obligations under Regulation E are mandatory. Because the Board does not collect any information pursuant to the Bureau's Regulation E, no issue of confidentiality normally arises. In the event the Board were to obtain information regarding consumer EFT transactions during the course of an examination, such information may be kept confidential under section (b)(8) of the Freedom of Information Act, which protects information contained in or related to an examination of a financial institution (5 U.S.C. 522 (b)(8)).

Current actions: On April 30, 2019, the Board published a notice in the Federal Register (84 FR 18286) requesting public comment for 60 days on the extension, with revision, of the Recordkeeping and Disclosure Requirements Associated with the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection's (Bureau) Regulation E (Electronic Fund Transfers). Beginning April 1, 2019, entities subject to the Bureau's Regulation E were required to comply with the following recordkeeping and disclosure requirements related to prepaid accounts in accordance with the Bureau's new final rule.

Before a consumer acquires a prepaid account, a financial institution is required to provide a consumer with a short form disclosure and a long form disclosure. The short form disclosure is required to include: Certain fee information—including any periodic fee, per purchase fee, ATM withdrawal fee, cash reload fee, ATM balance inquiry fee, customer service fee, and inactivity fee (collectively, “static fees”); the number of fee types in addition to the static fees; two additional fee types that generated the highest revenue from consumers during the previous 24 months; statements regarding linked overdraft credit features, registration, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)/National Credit Union Association (NCUA) insurance; a reference to the Bureau's website containing information on prepaid accounts; and information on where the consumer can find the long form disclosure. For payroll card accounts, the short form disclosure is required to include a statement regarding options to receive wages or salary from the employer. For government benefit accounts, the short form disclosure is required to include a statement regarding options to receive government benefits. Furthermore, the Bureau requires a financial institution to disclose, in conjunction with the short form disclosure, its name, the name of the prepaid account program, any purchase price for the prepaid account, and any fee for activating the prepaid account.

The long form disclosure is required to include: A title, including the name of the prepaid account program; information about all fees and the conditions under which they may be imposed; a statement regarding registration and FDIC/NCUA insurance; a statement regarding linked overdraft credit features; a statement containing the financial institution's contact information; a reference to the Bureau's website containing information on prepaid accounts; and a reference to the Bureau's website and telephone number to submit complaints.

Generally, these disclosures are required to be provided before a consumer acquires a prepaid account, though there are certain exceptions. For prepaid accounts sold at retail locations, however, a financial institution may provide the long form disclosure after acquisition if the short form disclosure contains information enabling the consumer to access the long form disclosure by telephone or on a website and other requirements are met. A similar accommodation is made for prepaid accounts acquired orally by telephone.

The pre-acquisition disclosures are required to follow specific formatting rules, and, for the short form disclosures, be substantially similar to model forms. If the financial institution uses a foreign language in connection with a consumer's acquisition of a prepaid account, a financial institution is generally required to provide the pre-acquisition disclosures in that foreign language.

Financial institutions are required to provide periodic statements for prepaid accounts either by providing a periodic statement that complies with section 1005.9(b) or, as an alternative, by making transaction information available to the consumer by telephone, electronically, and in writing upon the consumer's request pursuant to section 1005.18(c).

Financial institutions are required to include in the initial disclosure required by section 1005.7 all the information required to be disclosed in the pre-acquisition long form disclosure. If a financial institution chooses to provide the alternative disclosures instead of a regular periodic statement, it must modify some of the disclosures included in the initial disclosures.

The Bureau determined and the Board agrees that financial institutions already engage in these activities as usual and customary activities, as defined under 5 CFR 1320.3(b)(2). Therefore, under 5 CFR 1320.3(b)(2), there is no additional burden for these provisions.

Prepaid accounts are required to comply with the limited liability error resolution requirements applicable to other accounts subject to Regulation E. For prepaid accounts where the financial institution provides alternative disclosures to regular periodic statements, the timing requirements for the error resolution procedures are modified. For prepaid accounts that are not payroll card accounts or government benefit accounts, a financial institution is generally not required to comply with the liability limits and error resolution requirements in sections 1005.6 and 1005.11 for any prepaid account for which it has not successfully completed its consumer identification and verification process.

A notice concerning error resolution, provided with the initial disclosures and substantially similar to the Bureau's model form for prepaid accounts, is required to be provided in place of the notice required by section 1005.7(b)(10). Alternatively, for prepaid account programs for which the financial institution does not have a consumer identification and verification process, the financial institution is required to describe its error resolution process and limitations on consumers' liability for unauthorized transfers or, if none, state that there are no such protections.

An annual error resolution notice substantially similar to the model form for prepaid accounts is required to be provided in place of the notice required by section 1005.8(b). Alternatively, a financial institution may include on or with each electronic and written account transaction history, a notice substantially similar to the abbreviated notice for periodic statements contained in the model forms, modified as necessary to reflect the error resolution procedures the financial institution is required to follow.

The Bureau determined and the Board agrees that financial institutions already engage in these activities as usual and customary activities, as defined under 5 CFR 1320.3(b)(2). Therefore, under 5 CFR 1320.3(b)(2), there is no additional burden for these provisions.

The change-in-terms notice provisions in section 1005.8(a) apply to any change in a term or condition that is required to be disclosed under 1005.7 or 1005.18(f)(1) for a prepaid account.

The Bureau determined and the Board agrees that financial institutions already engage in these activities as usual and customary activities, as defined under 5 CFR 1320.3(b)(2). Therefore, under 5 CFR 1320.3(b)(2), there is no additional burden for these provisions.

Financial institutions are required to disclose on the prepaid account access device the name of the financial institution and the website and telephone number a consumer can use to contact the financial institution about the prepaid account. If a financial institution does not provide a physical access device in connection with a prepaid account, the disclosure is required to appear on the website, mobile application, or other entry point a consumer must visit to access the prepaid account electronically.

The Bureau determined and the Board agrees that financial institutions already engage in these activities as usual and customary activities, as defined under 5 CFR 1320.3(b)(2). Therefore, under 5 CFR 1320.3(b)(2), there is no additional burden for these provisions.

Prepaid account issuers are generally required to submit to the Bureau new and amended prepaid account agreements and notification of withdrawn agreements no later than 30 days after the issuer offers, amends, or ceases to offer the agreement. The rule provides a de minimis exception and a limited product testing exception to this requirement. If an issuer is required to submit a prepaid account agreement to the Bureau and the prepaid account agreement is offered to the general public, the issuer is also required to post the account agreement in a prominent and readily accessible location on its website. If a prepaid account agreement is not posted on the issuer's website, the issuer must provide a consumer with a copy of the consumer's prepaid account agreement no later than five business days after the issuer receives the consumer's request for the agreement. The consumer must be able to request the agreement by phone.

The comment period for this notice expired on July 1, 2019. The Board did not receive any comments. The revisions will be implemented as proposed.

On June 15, 1984, OMB delegated to the Board authority under the PRA to approve and assign OMB control numbers to collection of information requests and requirements conducted or sponsored by the Board. In exercising this delegated authority, the Board is directed to take every reasonable step to solicit comment. In determining whether to approve a collection of information, the Board will consider all comments received from the public and other agencies.

The Board invites public comment on the following information collection, which is being reviewed under authority delegated by the OMB under the PRA. Comments are invited on the following:

a. Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the Board's functions, including whether the information has practical utility;

b. The accuracy of the Board's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

c. Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;

d. Ways to minimize the burden of information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and

e. Estimates of capital or startup costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information.

At the end of the comment period, the comments and recommendations received will be analyzed to determine the extent to which the Board should modify the proposal.

Report title: Consumer Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Federal Reserve Consumer Help—Consumer Survey, the Consumer Online Complaint Form, and the Appraisal Complaint Form.

Agency form number: FR 1379a, FR 1379b, FR 1379c, and FR 1379d.

OMB control number: 7100-0135.

Frequency: Event generated.

Respondents: Consumers, appraisers, and financial institutions.

Estimated number of respondents: FR 1379a, 551; FR 1379b, 1,455; FR 1379c, 6,719; FR 1379d, 7.

Estimated average hours per response: FR 1379a, 5 minutes; FR 1379b, 5 minutes; FR 1379c, 10 minutes; FR 1379, 30 minutes.

Estimated annual burden hours: FR 1379a, 46 hours; FR 1379b, 121 hours; FR 1379c, 1,120 hours; FR 1379d, 4 hours.

General description of report: The FR 1379a is sent to consumers who have filed complaints with the Federal Reserve against state member banks or other financial institutions supervised by the Federal Reserve. The information is used to assess the satisfaction of the consumers with the Federal Reserve's handling of, and written response to, their complaints at the conclusion of an investigation. The FR 1379b is a survey sent to consumers who contact the Federal Reserve Consumer Help [desk] (FRCH)  1 to file a complaint or inquiry. The information is used to determine whether consumers are satisfied with the way the FRCH handled their complaint. The FR 1379c collection addresses the burden associated with consumers electronically submitting a complaint against a financial institution to the FRCH. The FR 1379d collects information about complaints regarding a regulated institution's non-compliance with the appraisal independence standards and the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, including complaints from appraisers, individuals, financial institutions, and other entities.

Legal authorization and confidentiality: The FR 1379 family of forms is authorized pursuant to section 8 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (Section 8)  2 and section 11(a) of the Federal Reserve Act (Section 11(a)). 3 Section 8 provides the Board broad authority to enforce compliance with laws against entities within its jurisdiction, including state member banks. Section 11(a) broadly empowers the Board to examine “the affairs of each Federal reserve bank and of each member bank.”  4 The Board uses the information obtained from the FR 1379 to help fulfill these obligations. The forms comprising the FR 1379 family of forms are voluntary. Individual respondents may request that information submitted to the Board through the FR 1379 family of forms be kept confidential on a case-by-case basis. The Consumer Satisfaction Questionnaire (FR 1379a) does not collect any personal information from the respondent and is not likely to be considered confidential. Three of the forms (the FRCH—Consumer Survey (FR 1379b), Consumer Online Complaint Form (FR 1379c), and Appraisal Complaint Form (FR 1379d)) collect personal information, such as the respondent's name, contact information, and information regarding the subject of the complaint. This personal information may be kept confidential under exemption 6 of the FOIA to the extent disclosure of such information would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. 5 In addition, information concerning the subject of a complaint may be kept confidential under exemption 4 of the FOIA to the extent it involves trade secrets and confidential commercial and financial information. 6 With respect to the Consumer Online Complaint Form (FR 1379c) and Appraisal Complaint Form (FR 1379d), determinations regarding disclosure of the information to third parties of any confidential portions of these forms would be made in accordance with the Privacy Act. 7 A hyperlink directing the applicant to the relevant Privacy Act statement will be provided in these forms on the Board's website.

On June 15, 1984, OMB delegated to the Board authority under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) to approve and assign OMB control numbers to collection of information requests and requirements conducted or sponsored by the Board. In exercising this delegated authority, the Board is directed to take every reasonable step to solicit comment. In determining whether to approve a collection of information, the Board will consider all comments received from the public and other agencies.

The Board invites public comment on the following information collection, which is being reviewed under authority delegated by the OMB under the PRA. Comments are invited on the following:

a. Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the Board's functions; including whether the information has practical utility;

b. The accuracy of the Board's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

c. Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;

d. Ways to minimize the burden of information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and

e. Estimates of capital or startup costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information.

At the end of the comment period, the comments and recommendations received will be analyzed to determine the extent to which the Board should modify the proposal.

Report title: Banking Organization Systemic Risk Report.

Agency form number: FR Y-15.

OMB control number: 7100-0352.

Frequency: Quarterly.

Respondents: The FR Y-15 panel is comprised of top-tier bank holding companies (BHCs) and covered savings and loan holding companies (SLHCs) with $50 billion or more in total consolidated assets, intermediate holding companies (IHCs) with $50 billion or more in total consolidated assets, and any BHC designated as a global systemically important bank holding company (GSIB)  1 based on its method 1 score calculated as of December 31 of the previous calendar year that does not otherwise meet the consolidated assets threshold for BHCs. 2

Estimated number of respondents: 37.

Estimated average hours per response: 403 hours.

Estimated annual burden hours: 59,644 hours.

General description of report: Section 165 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act)  3 directs the Board to establish enhanced prudential standards, including risk-based capital requirements, for certain large financial institutions. These standards must be more stringent than the standards applicable to other financial institutions that do not present similar risks to U.S. financial stability. Additionally, these standards must increase in stringency based on several factors, including the size and risk characteristics of a company subject to the rule, and the Board must take into account the differences among bank holding companies and nonbank financial companies.

Pursuant to the requirement to establish enhanced risk-based capital standards under section 165 of the Dodd-Frank Act, the Board published a final rule establishing a GSIB surcharge on the largest, most interconnected U.S. BHCs in August 2015. 4 The GSIB surcharge is calculated using an indicator-based approach that focuses on those aspects of a BHC's operations that are likely to generate negative externalities in the case of its failure or distress. The rule's methodologies assess six components of a BHC's systemic footprint: Size, interconnectedness, substitutability, complexity, cross-jurisdictional activity, and reliance on short-term wholesale funding. The indicators comprising these six components are reported on the FR Y-15. More generally, the FR Y-15 report is used to monitor the systemic risk profile of the institutions that are subject to enhanced prudential standards under section 165.

Additionally, section 165 the Dodd-Frank Act requires that the Board consider the extent to which a proposal would result in greater or more concentrated risks to the stability of the United States banking or financial system as part of its review of certain banking applications. 5 The data reported on the FR Y-15 are used by the Board to analyze the systemic risk implications of such applications.

Proposed revisions: Under the proposal, the FR Y-15 would be revised by (1) adding trading volume items to the memoranda section of Schedule C (substitutability indicators) to capture the trading of securities issued by public sector entities, other fixed income securities, listed equities, and other securities; (2) adding a separate line item for equity securities with readily determinable fair values not held for trading on Schedule D (complexity indicators); (3) adding foreign derivative claims, total cross-jurisdictional claims, foreign derivative liabilities, other foreign liabilities, and total cross-jurisdictional liabilities to the memoranda section of Schedule E (cross-jurisdictional activity indicators); (4) adding a requirement that respondents keep a record of the data submitted; and (5) making other minor clarifications to the form and instructions. The proposed changes would be effective for reports reflecting the December 31, 2019, report date. The proposed revisions would not affect the calculation of the GSIB surcharge.

The Board proposes to add new memoranda items for trading volume to the substitutability category (Schedule C) of the FR Y-15. The substitutability schedule focuses on financial system infrastructure. Market liquidity is likely disrupted during a financial crisis, which could make it challenging for banks to find a substitute market participant, for example, in a timely manner. Disruptions to market liquidity can lead to a dislocation of asset prices, putting pressure on market participants' balance sheets and potentially resulting in adverse feedback loops such as preventing market participants from raising capital. The proposed trading volume memoranda items are necessary to capture bank activities in the secondary market, identifying potential sources of disruption to market liquidity. The addition of the trading volume items provides a more holistic view of market activity given that the underwriting items on Schedule C already capture activity in the primary market.

In January 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU 2016-01. FASB described how one of the main provisions of the ASU differs from previous GAAP as follows: “the amendments in this update supersede the guidance to classify equity securities with readily determinable fair values into different categories (that is, trading or available-for-sale) and require equity securities (including other ownership interests, such as partnerships, unincorporated joint ventures, and limited liability companies) to be measured at fair value with changes in the fair value recognized through net income.” In order to make the FR Y-15 report consistent with ASU 2016-01, the proposal would revise the reporting forms and instructions by adding a new data item (6.) to Schedule D to separate and reclassify equity securities with readily determinable fair values from the available for sale category. This proposed change is consistent with the change that has already been made to the FR Y-9C report forms and instructions.

The current GSIB assessment methodology uses the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) locational statistics to estimate cross-jurisdictional liabilities. This is achieved by adding the liabilities for branches and subsidiaries and then subtracting a bank's intragroup operations. In the BIS statistics, derivative claims/receivables are reported at the consolidated level, while derivative liabilities are captured at the individual jurisdiction level based on local accounting rules. To avoid inconsistencies in the treatment of derivatives assets and liabilities, positions related to derivatives are excluded from the current indicators ( i.e., cross-jurisdictional claims and liabilities). The proposal would add new memoranda items to Schedule E to capture foreign derivative liabilities and other foreign liabilities on an immediate risk basis. The sum of these two items would be captured separately as total cross-jurisdictional liabilities. The proposal would also add memoranda items to capture foreign derivative claims on an ultimate risk basis and total cross-jurisdictional claims. These changes would harmonize data for claims and liabilities across jurisdictions.

In addition to the information collections in the above schedules, the instructions for the FR Y-15 require respondents to retain a signed copy of the data submitted. The FR Y-15 currently does not account for this recordkeeping requirement, so the Board is proposing to revise the FR Y-15 to account for this collection of information.

Legal authorization and confidentiality: The Board has the authority to require BHCs, SLHCs, and IHCs, to file the FR Y-15 pursuant to, respectively, section 5 of the Bank Holding Company Act (“BHC Act”) (12 U.S.C. 1844), and section 10(b) of the Home Owners' Loan Act (12 U.S.C. 1467a(b)), in conjunction with section 8 of the International Banking Act (12 U.S.C. 3106). The FR Y-15 reports are mandatory. The data collected on the Y-15 is made public unless a specific request for confidentiality is submitted by the reporting entity, either on the FR Y-15 or on the form from which the data item is obtained. Such information may be accorded confidential treatment under exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), which protects from disclosure trade secrets and commercial or financial information (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4)). A number of the items in the FR Y-15 are retrieved from the FR Y-9C and other items may be retrieved from the FFIEC-101. Confidential treatment may also extend to any automatically-calculated items on the FR Y-15 that have been derived from confidential data items and that, if released, would reveal the underlying confidential data. To the extent confidential data collected under the FR Y-15 will be used for supervisory purposes, it may be exempt from disclosure under exemption 8 of the FOIA (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(8)).

On June 15, 1984, OMB delegated to the Board authority under the PRA to approve and assign OMB control numbers to collections of information conducted or sponsored by the Board. In exercising this delegated authority, the Board is directed to take every reasonable step to solicit comment. In determining whether to approve a collection of information, the Board will consider all comments received from the public and other agencies.

The Board invites public comment on the following information collection, which is being reviewed under authority delegated by the OMB under the PRA. Comments are invited on the following:

a. Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the Board's functions, including whether the information has practical utility;

b. The accuracy of the Board's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

c. Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;

d. Ways to minimize the burden of information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and

e. Estimates of capital or startup costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information.

At the end of the comment period, the comments and recommendations received will be analyzed to determine the extent to which the Board should modify the proposal.

Report title: Payments Research Survey.

Agency form number: FR 3067.

OMB control number: 7100-0355.

Frequency: As needed.

Respondents: Private sector, individuals or households, and state and local governments.

Estimated number of respondents: Private sector: 4,300; individuals or households: 5,500; state and local governments: 200.

Estimated average hours per response: Private sector: 1.5; individuals or households: 1.5; state and local governments: 1.5.

Estimated annual burden hours: Private sector: 12,900; individuals or households: 16,500; state and local governments: 600; total: 30,000.

General description of report: The Board uses this collection to obtain information, as needed, on specific and time sensitive issues related to payments research. Respondents may comprise depository institutions, financial and nonfinancial businesses, for profit and nonprofit enterprises, federal, state, and local governments, individual consumers, or households. The Board may conduct various surveys under this collection, as needed. The frequency and content of the questions depend on changing economic, regulatory, supervisory, or legislative developments.

Legal authorization and confidentiality: The legal framework for the collection of checks and other items by Reserve Banks and for funds transfers through Fedwire is provided by section 13 of the Federal Reserve Act (FRA), 1 section 16 of the FRA, 2 the Expedited Funds Availability Act, 3 and the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act. 4 Within the Federal Reserve System, the Reserve Banks are generally the entities engaged in the payments system. The Board has broad authority to supervise the actions of Reserve Banks, provided by section 11 of the FRA. 5 To successfully maintain the operation of the payments system, the Board must collect payments related data and information related to the performance of Reserve Banks involved in the payments system. The Federal Reserve System has a long history of conducting surveys, including surveys of supervised institutions and of outside parties. Accordingly, FR 3067 is authorized by sections 11, 13, and 16 of the FRA, as well as the Expedited Funds Availability Act and the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act. Depending on the survey respondent, the information collection may also be authorized under a specific statute. These statutes include:

• Section 809 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, 6

• Section 7 of the Bank Service Company Act, 7 and

• Section 920 of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. 8

Survey submissions are voluntary.

While unlikely, individual respondents may request that information submitted to the Board through a survey under FR 3067 be kept confidential. If a respondent requests confidential treatment, the Board will determine whether the information is entitled to confidential treatment on a case-by-case basis. Information collected through these surveys may be kept confidential under exemption 4 for the Freedom of Information Act, which protects privileged or confidential commercial or financial information, 9 or under FOIA exemption 6, which covers personal information, the disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy. 10

On June 15, 1984, OMB delegated to the Board authority under the PRA to approve and assign OMB control numbers to collections of information conducted or sponsored by the Board. In exercising this delegated authority, the Board is directed to take every reasonable step to solicit comment. In determining whether to approve a collection of information, the Board will consider all comments received from the public and other agencies.

The Board invites public comment on the following information collection, which is being reviewed under authority delegated by the OMB under the PRA. Comments are invited on the following:

a. Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the Board's functions, including whether the information has practical utility;

b. The accuracy of the Board's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

c. Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;

d. Ways to minimize the burden of information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and

e. Estimates of capital or startup costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information.

At the end of the comment period, the comments and recommendations received will be analyzed to determine the extent to which the Board should modify the proposal.

Report title: Transfer Agent Registration and Amendment Form.

Agency form number: Form TA-1.

OMB control number: 7100-0099.

Frequency: On occasion.

Respondents: State member banks (SMBs) and their subsidiaries, bank holding companies (BHCs), savings and loan holding companies (SLHCs), and certain nondeposit trust companies and other subsidiaries of BHCs that act as transfer agents.

Estimated number of respondents: Registrations, 1; amendments, 2; de-registrations, 1.

Estimated average time per response: Registrations, 1.25 hours; amendments, 10 minutes (0.16 hours); de-registrations 30 minutes (0.5 hours).

Estimated annual burden hours: Registrations, 1.25 hours; amendments, 0.33 hours; de-registrations, 0.5 hours.

General description of report: The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires any person acting as a transfer agent  1 to register as such with the appropriate regulatory agency (ARA). The Board is the ARA for SMBs and their subsidiaries, BHCs, SLHCs, and certain other subsidiaries of BHCs. 2 Transfer agents for which the Board is the ARA must register with the Board using Form TA-1.

Legal authorization and confidentiality: Section 17A(c) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934  3 (Exchange Act) requires all transfer agents for securities registered under section 12 of the Act to register “by filing with the appropriate regulatory agency . . . an application for registration in such form and containing such information and documents . . . as such appropriate regulatory agency may prescribe as necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of this section.”  4 Under section 3(a)(34)(B)(ii) of the Exchange Act, 5 the Board is the appropriate regulatory agency with respect to any transfer agent that is a state member bank or a subsidiary thereof, a BHC or a covered subsidiary thereof, or a SLHC (together, “Board-Registered Transfer Agents”). In addition, the FR TA-1 is authorized pursuant to sections 2, 17(a)(3), and 23(a) of the Exchange Act, 6 which, among other things, authorize the Board to promulgate regulations and establish recordkeeping and reporting requirements with respect to Board-Registered Transfer Agents. Additionally, the Board also has broad authority to require reports from BHCs, SLHCs, and SMBs. 7

The FR TA-1 is mandatory. The information collected in the FR TA-1 is available to the public upon request and is not considered confidential.

Consultation outside the agency: The Securities Exchange Commission, the Board, the FDIC, and the OCC jointly developed the reporting form and instructions, and the Board has consulted with the FDIC and OCC and determined that no revisions to the form are necessary at this time.

On June 15, 1984, OMB delegated to the Board authority under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) to approve and assign OMB control numbers to collections of information conducted or sponsored by the Board. Board-approved collections of information are incorporated into the official OMB inventory of currently approved collections of information. Copies of the PRA Submission, supporting statements, and approved collection of information instrument(s) are placed into OMB's public docket files.

Report title: Federal Reserve Bank Stock Applications.

Agency form numbers: FR 2030, FR 2303a, FR 2056, FR 2086, FR 2086a, FR 2087.

OMB control number: 7100-0042.

Effective Date: Immediately.

Frequency: On occasion.

Respondents: New national banks, non-member state banks converting into national banks, member banks, and member banks converting into or merging into member or nonmember banks.

Estimated number of respondents: FR 2030, 4; FR 2030a, 7; FR 2056, 1,068; FR 2086, 10; FR 2086a, 86; FR 2087, 1.

Estimated average hours per response:

Estimated annual burden hours: FR 2030, 2; FR 2030a, 3.5; FR 2056, 534; FR 2086, 5; FR 2086a, 43; FR 2087, 0.5.

General description of report: Any national bank wanting to purchase stock in the Federal Reserve System, any member bank wanting to increase or decrease its Federal Reserve Bank stock holdings, or any bank wanting to cancel its stock holdings must file an application with the appropriate Federal Reserve Bank. The application forms for the initial subscription of Federal Reserve Bank stock filed by organizing national banks and nonmember state banks converting to national banks (FR 2030 and 2030a, respectively) and the application forms for the cancellation of Federal Reserve Bank stock filed by liquidating member banks, member banks merging or consolidating with nonmember banks, and insolvent member banks (FR 2086, FR 2086a, and FR 2087, respectively) require one or more of the following: A resolution by the applying bank's board of directors authorizing the transaction, an indication of the capital and surplus of the bank as of the date of application, a certification (by official signatures) of the resolution, and/or an indication of the number of shares and dollar amount of the Federal Reserve Bank stock to be purchased or cancelled.

The application form for an interim adjustment in a member bank's holdings of Federal Reserve Bank stock (FR 2056) requires an indication of the capital and surplus of the bank as of the date of application and an indication of the number of shares held and the number of shares to be acquired or canceled.

A completed application form must be submitted for each required adjustment. Any member bank must use the FR 2056 to correct a discrepancy between the amount of Federal Reserve Bank stock required to be held and the amount actually held by the member bank. The latter is determined by the Reserve Bank through its monitoring of the bank's capital accounts reported quarterly on the Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income (Call Report) (FFIEC 031, FFIEC 041, and FFIEC 051; OMB No. 7100-0036). The Federal Reserve Bank Stock Applications are distributed by the Federal Reserve Banks and the information collected enables them to account for required subscription, adjustment, or cancellation payments to and from the System and for dividends paid by the System on any outstanding stock.

Report title: Federal Reserve Membership Application.

Agency form numbers: FR 2083/A/B/C.

OMB control number: 7100-0046.

Effective Date: Immediately.

Frequency: On occasion.

Respondents: Banks seeking to become state member banks, existing banks or savings institutions seeking to convert to state member bank status, national banks wanting to purchase stock in the Federal Reserve System, and member banks wanting to increase, decrease, or cancel their Federal Reserve Bank stock holdings.

Estimated number of respondents: 16.

Estimated average hours per response: 4.

Estimated annual burden hours: 64.

General description of report: The four individual application forms in the FR 2083 series (membership application and relevant attachments) are all one-time submissions that are used by organizing (new) or existing state-chartered banks to apply for membership in the Federal Reserve System. The FR 2083 contains a cover sheet, with general information and instructions detailing the information to be submitted according to the type of applicant bank. The FR 2083A is the application form for the purchase of Federal Reserve Bank stock by state banks (except mutual savings banks) and by national banks converting into state member banks. The FR 2083B is the application form for the purchase of Federal Reserve Bank stock by mutual savings banks. The FR 2083C is the Certificate of Organizers or Directors certifying that the information being submitted is true and complete, and the proposed capital is not impaired.

Legal authorization and confidentiality: The Federal Reserve Membership Application is authorized by section 9 of the Federal Reserve Act (FRA) (12 U.S.C. 321, 322, 323, 329, and 333). The Federal Reserve Bank Stock Applications are authorized pursuant to sections 9 (12 U.S.C. 321) and 11(a) of the FRA (12 U.S.C. 248(a)). Additionally, the FR 2030 and FR 2030a are specifically authorized by section 2 of the FRA (12 U.S.C. 222 and 282); the FR 2056, FR 2086, and FR 2086a are authorized by section 5 of the FRA (12 U.S.C. 287); and the FR 2087 is authorized by section 6 of the FRA (12 U.S.C. 288).

Current actions: On June 6, 2019, the Board published a notice in the Federal Register (84 FR 26415) requesting public comment for 60 days on the extension, with revision, of the Federal Reserve Membership Application and the Federal Reserve Bank Stock Applications. The revisions to these collections include: (1) Require the bank to include their American Bankers Association (ABA) number on page one (FR 2030, FR 2030A, FR 2056, FR 2083A, and FR 2083B); (2) include the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) as an authorized signer (FR 2030, FR 2030A, FR 2056, FR 2083A, FR 2083B, FR 2086, and FR 2086A); (3) remove the SEAL and/or notarization requirement to allow for electronic retention of documentation (FR 2030, FR 2030A, FR 2056, FR 2083A, FR 2083B, and FR 2087); (4) include a note requiring that the signer of the form be included on the bank's Official Authorization List that is on file with the Federal Reserve (FR 2030, 2030A, FR 2056, 2083A, FR 2083B, and FR 2086A); (5) collect an additional data point “Less: Retained earnings and accumulated other comprehensive income if such combined amount is negative” on page one (FR 2030, FR 2030a, similar to the FR 2056); (6) on page one of FR 2056: (a) Place a box around the area where member banks enter their Common stock, Paid-in surplus and NRE figures (if applicable) and place a bolded “Member banks” identifier at top left, (b) place member bank and mutual savings bank calculations separated from each other in order to alleviate each type of institution from using both areas, and (c) insert the statement to, “round up only” to footnote 3. The comment period for this notice expired on August 5, 2019. The Board did not receive any comments. The revisions will be implemented as proposed.