This committee meeting is available to the public through the registration link above. Any interested member of the public may listen to the meeting. An open comment period will be provided to allow members of the public to make a statement as time allows. Per the Federal Advisory Committee Act, public minutes of the meeting will include a list of persons who are present at the meeting. If joining via phone, callers can expect to incur regular charges for calls they initiate over wireless lines, according to their wireless plan. 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. Closed captioning will be available for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or who have certain cognitive or learning impairments. To request additional accommodations, please email Liliana Schiller, Support Services Specialist, at lschiller@usccr.gov at least 10 business days prior to the meeting.

Members of the public are entitled to submit written comments; the comments must be received in the regional office within 30 days following the meeting. Written comments may be emailed to Kayla Fajota at kfajota@usccr.gov. Persons who desire additional information may contact the Regional Programs Coordination Unit at (434) 515-2395.

Records generated from this meeting may be inspected and reproduced at the Regional Programs Coordination Unit Office, as they become available, both before and after the meeting. Records of the meetings will be available via the file sharing website, www.box.com. Persons interested in the work of this Committee are directed to the Commission's website, http://www.usccr.gov, or may contact the Regional Programs Coordination Unit at the above phone number.

This committee meeting is available to the public through the registration link above. Any interested member of the public may listen to the meeting. An open comment period will be provided to allow members of the public to make a statement as time allows. Per the Federal Advisory Committee Act, public minutes of the meeting will include a list of persons who are present at the meeting. If joining via phone, callers can expect to incur regular charges for calls they initiate over wireless lines, according to their wireless plan. 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. Closed captioning will be available for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or who have certain cognitive or learning impairments. To request additional accommodations, please email Liliana Schiller, Support Services Specialist, at lschiller@usccr.gov at least 10 business days prior to the meeting.

Members of the public are entitled to submit written comments; the comments must be received in the regional office within 30 days following the meeting. Written comments may be emailed to Kayla Fajota at kfajota@usccr.gov. Persons who desire additional information may contact the Regional Programs Coordination Unit at (434) 515-2395.

Records generated from this meeting may be inspected and reproduced at the Regional Programs Coordination Unit Office, as they become available, both before and after the meeting. Records of the meetings will be available via the file sharing website, www.box.com. Persons interested in the work of this Committee are directed to the Commission's website, http://www.usccr.gov, or may contact the Regional Programs Coordination Unit at the above phone number.

Commerce has received timely requests, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.213(b), for administrative reviews of various AD and CVD orders with January anniversary dates.

All deadlines for the submission of various types of information, certifications, or comments or actions by Commerce discussed below refer to the number of calendar days from the applicable starting time.

In the event that Commerce limits the number of respondents for individual examination for administrative reviews initiated pursuant to requests made for the orders identified below, Commerce intends to select respondents based either on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data for U.S. imports during the period of review (POR) or questionnaires in which we request the quantity and value (Q&V) of sales, shipments, or exports during the POR. Where Commerce selects respondents based on CBP data, we intend to place the CBP data on the record within five days of publication of the initiation notice. Where Commerce selects respondents based on Q&V data, except for the administrative review of the AD order on wooden bedroom furniture from the People's Republic of China (China), for which the Q&V questionnaire is in a document package online, Commerce intends to place the Q&V questionnaire on the record of the review within five days of publication of the initiation notice. In either case, we intend to make our decision regarding respondent selection within 35 days of publication of the initiation notice in the Federal Register . Comments regarding the CBP data (and/or Q&V data (where applicable)) and respondent selection should be submitted within seven days after the placement of the CBP data/submission of the Q&V data on the record of the review. Parties wishing to submit rebuttal comments should submit those comments within five days after the deadline for the initial comments.

In the event that Commerce decides it is necessary to limit individual examination of respondents and conduct respondent selection under section 777A(c)(2) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), the following guidelines regarding collapsing of companies for purposes of respondent selection will apply. In general, Commerce has found that determinations concerning whether particular companies should be “collapsed” ( e.g., treated as a single entity for purposes of calculating AD rates) require a substantial amount of detailed information and analysis, which often require follow-up questions and analysis. Accordingly, Commerce will not conduct collapsing analyses at the respondent selection phase of the review and will not collapse companies at the respondent selection phase unless there has been a determination to collapse certain companies in a previous segment of the AD proceeding ( e.g., investigation, administrative review, new shipper review, or changed circumstances review). For any company subject to the review, if Commerce determined, or continued to treat, that company as collapsed with others, Commerce will assume that such companies continue to operate in the same manner and will collapse them for respondent selection purposes. Otherwise, Commerce will not collapse companies for purposes of respondent selection.

Parties are requested to (a) identify which companies subject to review previously were collapsed, and (b) provide a citation to the proceeding in which they were collapsed. Further, if companies are requested to complete the Q&V questionnaire for purposes of respondent selection, in general, each company must report volume and value data separately for itself. Parties should not include data for any other party, even if they believe they should be treated as a single entity with that other party. If a company was collapsed with another company or companies in the most recently completed segment of the proceeding where Commerce considered collapsing that entity, complete Q&V data for that collapsed entity must be submitted.

In the event that Commerce limits the number of respondents individually examined in the administrative review of the AD order on wooden bedroom furniture from China, for purposes of the January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024, POR, Commerce intends to select respondents based on volume data contained in responses to a Q&V questionnaire. All parties under review with respect to the AD order on wooden bedroom furniture from China, are hereby notified that they must timely respond to the Q&V questionnaire and certain additional questions. Commerce's Q&V questionnaire, along with certain additional questions, will be available in a document package at https://access.trade.gov/Resources/prc-WBF-document-Package.pdf on the date that this notice is published in the Federal Register . A response to the Q&V questionnaire and the additional questions must be received by Commerce by no later than 21 days after publication of this notice in the Federal Register . Please be advised that due to the time constraints imposed by the statutory and regulatory deadlines for completing AD administrative reviews, Commerce does not intend to grant any extensions of time to respond to the Q&V questionnaire or the additional questions.

With respect to AD administrative reviews, we intend to rescind the review where there are no suspended entries for a company or entity under review and/or where there are no suspended entries under the company-specific case number for that company or entity. Where there may be suspended entries, if a producer or exporter named in this notice of initiation had no exports, sales, or entries during the POR, it may notify Commerce of this fact within 30 days of publication of this initiation notice in the Federal Register for Commerce to consider how to treat suspended entries under that producer's or exporter's company-specific case number.

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1), a party that has requested a review may withdraw that request within 90 days of the date of publication of the notice of initiation of the requested review. The regulation provides that Commerce may extend this time if it is reasonable to do so. Determinations by Commerce to extend the 90-day deadline will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Section 504 of the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 amended the Act by adding the concept of a particular market situation (PMS) for purposes of constructed value under section 773(e) of the Act. 1 Section 773(e) of the Act states that “if a particular market situation exists such that the cost of materials and fabrication or other processing of any kind does not accurately reflect the cost of production in the ordinary course of trade, the administering authority may use another calculation methodology under this subtitle or any other calculation methodology.” When an interested party submits a PMS allegation pursuant to section 773(e) of the Act, Commerce will respond to such a submission consistent with 19 CFR 351.301(c)(2)(v). If Commerce finds that a PMS exists under section 773(e) of the Act, then it will modify its dumping calculations appropriately.

Neither section 773(e) of the Act nor 19 CFR 351.301(c)(2)(v) set a deadline for the submission of PMS allegations and supporting factual information. However, in order to administer section 773(e) of the Act, Commerce must receive PMS allegations and supporting factual information with enough time to consider the submission. Thus, should an interested party wish to submit a PMS allegation and supporting new factual information pursuant to section 773(e) of the Act, it must do so no later than 20 days after submission of initial responses to section D of the questionnaire.

In proceedings involving non-market economy (NME) countries, Commerce begins with a rebuttable presumption that all companies within the country are subject to government control and, thus, should be assigned a single AD deposit rate. It is Commerce's policy to assign all exporters of merchandise subject to an administrative review in an NME country this single rate unless an exporter can demonstrate that it is sufficiently independent so as to be entitled to a separate rate.

To establish whether a firm is sufficiently independent from government control of its export activities to be entitled to a separate rate, Commerce analyzes each entity exporting the subject merchandise. In accordance with the separate rates criteria, Commerce assigns separate rates to companies in NME cases only if respondents can demonstrate the absence of both de jure and de facto government control over export activities.

All firms listed below that wish to qualify for separate rate status in the administrative reviews involving NME countries must complete, as appropriate, either a Separate Rate Application or Certification, as described below. In addition, all firms that wish to qualify for separate rate status in the administrative reviews of AD orders in which a Q&V questionnaire is issued must complete, as appropriate, either a Separate Rate Application or Certification, and respond to the Q&V questionnaire. All firms that wish to qualify for separate rate status in the administrative review of the AD order on wooden bedroom furniture from China, must complete, as appropriate, either a Separate Rate Application or Certification, and respond to the Q&V questionnaire and the additional questions at https://access.trade.gov/Resources/prc-WBF-document-Package.pdf.

For these administrative reviews, in order to demonstrate separate rate eligibility, Commerce requires entities for whom a review was requested, that were assigned a separate rate in the most recent segment of this proceeding in which they participated, to certify that they continue to meet the criteria for obtaining a separate rate. The Separate Rate Certification form will be available on Commerce's website at https://access.trade.gov/Resources/nme/nme-sep-rate.html on the date of publication of this Federal Register notice. In responding to the certification, please follow the “Instructions for Filing the Certification” in the Separate Rate Certification. Separate Rate Certifications are due to Commerce no later than 14 calendar days after publication of this Federal Register notice. In addition to filing a Separate Rate Certification with Commerce no later than 14 calendar days after publication of this Federal Register notice, for the administrative review of the AD order on wooden bedroom furniture from China, a response to the Q&V questionnaire and the additional questions in the document package described above are due to Commerce no later than 21 calendar days after publication of this Federal Register notice. The deadline and requirement for submitting a Separate Rate Certification applies equally to NME-owned firms, wholly foreign-owned firms, and foreign sellers who purchase and export subject merchandise to the United States.

Entities that currently do not have a separate rate from a completed segment of the proceeding  2 should timely file a Separate Rate Application to demonstrate eligibility for a separate rate in this proceeding. In addition, companies that received a separate rate in a completed segment of the proceeding that have subsequently made changes, including, but not limited to, changes to corporate structure, acquisitions of new companies or facilities, or changes to their official company name, 3 should timely file a Separate Rate Application to demonstrate eligibility for a separate rate in this proceeding. The Separate Rate Application will be available on Commerce's website at https://access.trade.gov/Resources/nme/nme-sep-rate.html on the date of publication of this Federal Register notice. In responding to the Separate Rate Application, refer to the instructions contained in the application. Separate Rate Applications are due to Commerce no later than 14 calendar days after publication of this Federal Register notice. In addition to filing a Separate Rate Application with Commerce no later than 14 calendar days after publication of this Federal Register notice, for the administrative review of the AD order on wooden bedroom furniture from China, a response to the Q&V questionnaire and the additional questions in the document package described above, are due to Commerce no later than 21 calendar days after publication of this Federal Register notice. The deadline and requirement for submitting a Separate Rate Application applies equally to NME-owned firms, wholly foreign-owned firms, and foreign sellers that purchase and export subject merchandise to the United States.

Exporters and producers must file a timely Separate Rate Application or Certification if they want to be considered for individual examination. Furthermore, exporters and producers who submit a Separate Rate Application or Certification and subsequently are selected as mandatory respondents will no longer be eligible for separate rate status unless they respond to all parts of the questionnaire as mandatory respondents.

Furthermore, this notice constitutes public notification to all firms for which an administrative review of the AD order on wooden bedroom furniture from China has been requested, that are seeking separate rate status in the review, that they must submit a timely filed Separate Rate Application or Certification (as appropriate) as described above, and a timely filed response to the Q&V questionnaire and the additional questions in the document package in order to receive consideration for separate-rate status. In other words, in the administrative review of the AD order on wooden bedroom furniture from China, Commerce will not give consideration to any timely filed Separate Rate Application or Certification from a party who failed to timely respond to the Q&V questionnaire and the additional questions. All information submitted by respondents in the administrative review of the AD order on wooden bedroom furniture from China is subject to verification. As noted above, the Separate Rate Application and the Separate Rate Certification will be available on Commerce's website, and the Q&V questionnaire and the additional questions will be available at https://access.trade.gov/Resources/prc- WBF-document-Package.pdf on the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register .

Commerce may establish a certification process for companies whose exports to the United States could contain both subject and non-subject merchandise. Companies under review that were deemed to not be eligible to participate in the certification program of that proceeding may submit a Certification Eligibility Application to establish that they maintain the necessary systems to track their sales to the United States of subject and non-subject goods.

All firms listed below that are not currently eligible to certify but wish to establish certification eligibility are required to submit a Certification Eligibility Application. The Certification Eligibility Application will be available on Commerce's website at https://access.trade.gov/Resources/Certification-Eligibility-Application.pdf. Certification Eligibility Applications must be filed according to Commerce's regulations and are due to Commerce no later than 30 calendar days after the publication of the Federal Register notice.

Exporters and producers that are not currently eligible to certify, who submit a Certification Eligibility Application, and are subsequently selected as mandatory respondents must respond to all parts of the questionnaire as mandatory respondents for Commerce to consider their Certification Eligibility Application.

In accordance with 19 CFR 351.221(c)(1)(i), we are initiating administrative reviews of the following AD and CVD orders and findings. We intend to issue the final results of these reviews not later than January 31, 2026.

None.

During any administrative review covering all or part of a period falling between the first and second or third and fourth anniversary of the publication of an AD order under 19 CFR 351.211 or a determination under 19 CFR 351.218(f)(4) to continue an order or suspended investigation (after sunset review), Commerce, if requested by a domestic interested party within 30 days of the date of publication of the notice of initiation of the review, will determine whether antidumping duties have been absorbed by an exporter or producer subject to the review if the subject merchandise is sold in the United States through an importer that is affiliated with such exporter or producer. The request must include the name(s) of the exporter or producer for which the inquiry is requested.

For the first administrative review of any order, there will be no assessment of antidumping or countervailing duties on entries of subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption during the relevant “gap” period of the order ( i.e., the period following the expiry of provisional measures and before definitive measures were put into place), if such a gap period is applicable to the POR.

Interested parties must submit applications for disclosure under administrative protective orders in accordance with the procedures outlined in Commerce's regulations at 19 CFR 351.305. Those procedures apply to administrative reviews included in this notice of initiation. Parties wishing to participate in any of these administrative reviews should ensure that they meet the requirements of these procedures ( e.g., the filing of separate letters of appearance as discussed at 19 CFR 351.103(d)).

Commerce's regulations identify five categories of factual information in 19 CFR 351.102(b)(21), which are summarized as follows: (i) evidence submitted in response to questionnaires; (ii) evidence submitted in support of allegations; (iii) publicly available information to value factors under 19 CFR 351.408(c) or to measure the adequacy of remuneration under 19 CFR 351.511(a)(2); (iv) evidence placed on the record by Commerce; and (v) evidence other than factual information described in (i)-(iv). These regulations require any party, when submitting factual information, to specify under which subsection of 19 CFR 351.102(b)(21) the information is being submitted and, if the information is submitted to rebut, clarify, or correct factual information already on the record, to provide an explanation identifying the information already on the record that the factual information seeks to rebut, clarify, or correct. The regulations, at 19 CFR 351.301, also provide specific time limits for such factual submissions based on the type of factual information being submitted. Please review the Final Rule, 7 available at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2013-07-17/pdf/2013-17045.pdf, prior to submitting factual information in this segment. Note that Commerce has amended certain of its requirements pertaining to the service of documents in 19 CFR 351.303(f). 8

Any party submitting factual information in an AD or CVD proceeding must certify to the accuracy and completeness of that information using the formats provided at the end of the Final Rule. 9 Commerce intends to reject factual submissions in any proceeding segments if the submitting party does not comply with applicable certification requirements.

Section 351.301(c) of Commerce's regulations states that during a proceeding, Commerce may issue to any person questionnaires, which includes both and initial and supplemental questionnaires. For all administrative review segments initiated after January 15, 2025, the following time limits apply:

(i) Initial questionnaire responses are due 30 days from the date of receipt of such questionnaire. The time limit for response to individual sections of the questionnaire, if Commerce requests a separate response to such sections, may be less than the 30 days allotted for response to the full questionnaire. In general, the date of receipt will be considered to be seven days from the date on which the initial questionnaire was transmitted.

(ii) Supplemental questionnaire responses are due on the date specified by Commerce.

(iii) A notification by an interested party, under section 782(c)(1) of the Act, of difficulties in submitting information in response to a questionnaire issued by Commerce is to be submitted in writing within 14 days after the date of the questionnaire or, if the questionnaire is due in 14 days or less, within the time specified by Commerce.

(iv) A respondent interested party may request in writing that Commerce conduct a questionnaire presentation. Commerce may conduct a questionnaire presentation if Commerce notifies the government of the affected country and that government does not object.

(v) Factual information submitted to rebut, clarify, or correct questionnaire responses. Within 14 days after an initial questionnaire response and within 10 days after a supplemental questionnaire response has been filed with Commerce, an interested party other than the original submitter is permitted one opportunity to submit factual information to rebut, clarify, or correct factual information contained in the questionnaire response. Within seven days of the filing of such rebuttal, clarification, or correction to a questionnaire response, the original submitter of the questionnaire response is permitted one opportunity to submit factual information to rebut, clarify, or correct factual information submitted in the interested party's rebuttal, clarification or correction. Commerce will reject any untimely filed rebuttal, clarification, or correction submission and provide, to the extent practicable, written notice stating the reasons for rejection. If insufficient time remains before the due date for the final determination or final results of review, Commerce may specify shorter deadlines under this section.

Parties may request an extension of time limits before a time limit established under Part 351 expires, or as otherwise specified by Commerce. 10 In general, an extension request will be considered untimely if it is filed after the time limit established under Part 351 expires. For submissions which are due from multiple parties simultaneously, an extension request will be considered untimely if it is filed after 10:00 a.m. on the due date. Examples include, but are not limited to: (1) case and rebuttal briefs, filed pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309; (2) factual information to value factors under 19 CFR 351.408(c), or to measure the adequacy of remuneration under 19 CFR 351.511(a)(2), filed pursuant to 19 CFR 351.301(c)(3) and rebuttal, clarification and correction filed pursuant to 19 CFR 351.301(c)(3)(iv); (3) comments concerning the selection of a surrogate country and surrogate values and rebuttal; (4) comments concerning CBP data; and (5) Q&V questionnaires. Under certain circumstances, Commerce may elect to specify a different time limit by which extension requests will be considered untimely for submissions which are due from multiple parties simultaneously. In such a case, Commerce will inform parties in the letter or memorandum setting forth the deadline (including a specified time) by which extension requests must be filed to be considered timely. This policy also requires that an extension request must be made in a separate, standalone submission, and clarifies the circumstances under which Commerce will grant untimely-filed requests for the extension of time limits. Please review the Final Rule, available at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-09-20/html/2013-22853.htm, prior to submitting factual information in these segments.

These initiations and this notice are in accordance with section 751(a) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 1675(a)) and 19 CFR 351.221(c)(1)(i).

On July 7, 1997, Commerce published in the Federal Register the AD order on persulfates from China. 1 On July 1, 2024, the ITC instituted, 2 and Commerce initiated, 3 the fifth sunset review of the Order, pursuant to section 751(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). As a result of its review, Commerce determined, pursuant to sections 751(c) and 752(c) of the Act, that revocation of the Order would likely lead to the continuation or recurrence of dumping, and therefore, notified the ITC of the magnitude of the margins of dumping likely to prevail should the Order be revoked. 4

On February 13, 2025, the ITC published its determination, pursuant to sections 751(c) and 752(a) of the Act, that revocation of the Order would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury to an industry in the United States within a reasonably foreseeable time. 5

The merchandise subject to the Order is persulfates, including ammonium, potassium, and sodium persulfates. The chemical formulas for these persulfates are, respectively, (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 8, K 2 S 2 O 8 , and Na 2 S 2 O 8 . Potassium persulfates are currently classifiable under subheading 2833.40.10 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Sodium persulfates are classifiable under HTSUS subheading 2833.40.20. Ammonium and other persulfates are classifiable under HTSUS subheadings 2833.40.50 and 2833.40.60.

Although the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the scope of the Order is dispositive.

As a result of the determinations by Commerce and the ITC that revocation of the Order would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping, and material injury to an industry in the United States, pursuant to section 751(d)(2) of the Act, Commerce hereby orders the continuation of the Order. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will continue to collect AD cash deposits at the rates in effect at the time of entry for all imports of subject merchandise.

The effective date of the continuation of the Order will be February 13, 2025. 6 Pursuant to section 751(c)(2) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.218(c)(2), Commerce intends to initiate the next five-year review of the Order not later than 30 days prior to fifth anniversary of the date of the last determination by the ITC.

This notice also serves as a final reminder to parties subject to an APO of their responsibility concerning the return or destruction of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3), which continues to govern business proprietary information in this segment of the proceeding. Timely written notification of the return or 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 five-year (sunset) review and this notice are in accordance with sections 751(c) and 751(d)(2) of the Act, and published in accordance with section 777(i) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.218(f)(4).

On July 10, 2024, Commerce published the preliminary results of this administrative review and invited parties to comment on the Preliminary Results. 1 This administrative review covers four producers/exporters of PC strand from Malaysia. 2 Commerce selected two respondents for individual examination, Kiswire Sdn. Bhd. (Kiswire) and Wei Dat Steel Wire Sdn. Bhd. (Wei Dat). 3 On July 22, 2024, Commerce tolled certain deadlines in this administrative proceeding by seven days. 4 On November 13, 2024, Commerce extended the time period for issuing the final results until December 13, 2024. 5 On December 9, 2024, Commerce tolled the deadline for the final results by an additional 90 days, to March 13, 2024. 6 For a complete description of the events that occurred since the Preliminary Results, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum. 7

Commerce conducted this administrative review in accordance with section 751 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act).

The product covered by this Order is PC strand from Malaysia. For a full description of the scope of the Order, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum.

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.213(d)(3), when there are no reviewable entries of subject merchandise during the POR subject to the antidumping duty (AD) order for which liquidation is suspended, Commerce may rescind an administrative review, in whole or only with respect to a particular exporter or producer. 9 At the end of the administrative review, any suspended entries are liquidated at the assessment rate computed for the review period. 10 Therefore, for an administrative review to be conducted, there must be a reviewable, suspended entry to be liquidated at the newly calculated assessment rate. In the Preliminary Results, Commerce preliminarily rescinded this review with respect to Southern Steel Sdn. Bhd. (Southern Steel) because it had no reviewable, suspended entries of subject merchandise and invited parties to comment. 11 We received no comments on our preliminary rescission of the review with respect to this company. Accordingly, in the absence of suspended entries of subject merchandise during the POR, we are hereby rescinding this administrative review, in part, with respect to Southern Steel, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.213(d)(3).

All issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs are addressed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum. A list of the issues that parties raised, and to which we responded in the Issues and Decision Memorandum, is attached as an appendix to this notice. The Issues and 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. In addition, a complete version of the Issues and Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx.

Based on a review of the record and comments received from interested parties, we made certain adjustments to the margin calculations for these final results. However, those adjustments did not result in any changes to the estimated weighted-average dumping margins for Kiswire or Wei Dat. For a more detailed discussion of these changes, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum.

The Act and Commerce's regulations do not address the establishment of a rate to be applied to companies not selected for examination when Commerce limits its examination in an administrative review pursuant to section 777A(c)(2) of the Act. Generally, Commerce looks to section 735(c)(5) of the Act, which provides instructions for calculating the all-others rate in a market economy investigation, for guidance when calculating the rate for companies which were not selected for individual examination in an administrative review. Under section 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act, the all-others rate is normally “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 {on the basis of facts available}.”

In this review, we calculated weighted-average dumping margins of zero percent and 0.73 percent for Kiswire and Wei Dat, respectively. Therefore, in accordance with section 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act, we are preliminarily applying Wei Dat's weighted-average dumping margin of 0.73 percent to the sole remaining non-examined company, Southern PC Steel Sdn. Bhd., because this is the only rate that is not zero, de minimis, or based entirely on facts available.

Commerce determines that the following weighted-average dumping margins exist for the period June 1, 2022, through May 31, 2023:

Commerce intends to disclose the calculations performed in connection with these final results to interested parties within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of publication of the notice of final results in the Federal Register . 12

Pursuant to section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1), Commerce has determined, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review. Where the respondent's weighted-average dumping margin is either zero or de minimis ( i.e., less than 0.5 percent), we will instruct CBP to liquidate the appropriate entries without regard to antidumping duties. Accordingly, because Kiswire's weighted-average dumping margins is zero percent, we will instruct CBP to liquidate the appropriate entries without regard to antidumping duties. Further, because Wei Dat's weighted-average dumping margin is not zero or de minimis, Commerce has calculated importer-specific AD assessment rates based on the ratio of the total amount of dumping calculated for the examined sales to the total entered value of the sales.

Consistent with Commerce's assessment practice, for entries of subject merchandise during the POR produced by Kiswire or Wei Dat for which these companies did not know the merchandise was destined for the United States, we will instruct CBP to liquidate unreviewed entries at the all-others rate ( i.e., 5.13 percent)  13 if there is no rate for the intermediate company(ies) involved in the transaction. 14

For Southern Steel Sdn. Bhd., we will instruct CBP to liquidate any suspended entries of subject merchandise that entered under its CBP case number ( i.e., at that exporter's rate) at a rate equal to the cash deposit of estimated antidumping duties required at the time of entry, or withdrawal from warehouse, for consumption, during the POR.

For the company which was not selected for individual review, Southern PC Steel Sdn. Bhd., we will assign an assessment rate based on the review-specific average rate, calculated as noted in the “Rates for Non-Examined Companies” section above.

Commerce intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier than 35 days after the date of publication of the final results of this review in the Federal Register . If a timely summons is filed at the U.S. Court of International Trade, the assessment instructions will direct CBP not to liquidate relevant entries until the time for parties to file a request for a statutory injunction has expired ( i.e., within 90 days of publication).

The following cash deposit requirements will be effective for all shipments of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date of the final results of this administrative review, as provided by section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) the cash deposit rate for the companies listed in these final results will be equal to the weighted-average dumping margins established in the final results of this administrative review; (2) for merchandise exported by producers or exporters not covered in this administrative review but covered in a prior segment of the proceeding, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recently completed segment of this proceeding; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, a prior review, or the original less-than-fair-value (LTFV) investigation, but the producer is, the cash deposit rate will be the rate established for the most recently completed segment of this proceeding for the producer of the subject merchandise; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other manufacturers or exporters will continue to be 5.13 percent, the all-others rate established in the LTFV investigation. 15 These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

This notice serves as a final reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of antidumping 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 antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of double antidumping duties.

This notice also serves as a final reminder to parties subject to APO of their responsibility concerning the return or destruction of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3), which continues to govern business proprietary information in this segment of the proceeding. 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 the terms of an APO is a sanctionable violation.

We are issuing and publishing these final results in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.221(b)(5) and 19 CFR 351.213(h)(2).

On June 6, 2024, Commerce published the preliminary results in this administrative review in the Federal Register . 1 On July 15 through 19, 2024, we conducted verification at POSCO's  2 corporate offices in Seoul, Korea. 3 Although we provided interested parties with an opportunity to comment on the Preliminary Results, no interested parties submitted comments. Accordingly, there are no comments for Commerce to consider or address in these final results, and thus, there is no decision memorandum accompanying this notice. On December 9, 2024, Commerce tolled the deadline to issue the final results in this administrative review by 90 days. 4 Accordingly, the deadline for these final results is March 10, 2025.

Commerce conducted this review in accordance with section 751(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act).

The product covered by the Order is CTL plate from Korea. The product is currently classified under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheadings 7208.40.3030, 7208.40.3060, 7208.51.0030, 7208.51.0045, 7208.51.0060, 7208.52.0000, 7211.13.0000, 7211.14.0030, 7211.14.0045, 7225.40.1110, 7225.40.1180, 7225.40.3005, 7225.40.3050, 7226.20.0000, and 7226.91.5000.

The products subject to the order may also enter under the following HTSUS subheadings: 7208.40.6060, 7208.53.0000, 7208.90.0000, 7210.70.3000, 7210.90.9000, 7211.19.1500, 7211.19.2000, 7211.19.4500, 7211.19.6000, 7211.19.7590, 7211.90.0000, 7212.40.1000, 7212.40.5000, 7212.50.0000, 7214.10.000, 7214.30.0010, 7214.30.0080, 7214.91.0015, 7214.91.0060, 7214.91.0090, 7225.11.0000, 7225.19.0000, 7225.40.5110, 7225.40.5130, 7225.40.5160, 7225.40.7000, 7225.99.0010, 7225.99.0090, 7206.11.1000, 7226.11.9060, 7229.19.1000, 7226.19.9000, 7226.91.0500, 7226.91.1530, 7226.91.1560, 7226.91.2530, 7226.91.2560, 7226.91.7000, 7226.91.8000, and 7226.99.0180. The HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes only; the written product description of the scope of the order is dispositive.

For a complete description of the scope of the Order, see the Preliminary Results. 6

We made certain changes to the preliminary margin calculations as a result of verification findings. For a detailed description of these changes, see the POSCO Verification Report and POSCO Final Calculation Memorandum. 7

For these final results, we determine that the following weighted-average dumping margin exists for the period May 1, 2022, through April 30, 2023:

We intend to disclose to interested parties in this proceeding the calculations performed in connection with the final results of review within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of publication of the notice of the final results in the Federal Register , in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).

Pursuant to section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1), Commerce has determined, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review. If a respondent's weighted-average dumping margin is either zero or de minimis within the meaning of 19 CFR 351.106(c)(1), we will instruct CBP to liquidate the appropriate entries without regard to antidumping duties. 8 Accordingly, because the final weighted-average dumping margin for the POSCO single entity in this review is zero percent, we will instruct CBP to liquidate the appropriate entries without regard to antidumping duties.

Commerce's “automatic assessment” will apply to entries of subject merchandise during the POR produced by the POSCO single entity for which the company did not know that the merchandise it sold to an intermediary ( e.g., a reseller, trading company, or exporter) was destined for the United States. In such instances, we will instruct CBP to liquidate such entries at the all-others rate if there is no rate for the intermediate company(ies) involved in the transaction. 9

Commerce intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier than 35 days after the date of publication of the final results of this review in the Federal Register . If a timely summons is filed at the U.S. Court of International Trade, the assessment instructions will direct CBP not to liquidate relevant entries until the time for parties to file a request for a statutory injunction has expired ( i.e., within 90 days of publication).

The following cash deposit requirements will be effective upon publication in the Federal Register of these final results of administrative review for all shipments of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date, as provided by section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) the cash deposit rate for the POSCO single entity will be equal to the weighted-average dumping margin established in these final results of this administrative review ( i.e., zero percent); (2) for merchandise exported by companies not covered in this review but covered in a prior completed segment of this proceeding, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published in the completed segment for the most recent period; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, a prior review, or the less-than-fair-value investigation, but the producer is, then the cash deposit rate will be the cash deposit rate established for the most recently completed segment of the proceeding for the producer of the subject merchandise; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other producers and exporters will continue to be the all-others rate ( i.e., 7.10 percent). 10

These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

This notice serves as a final reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of antidumping 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 antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of double antidumping duties.

This notice serves as the only reminder to parties subject to an APO of their responsibility concerning the disposition of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3), which continues to govern business proprietary information in this segment of the proceeding. Timely written notification of the return or 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 sanctionable violation.

This notice is being issued and published in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.221(b)(5).

On October 21, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) initiated less-than-fair-value (LTFV) investigations of imports of hexamethylenetetramine (hexamine) from China, Germany, India, and Saudi Arabia. 1 Currently, the preliminary determinations of these investigations are due no later than March 10, 2025.

Section 733(b)(1)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), requires Commerce to issue the preliminary determination in an LTFV investigation within 140 days after the date on which Commerce initiated the investigation. However, section 733(c)(1)(A)(b)(1) of the Act permits Commerce to postpone the preliminary determination until no later than 190 days after the date on which Commerce initiated the investigation if: (A) the petitioner makes a timely request for a postponement; or (B) Commerce concludes that the parties concerned are cooperating, that the investigation is extraordinarily complicated, and that additional time is necessary to make a preliminary determination. Under 19 CFR 351.205(e), the petitioner must submit a request for postponement 25 days or more before the scheduled date of the preliminary determination and must state the reasons for the request. Commerce will grant the request unless it finds compelling reasons to deny the request.

On February 11, 2025, the petitioner  2 in these LTFV investigations submitted timely requests that Commerce postpone the preliminary determinations. 3 The petitioner stated on the administrative record in each proceeding that it requests postponement in order to allow sufficient time to fully develop all aspects of the administrative record and so that Commerce can analyze forthcoming questionnaire responses, as necessary. 4

For the reasons stated above and because there are no compelling reasons to deny the requests, Commerce, in accordance with section 733(c)(1)(A) of the Act, is postponing the deadline for the preliminary determinations in these investigations to no later than 190 days after the date on which it initiated these investigations, i.e., April 29, 2025. In accordance with section 735(a)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(1), the deadline for the final determinations of these investigations will continue to be 75 days after the date of the preliminary determinations, unless postponed at a later date.

This notice is issued and published pursuant to section 733(c)(2) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(f)(1).

On January 6, 2015, Commerce published in the Federal Register the AD order on MSG from China. 1 On May 15, 2024, in response to a request from Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition North America, Inc. (Ajinomoto NA), a domestic interested party, Commerce initiated this country-wide circumvention inquiry to determine whether imports of MSG completed in Malaysia using glutamic acid produced in China are circumventing the Order and, accordingly, should be covered by the scope of the Order, pursuant to section 781(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). 2 In September 2024, Commerce selected Ajinoriki MSG (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Ajinoriki) as a mandatory respondent in this circumvention inquiry. 3 On December 18, 2024, Commerce received a covered merchandise referral from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regarding CBP EAPA Investigation No. 7950, which concerns the Order. 4 Specifically, CBP requested that Commerce issue a determination as to whether MSG, finished in Malaysia by Ajinoriki using glutamic acid produced in China, and subsequently exported from Malaysia to the United States is subject to the Order ( i.e., the covered merchandise referral specified that the products at issue were those specified in this circumvention inquiry). 5 Notice of this referral was published in the Federal Register on January 14, 2025. 6 In that notice, Commerce explained that, because the covered merchandise referral requests a determination on merchandise identified in a request for a circumvention inquiry previously submitted to Commerce and currently under consideration, it would address the covered merchandise referral and Ajinomoto NA's circumvention inquiry request in the ongoing circumvention inquiry. 7 For a complete description of events that followed the initiation of this circumvention inquiry, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. 8

The scope of this order covers MSG, whether or not blended or in solution with other products. For a complete description of the scope of the Order, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

This circumvention inquiry covers MSG finished in Malaysia using glutamic acid produced in China and subsequently exported from Malaysia to the United States (inquiry merchandise).

Commerce is conducting this circumvention inquiry in accordance with section 781(b) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.226(i). Because China is a non-market economy country within the meaning of section 771(18) of the Act, Commerce relied on surrogate values to value the purchases of Chinese inputs, as discussed in section 773(c) of the Act. Commerce relied on facts available under section 776(a) of the Act, including facts available with adverse inferences under section 776(b) of the Act with respect the following companies (the non-responsive companies) that did not timely respond to Commerce's quantity and value questionnaire: Ajinoriki MSG Sdn Bhd, Aruni Enterprise M Sdn Bhd, Habita Foods Industries Sdn Bhd, Delisauce World Foods Sdn Bhd, Suntraco Food Industries Sdn Bhd, Yeo Hiap Seng (Malaysia) Berhad, Bidor Kwong Heng Sdn Bhd, and Scigate Industries 002998063-A. Based on facts available with an adverse inference, Commerce preliminarily determines that finished MSG exported by the non-responsive companies is completed in Malaysia using glutamic acid produced in China, and thus, is circumventing the Order. Furthermore, as adverse facts available (AFA), Commerce has preliminary determined to suspend liquidation and require a cash deposit of estimated duties at the applicable rate for each unliquidated entry of the product not yet suspended, entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption prior to the date of publication of the notice of initiation of the inquiry.

For a complete description of the methodology underlying this circumvention inquiry, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. A list of topics included in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is included as Appendix I 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. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx.

As detailed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum, Commerce preliminarily determines that MSG assembled or completed in Malaysia using glutamic acid produced in China and subsequently exported from Malaysia to the United States is circumventing the Order on a country-wide basis. As a result, in accordance with section 781(b) of the Act, we preliminarily determine that the inquiry merchandise should be included within the scope of the Order. See the “Suspension of Liquidation and Cash Deposit Requirements” section below for details regarding suspension of liquidation and cash deposit requirements. See the “Certifications” and “Certification Requirements” sections below for details regarding the use of certifications for inquiry merchandise imported from Malaysia.

Based on the preliminary affirmative country-wide determination of circumvention, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.226(l)(2)(i) and (ii), Commerce will direct CBP to continue the suspension of liquidation of previously suspended entries, and to suspend liquidation and require a cash deposit of estimated antidumping duties on unliquidated entries of inquiry merchandise that were entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after May 15, 2024, the date of publication of the initiation of this circumvention inquiry in the Federal Register . 9

Moreover, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.226(l)(2)(iii)(B), because Commerce is addressing a covered merchandise referral in this circumvention inquiry, the suspension of liquidation rules under 19 CFR 351.227(l)(2)(iii) apply. Under that section, Commerce “normally will direct {CBP} to begin the suspension of liquidation and require a cash deposit of estimated duties, at the applicable rate, for each unliquidated entry of the product not yet suspended, entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption prior to the date of publication of the notice of initiation of the covered merchandise inquiry.”  10 As such, with respect to Ajinoriki, Commerce will direct CBP to begin suspension of liquidation and require a cash deposit on unliquidated entries entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, prior to May 15, 2024. Likewise, Commerce is also directing CBP, as AFA, to begin suspension of liquidation and require a cash deposit on the unliquidated entries of the non-responsive companies entered or withdrawn from warehouse prior to May 15, 2024. 11

MSG produced in Malaysia that does not use Chinese-produced glutamic acid is not subject to this inquiry. Therefore, cash deposits are not required for such merchandise under the Order. If an importer imports MSG from Malaysia and claims that the MSG was not produced with Chinese-produced glutamic acid, to not be subject to the suspension of liquidation and cash deposit requirements under the Order, the importer is required to meet the certification and documentation requirements described in the “Certifications” and “Certification Requirements” sections below.

Where no certification is provided for an entry, and the Order potentially applies to that entry, Commerce intends to instruct CBP to suspend the liquidation of the entry under CBP case number A-557-992-000. Further, Commerce intends to instruct CBP to collect a cash deposit for estimated antidumping duties at a rate equal to the cash deposit rate for the China-wide entity, i.e., 56.54 percent. 12 These suspension of liquidation and cash deposit requirements will remain in effect until further notice.

An entry for which the importer has met the certification requirements described below and in Appendix II to this notice will not be subject to either the suspension of liquidation or the cash deposit requirements described above. Failure to comply with the applicable requisite certification requirements may result in the merchandise being subject to the Order.

To administer the preliminary affirmative country-wide determination of circumvention, Commerce has established importer and exporter certifications as provided in Appendix II to this notice. These certifications will permit importers and exporters to establish that specific entries of MSG from Malaysia are not subject to suspension of liquidation or the collection of cash deposits pursuant to this preliminary country-wide affirmative determination of circumvention because the merchandise was processed in Malaysia and does not incorporate Chinese-produced glutamic acid. Importers and exporters that claim that an entry of MSG is not subject to suspension of liquidation or the collection of cash deposits because the merchandise was processed in Malaysia and does not incorporate Chinese-produced glutamic acid must certify that the imported MSG satisfies the requirements of these certification requirements as described in Appendix II of this notice.

Importers are required to complete and maintain the applicable importer certification, and maintain a copy of the applicable exporter certification, and retain all supporting documentation for both certifications. The importer certification must be completed, signed, and dated by the time the entry summary is filed for the relevant entry. The importer, or the importer's agent, must submit both the importer's certification and the exporter's certification to CBP as part of the entry process by uploading them into the document imaging system (DIS) in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). Where the importer uses a broker to facilitate the entry process, the importer should obtain the entry summary number from the broker. Agents of the importer, such as brokers, however, are not permitted to certify on behalf of the importer.

Exporters are required to complete and maintain the applicable exporter certification and provide the importer with a copy of that certification and all supporting documentation ( e.g., invoice, purchase order, production records, etc. ). The exporter certification must be completed, signed, and dated by the time of shipment of the relevant entries. The exporter certification must be completed by the party selling the MSG that was processed in Malaysia and then exported to the United States.

Additionally, the claims made in the certifications and any supporting documentation are subject to verification by Commerce and/or CBP. Importers and exporters are required to maintain the certifications and supporting documentation until the later of: (1) the date that is five years after the latest entry date of the entries covered by the certification; or (2) the date that is three years after the conclusion of any litigation in United States courts regarding such entries.

For all entries of MSG from Malaysia that were entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption during the period May 15, 2024 (the date of publication of the initiation of this circumvention inquiry), through the date of publication of the preliminary determination in the Federal Register , where the entry has not been liquidated (and entries for which liquidation has not become final), the relevant certification should be completed and signed as soon as practicable, but not later than April 7, 2025. For such entries, importers and exporters each have the option to complete a blanket certification covering multiple entries, individual certifications for each entry, or a combination thereof. The exporter must provide the importer with a copy of the exporter certification by April 7, 2025.

For unliquidated entries (and entries for which liquidation has not become final) of MSG from Malaysia that were declared as non-AD type entries ( e.g., type 01) and entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption in the United States during the applicable period of suspension of liquidation described above, through the date of publication of the preliminary determination in the Federal Register , for which none of the above certifications may be made, importers must file a Post Summary Correction with CBP, in accordance with CBP's regulations, regarding conversion of such entries from non-AD type entries to AD type entries ( e.g., type 01 to type 03). Importers must report those AD type entries using the following third-country case number: A-557-992-000. The importer must pay cash deposits on those entries at a rate equal to the cash deposit rate for the China-wide entity under the Order consistent with the regulations governing post summary corrections that require payment of additional duties.

If it is determined that an importer or an exporter has not met the certification or related documentation requirements for certain entries, Commerce intends to instruct CBP to suspend, pursuant to this preliminary affirmative country-wide determination of circumvention of the Order, all unliquidated entries for which these requirements have not been met and to require the importer to post applicable cash deposits equal to the rate noted above.

Interested parties may comment on these certification requirements, and on the certification language contained in Appendix II to this notice in their case briefs.

As provided in 19 CFR 351.226(f)(3), Commerce intends to verify the information relied upon in making its final determination.

Case briefs or other written comments should be submitted to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance no later than seven days after the date on which any verification report is issued. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in case briefs, may be submitted no later than five days after the deadline for case briefs. 13 Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), parties who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in these circumvention inquiries must submit: (1) a statement of the issue; and (2) a table of authorities.

As provided in 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), in prior segments we have encouraged interested parties to provide an executive summary of their brief that should be limited to five pages total, including footnotes. In this circumvention inquiry, we instead request that interested parties provide at the beginning of their briefs, a public executive summary for each issue raised in their briefs. 14 Further, we request that interested parties limit their public executive summary of each issue to no more than 450 words, not including citations. We intend to use the public executive summaries as the basis of the comment summaries included in the issues and decision memorandum that will accompany the final determination in this circumvention inquiry. We request that interested parties include footnotes for relevant citations in the public executive summary of each issue. Note that Commerce has amended certain of its requirements pertaining to the service of documents in 19 CFR 351.303(f). 15

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 in the Federal Register , filed electronically via ACCESS. Hearing requests should contain: (1) the party's name, address, and telephone number; (2) the number of participants and whether any participant is a foreign national; and (3) a list of the issues to be discussed. Issues raised in the hearing will be limited to issues raised in the respective case briefs. 16 If a request for a hearing is made, Commerce intends to hold the hearing at a date and time to be determined and will notify the parties through ACCESS. 17 Parties should confirm the date, time, and location of the hearing two days before the scheduled date. All submissions, including case and rebuttal briefs, as well as hearing requests, should be filed using ACCESS. An electronically-filed document must be received successfully in its entirety by ACCESS by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the established deadline.

Consistent with section 781(e) of the Act, Commerce will notify the ITC of this preliminary determination to include the merchandise subject to this circumvention inquiry within the Order. Pursuant to section 781(e) of the Act, the ITC may request consultations concerning Commerce's proposed inclusion of the inquiry merchandise. If, after consultations, the ITC believes that a significant injury issue is presented by the proposed inclusion, it will have 60 days from the date of notification by Commerce to provide written advice.

Commerce is issuing and publishing this determination in accordance with section 781(b) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.226(g)(1).

On December 13, 2024, Commerce published in the Federal Register the preliminary results of the 2022 administrative review  1 of the countervailing duty order on OCTG from Korea. 2 We invited interested parties to comment on the Preliminary Results. 3 No interested party submitted comments. Accordingly, we have not modified our analysis from the Preliminary Results, and no decision memoranda accompany this notice. We are, hereby, adopting the Preliminary Results as the final results of this review. Commerce conducted this review in accordance with section 751(a)(1)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act).

The merchandise covered by the Order is OCTG from Korea. For a complete description of the scope of the Order, see the Preliminary Results. 4

Commerce determines the following net countervailable subsidy rate exists for the POR, September 29, 2022, through December 31, 2022:

Normally, Commerce discloses to interested parties the calculations performed in connection with the final results within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of publication of the notice of the final results in the Federal Register , in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b). However, because we made no changes from the Preliminary Results, there are no new calculations to disclose.

Commerce shall determine, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, countervailing duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review, pursuant to section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.212(b)(2). Because we calculated a de minimis countervailable subsidy rate for the SeAH Steel Companies in the final results of this review, we intend to instruct CBP to liquidate the appropriate entries without regard to countervailing duties in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b)(2) and 351.106(c)(2).

Commerce intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier than 35 days after the date of publication of the final results of this review in the Federal Register . If a timely summons is filed at the U.S. Court of International Trade, the assessment instructions will direct CBP not to liquidate relevant entries until the time for parties to file a request for a statutory injunction has expired ( i.e., within 90 days of publication).

Pursuant to section 751(a)(1) of the Act, Commerce also intends to instruct CBP to collect cash deposits of estimated countervailing duties at the appropriate rates. 6 For shipments of subject merchandise by the SeAH Steel Companies entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication of these final results, the cash deposit rate will be zero. These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

This notice serves as the only reminder to parties subject to APO of their responsibility concerning the disposition of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3), which continues to govern business proprietary information in this segment of the proceeding. Timely written notification of return or 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 sanctionable violation.

We are issuing and publishing this notice in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.221(b)(5).

The Committee was established by the NOAA Administrator as directed by section 12304(d) of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act (the Act) as amended by section 103 of the Coordinated Ocean Observations and Research Act of 2020 (COORA) (Pub. L. 116-271, Title I). 33 U.S.C. 3603(d). The Committee advises the NOAA Administrator and the Interagency Ocean Observation Committee (IOOC) on matters related to the responsibilities and authorities set forth in the Act and other appropriate matters as the Administrator, the Ocean Policy Committee described at 33 U.S.C. 3603(c)(1), and IOOC may refer to the Committee for review and advice. The charter and summaries of prior meetings can be found online at https://ioos.noaa.gov/community/u-s-ioos-advisory-committee/.

The meeting will focus on: (1) on-boarding new members, (2) developing a new work plan, and (3) updates from NOAA and key partners. The latest version of the agenda will be posted at http://ioos.noaa.gov/community/u-s-ioos-advisory-committee/. The times and the agenda topics described here are subject to change.

The meeting will be open to public participation (check agenda on website to confirm time). The Committee expects that public statements presented at its meetings will not be repetitive of previously submitted verbal or written statements. In general, each individual or group making a verbal presentation will be limited to a total time of three (3) minutes. Written comments should be received by the Designated Federal Official by March 4, 2025, to provide sufficient time for Committee review. Written comments received after March 4, 2025, will be distributed to the Committee, but may not be reviewed prior to the meeting date. To submit written comments, please fill out the brief form at https://forms.gle/39ozT2nnxZncBbYv8 or email your comments and the organization/company affiliation you represent to Laura Gewain, Laura.Gewain@noaa.gov. All comments received are a part of the public record. All personally identifiable information (name, address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the commenter will be publicly accessible. The written comment is considered the official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish to make. The Federal agencies will generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of the primary submission ( i.e., on the web, cloud, or other file sharing system). Comments that are not responsive or contain profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate language will not be considered. This NOAA public meeting will be recorded for use in preparation of minutes. If you have a public comment, you acknowledge that you will be recorded and are aware you can opt out of the meeting. Participation in the meeting constitutes consent to the recording.

These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Krisa Arzayus, Designated Federal Official by phone (240-533-9455) or email ( Krisa.Arzayus@noaa.gov) or to Laura Gewain ( Laura.Gewain@noaa.gov) by February 26, 2025.

This notice is published pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 8503(a)(2) and 41 CFR 51-2.3. Its purpose is to provide interested persons an opportunity to submit comments on the proposed actions.

In accordance with 41 CFR 51-2.4(b), Government personnel within the contracting activity have identified this as a product requirement not applicable to other Federal entities and has requested the Committee consider granting a purchase or distribution preference if the product is added to the Procurement List. See 71 FR 69536 (Dec. 1, 2006). If the Committee grants this request, the product will not be available through the U.S. AbilityOne Commission's Commercial Distribution Program. The Committee will consider this request along with relevant comments received from interested parties. If the Committee adds this product to the Procurement List, direct orders for this product may be authorized per 41 CFR 51-6.1 and Federal Acquisition Regulation 8.705-2 if sufficient quantities are available for direct purchase.

If the Committee approves the proposed additions, the entities of the Federal Government identified in this notice will be required to procure the product(s) listed below from nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities.

The following product(s) are proposed for addition to the Procurement List for production by the nonprofit agencies listed:

The following product(s) and service(s) are proposed for deletion from the Procurement List:

This meeting is held under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) of 1972 (5 U.S.C., Appendix, as amended), the Government in the Sunshine Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended), and 41 CFR 102-3.50(d).

Purpose of the Meeting: For the AU Board of Visitors (BoV) to provide independent advice and recommendations on matters pertaining to the education, outreach, and research policies and activities of Air University to the Air University Commander and President and the Secretary of the Air Force. The agenda will include: Commander and President's State of the University, Provost and Chief Academic Officer update, CCAF Subcommittee report and discussion, Community College of the Air Force update, Education Technology update, Agile Learning Concept update, AU Financial Management update, AUiX Projects and Products discussion, and AU Accreditation update.

Meeting Accessibility: Open to the public. Any member of the public wishing to attend this meeting should contact the Designated Federal Officer at least ten calendar days prior to the meeting for information on base entry procedures.

Written Statements: Any member of the public wishing to provide input to the Air University Board of Visitors in accordance with 41 CFR 102-3.140(c) and section 10(a)(3) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act should submit a written statement to the Designated Federal Officer. Statements submitted in response to the agenda mentioned in this notice must be received by the Designated Federal Officer at least ten calendar days prior to the meeting that is the subject of this notice. Written statements received after this date may not be provided to or considered by the Air University Board of Visitors until its next meeting. The Designated Federal Officer will review all timely submissions with the Air University Board of Visitors' Board Chairperson and ensure they are provided to members of the Board before the meeting that is the subject of this notice.

This document extends the comment period for two actions published on December 26, 2024, and January 15, 2025. Comments for notice FRL 12023-01-OW (89 FR 105041, December 26, 2024) now must be received on or before April 25, 2025; and comments for notice FRL-12451-01-OW (90 FR 3859, January 15, 2025) must now be received on or before April 16, 2025.

EPA may identify additional actions for reopening or extending comment periods in subsequent notices.

This document extends the public comment period for the notice “Draft National Recommended Ambient Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Human Health for Perfluorooctanoic Acid, Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid, and Perfluorobutane Sulfonic Acid,” published in the Federal Register document of December 26, 2024 (89 FR 105041) (FRL 12023-01-OW), for 60 days. In that document, EPA announced the availability of draft Clean Water Act (CWA) national recommended ambient water quality criteria (AWQC) for the protection of human health for three per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS)—for a 60-day public comment period. The EPA has developed these draft PFAS national recommended human health criteria (HHC) to reflect the latest scientific information, consistent with current EPA guidance, methods, and longstanding practice. When PFAS national recommended HHC are finalized, they will provide information that States and Tribes may consider when adopting water quality standards.

This document extends the public comment period for the notice “Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS),” published in the Federal Register document of January 15, 2025 (90 FR 3859) (FRL-12451-01-OW), for 30 days. In that document, EPA announced the availability of the “Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS)” for a 60-day public comment period. This draft risk assessment reflects the agency's latest scientific understanding of the potential risks to human health and the environment posed by the presence of PFOA and PFOS in sewage sludge that is land applied as a soil conditioner or fertilizer (on agricultural, forested, and other lands), surface disposed, or incinerated. The draft risk assessment focuses on those living on or near impacted sites or those that rely primarily on their products ( e.g., food crops, animal products, drinking water); the draft risk assessment does not model risks for the general public. This draft risk assessment underwent independent external peer review, and the EPA revised the document accordingly. Once finalized, the risk assessment will provide information on risk from use or disposal of sewage sludge and will inform the EPA's potential future regulatory actions under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

EPA is extending these comment periods to allow interested parties additional time to thoroughly review and analyze how these notices may impact parties potentially subject to them. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted as they are already incorporated into the public record and will be considered in the final action as appropriate. Where appropriate, the Agency may consider further extending the comment period for the above referenced actions.

To submit comments, or access the docket, please follow the detailed instructions provided under ADDRESSES . If you have questions, consult the technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT .

A healthcare provider may enter into an agreement with Medicare to participate in the program as a provider of outpatient physical therapy (OPT) provided certain requirements are met. Section 1861(p)(4) of the Social Security Act (the Act), establishes distinct criteria for facilities seeking designation as an OPT. Regulations concerning Medicare provider agreements in general are at 42 CFR part 489 and those pertaining to the survey and certification for Medicare participation of providers and certain types of suppliers are at part 488. The regulations at part 485, subpart H, specify the conditions that a provider must meet to participate in the Medicare program as an OPT.

Generally, to enter into an agreement, an OPT must first be certified by a state survey agency (SA) as complying with the conditions or requirements set forth in part 485 of our Medicare regulations. Thereafter, the OPT is subject to regular surveys by an SA to determine whether it continues to meet these requirements. Section 1865(a)(1) of the Act provides that, if a provider entity demonstrates through accreditation by a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved national accrediting organization (AO) that all applicable Medicare conditions are met or exceeded, we may deem that provider entity as having met the requirements. Accreditation by an AO is voluntary and is not required for Medicare participation.

If an AO is recognized by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services as having standards for accreditation that meet or exceed Medicare requirements, any provider entity accredited by the national accrediting body's approved program may be deemed to meet the Medicare conditions. The AO applying for approval of its accreditation program under part 488, subpart A, must provide CMS with reasonable assurance that the AO requires the accredited provider entities to meet requirements that are at least as stringent as the Medicare conditions. Our regulations concerning the approval of AOs are set forth at § 488.5.

The QUAD A's current term of approval for its OPT program expires April 4, 2025.

Section 1865(a)(3)(A) of the Act provides a statutory timetable to ensure that our review of applications for CMS-approval of an accreditation program is conducted in a timely manner. The Act provides us 210 days after the date of receipt of a complete application, with any documentation necessary to make the determination, to complete our survey activities and application process. Within 60 days after receiving a complete application, we must publish a notice in the Federal Register that identifies the national accrediting body making the request, describes the request, and provides no less than a 30-day public comment period. At the end of the 210-day period, we must publish a notice in the Federal Register approving or denying the application.

On October 17, 2024, we published a proposed notice in the Federal Register (89 FR 8368), announcing QUAD A's request for continued approval of its Medicare OPT accreditation program. In the proposed notice, we detailed our evaluation criteria. Under section 1865(a)(2) of the Act and in our regulations at § 488.5, we conducted a review of QUAD A's Medicare OPT accreditation application in accordance with the criteria specified by our regulations, which include, but are not limited to the following:

• An administrative review of QUAD A's: (1) corporate policies; (2) financial and human resources available to accomplish the proposed surveys; (3) procedures for training, monitoring, and evaluation of its surveyors; (4) ability to investigate and respond appropriately to complaints against accredited facilities; and (5) survey review and decision-making process for accreditation.

• A comparison of QUAD A's accreditation to our current Medicare OPT conditions of participation (CoPs).

• A documentation review of QUAD A's survey process to:

++ Determine the composition of the survey team, surveyor qualifications, and QUAD A's ability to provide continuing surveyor training.

++ Compare QUAD A's processes to those of state survey agencies, including survey frequency, and the ability to investigate and respond appropriately to complaints against accredited facilities.

++ Evaluate QUAD A's procedures for monitoring OPTs out of compliance with QUAD A's program requirements. The monitoring procedures are used only when QUAD A identifies noncompliance. If noncompliance is identified through validation reviews, the state survey agency monitors corrections as specified at § 488.7(d).

++ Assess QUAD A's ability to report deficiencies to the surveyed facilities and respond to the facility's plan of correction in a timely manner.

++ Establish QUAD A's ability to provide CMS with electronic data and reports necessary for effective validation and assessment of the organization's survey process.

++ Determine the adequacy of staff and other resources.

++ Confirm QUAD A's ability to provide adequate funding for performing required surveys.

++ QUAD A's policies and procedures to avoid conflicts of interest, including the appearance of conflicts of interest, involving individuals who conduct surveys or participate in accreditation decisions.

++ Confirm QUAD A's policies with respect to whether surveys are unannounced.

In accordance with section 1865(a)(3)(A) of the Act, the October 17, 2024 proposed notice also solicited public comments regarding whether QUAD A's requirements met or exceeded the Medicare CoPs for OPTs. We did not receive any comments.

We compared QUAD A's requirements and survey process with the Medicare CoPs and survey process as outlined in the State Operations Manual (SOM). Our review and evaluation of QUAD A's OPT application were conducted as described in section III. of this notice and has yielded the following areas where, as of the date of this notice, QUAD A's has completed revising its standards and certification processes in order to:

• Meet the standard's requirements of all of the following regulations:

++ Section 488.5(a)(4)(ii), to incorporate additional clarifications on the types of surveys related to OPT organizations and incorporate comparable guidance for surveyors, consistent with CMS policy memorandums Admin Info-24-22 (which streamlined certification processes for OPTs and other programs) as well as QSO-24-18 OPT (which outlined OPT expectations for surveying extension locations).

++ Section 485.721(b) and State Operations Manual (SOM) Appendix E, to provide additional clarification in its survey process to ensure that clinical record reviews include primary and extension locations and treatment provided by contracted employees, if applicable and include all content as required by the regulation.

++ Section 485.709, to review survey findings and provide additional policies or training to identify situations where governing body citations at a condition level would be appropriate.

++ Sections 488.5(a)(4)(ii) and 488.28(d), to revise the communication information provided to the provider to delineate more clearly the process as it relates to potential termination as OPTs is generally expected to be in compliance within 60 days of the deficiencies, as comparable to the process of the State Survey Agencies. Specifically, we requested QUAD A to clarify the impact for Medicare participation versus QUAD A's accreditation program.

In addition to the standards review, we also reviewed QUAD A's comparable survey processes, which were conducted as described in section III. of this notice, and yielded the following areas where, as of the date of this notice, QUAD A has completed revising its survey processes, in order to demonstrate that it uses survey processes that are comparable to state survey agency processes by:

• Providing additional surveyor education to ensure, when opportunities present during the course of the survey, that surveyors conduct patient interviews, consistent with SOM Appendix E.

• Revising survey processes to provide emphasis on staff interviews and gearing those interviews to allow staff to demonstrate knowledge of the applicable policies and procedures.

• Revising the survey process and providing education to surveyors to ensure equipment used by the OPT not only encompasses elements of § 485.723(b), but also includes an assessment of whether the facility is complying with the manufacturer instructions for use and guidance.

Based on our review and observations described in section III. and section V. of this notice, we approve QUAD A as a national AO for OPTs that request participation in the Medicare program. The decision announced in this final notice is effective April 4, 2025 through April 4, 2030 (5 years). In accordance with § 488.5(e)(2)(i), the term of the approval will not exceed 6 years.

This document does not impose information collection requirements, that is, reporting, recordkeeping, or third-party disclosure requirements. Consequently, there is no need for review by the Office of Management and Budget under the authority of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. ).

The Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Stephanie Carlton, having reviewed and approved this document, authorizes Vanessa Garcia, who is the Federal Register Liaison, to electronically sign this document for purposes of publication in the Federal Register .

Under the Medicare program, eligible beneficiaries may receive covered services from a home health agency (HHA), provided certain requirements are met. Sections 1861(m) and (o), 1891 and 1895 of the Social Security Act (the Act) establish distinct criteria for an entity seeking designation as an HHA. Regulations concerning provider agreements are at 42 CFR part 489 and those pertaining to activities relating to the survey and certification of facilities and other entities are at 42 CFR part 488. The regulations at 42 CFR parts 409 and 484 specify the conditions that an HHA must meet to participate in the Medicare program, the scope of covered services and the conditions for Medicare payment for home health care.

Generally, to enter into a provider agreement with the Medicare program, an HHA must first be certified by a state survey agency as complying with the conditions or requirements set forth in 42 CFR part 484 of our regulations. Thereafter, the HHA is subject to regular surveys by a state survey agency to determine whether it continues to meet these requirements.

However, there is an alternative to surveys by state agencies. Section 1865(a)(1) of the Act provides that, if a provider entity demonstrates through accreditation by a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved national accrediting organization (AO) that all applicable Medicare requirements are met or exceeded, we will deem those provider entities as having met such requirements. Accreditation by an AO is voluntary and is not required for Medicare participation.

If an AO is recognized by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) as having standards for accreditation that meet or exceed Medicare requirements, any provider entity accredited by the national accrediting body's approved program would be deemed to meet the Medicare requirements. A national AO applying for approval of its accreditation program under 42 CFR part 488, subpart A, must provide CMS with reasonable assurance that the AO requires the accredited provider entities to meet requirements that are at least as stringent as the Medicare requirements.

Our regulations concerning the approval of AOs are at §§ 488.4 and 488.5. The regulations at § 488.5(e)(2)(i) require an AO to reapply for continued approval of its accreditation program every 6 years or sooner, as determined by CMS. This notice is to announce our continued approval of ACHC's HHA accreditation program for a period of 6 years.

Section 1865(a)(3)(A) of the Act provides a statutory timetable to ensure that our review of applications for CMS-approval of an accreditation program is conducted in a timely manner. The Act provides us 210 days after the date of receipt of a complete application, with any documentation necessary to make the determination, to complete our survey activities and application process. Within 60 days after receiving a complete application, we must publish a notice in the Federal Register that identifies the national accrediting body making the request, describes the request, and provides no less than a 30-day public comment period. At the end of the 210-day period, we must publish a notice in the Federal Register approving or denying the application.

On September 17, 2024, we published a proposed notice in the Federal Register (89 FR 180), announcing ACHC's request for continued approval of its Medicare HHA accreditation program. In the proposed notice, we detailed our evaluation criteria. Under section 1865(a)(2) of the Act and in our regulations at § 488.5, we conducted a review of ACHC's Medicare HHA accreditation application in accordance with the criteria specified by our regulations, which include, but are not limited to the following:

• An administrative review of ACHC's: (1) Corporate policies; (2) financial and human resources available to accomplish the proposed surveys; (3) procedures for training, monitoring, and evaluation of its surveyors; (4) ability to investigate and respond appropriately to complaints against accredited facilities; and (5) survey review and decision-making process for accreditation.

• A comparison of ACHC's accreditation to our current Medicare HHA conditions of participation (CoPs).

• A documentation review of ACHC's survey process to do the following:

++ Determine the composition of the survey team, surveyor qualifications, and ACHC's ability to provide continuing surveyor training.

++ Compare ACHC's processes to those of state survey agencies, including survey frequency, and the ability to investigate and respond appropriately to complaints against accredited facilities.

++ Evaluate ACHC's procedures for monitoring HHAs out of compliance with ACHC's program requirements. The monitoring procedures are used only when ACHC identifies noncompliance. If noncompliance is identified through validation reviews, the state survey agency monitors corrections as specified at § 488.7(d).

++ Assess ACHC's ability to report deficiencies to the surveyed facilities and respond to the facility's plan of correction in a timely manner.

++ Establish ACHC's ability to provide CMS with electronic data and reports necessary for effective validation and assessment of the organization's survey process.

++ Determine the adequacy of staff and other resources.

++ Confirm ACHC's ability to provide adequate funding for performing required surveys.

++ Confirm ACHC's policies with respect to whether surveys are unannounced.

++ Confirm ACHC's policies and procedures to avoid conflicts of interest, including the appearance of conflicts of interest, involving individuals who conduct surveys or participate in accreditation decisions.

++ Obtain ACHC's agreement to provide CMS with a copy of the most current accreditation survey together with any other information related to the survey as we may require, including corrective action plans.

In accordance with section 1865(a)(3)(A) of the Act, the September 17, 2024, proposed notice also solicited public comments regarding whether ACHC's requirements met or exceeded the Medicare CoPs for HHAs. We received no comments in response to our proposed notice.

We compared ACHC's HHA requirements and survey process with the Medicare CoPs and survey process as outlined in the State Operations Manual (SOM). Our review and evaluation of ACHC's HHA application were conducted as described in section III. of this notice and have yielded the one area where, as of the date of this notice, ACHC has completed revising its standards and certification processes in order to meet the requirements at § 484.115, to ensure ACHC's standards have a comparable requirement for adherence to HHA personnel qualifications.

In addition to the standards review, CMS also reviewed ACHC's comparable survey processes, which were conducted as described in section III. of this notice, and yielded the one area where, as of the date of this notice, ACHC has completed revising its survey processes, in order to demonstrate that it uses survey processes that are comparable to state survey agency processes by revising ACHC's surveyor guidance to be comparable with the CMS State Operations Manual, Appendix Q related to the use Immediate Jeopardy templates.

Based on our review and observations described in section III and section V of this notice, we approve ACHC as a national AO for HHAs that request participation in the Medicare program. The decision announced in this final notice is effective February 24, 2025, through February 24, 2031 (6 years). In accordance with § 488.5(e)(2)(i), the term of the approval will not exceed 6 years.

This document does not impose information collection requirements, that is, reporting, recordkeeping, or third-party disclosure requirements. Consequently, there is no need for review by the Office of Management and Budget under the authority of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. ).

The Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Stephanie Carlton, having reviewed and approved this document, authorizes Chyana Woodyard, who is the Federal Register Liaison, to electronically sign this document for purposes of publication in the Federal Register .

On January 24, 2025, the President established the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council (FEMA Review Council) through Executive Order 14180, Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Federal responses to Hurricane Helene and other recent disasters demonstrate the need to drastically improve the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (“FEMA's”) efficacy, priorities, and competence, including evaluating whether FEMA's bureaucracy in disaster response ultimately harms the agency's ability to successfully respond. Despite obligating nearly $30 billion in disaster aid each of the past three years, FEMA has managed to leave vulnerable Americans without the resources or support they need when they need it most.

There are serious concerns of political bias in FEMA. Indeed, at least one former FEMA responder has stated that FEMA managers directed her to avoid homes of individuals supporting the campaign of Donald J. Trump for President. And it has lost mission focus, diverting limited staff and resources to support missions beyond its scope and authority, spending well over a billion dollars to welcome illegal aliens.

Americans deserve an immediate, effective, and impartial response to and recovery from disasters. FEMA therefore requires a full-scale review, by individuals highly experienced at effective disaster response and recovery, who shall recommend to the President improvements or structural changes to promote the national interest and enable national resilience.

The Council shall be composed of not more than 20 members appointed by the President and serving at the pleasure of the President. The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Defense shall be members of the Council. The remaining members shall include relevant agency heads and distinguished individuals and representatives from sectors outside of the Federal Government and have diverse perspectives and expertise in disaster relief and assistance, emergency preparedness, natural disasters, Federal-State relationships, and budget management.

Authority: The authority for institution of this investigation is contained in section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, 19 U.S.C. 1337, and in section 210.10 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, 19 CFR 210.10 (2024).

Scope of Investigation: Having considered the complaint, the U.S. International Trade Commission, on February 14, 2025, ordered that —

(1) Pursuant to subsection (b) of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, an investigation be instituted to determine whether there is a violation of subsection (a)(1)(B) of section 337 in the importation into the United States, the sale for importation, or the sale within the United States after importation of certain products identified in paragraph (2) by reason of infringement of one or more of claims 1-7, 10, and 12 of the '725 patent, and whether an industry in the United States exists or is in the process of being established as required by subsection (a)(2) of section 337;

(2) Pursuant to section 210.10(b)(1) of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, 19 CFR 210.10(b)(1), the plain language description of the accused products or category of accused products, which defines the scope of the investigation, is “polyvinylidene fluoride polymers comprising acrylates in solid form”;

(3) For the purpose of the investigation so instituted, the following are hereby named as parties upon which this notice of investigation shall be served:

(a) The complainants are:

Syensqo SA, Rue de la Fusée, 98, 1130 Brussels, Belgium, Solvay Specialty Polymers, USA LLC, 4500 McGinnis Ferry Rd., Alpharetta, GA 30005-3914, Solvay Specialty Polymers Italy S.P.A., 20 Viale Lombardia, Bollate, Italy 20021.

(b) The respondents are the following entities alleged to be in violation of section 337, and are the party upon which the complaint is to be served:

Inner Mongolia 3F Wanhao, Fluorochemical Industry Co. Ltd., Industrial Production Pack, Fengzhen, Inner Mongolia Province, China, 012100.

Zhejiang Juhua Co., Ltd., Kecheng District, Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province Quzhou; Zhejiang, 324004, China, Zhejiang Fluorine Chemical New Material Co. Ltd., No. 5, Weiyi Road, Shangyu Hangzhou Gulf Chemical Industry Zone, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, 312369, China.

Hubei Fluorine New Materials Co., Ltd., No. 8, Group 11, Dongtan Village, Qianjiang Economic Development Zone, Hubei Province, 433100, China.

Sinochem Lantian Co., Ltd., Sinochem Building, No. 96, Jiangnan Avenue, Binjiang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310051, China.

(4) For the investigation so instituted, the Chief Administrative Law Judge, U.S. International Trade Commission, shall designate the presiding Administrative Law Judge.

The Office of Unfair Import Investigations will not participate as a party in this investigation.

Responses to the complaint and the notice of investigation must be submitted by the named respondents in accordance with section 210.13 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, 19 CFR 210.13. Pursuant to 19 CFR 201.16(e) and 210.13(a), as amended in 85 FR 15798 (March 19, 2020), such responses will be considered by the Commission if received not later than 20 days after the date of service by the complainant of the complaint and the notice of investigation. Extensions of time for submitting responses to the complaint and the notice of investigation will not be granted unless good cause therefor is shown.

Failure of a respondent to file a timely response to each allegation in the complaint and in this notice may be deemed to constitute a waiver of the right to appear and contest the allegations of the complaint and this notice, and to authorize the administrative law judge and the Commission, without further notice to the respondent, to find the facts to be as alleged in the complaint and this notice and to enter an initial determination and a final determination containing such findings, and may result in the issuance of an exclusion order or a cease and desist order or both directed against the respondent.

Effective September 24, 2024, the Commission established a general schedule for the conduct of the final phase of its countervailing duty investigations on melamine from Germany, India, Qatar, and Trinidad and Tobago and its antidumping duty investigations on melamine from Germany, India, Japan, Netherlands, Qatar, and Trinidad and Tobago (89 FR 79637, September 30, 2024), following preliminary determinations by the U.S. Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) that imports of melamine are being subsidized by the governments of Germany, India, Qatar, and Trinidad and Tobago (89 FR 59045, 59053, 59055, and 59057, July 22, 2024) and imports of melamine from Germany, India, Japan, Netherlands, Qatar, and Trinidad and Tobago are being sold at less than fair value (89 FR 77814, 77819, 77822, 77824, 77829, and 77832, September 24, 2024). Notice of the scheduling of the final phase of the Commission's investigations and of a public hearing held in connection therewith was given by posting copies of the notice in the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, Washington, DC, and by publishing the notice in the Federal Register on September 30, 2024 (89 FR 79637). The Commission conducted its in-person hearing on December 3, 2024. All persons who requested the opportunity were permitted to participate.

On December 9, 2024, Commerce issued final affirmative countervailing duty determinations with respect to melamine from Germany, Qatar, and Trinidad and Tobago (89 FR 97586, 97593, and 97599) and final affirmative antidumping duty determinations with respect to melamine from Germany, Japan, Netherlands, and Trinidad and Tobago (89 FR 97584, 97590, 97598, and 97601). 1 The Commission subsequently issued its final determinations that an industry in the United States was materially injured by reason of imports of melamine from Germany and Qatar provided for in subheading 2933.61.00 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (“HTSUS”) that have been found by Commerce to be subsidized by the governments of Germany and Qatar and by reason of imports of melamine from Germany, Japan, and Netherlands that have been found by Commerce to be sold at LTFV. The Commission also issued its final determinations that an industry in the United States is threatened with material injury by reason of imports of melamine from Trinidad and Tobago that have been found by Commerce to be subsidized by the government of Trinidad and Tobago and sold in the United States at LTFV (90 FR 8405, January 29, 2025).

On February 12, 2025, Commerce's final affirmative countervailing duty and antidumping duty determinations with respect to imports of melamine from India (90 FR 9413 and 9415) were published in the Federal Register . Accordingly, the Commission currently is issuing a supplemental schedule for its countervailing duty and antidumping duty investigations on imports of melamine from India.

This supplemental schedule is as follows: the deadline for filing supplemental party comments on Commerce's final countervailing duty and antidumping duty determinations is 5:15 p.m. on February 24, 2025. Supplemental party comments may address only Commerce's final countervailing duty and antidumping duty determinations regarding imports of melamine from India. These supplemental final comments may not contain new factual information and may not exceed five (5) pages in length. The supplemental staff report in the final phase of the current investigations will be placed in the nonpublic record on March 12, 2025, and a public version will be issued thereafter.

For further information concerning this proceeding see the Commission's notice cited above and the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, part 201, subparts A and B (19 CFR part 201), and part 207, subparts A and C (19 CFR part 207).

Additional written submissions to the Commission, including requests pursuant to section 201.12 of the Commission's rules, shall not be accepted unless good cause is shown for accepting such submissions, or unless the submission is pursuant to a specific request by a Commissioner or Commission staff.

In accordance with sections 201.16(c) and 207.3 of the Commission's rules, each document filed by a party to the investigations must be served on all other parties to the investigations (as identified by either the public or BPI service list), and a certificate of service must be timely filed. The Secretary will not accept a document for filing without a certificate of service.

Please note the Secretary's Office will accept only electronic filings during this time. Filings must be made through the Commission's Electronic Document Information System (EDIS, https://edis.usitc.gov ). No in-person paper-based filings or paper copies of any electronic filings will be accepted until further notice.

Authority: This proceeding is being conducted under authority of title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930; this notice is published pursuant to section 207.21 of the Commission's rules.

Comments: Persons are encouraged to submit all comments electronically, without submitting paper versions. Comments should state the nature of the person's interest in either or both proposed amendment(s) and how the person would be adversely affected by the proposed amendment(s). Any person who may be adversely affected by an amendment can request a hearing on the amendment. A request for a hearing must state: (1) the name, address, telephone number, and email address of the person making the request; (2) the nature of the person's interest in the amendment and the manner in which the person would be adversely affected by the amendment; and (3) a statement of the issues to be addressed and a general description of the evidence to be presented at the hearing. The Department will grant a request for a hearing made in accordance with the requirements above where a hearing is necessary to fully explore material factual issues identified by the person requesting the hearing. The Department would publish a notice announcing such hearing in the Federal Register . The Department may decline to hold a hearing if: (1) the request for the hearing does not meet the requirements above; (2) the only issues identified for exploration at the hearing are matters of law; or (3) the factual issues identified can be fully explored through the submission of evidence in written (including electronic) form.

Warning: All comments received will be included in the public record without change and may be made available online at https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be confidential or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. If you submit a comment, EBSA recommends that you include your name and other contact information in the body of your comment, but DO NOT submit information that you consider to be confidential, or otherwise protected (such as a Social Security number or an unlisted phone number) or confidential business information that you do not want publicly disclosed. However, if EBSA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EBSA might not be able to consider your comment.

Additionally, please note that the https://www.regulations.gov website is an “anonymous access” system; therefore, EBSA will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an email directly to EBSA without going through https://www.regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public record and made available on the internet.

The Department is considering granting the amendment pursuant to its authority under ERISA section 408(a), and in accordance with the Department's exemption procedures. 1 If the Department grants a final exemption, the effective periods of PTE 2016-10 and PTE 2016-11 will be extended until the earlier of September 4, 2025, or the date that the Department makes a final agency action in connection with the recently published Notices of Proposed Exemption for the RBC QPAMs and the Northern QPAMs. 2 RBC and Northern must continue to meet the conditions for relief under PTE 2016-10 and PTE 2016-11 during their effective periods.

On October 28, 2016, the Department published PTEs 2016-10 and 2016-11 in the Federal Register . 3 PTE 2016-10 is a temporary administrative exemption that permits certain entities (the RBC Qualified Professional Asset Managers (QPAMs)) with specified relationships to Royal Bank of Canada (Bahamas) Limited (RBCTC Bahamas) to continue to rely upon the relief provided by the Department's QPAM Exemption  4 for a one-year period beginning on March 4, 2024, and ending on March 5, 2025, notwithstanding a potential judgment of conviction against RBCTC Bahamas for aiding and abetting tax fraud. 5 Similarly, PTE 2016-11 permits certain entities (the Northern QPAMs) with specified relationships to Northern Trust Fiduciary Services (Guernsey) ltd. (NTFS) to continue to rely upon the relief provided by the Department's QPAM Exemption for a one-year period beginning on March 4, 2024, and ending on March 5, 2025, notwithstanding a potential judgment of conviction against NTFS for aiding and abetting tax fraud in the same scheme. 6

The Department granted PTEs 2016-10 and 2016-11 to protect RBC and Northern's ERISA-covered plan and IRA clients from the harm that could result from their respective QPAMs' loss of relief under PTE 84-14 due to the QPAMs' convictions.

RBC and Northern separately applied to the Department for extended relief that would apply after the relief in PTEs 2016-10 and 2016-11 expires. In response, on January 17, 2025, the Department published a proposed exemption that would extend the relief in PTE 2016-10 for five years (the RBC Five-Year Proposed QPAM Exemption) from March 5, 2025, to March 4, 2030, if the RBC QPAMs would meet the proposed exemption's conditions. The proposed exemption has a 45-day notice and comment period that expires on March 3, 2025.

On January 21, 2025, the Department published a similar proposed exemption that would extend the relief in PTE 2016-11 for five years—from March 5, 2025, to March 4, 2030 (the Northern Five-Year Proposed QPAM Exemption) if the Northern QPAMs meet the terms of the exemption. The proposed exemption has a 45-day notice and comment period that expires on March 7, 2025.

Following publication of the Northern Five-Year Proposed QPAM Exemption in the Federal Register , Northern expressed concern to the Department that due to the timing of the proposed exemption's publication, the 45-day notice and comment period does not end until March 7, 2025; therefore, the proposed exemption cannot be granted before Northern's current relief in PTE 2016-11 expires on March 4, 2025. Even if the Northern QPAMs eventually received relief retroactive to March 5, 2025, the timing would result in a “gap period” during which Northern QPAMs would not qualify for the QPAM Exemption from March 5, 2025, until the date the Department publishes a final exemption. Northern's legal counsel represents that the resultant gap period in the exemption's relief would be harmful to affected plans and their participants and beneficiaries. The Northern QPAMs make representations in their Internal Swaps and Derivative Association (ISDA) agreements with various counterparties stating that to the extent the QPAM is using “plan assets” (within the meaning of ERISA Section 3(42)) in connection with a transaction entered into under the ISDA, it is a “qualified professional asset manager,” and PTE 84-14 will apply to any applicable transactions entered thereunder. The failure to satisfy this representation can result in a default-based early termination of the ISDA agreements and a lump sum payment would be due to the applicable counterparty.

In addition, certain fixed income securities have “deemed” ERISA-related representations. This means that the purchaser of the security is deemed to have represented that the purchase, holding, and eventual sale/transfer of the security is not and will not be a non-exempt prohibited transaction under ERISA. In some cases, the applicable fixed income security will specify the PTEs that can be relied upon in connection with the purchase, holding, and sale/transfer of the security. In these instances, only the status-based exemptions are generally permitted ( i.e., PTEs 84-14, 90-1, 91-38, 95-60, and 96-23). Failure to satisfy these “deemed representations” would void the transaction, according to Northern.

Further, in these situations, Northern could not provide the Department with certainty that counterparties would not exercise their rights to default and/or void applicable transactions. Of specific concern to Northern is if there were a market disruption that made it beneficial for the Northern QPAMs' counterparties to default or void a transaction, they may not hesitate to do so, which would cause harms to their covered plan clients. Northern urged the Department to work with it to eliminate such risks to affected plans and their participants and beneficiaries.

For a more complete description of Northern, the Northern QPAMs, and transactions engaged in by the Northern QPAMs, please see the Northern Five-Year Proposed QPAM Exemption published in the Federal Register on January 21, 2025 (90 FR 7174).

Following publication of the RBC Five-Year Proposed QPAM Exemption, RBC's counsel also expressed concern to the Department that the proposed exemption would not be granted before its current relief expires on March 4, 2025. As is the case with the Northern QPAMs (described above), even if the RBC QPAMs eventually received relief retroactive to March 5, 2025, the timing would result in a “gap period” during which the RBC QPAMs would not qualify for the QPAM Exemption from March 5, 2025, until the date the Department publishes a final exemption. RBC argues that the gap in exemptive relief would be harmful to affected plans and their participants and beneficiaries. Specifically, RBC represents that affected plans would be harmed if RBC does not obtain exemptive relief ahead of the expiration of PTE 2016-10 on March 4, 2025, with an effective date of March 5, 2025.

To substantiate such harmful effects, RBC makes the following representations. Many investments needing continuing relief, such as many derivatives, loans, leases, and other extensions of credit, contain deemed or explicit representations that the QPAM Exemption is applicable, with a corresponding contractual obligation to notify the lender, lessor or counterparty if the representation becomes untrue. Under master agreements, moreover, those representations are deemed to be made at each time a transaction is entered into, meaning RBC QPAMs could be prohibited from entering into transactions on behalf of underlying plans for as long as the representation remains untrue (for example, for the period during which exemptive relief is not provided). A breach of a representation or warranty can also trigger an event of default for those trading agreements, which could leave the ERISA plan responsible for liquidation and other transition costs. Upon the expiration of PTE 2016-10, that obligation is triggered unless further relief is in place.

As a prudent fiduciary, the investment manager would be obligated to identify every instrument and communicate with every counterparty. While some counterparties might negotiate additional, potentially onerous terms to avoid termination, others would invoke their rights on default. 7 Thus, many plans could be in default on their continuing representation to clients and counterparties that they meet the conditions of the QPAM Exemption, and counterparties would be able to immediately terminate existing, continuing transactions with the RBC QPAMs' affected plan clients.

Further, in RBC's discussions with market counterparties regarding this issue, the counterparties uniformly stated that RBC's hope or even reasonable expectation that the RBC QPAMs would eventually obtain retroactive relief would not be sufficient to avoid default. RBC argues that potential retroactive relief would not be a substitute for obtaining timely exemptive relief with no gap period, and the risk and compliance functions of their institutions might well terminate an existing transaction in the absence of a guarantee that RBC QPAMs could rely on the QPAM Exemption on March 5, 2025 (without a gap period).

Moreover, RBC represents that if there is a gap period in exemptive relief, as other instruments mature, new trades dependent on the QPAM Exemption could not be entered into, leaving plans without the benefit of all of the instruments and trading strategies contemplated by their investment guidelines. Because the QPAM Exemption is often used for hedging trades, affected plans could be left with fewer and less effective ways to hedge risk. Plans would not have the trading efficiencies and breadth of investment choices and potential counterparties afforded by the QPAM Exemption for the entire period from the expiration of PTE 2016-10 until final relief was granted, notwithstanding any retroactive relief following a gap period.

These plans would lose the ability to retain current positions, which might be impossible to replicate another way with similar economics. In an extremely volatile period, the termination of existing transactions and the inability to enter into new transactions would be severely disadvantageous to plans. Such a curtailed selection of available transactions would negatively impact these client plans, depriving them of the benefits the QPAM Exemption was designed to offer and effectively penalizing them for having retained the RBC QPAMs.

Finally, a gap period in exemptive relief will introduce a great deal of uncertainty for RBC's affected plan clients in terms of RBC's ability to fulfill the obligations to such clients as their investment adviser. Because many of RBC's investment management agreements require that it continue to meet the requirements of the QPAM Exemption during the term of such agreements, in the event of a gap period in exemptive relief, the RBC QPAMs would be compelled to give immediate notice to their clients that RBC no longer meets the requirements of the QPAM Exemption upon expiration of PTE 2016-10. Plan clients will need to consult on an emergency basis with their lawyers and consultants; they may decide to incur the cost of a manager search, even though they had no intention of switching managers.

Any news reports on changes in policy due to the change in Administration could complicate their thinking and trigger precipitous decision making. Market participants could use the uncertainty to undercut trading strategies, and other investment managers could seek to attract and hire RBC portfolio managers who were concerned about the likelihood of relief. This is true even for clients that are not subject to ERISA (and therefore do not depend on RBC's QPAM status) because of the stigma that a QPAM disqualification would create. Pension plans, including non-ERISA plans such as public plans, union plans, corporate plans and others, tend to treat QPAM status as a threshold prerequisite for entrusting plan assets with an investment manager and could be concerned that retaining a non-QPAM asset manager would be viewed by their participants and regulators as a breach of fiduciary duties.

Prior submissions in connection with RBC's application for the RBC Five-Year Proposed QPAM Exemption have estimated the substantial transaction and ancillary costs to which plans would be subjected in the event they liquidated their holdings with RBC and transferred their assets to new managers. These costs would be attributable only to the gap in exemptive relief.

For a more complete discussion of RBC, the RBC QPAMs, and the transactions engaged in by the RBC QPAMs, please see the RBC Five-Year Proposed QPAM Exemption published on January 17, 2025 (90 FR 6013).

Based on the foregoing, the Department is hereby proposing to extend the effective periods of PTEs 2016-10 and 2016-11 until the earlier of September 4, 2025 (six months after the current relief in PTEs 2016-10 and 2016-11 expires on March 4, 2025), or the date the Department issues its final agency action in connection with the RBC and Northern Five-Year Proposed QPAM Exemptions, in order to protect the RBC and Northern QPAMs' covered plan clients from the harmful consequences described above.

The relief in each of these proposed amendments would be contingent on RBC and Northern's satisfaction of the conditions in PTEs 2016-10 and 2016-11 at all times. Further, the proposed amendments would add a requirement to PTEs 2016-10 and 2016-11 that would require the RBC and Northern QPAMs to: (1) maintain the records necessary to demonstrate to the Department that they have met every condition of their exemptions during the extended Effective Period; and (2) provide such records to the Department within 30 days after the date of the Department's request.

In accordance with ERISA section 408(a), Code section 4975(c)(2), and the Department's exemption procedures and based upon the entire administrative record for this matter, the Department tentatively makes the following findings for each proposed amendment:

(a) The proposed amendment is administratively feasible for the Department, because each amendment would require affected QPAMs to maintain the records necessary to demonstrate to the Department that all relevant conditions have been met with respect to the effective period of this amendment and provide such records within 30 days after the Department's request;

(b) The proposed amendment is in the interest of affected plans and their participants and beneficiaries because it would likely eliminate the harms to those plans that are described above if a gap period occurred and the amendment was not made, and because of the benefits of permitting plans to continue to rely upon the affected QPAMs' services under the terms of each proposed amendment (and underlying individual exemption); and

(c) The proposed amendment is protective of the rights of the participants and beneficiaries of affected plans because each amendment would be subject to a suite of protective conditions that the Department has determined provide ample protections for the rights of plans that are managed by QPAMs and their participants and beneficiaries, and the Department has included in individual exemptions for QPAMs that have experienced a ineligibility event similar to the one experienced by the RBC and Northern QPAMs.

Notice of the proposed amendments to the exemptions is provided through publication of the notice in the Federal Register . All written comments and/or requests for a hearing must be received by the Department within five (5) days of the date of publication of this proposed exemption in the Federal Register and will be made available to the public.

Warning: If you submit a comment, please include your name and other contact information in the body of your comment but DO NOT submit information that you consider to be confidential or otherwise protected (such as a Social Security number or an unlisted phone number) or confidential business information that you do not want publicly disclosed. All comments may be posted on the internet and can be retrieved by most internet search engines.

The attention of interested persons is directed to the following:

(1) The fact that a transaction is the subject of an exemption under ERISA section 408(a) and/or Code section 4975(c)(2) does not relieve a fiduciary or other party in interest or disqualified person from certain other provisions of ERISA and/or the Code, including any prohibited transaction provisions to which the exemption does not apply and the general fiduciary responsibility provisions of ERISA section 404, which, among other things, require a fiduciary to discharge their duties respecting the plan solely in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan and in a prudent fashion in accordance with ERISA section 404(a)(1)(b); nor does it affect the requirement of Code section 401(a) that the plan must operate for the exclusive benefit of the employees of the employer maintaining the plan and their beneficiaries;

(2) Before an exemption may be granted under ERISA section 408(a) and/or Code section 4975(c)(2), the Department must find that the exemption is administratively feasible, in the interests of the plan and of its participants and beneficiaries, and protective of the rights of participants and beneficiaries of the plan;

(3) The proposed exemption would be supplemental to, and not in derogation of, any other provisions of ERISA and/or the Code, including statutory or administrative exemptions and transitional rules. Furthermore, the fact that a transaction is subject to an administrative or statutory exemption is not dispositive of whether the transaction is in fact a prohibited transaction; and

(4) The proposed exemption would be subject to the express condition that the material facts and representations contained in each application are true and complete at all times, and that each application accurately describes all material terms of the transaction which is the subject of the exemption.

The Department is considering granting the following amendments to the exemptions under the authority of ERISA section 408(a) and Code section 4975(c)(2) in accordance with the procedures set forth in 29 CFR part 2570, subpart B (89 FR 4662, 4691, January 24, 2024). Effective December 31, 1978, section 102 of Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1978, 5 U.S.C. app. 1 (1996), transferred the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to issue exemptions of the type requested by the Applicant to the Secretary of Labor. Therefore, this notice of proposed exemption is issued solely by the Department.

The Department is hereby proposing to amend PTE 2016-10 as follows:

1. The first sentence in Section I on page 81 FR 75147 that currently reads:

2. The Exemption Date section on page 88 FR 85931 of the Technical Correction to PTE 2016-10, and the Effective Date section on page 81 FR 75149 of PTE 2016-10 are replaced with the following:

PTE 2016-10 will remain in effect for the period beginning on the Conviction Date and continuing until the earlier of: (1) September 4, 2025 (the date that is 18 months after the Conviction Date); or (2) the effective date of a final agency action the Department issues in connection with a notice of proposed exemption providing long-term exemptive relief for the covered transactions described in PTE 2016-10 that the Department published on January 17, 2025 (90 FR 6013) (the Extended Effective Period).

3. A new condition I(n) would be added that reads as follows:

The RBC QPAMs must maintain the records necessary to demonstrate to the Department that each condition of PTE 2016-10 has been met during the Extended Effective Period, and the RBC QPAMs must provide such records to the Department within 30 days after the date of a request for such records from the Department.

The Department is proposing to amend to PTE 2016-11 as follows:

1. The First Sentence in Section I on pages 81 FR 75150-51 that currently reads:

2. The Exemption Date section on page 89 FR 23613 of the Technical Correction to PTE 2016-11; and the Effective Date section on page 81 FR 75152 of PTE 2016-11 are replaced with the following:

3. A new condition I(n) would be added that reads as follows:

The United States Postal Service® hereby gives notice that, pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3642 and 3632(b)(3), on February 10, 2025, it filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission a USPS Request to Add Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail & USPS Ground Advantage ® Contract 1329 to Competitive Product List. Documents are available at www.prc.gov, Docket Nos. MC2025-1180, K2025-1180.

The United States Postal Service® hereby gives notice that, pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3642 and 3632(b)(3), on February 13, 2025, it filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission a USPS Request to Add Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail & USPS Ground Advantage ® Contract 1333 to Competitive Product List. Documents are available at www.prc.gov, Docket Nos. MC2025-1188, K2025-1188.

The United States Postal Service® hereby gives notice that, pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3642 and 3632(b)(3), on February 12, 2025, it filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission a USPS Request to Add Priority Mail & USPS Ground Advantage® Contract 622 to Competitive Product List. Documents are available at www.prc.gov, Docket Nos. MC2025-1185, K2025-1185.

The United States Postal Service® hereby gives notice that, pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3642 and 3632(b)(3), on February 10, 2025, it filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission a USPS Request to Add Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail & USPS Ground Advantage ® Contract 1331 to Competitive Product List. Documents are available at www.prc.gov, Docket Nos. MC2025-1182, K2025-1182.

The United States Postal Service® hereby gives notice that, pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3642 and 3632(b)(3), on February 10, 2025, it filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission a USPS Request to Add Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail & USPS Ground Advantage ® Contract 1330 to Competitive Product List. Documents are available at www.prc.gov, Docket Nos. MC2025-1181, K2025-1181.

The United States Postal Service® hereby gives notice that, pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3642 and 3632(b)(3), on February 11, 2025, it filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission a USPS Request to Add Priority Mail & USPS Ground Advantage ® Contract 620 to Competitive Product List. Documents are available at www.prc.gov, Docket Nos. MC2025-1183, K2025-1183.

The United States Postal Service® hereby gives notice that, pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3642 and 3632(b)(3), on February 12, 2025, it filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission a USPS Request to Add Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail & USPS Ground Advantage® Contract 1332 to Competitive Product List. Documents are available at www.prc.gov, Docket Nos. MC2025-1187, K2025-1187.

The United States Postal Service® hereby gives notice that, pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3642 and 3632(b)(3), on February 11, 2025, it filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission a USPS Request to Add Priority Mail & USPS Ground Advantage® Contract 621 to Competitive Product List. Documents are available at www.prc.gov, Docket Nos. MC2025-1184, K2025-1184.

The United States Postal Service® hereby gives notice that, pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3642 and 3632(b)(3), on February 12, 2025, it filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission a USPS Request to Add Priority Mail & USPS Ground Advantage ® Contract 623 to Competitive Product List. Documents are available at www.prc.gov, Docket Nos. MC2025-1186, K2025-1186.

For Applicants' representations, legal analysis, and conditions, please refer to Applicants' Second Amended and Restated Application, dated February 7, 2025, which may be obtained via the Commission's website by searching for the file number at the top of this document, or for an Applicant using the Company name search field, on the SEC's EDGAR system. The SEC's EDGAR system may be searched at www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch. You may also call the SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy at (202) 551-8090.

The SDN List and additional information concerning sanctions programs are available on OFAC's website, https://ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/russian-harmful-foreign-activities-sanctions.

On June 12, 2024, the Department of State, in consultation with other departments, as appropriate, determined that the property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of the following persons are blocked under the relevant sanctions authority listed below.

The SDN List and additional information concerning sanctions programs are available on OFAC's website, https://ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/russian-harmful-foreign-activities-sanctions.

On September 5, 2024, the Department of State, in consultation with other departments, as appropriate, determined that the property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of the following persons are blocked under the relevant sanctions authority listed below.

1. GOTIK SHIPPING CO, B Type C Wing 101 Malhar., Sankul Chs Agra Road KalyKalyan D.c., Thane Kalyan, Maharashtra 421301, India; Liberia; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; ID No. IMO 6505487 [RUSSIA-EO14024] (Linked To: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY ARCTIC LNG 2).

Designated pursuant to Section 1(a)(vi)(B) of Executive Order of April 15, 2021, “Blocking Property With Respect To Specified Harmful Foreign Activities of the Government of the Russian Federation,” (E.O. 14024), for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of LIMTED LIABILITY COMPANY ARCTIC LNG 2, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 14024.

2. PLIO ENERGY CARGO SHIPPING OPC PRIVATE LIMITED, B Type C Wing 101 Malhar., Sankul Chs Agra Road KalyKalyan D.c., Thane Kalyan, Maharashtra 421301, India; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Organization Established Date 2024; C.I.N. U52292MH2024OPC427341 (India); ID No. IMO 0028953 [RUSSIA-EO14024] (Linked To: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY ARCTIC LNG 2).

Designated pursuant to Section 1(a)(vi)(B) of E.O. 14024 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of LIMTED LIABILITY COMPANY ARCTIC LNG 2, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 14024.

1. NEW ENERGY (T8A4832) LNG Carrier Republic of Palau flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9324277 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] (Linked To: GOTIK SHIPPING CO).

Identified as property in which GOTIK SHIPPING CO, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

2. MULAN (T8A4797) LNG Carrier Republic of Palau flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9864837 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] (Linked To: PLIO ENERGY CARGO SHIPPING OPC PRIVATE LIMITED).

Identified as property in which PLIO ENERGY CARGO SHIPPING OPC PRIVATE LIMITED, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

The SDN List and additional information concerning sanctions programs are available on OFAC's website, https://ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/russian-harmful-foreign-activities-sanctions.

On October 30, 2024, the Department of State, in consultation with other departments, as appropriate, determined that the property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of the following persons are blocked under the relevant sanctions authority listed below.

The SDN List and additional information concerning sanctions programs are available on OFAC's website, https://ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/russian-harmful-foreign-activities-sanctions.

On August 23, 2024, the Department of State, in consultation with other departments, as appropriate, determined that the property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of the following persons are blocked under the relevant sanctions authority listed below.

The SDN List and additional information concerning sanctions programs are available on OFAC's website, https://ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/russian-harmful-foreign-activities-sanctions.

On May 1, 2024, the Department of State, in consultation with other departments, as appropriate, determined that the property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of the following persons are blocked under the relevant sanctions authority listed below.

The SDN List and additional information concerning sanctions programs are available on OFAC's website, https://ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/russian-harmful-foreign-activities-sanctions.

On September 12, 2024, the Department of State, in consultation with other departments, as appropriate, determined that the property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of the following persons are blocked under the relevant sanctions authority listed below.

The SDN List and additional information concerning sanctions programs are available on OFAC's website, https://ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/russian-harmful-foreign-activities-sanctions.

On January 15, 2025, the Department of State, in consultation with other departments, as appropriate, determined that the property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of the following persons are blocked under the relevant sanctions authority listed below.

Designated pursuant to Section 1(a)(i) of E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the aerospace sector of the Russian Federation economy.

The SDN List and additional information concerning sanctions programs are available on OFAC's website, https://ofac.treasury.gov/ sanctions-programs-and-country-information/russian-harmful-foreign-activities-sanctions.

On January 10, 2025, the Department of State, in consultation with other departments, as appropriate, determined that the property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of the following persons are blocked under the relevant sanctions authority listed below.

The SDN List and additional information concerning sanctions programs are available on OFAC's website, https://ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/russian-harmful-foreign-activities-sanctions.

On December 18, 2024, the Department of State, in consultation with other departments, as appropriate, determined that the property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of the following persons are blocked under the relevant sanctions authority listed below.

1. AKADEMIK CHERSKIY (a.k.a. AKADEMIK CHERSKY; a.k.a. AKADEMIK CZERSKY) (UDQB) Pipe-laying Vessel Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 8770261 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: SAMARA HEAT AND ENERGY PROPERTY FUND).

Identified as property in which SAMARA HEAT AND ENERGY PROPERTY FUND, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

2. IVAN SIDORENKO (UHLC) Service Vessel Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9624213 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: JOINT STOCK COMPANY NOBILITY).

Identified as property in which JOINT STOCK COMPANY NOBILITY, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

3. OSTAP SHEREMETA (UBCS9) Service Vessel Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9624225 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: JOINT STOCK COMPANY NOBILITY).

Identified as property in which JOINT STOCK COMPANY NOBILITY, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

4. ANTEY (a.k.a. VLADISLAV STRIZHOV) (UEKQ) Anchor Handling Vessel Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9310018 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: LLC KOKSOKHIMTRANS; Linked To: JOINT STOCK COMPANY ARDAL).

Identified as property in which JOINT STOCK COMPANY ARDAL, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

5. HERMES (a.k.a. YURY TOPCHEV) (UFYE) Offshore Tug/Supply Ship Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9338230 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: LLC KOKSOKHIMTRANS; Linked To: JOINT STOCK COMPANY ARDAL).

Identified as property in which JOINT STOCK COMPANY ARDAL, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

6. LAMANTIN (a.k.a. MARLIN) (UBNV2) Offshore Support Vessel Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9396854 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: TRANSADRIA LTD; Linked To: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY FARVATER).

Identified as property in which LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY FARVATER, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

7. FIONA (a.k.a. “FORTUNA”) (UBDP8) Service Vessel Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 8674156 (vessel) [CAATSA—RUSSIA] [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: KVT-RUS).

Identified as property in which KVT RUS, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

8. ARTEMIS OFFSHORE (UBRS8) Offshore Support Vessel Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9747194 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE).

Identified as property in which FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

9. BAKHTEMIR (UBYQ7) Salvage Ship Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9797577 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE).

Identified as property in which FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

10. BALTIYSKIY ISSLEDOVATEL (a.k.a. “BALT. ISSLEDOVATEL”; a.k.a. “BALTIC EXPLORER”) (UBAQ4) Supply Vessel Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9572020 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE).

Identified as property in which FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

11. FINVAL (UBSU4) Offshore Tug/Supply Ship Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; PEESA Information: Property and Interests in Property Blocked, Except Importation of Goods; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9272412 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE).

Identified as property in which FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

12. KAPITAN BEKLEMISHEV (a.k.a. CAPTAIN BEKLEMISHEV) (UBSJ) Tug Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 8724080 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE).

Identified as property in which FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

13. MURMAN (UBAN4) Salvage Ship Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9682423 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE).

Identified as property in which FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

14. NARVAL (UBVQ9) Offshore Tug Russia flag; Other Vessel Call Sign UBMQ9; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9171876 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE).

Identified as property in which FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

15. SIVUCH (UBWQ2) Offshore Tug/Supply Ship Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9157820 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE).

Identified as property in which FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

16. SPASATEL KAREV (UBKI6) Salvage Ship Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9497531 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE).

Identified as property in which FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

17. UMKA (UBXP5) Offshore Tug Russia flag; Secondary sanctions risk: See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024.; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9171620 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] [PEESA-EO14039] (Linked To: FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE).

Identified as property in which FEDERAL STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION MARINE RESCUE SERVICE, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

The SDN List and additional information concerning sanctions programs are available on OFAC's website, https://ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/russian-harmful-foreign-activities-sanctions.

On February 23, 2024, the Department of State, in consultation with other departments, as appropriate, determined that the property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of the following persons are blocked under the relevant sanctions authority listed below.

1. YUZHMORGEOLOGIYA (UBSZ) Research Vessel Russia flag; Vessel Year of Build 1985; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 8724482 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] (Linked To: YUZHMORGEOLOGIYA AO).

Identified as property in which YUZHMORGEOLOGIYA AO, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

2. GELENDZHIK (UFII) Research Vessel Russia flag; Vessel Year of Build 1989; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 8826230 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] (Linked To: YUZHMORGEOLOGIYA AO).

Identified as property in which YUZHMORGEOLOGIYA AO, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

3. AKADEMIK PRIMAKOV (UBCQ4) Research Vessel Russia flag; Vessel Year of Build 1999; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9187514 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] (Linked To: SEVMORNEFTEGEOFIZIKA AO).

Identified as property in which SEVMORNEFTEGEOFIZIKA AO, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

4. PROFESSOR LOGACHEV (UADZ) Research Vessel Russia flag; Vessel Year of Build 1970; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 8834691 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] (Linked To: SEVMORNEFTEGEOFIZIKA AO).

Identified as property in which SEVMORNEFTEGEOFIZIKA AO, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

5. AKADEMIK LAZEREV (UAJS) Research Vessel Russia flag; Vessel Year of Build 1987; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 8408985 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] (Linked To: SEVMORNEFTEGEOFIZIKA AO).

Identified as property in which SEVMORNEFTEGEOFIZIKA AO, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

6. AKADEMIK NEMCHINOV (UETM) Research Vessel Russia flag; Vessel Year of Build 1988; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 8409032 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] (Linked To: SEVMORNEFTEGEOFIZIKA AO).

Identified as property in which SEVMORNEFTEGEOFIZIKA AO, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

7. PROFESSOR RYABINKIN (a.k.a. PROFESSOR RJABINKIN) (UAJU) Research Vessel Russia flag; Vessel Year of Build 1989; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 8504923 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] (Linked To: SEVMORNEFTEGEOFIZIKA AO).

Identified as property in which SEVMORNEFTEGEOFIZIKA AO, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

8. AKADEMIK ALEKSANDR KARPINSKIY (a.k.a. AK. A. KARPINSKIY; a.k.a. AKADEMIC ALEXANDER KARPINSKY) (UIZO) Research Vessel Russia flag; Vessel Year of Build 1984; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 8227238 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] (Linked To: JSC POLAR MARINE GEOSURVEY EXPEDITION).

Identified as property in which JSC POLAR MARINE GEOSURVEY EXPEDITION, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

9. BAVENIT (UAIO) Drilling Ship Russia flag; Vessel Year of Build 1986; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 8406573 (vessel) [RUSSIA-EO14024] (Linked To: AMIGE AO).

Identified as property in which JSC POLAR MARINE GEOSURVEY EXPEDITION, a person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, has an interest.

On October 1, 2020, USCG and MARAD received an application from Blue Marlin Offshore Port LLC (BMOP) for Federal authorizations required for a license to own, construct, and operate a deepwater port for the export of oil as authorized by the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended, 33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq. (the Act), and implemented under 33 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) parts 148, 149, and 150.

A Notice of Application that summarized the BMOP Deepwater Port License Application was published in the Federal Register on November 4, 2020 (85 FR 70233). A Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and a Notice of Public Scoping Meeting were published in the Federal Register on November 5, 2020 (85 FR 70707). The Federal agencies involved held a public scoping meeting in connection with the evaluation of the BMOP license application. The meetings were held virtually for the communities of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, and Jefferson and Orange County, Texas, on December 2, 2020, and December 3, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST). The public scoping meeting summary report is included on the public docket located at https://www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2020-0127-0035.

BMOP is proposing to construct, own, and operate a deepwater port terminal in the Gulf of America to export domestically produced crude oil. Use of the deepwater port would include the loading of various grades of crude oil at flow rates of up to 80,000 barrels per hour (bph). The BMOP deepwater port would allow for up to one (1) Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCCs) or other crude oil carrier to moor at the catenary anchor leg mooring (CALM) and connect with the deepwater port via floating connecting crude oil hoses. The maximum frequency of loading VLCCs or other crude oil carriers would be approximately 2 million barrels per day (1,920,000), 365 days per year.

The overall project would consist of offshore and marine components as well as onshore components as described below.

The BMOP deepwater port offshore and marine components would consist of the following:

Two new CALM Buoys installed, one in WC 508 (CALM Buoy No. 1) and the other in EC 263 (CALM Buoy No. 2). The CALM Buoys will be anchored to the seafloor via an engineered mooring system capable of accommodating mooring forces exerted by a VLCC or other large seafaring vessels during loading operations. Two 24-inch diameter floating hoses will be connected to each CALM Buoy. The hoses will be approximately 1,500 feet long and used for loading operations.

Two new PLEMs installed and anchored on the seafloor. Two 24-inch undersea flexible hoses will be connected to each PLEM and associated CALM Buoy.

Two Crude Oil Loading Pipelines, approximately 4,710 feet long to PLEM/CALM Buoy No. 1 and 6,085 feet long to PLEM/CALM Buoy No. 2, installed from the WC 509 Platform Complex to the PLEM and CALM locations, one for each PLEM and CALM Buoy. The pipelines will be installed with the top of pipe at least three feet below the natural seafloor.

New MLV on WC 148 Platform;

Two new 36-inch risers connected to the Crude Oil Loading Pipelines on WC 509B Platform;

New control room on WC 509B Platform;

Three new pig barrels, one on the WC 509A Platform and two on WC 509B Platform;

Meter station for crude oil on the WC 509B Platform;

New living quarters (LQ) and heliport on the WC 509C Platform;

Surge valves and tank on the WC 509B Platform; and

New ancillary equipment for the 509 Platform ( e.g., power generators, instrument/utility air system, fuel tanks, AC units, freshwater makers, firewater system, seawater and freshwater system, sewage treatment unit, fuel gas system, diesel system, closed drain system, open drain system, hydraulic power unit, hypochlorite system, cranes, communications tower and system, radar) to support the operation of the offshore facilities.

The BMOP deepwater port would consist of the following:

Safety Zone—The Applicant is requesting that the USCG Captain of the Port establish a Safety Zone around the entire DWP operations area. Generally, a DWP Safety Zone would only be open to entry for VLCCs or other crude oil carriers prepared for connection for loading of crude oil, and the necessary service vessels supporting that process.

Anchorage area—Existing USCG-designated anchorage areas will be utilized for VLCCs (or other crude carriers) awaiting mooring at a CALM Buoy or if they must disconnect from the CALM Buoys for safety reasons.

Support vessel mooring area—A designated Service Vessel Mooring Area will be established by the Applicant in proximity to the offshore WC 509 facilities.

Temporary pre-fabrication yards—Component fabrication will occur at multiple existing fabrication facilities within the GOA coastal region.

Support facilities—Facilities within the GOA coastal region providing support for offshore operations and maintenance activities ( e.g., helicopters, supply vessels, work boats, equipment suppliers, and maintenance workers).

You are encouraged to provide comments on the proposed action and the environmental impact analysis contained in the DEIS for the proposed BMOP deepwater port. We encourage you to review the information on the project's docket located online at www.regulations.gov under docket number MARAD-2020-0127.

Please see the information in the Public Participation section below on how to properly submit comments. All comments submitted to the docket via www.regulations.gov or delivered to the Federal Docket Management Facility will be posted, without change, to the Federal Docket Management Facility website ( www.regulations.gov ) and will include any personal information you provide. Therefore, submitting such information makes it public. You may wish to read the Privacy and Use Notice available on the www.regulations.gov website and the Department of Transportation (DOT) Privacy Act Notice that appeared in the Federal Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477), see Privacy Act section of this Notice. You may view docket submissions at the DOT Docket Management Facility or electronically at the www.regulations.gov website.

You are invited to attend the Public Meeting and encouraged to provide comments on the BMOP deepwater port application. Speakers are requested to register for the Public Meeting. Registration instructions are listed under the “ How do I register to speak at the public meeting?” section under the Public Participation section of this notice. Speakers will be recognized in the following order during the Public Meeting: elected officials, public agency representatives, and then individuals or groups in the order in which they registered. In order to accommodate all speakers, speakers' time may be limited, meeting hours may be extended, or both. Speakers' transcribed remarks will be included in the public docket. You may also submit written material for inclusion in the public docket. Written material must include the author's name. We ask attendees to respect the meeting procedures to ensure a constructive information-gathering session. The presiding officer will use their discretion to conduct the meeting in an orderly manner.

The Public Meeting will be conducted in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese in Texas and English in Louisiana. Public Meeting attendees who require special assistance, such as translation services or other reasonable accommodation, please notify the USCG or MARAD (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT ) at least five business days in advance. Please include contact information as well as information about specific needs.

To ensure that your comments are correctly filed in the Docket, please include the docket number (MARAD-2020-0127) shown at the beginning of this document in your comments. If you are submitting comments electronically as a .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) File, the USCG and MARAD ask that the documents be submitted using the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) process, thus allowing the agencies to search and copy certain portions of your submissions.

Please note that pursuant to the Data Quality Act, for substantive data to be relied upon and used by the agency, it must meet the information quality standards set forth in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Department of Transportation (DOT) Data Quality Act guidelines. Accordingly, we encourage you to consult the guidelines in preparing your comments. OMB's guidelines may be accessed at www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/reproducible.html. DOT's guidelines may be accessed at www.bts.gov/programs/statistical_policy_and_research/data_quality_guidelines.

You may submit comments for the BMOP deepwater license application DEIS (identified by DOT Docket Number MARAD-2020-0127) by any one of the following methods:

Mail or Hand Delivery: The Docket Management Facility is in the West Building, Ground Floor of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Docket Management Facility location address is U.S. Department of Transportation, MARAD-2020-0127, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590. Call 202-493-0402 to determine facility hours prior to hand delivery.

Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov. Search “MARAD-2020-0127” and follow the instructions for submitting comments.

Fax: Comments may be faxed to the Docket Management Facility at 202-493-2251. Your comment must include the docket number (MARAD-2020-0127) to be placed to the proper docket.

Comments that are not submitted directly to the Docket Management Facility using the methods specified and outlined within this Federal Register notice may not be considered. It is the commenter's responsibility to comply with the instructions above to ensure that their comments are properly submitted for review.

The comment period for the public to submit comments will commence with the publication of this Federal Register Notice and will end 45 calendar days from this date. I provided the USCG and MARAD comments on the BMOP scoping meeting orally or in writing, in another forum. May I provide comments in response to this notice as well?

Yes, the USCG and MARAD encourage any member of the public to submit relevant comments for the docket, including input that has previously been communicated to the agencies.

If you wish for Docket Management to notify you upon its receipt of your comments, enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard in the envelope containing your comments. Upon receiving your comments, Docket Management will return the postcard by mail.

The USCG and MARAD will review all substantive comments that Docket Management receives before the close of business on the comment closing date indicated above under the DATES section. Comments submitted outside the comment period may not be considered.

You may read the comments received by Docket Management at the address given above under the ADDRESSES section of this Notice. The hours of the Docket Management Unit are indicated above in the same location. You may also see the comments on the internet. To read the comments on the internet, go to www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets.

You may register for the proceedings onsite prior to or during the public meeting. No pre-registration is required.

Anyone can search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). For information on DOT's compliance with the Privacy Act, visit www.transportation.gov/privacy.