[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 31048]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14077]
[[Page 31048]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XE283
Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities;
Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Geophysical Surveys in the Atlantic
Ocean
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed incidental harassment authorizations; extension of
public comment period.
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SUMMARY: On June 6, 2017, NMFS published a Federal Register notice of
five proposed incidental harassment authorizations (IHAs), pursuant to
the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), to incidentally harass marine
mammals during the conduct of geophysical survey activity in the
Atlantic Ocean, with comments due by July 6, 2017. In response to
requests to extend the public comment period, NMFS has extended the
public comment period by an additional 15 calendar days. Comments are
now due no later than July 21, 2017.
DATES: The deadline for receipt of comments on the proposed IHA notice
that was published on June 6, 2017 (82 FR 26244), is extended to July
21, 2017. NMFS must receive written comments and information on or
before July 21, 2017.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the application should be addressed to Jolie
Harrison, Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. Physical comments should
be sent to 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 and
electronic comments should be sent to [email protected].
Instructions: NMFS is not responsible for comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or individual, or received after the
end of the comment period. Comments received electronically, including
all attachments, must not exceed a 25-megabyte file size. Attachments
to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word or Excel or
Adobe PDF file formats only. All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be posted online at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental/oilgas.htm without change. All personal
identifying information (e.g., name, address) voluntarily submitted by
the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential
business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
Information Solicited: NMFS is seeking public input on these
requests for authorization as outlined below and request that
interested persons submit information, suggestions, and comments
concerning the applications. We will only consider comments that are
relevant to marine mammal species that occur in U.S. waters of the Mid-
and South Atlantic and the potential effects of geophysical survey
activities on those species and their habitat.
Comments indicating general support for or opposition to
hydrocarbon exploration or any comments relating to hydrocarbon
development (e.g., leasing, drilling) are not relevant to this request
for comments and will not be considered. Comments should indicate
whether they are general to the proposed authorizations described
herein or are specific to one or more of the five proposed
authorizations, and should be supported by data or literature citations
as appropriate.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben Laws, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427-8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Availability
Electronic copies of the applications and supporting documents, as
well as a list of the references cited in this document, may be
obtained online at: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental/oilgas.htm.
In case of problems accessing these documents, please call the contact
listed above.
Background
On June 6, 2017, NMFS published a notice of five proposed IHAs in
response to five different requests for such authorization pursuant to
MMPA section 101(a)(5)(D), with a 30-day public comment period (82 FR
26244). The 30-day public comment period on the proposed IHAs ends on
July 6, 2017. Since then, NMFS has received multiple requests for
extension of the public comment period. In consideration of these
requests, NMFS has extended the comment period an additional 15 days,
to July 21, 2017.
NMFS refers readers to the June 6, 2017, Federal Register notice of
the proposed IHAs and the accompanying analysis (82 FR 26244) for
details and background information concerning the proposed actions, as
this notice does not repeat the information.
Request for Public Comments
We request comment on our analyses, the draft authorizations, and
any other aspect of our original Notice of Proposed IHAs for the
proposed geophysical survey activities (82 FR 26244; June 6, 2017).
Please include with your comments any supporting data or literature
citations to help inform our final decision on the individual requests
for MMPA authorization.
Dated: June 29, 2017.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-14077 Filed 7-3-17; 8:45 am]
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