82 FR 31048 - Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Geophysical Surveys in the Atlantic Ocean

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 127 (July 5, 2017)

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.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 31048]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[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]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P