82 FR 3350 - Proposed Information Collection; Incidental Take of Marine Mammals During Specified Oil and Gas Industry Activities

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 7 (January 11, 2017)

We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC. This IC is scheduled to expire on March 31, 2017. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 11, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3350-3352]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-00462]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FW-R7-MM-2017-N002]; [FXES111607MRG00-178-FF07CAMM00]


Proposed Information Collection; Incidental Take of Marine 
Mammals During Specified Oil and Gas Industry Activities

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) 
described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 
as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent

[[Page 3351]]

burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take 
this opportunity to comment on this IC. This IC is scheduled to expire 
on March 31, 2017. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not 
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.

DATES: To ensure that we are able to consider your comments on this IC, 
we must receive them by March 13, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the IC to the Information Collection 
Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS BPHC, 5275 
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or 
[email protected] (email). Please include ``1018-0070'' in the 
subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this IC, contact Tina Campbell at [email protected] (email) 
or 703-358-2676 (telephone).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    This information collection includes requirements associated with 
specified oil and gas industry activities and their incidental taking 
of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and Pacific walruses (Odobenus 
rosmarus divergens) in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. The Marine Mammal 
Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), 
imposed, with certain exceptions, a moratorium on the taking of marine 
mammals. Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA directs the Secretary of the 
Interior to allow, upon request by citizens of the United States, the 
taking of small numbers of marine mammals incidental to specified 
activities (other than commercial fishing) if the Secretary makes 
certain findings and prescribes specific regulations that, among other 
things, establish permissible methods of taking.
    Applicants seeking to conduct activities must request a Letter of 
Authorization (LOA) for the specific activity and submit monitoring 
reports of polar bear and Pacific walrus observations and a final 
summary report of the monitoring and the impacts of the activity upon 
polar bears and Pacific walruses to the Secretary. This is a nonform 
collection. Regulations at 50 CFR 18.27 outline the procedures and 
requirements for submitting a request. Specific regulations governing 
authorized activities in the Beaufort Sea are in 50 CFR 18, subpart J. 
Regulations governing authorized activities in the Chukchi Sea are in 
50 CFR 18, subpart I. These regulations provide the applicant with a 
detailed description of information that we need to evaluate the 
proposed activity and determine whether or not to issue specific 
regulations and, subsequently, LOAs. We use the information to verify 
the findings required to issue incidental take regulations, to decide 
if we should issue an LOA, and, if issued, what conditions should be in 
the LOA. In addition, we analyze the information to determine impacts 
to polar bears and Pacific walruses and the availability of those 
marine mammals for subsistence purposes of Alaska Natives.
    Holders of an LOA seeking to carry out onshore activities in known 
or suspected polar bear denning habitat during the denning season, must 
make efforts to locate occupied polar bear dens within and near 
proposed areas of operation. They may use any appropriate tool, such 
as, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imagery and/or polar bear scent-
trained dogs in concert with denning habitat maps along the Alaskan 
coast. In accordance with 50 CFR 18.118(a)(6)(ii)(A) and 
18.128(a)(2)(ii), LOA holders must report all observed or suspected 
polar bear dens to us prior to the initiation of activities. We use 
this information to determine the appropriate terms and conditions to 
be used in an individual LOA in order to minimize potential impacts and 
disturbance to polar bears.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1018-0070.
    Title: Incidental Take of Marine Mammals during Specified Oil and 
Gas Industry Activities, 50 CFR 18.27 and 50 CFR 18, Subparts I and J.
    Service Form Number: None.
    Type of Request: Extension of a previously approved collection.
    Description of Respondents: Oil and gas industry companies.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit 
(incidental take regulations and/or a Letter of Authorization (LOA)).
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 25.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Completion
                                                                      Number of       time per     Total annual
                             Activity                                 responses       response     burden hours
                                                                                      (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application for procedural regulations...........................               2          150               300
LOA requests.....................................................              25           24               600
Onsite monitoring and observation reports........................             300            1.5             450
Final monitoring report..........................................              25           10               250
Polar bear den detection survey and report.......................               4           50               200
                                                                  ----------------------------------------------
    Totals.......................................................             356  .............           1,800
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. Comments

    We invite comments concerning this information collection on:
     Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, 
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
     The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this 
collection of information;
     Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this IC. Before including your address, phone number, 
email address, or other personal identifying information in your 
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your 
personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any 
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.


[[Page 3352]]


    Dated: January 6, 2017.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy, Performance, and Management Programs, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-00462 Filed 1-10-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P