[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 181 (Tuesday, September 20, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57504-57505]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-20303]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0075; FXIA16710900000-223-FF09A30000]
Marine Mammal Protection Act and Wild Bird Conservation Act;
Receipt of Permit Applications
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the
public to comment on foreign or native species for which the Service
has jurisdiction under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and
foreign bird species covered under the Wild Bird Conservation Act
(WBCA). With some exceptions, the MMPA and WBCA prohibit activities
with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows
such activities. These Acts also require that we invite public comment
before issuing permits for any activity they otherwise prohibit with
respect to any species.
DATES: We must receive comments by October 20, 2022.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: The application, application supporting
materials, and any comments and other materials that we receive will be
available for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in
Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0075.
Submitting Comments: When submitting comments, please specify the
name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your
comment. You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and
submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0075.
U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0075; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS:
PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
[[Page 57505]]
For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenda Tapia, by phone at 703-358-
2185, or via email at DMAFR@fws.gov. Individuals in the United States
who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability
may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications
relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the
relay services offered within their country to make international calls
to the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Public Comment Procedures
A. How do I comment on submitted applications?
We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies
to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested
permits, we will take into consideration any information that we
receive during the public comment period.
You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in
ADDRESSES. We will not consider comments sent by email or fax, or to an
address not in ADDRESSES. We will not consider or include in our
administrative record comments we receive after the close of the
comment period (see DATES).
When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant
and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. Provide
sufficient information to allow us to authenticate any scientific or
commercial data you include. The comments and recommendations that will
be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those
supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) those that
include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and
regulations.
B. May I review comments submitted by others?
You may view and comment on others' public comments at https://www.regulations.gov, unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy
Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).
C. Who will see my comments?
If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire
comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted
on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal
identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email
address, you may request at the top of your document that we withhold
this information from public review. However, we cannot guarantee that
we will be able to do so. Moreover, all submissions from organizations
or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be
made available for public disclosure in their entirety.
II. Background
To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected
species, and in consideration of section 104(c) of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and
section 112(4) of the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (WBCA; 16
U.S.C. 4901-4916), we invite public comments on permit applications
before final action is taken. With some exceptions, these Acts prohibit
certain activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is
issued that allows such activities. Service regulations regarding
permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the MMPA with respect
to any marine mammals are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal
Regulations in part 18. Service regulations regarding permits for any
activity otherwise prohibited by the WBCA with respect to any wild
birds are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in
part 15.
Concurrent with publishing this notice in the Federal Register, we
are forwarding copies of the marine mammal applications to the Marine
Mammal Commission and the Committee of Scientific Advisors for their
review.
III. Permit Applications
We invite comments on the following applications.
A. Marine Mammal Protection Act
Applicant: Matson's Laboratory, Manhattan, MT; Permit No. 166346
The applicant requests to renew a permit to obtain samples of polar
bears (Ursus maritimus) that have been legally harvested or were taken
from the wild for the purpose of scientific research. This notification
covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year
period.
B. Wild Bird Conservation Act
Applicant: Vernon Padgett, Atlanta, GA; Permit No. PER0026547
On April 25, 2022, we published a Federal Register notice inviting
the public to comment on an application to amend a cooperative breeding
program for foreign bird species covered under the Wild Bird
Conservation Act (WBCA) (87 FR 24338). The comment period closed on May
25, 2022. We are now reopening the comment period to allow the public
the opportunity to review additional information submitted by the
applicant.
The applicant wishes to amend Cooperative Breeding Program CB042 to
add seven new species wreathed hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus),
wrinkled hornbill (Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus), rhinoceros hornbill
(Buceros rhinoceros), and Indian hornbill (Buceros bicornis), painted
conure (Pyrrhura picta), fiery shouldered conure (Pyrrhura egregia) and
blue-headed Pionus (Pionus menstruus) joand to increase the approved
number of imports for Papuan hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus) and rufous
hornbill (Buceros hydrocorax) to the already existing program.
IV. Next Steps
After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding
permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed in
this notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register. You may
locate the notice announcing the permit issuance by searching https://www.regulations.gov for the permit number listed above in this
document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance
of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to https://www.regulations.gov and
search for ``12345A''.
V. Authority
We issue this notice under the authority of the Wild Bird
Conservation Act of 1992 1992 (WBCA; 16 U.S.C. 4901-4916), and its
implementing regulations, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972,
as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and its implementing regulations.
Brenda Tapia,
Supervisory Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits,
Division of Management Authority.
[FR Doc. 2022-20303 Filed 9-19-22; 8:45 am]
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