[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 192 (Thursday, October 3, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61379-61380]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-24183]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R7-MM-2013-N229; FF07CAMM00 FXFR133707PB000]
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.
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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
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 January 31, 2014. 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 December 2, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the IC to the Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 2042-
PDM, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); or hope_grey@fws.gov (email). Please include ``1018-0070'' in the subject line
of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information
about this IC, contact Hope Grey at hope_grey@fws.gov (email) or 703-
358-2482 (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 and Pacific walruses 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
[[Page 61380]]
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 onsite
monitoring reports and a final report of the activity 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 part 18, subpart J. Regulations governing authorized activities
in the Chukchi Sea are in 50 CFR part 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 finding 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.
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 Part 18, Subparts I
and J.
Service Form Number: None.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently 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 LOA).
Estimated Number of Respondents: 20.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
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Completion
Number of time per Total annual
Activity annual response burden hours
responses (hours)
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Application for procedural regulations \1\........ 2 125 250
LOA Requests...................................... 30 8 240
Onsite Monitoring and Observation Reports......... 300 1.5 450
Final Monitoring Report........................... 30 10 300
Polar Bear Den Report............................. 4 40 160
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Totals........................................ 366 .............. 1,400
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\1\ Occurs once every 5 years.
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.
Dated: September 27, 2013.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy and Directives Management, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-24183 Filed 10-2-13; 8:45 am]
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