[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 79 (Monday, April 25, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24338-24339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-08738]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0007; 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 May 25, 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-2022-0007.
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-2022-0007.
U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0007; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS:
PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
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, TTD, 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.
[[Page 24339]]
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.
Applicant: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fairbanks, AK; Permit
No. 57198B
The applicant requests to renew a permit to deploy transmitters and
collect skin biopsies to monitor the movement, timing, behavior, and
habitat use of walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) in the wild for the purpose
of scientific research. This notification covers activities to be
conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.
Applicant: Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Tacoma, WA; Permit No.
PER0028852
The applicant requests a permit to import and maintain one male and
one female captive born live walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) for the purpose
of public display. This notification covers activities to be conducted
once within a 1-year time frame.
Applicant: USGS Alaska Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA; Permit No.
PER0030527
The applicant requests to amend a permit to measure the oxygen
consumption of two captive adult polar bears (Ursus maritimus) to
inform data collected from wild polar bears on the energetic costs of
swimming 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
The applicant wishes to amend the Cooperative Breeding Program
CB042 to add the following new species: Wreathed hornbill (Rhyticeros
undulatus), wrinkled hornbill (Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus), rhinoceros
hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros), and Indian hornbill (Buceros bicornis),
and to increase the approved number of imports for the Papuan hornbill
(Rhyticeros plicatus) and rufous hornbill (Buceros hydrocorax) to their
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 Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), 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. 2022-08738 Filed 4-22-22; 8:45 am]
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