Notice2021-11953
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Applications and Reporting Requirements for the Incidental Take of Marine Mammals by Specified Activities Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
June 8, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 108 (Tuesday, June 8, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 8, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30447-30448]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11953]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Applications and Reporting Requirements for the Incidental
Take of Marine Mammals by Specified Activities Under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act
The Department of Commerce will submit the following information
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite the
general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and
continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of
our information collection requirements and minimize the public's
reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the
Federal Register on January 29, 2021 (86 FR 7544) during a 60-day
comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public
comments.
Agency: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
Title: Applications and Reporting Requirements for the Incidental
Take of Marine Mammals by Specified Activities Under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act.
OMB Control Number: 0648-0151.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular submission (extension of a current
information collection).
Number of Respondents: 699.
Average Hours per Response: 281 hours for an Incidental Harassment
Authorization (IHA) application; 30 hours for an IHA Interim Draft
Report; 140 hours for an IHA draft annual report; 28 hours for an IHA
final annual report (if applicable); 1,200 hours for the initial
preparation of an application for new regulations; 70 hours for an
annual Letter of Authorization (LOA) application; 225 hours for an LOA
draft annual report; 70 hours for a LOA final annual report (if
applicable); 640 hours for a LOA draft comprehensive report; 300 hours
for an LOA final comprehensive report; 140 hours for a Gulf of Mexico
Rule (GOM) draft annual report; 28 hours for a GOM final annual report;
and 1,540 hours for PAM/PSO Surveys. Response times will vary for the
public based upon the complexity of the requested action.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 259,743.
Needs and Uses: This request is for an extension of a currently
approved information collection, 0648-0151.
The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et
seq.) prohibits the ``take'' of marine mammals unless otherwise
authorized or exempted by law. Among the provisions that allow for
lawful take of marine mammals, sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the
MMPA direct the Secretary of Commerce to allow, upon request, the
incidental, but not intentional, taking of small numbers of marine
mammals by U.S. citizens who engage in a specified activity (other than
commercial fishing), within a specified geographical region if, after
notice and opportunity for public comment, we find that the taking will
have a negligible impact on the affected species or stock(s) and will
not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of the
species or stock(s) for subsistence uses (where relevant). NMFS also
must set forth the permissible methods of taking; other means of
effecting the least practicable adverse impact on the species or stock
and its habitat (mitigation); and requirements pertaining to the
monitoring and reporting of such taking. NMFS Office of Protected
Resources leads the process for the agency.
Issuance of an incidental take authorization (Authorization) under
section 101(a)(5)(A) or 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA requires three sets of
information collection: (1) A complete application for an
Authorization, as set forth in our implementing regulations at 50 CFR
216.104, which provides the information necessary for us to make the
necessary statutory determinations, including estimates of take and an
assessment of impacts on the affected species and stocks; (2)
information relating to required monitoring; and (3) information
related to required reporting. These collections of information enable
us to: (1) Evaluate the proposed activity's impact on marine mammals;
(2) arrive at the appropriate determinations required by the MMPA and
other applicable laws prior to issuing the authorization; and (3)
monitor impacts of activities for which we have issued Authorizations
to determine if our predictions regarding impacts on marine mammals
remain valid.
We do not propose any changes to the information collection beyond
expecting an increased number of respondents and responses due to
increases in the number of requests for incidental take authorizations
and requests for Letters
[[Page 30448]]
of Authorization from a recent GOM rule.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; Not-
for-profit institutions; State, Local, or Tribal government; Federal
government.
Frequency: One application for every LOA or IHA, draft and final
annual and comprehensive reports.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA, 16
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.).
This information collection request may be viewed at
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov">www.reginfo.gov</a>. Follow the instructions to view the Department of
Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of
this notice on the following website <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>.
Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently
under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search
function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB
Control Number 0648-0151.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2021-11953 Filed 6-7-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on June 8, 2021.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.