Marine Mammal Protection Act; Receipt of Permit Applications
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Issuing agencies
Abstract
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the public to comment on applications to conduct certain activities with foreign species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and foreign or native species for which the Service has jurisdiction under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). With some exceptions, the ESA and the MMPA 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.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 108 (Monday, June 6, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 108 (Monday, June 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34287-34288]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-11999]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0033; FXIA16710900000-223-FF09A30000]
Marine Mammal Protection 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 applications to conduct certain activities with
foreign species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) and foreign or native species for which the Service
has jurisdiction under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). With
some exceptions, the ESA and the MMPA 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 July 6, 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 <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> in
Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0033.
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:
<bullet> Internet: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Search for and
submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0033.
<bullet> U.S. Mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0033; 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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d1959c90978391b7a6a2ffb6bea7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="347079757266745243471a535b42">[email protected]</span></a>. 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).
[[Page 34288]]
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 <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, 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 <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, 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 10(c) of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and
section 104(c) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended
(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), we invite public comments on permit
applications before final action is taken. With some exceptions, the
Acts prohibit certain activities with listed species unless Federal
authorization is issued that allows such activities. Permits issued
under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA allow otherwise prohibited
activities for scientific purposes or to enhance the propagation or
survival of the affected species. Service regulations regarding
prohibited activities with endangered species, captive-bred wildlife
registrations, and permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the
ESA with respect to any endangered species are available in title 50 of
the Code of Federal Regulations in part 17. 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.
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. Marine Mammal Protection Act Permit Applications
We invite comments on the following applications.
Permit No. PER0033795
Applicant: Dorothy N. Baker, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
The applicant requests a permit to import 81 dugong (Dugong dugon)
DNA extracts, from New Caledonia, for the purpose of scientific
research. This notification is for a single import.
Permit No. PER0040980 (Legacy PRT #84799B)
Applicant: Randall Davis, Texas A&M University Galveston Campus,
Galveston, TX
The applicant requests a renewal of their permit to observe and
film northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in Prince William
Sound, Alaska, for the purpose of scientific research. This
notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a
5-year period.
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 <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> 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 <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> 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. 2022-11999 Filed 6-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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