Hydrographic Services Review Panel Meeting, 38989-38990 [E8-15509]
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ebenthall on PRODPC60 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 131 / Tuesday, July 8, 2008 / Notices
Commerce (Secretary), pursuant to the
Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972
(CZMA), 16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq., and
implementing regulations found at 15
CFR Part 930, Subpart H. TCA appealed
an objection by the California Coastal
Commission (Commission) to TCA’s
proposed construction of an extension
to California State Route 241 in northern
San Diego and southern Orange
Counties, California.
Under the CZMA, the Secretary may
override the Commission’s objection if
he determines that the project is
consistent with the objectives or
purposes of the CZMA or is otherwise
necessary in the interest of national
security. To make the determination
that the proposed activity is ‘‘consistent
with the objectives or purposes’’ of the
CZMA, the Secretary must find that: (1)
The proposed activity furthers the
national interest as articulated in
sections 302 or 303 of the CZMA, in a
significant or substantial manner; (2) the
adverse effects of the proposed activity
do not outweigh its contribution to the
national interest, when those effects are
considered separately or cumulatively;
and (3) no reasonable alternative is
available that would permit the activity
to be conducted in a manner consistent
with enforceable policies of the state’s
coastal management program. 15 CFR
930.121.
On March 17, 2008, NOAA published
a notice in the Federal Register
announcing, among other things, that a
public hearing might be held concerning
this appeal. The hearing will be held.
This notice provides scheduling and
procedural information about the
hearing.
The hearing in this appeal will
commence at 10:30 a.m. at the Bren
Events Center and will continue
throughout the day with afternoon and
evening sessions. Intermissions are
expected near noon and late in the
afternoon (around 4:30 p.m.). Other
recesses may be called as necessary.
Speakers must register on the day of the
hearing, on site, at the Bren Events
Center. Registration of speakers will
begin at 10 a.m. The order of the
speakers will be determined by the
NOAA officials administering the
hearing. Speakers generally will be
recognized in the order in which they
register (a first-come-first-served basis),
alternating between individuals from
the general public and those
representing organizations. Specific
periods are expected to be set aside
during the afternoon and evening
sessions for remarks by elected officials.
Depending on the number of persons
wishing to speak, speakers from the
general public will receive up to three
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minutes to present their oral comments.
Elected officials and individuals
representing organizations will receive
five minutes to speak. Only one
individual may speak on behalf of an
organization.
Written comments on issues relevant
to the Secretary’s decision in this appeal
may be submitted to NOAA at the
hearing by any person in attendance. In
addition, written comments may be
submitted by e-mail to
gcos.comments@noaa.gov or by mail
addressed to Thomas Street, NOAA
Office of General Counsel for Ocean
Services, 1305 East-West Highway,
Room 6111, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Comments must be received by August
4, 2008.
This hearing is being held to obtain
information on issues the Secretary will
likely consider in deciding the TCA’s
appeal. A summary of relevant issues as
well as additional background on the
appeal appeared in the Federal Register
notice of March 17, 2008, announcing
the appeal, and may be found on the
Internet at https://www.ogc.doc.gov/
czma.com.htm. This Web site also
includes additional information on the
hearing, including conduct and
decorum that is required, restrictions on
the use of cameras and recording
equipment and the display of signs and
banners in the hearing room, the process
by which testimony will be transcribed
and made part of the record, and other
rules and guidelines. (Please see the set
of Frequently Asked Questions
regarding the hearing.)
Questions concerning the hearing
should be directed to Thomas Street,
Attorney-Advisor, NOAA Office of the
General Counsel, 301–713–2967, or
Stephanie Campbell, Attorney-Advisor,
NOAA Office of the General Counsel,
301–713–2967, or
gcos.inquiries@noaa.gov.
Dated: June 2, 2008.
Joel La Bissonniere,
Assistant General Counsel for Ocean Services.
[Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog No.
11.419 Coastal Zone Management Program
Assistance.]
[FR Doc. E8–15500 Filed 7–7–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–08–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Hydrographic Services Review Panel
Meeting
National Ocean Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
AGENCY:
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38989
Administration (NOAA), Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
SUMMARY: The Hydrographic Services
Review Panel (HSRP) was established
by the Secretary of Commerce to advise
the Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere on matters
related to the responsibilities and
authorities set forth in section 303 of the
Hydrographic Services Improvement
Act of 1998, its amendments, and such
other appropriate matters that the Under
Secretary refers to the Panel for review
and advice.
Date and Time: The public meeting
will be held July 29–30, 2008, from 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 29th and 8 a.m.
to 12:30 p.m. on July 30th.
Location: San Francisco, California.
Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf, 2500
Mason Street, San Francisco, CA, 94133.
The times and agenda topics are subject
to change. Refer to the HSRP website
listed below for the most current
meeting agenda.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Captain Steven Barnum, NOAA,
Designated Federal Official (DFO),
Office of Coast Survey, National Ocean
Service (NOS), NOAA (N/CS), 1315 East
West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland
20910; Telephone: 301–713–2770, Fax:
301–713–4019; e-mail:
Hydroservices.panel@noaa.gov or visit
the NOAA HSRP Web site at https://
nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/ocs/hsrp/
hsrp.htm.
The
meeting will be open to the public and
public comment periods will be
scheduled at various times throughout
the meeting. These comment periods
will be part of the final agenda that will
be published before the meeting date on
the HSRP website listed above. Each
individual or group making a verbal
presentation will be limited to a total
time of five (5) minutes. Written
comments (at least 30 copies) should be
submitted to the DFO by July 16, 2008.
Written comments received by the DFO
after July 16, 2008, will be distributed
to the HSRP, but may not be reviewed
before the meeting date. Approximately
25 seats will be available for the public,
on a first-come, first-served basis.
Matters To Be Considered: (1)
Swearing in of new member; (2) Panel
discussion with various stakeholders in
the region on use of and interest in
NOAA Navigation Services; (3) Updates
on NOAA/California partnership on
Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping
(IOCM) project, NOAA’s Height
Modernization and Print on Demand; (4)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
E:\FR\FM\08JYN1.SGM
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38990
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 131 / Tuesday, July 8, 2008 / Notices
briefing on Climate and the Coasts and
Arctic issues; and (5) public statements.
Dated: July 2, 2008.
John Potts,
Acting, Associate Assistant Administrator for
Management and CFO/CAO, Ocean Services
and Coastal Zone Management.
[FR Doc. E8–15509 Filed 7–7–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–JE–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XI58
Taking and Importing Marine
Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals
Incidental to Construction and
Operation of Offshore Oil and Gas
Facilities in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of issuance of a letter of
authorization.
ebenthall on PRODPC60 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), as amended, and
implementing regulations, notice is
hereby given that NMFS has issued a
letter of authorization (LOA) to BP
Exploration (Alaska), Inc. (BPXA) to
take marine mammals incidental to the
production of offshore oil and gas at the
Northstar development in the Beaufort
Sea off Alaska.
DATES: This Authorization is effective
from July 7, 2008, through July 6, 2009.
ADDRESSES: The LOA and supporting
documentation may be obtained by
writing to P. Michael Payne, Office of
Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD
20910, or by telephoning one of the
contacts listed here.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Candace Nachman or Ken Hollingshead
(301) 713–2289, or Brad Smith (907)
271–3023.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C.
1361 et seq.) directs NMFS to allow, on
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 certain findings
are made by NMFS and regulations are
issued. Under the MMPA, the term
‘‘take’’ means to harass, hunt, capture,
or kill or to attempt to harass, hunt,
capture, or kill marine mammals.
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Authorization may be granted for
periods up to 5 years if NMFS finds,
after notice and opportunity for public
comment, that the taking will have a
negligible impact on the species or
stock(s) of marine mammals and will
not have an unmitigable adverse impact
on the availability of the species or
stock(s) of marine mammals for
subsistence uses. In addition, NMFS
must prescribe regulations setting forth
the permissible methods of taking and
other means of effecting the least
practicable adverse impact on the
species and its habitat, and on the
availability of the species for
subsistence uses. The regulations also
must include requirements pertaining to
the monitoring and reporting of such
taking. Regulations governing the taking
of marine mammals incidental to
construction and operation of the
offshore oil and gas facility at Northstar
were made effective on April 6, 2006 (71
FR 11314, March 7, 2006), and remain
in effect until April 6, 2011. For detailed
information on this action, please refer
to that document. These regulations
include mitigation, monitoring, and
reporting requirements. The six species
of marine mammals that BP may take in
small numbers during construction and
operation of the Northstar facility are
bowhead whales, gray whales, beluga
whales, ringed seals, spotted seals, and
bearded seals.
Summary of Request
On May 27, 2008, NMFS received a
request from BPXA for a renewal of an
LOA issued on July 6, 2007, for the
taking of small numbers of marine
mammals incidental to oil production
operations at Northstar, under the
regulations issued on March 7, 2006 (71
FR 11314). This request (BPXA, 2008)
contains information in compliance
with 50 CFR 216.209, which updates
information provided in BPXA’s
original application for takings
incidental to construction and
operations at Northstar. BPXA also
submitted the required activity and
monitoring report under the 2007–2008
LOA.
Summary of Activity and Monitoring
Under the 2007–2008 LOA
One offshore ice road was built during
the 2006–2007 ice-covered season.
Helicopters made 135 round trips to
Northstar during the 2006–2007 icecovered season to transport crew and
materials to and from the facility and
recommended flight corridors and
altitude restrictions were maintained.
Hagglunds tracked vehicles made 37
round trips between West Dock and
Northstar Island, and the hovercraft
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made 574 round trips during the 2006–
2007 ice-covered season.
Drilling activities were conducted at
two well sites from November 17, 2006,
to May 1, 2007. No vibratory or impact
pile driving activities took place during
the present reporting period. The 2007
repair activities consisted of removing
the concrete blocks in areas that had
sustained erosion and/or block damage,
installing a new layer of filter fabric,
installing gravel bags of various sizes to
build up and stabilize the subgrade,
installing another layer of filter fabric
and an overlying layer of geogrid to
reduce the susceptibility of the fabric to
abrasion, and installing the concrete
block armor.
Each month, four to seven aerial
surveys were conducted to inspect the
pipeline for leaks or spills. There were
25 reportable Northstar-related spills
during the 2006–2007 ice-covered
season and the 2007 open-water season.
Material spilled included drilling mud,
corrosion inhibitor, sewage, methanol,
motor oil, diesel fuel, hydraulic fluid,
lube oil, and propylene glycol. Most of
this material remained in contaminant
and was recovered. All spilled material
was contained and cleaned up.
Contaminated snow, ice, and gravel
were removed with various types of
equipment, hand tools, and absorbents.
No clean-up activity was necessary after
Northstar flare events during the
reporting period. On May 18, 2007, one
quart of hydraulic fluid was released
from a ditch witch; a portion of this
fluid reached Beaufort Sea surface
water. Shovels were used to scrape up
the contaminated snow and ice from the
spill site and sorbents were used to soak
up the materials from the water surface.
All the contaminated materials were
recovered from the ice and water
surface, thereby avoiding impact to the
environment.
During the open-water period, there
were 190 helicopter round trips, 347
hovercraft round trips, 40 tug and barge
trips, and 137 Alaska Clean Seas Bayclass boat round trips to Northstar.
There were an additional three trips by
Bay-class boats in association with
acoustic monitoring of the bowhead
whale migration.
Seal observations in 2007 began on
May 15 and were conducted almost
daily through July 31. Over the standard
period of May 15–July 15, a total of
three seals were counted during 57
days. This was much less than the total
number of observations in 2005 and
2006 over the same period. As in 2005
and 2006, no seals were observed after
July 15, when some monitoring
continued. Results of seal counts
conducted from Northstar Island during
E:\FR\FM\08JYN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 8, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38989-38990]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15509]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Hydrographic Services Review Panel Meeting
AGENCY: National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP) was established
by the Secretary of Commerce to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce
for Oceans and Atmosphere on matters related to the responsibilities
and authorities set forth in section 303 of the Hydrographic Services
Improvement Act of 1998, its amendments, and such other appropriate
matters that the Under Secretary refers to the Panel for review and
advice.
Date and Time: The public meeting will be held July 29-30, 2008,
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 29th and 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on July
30th.
Location: San Francisco, California. Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf,
2500 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA, 94133. The times and agenda
topics are subject to change. Refer to the HSRP website listed below
for the most current meeting agenda.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Captain Steven Barnum, NOAA,
Designated Federal Official (DFO), Office of Coast Survey, National
Ocean Service (NOS), NOAA (N/CS), 1315 East West Highway, Silver
Spring, Maryland 20910; Telephone: 301-713-2770, Fax: 301-713-4019; e-
mail: Hydroservices.panel@noaa.gov or visit the NOAA HSRP Web site at
https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/ocs/hsrp/hsrp.htm.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The meeting will be open to the public and
public comment periods will be scheduled at various times throughout
the meeting. These comment periods will be part of the final agenda
that will be published before the meeting date on the HSRP website
listed above. Each individual or group making a verbal presentation
will be limited to a total time of five (5) minutes. Written comments
(at least 30 copies) should be submitted to the DFO by July 16, 2008.
Written comments received by the DFO after July 16, 2008, will be
distributed to the HSRP, but may not be reviewed before the meeting
date. Approximately 25 seats will be available for the public, on a
first-come, first-served basis.
Matters To Be Considered: (1) Swearing in of new member; (2) Panel
discussion with various stakeholders in the region on use of and
interest in NOAA Navigation Services; (3) Updates on NOAA/California
partnership on Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IOCM) project,
NOAA's Height Modernization and Print on Demand; (4)
[[Page 38990]]
briefing on Climate and the Coasts and Arctic issues; and (5) public
statements.
Dated: July 2, 2008.
John Potts,
Acting, Associate Assistant Administrator for Management and CFO/CAO,
Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management.
[FR Doc. E8-15509 Filed 7-7-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-JE-P
