Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Construction and Operation of Offshore Oil and Gas Facilities in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska, 31011-31013 [E9-15188]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 123 / Monday, June 29, 2009 / Notices
Issuance of this permit, as required by
the ESA, was based on a finding that
such permit: (1) was applied for in good
faith; (2) will not operate to the
disadvantage of such endangered
species; and (3) is consistent with the
purposes and policies set forth in
section 2 of the ESA.
Documents may be reviewed in the
following locations:
Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room
13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone
(301)713–2289; fax (301)427–2521;
Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand
Point Way NE, BIN C15700, Bldg. 1,
Seattle, WA 98115–0700; phone
(206)526–6150; fax (206)526–6426;
Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box
21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668; phone
(907)586–7221; fax (907)586–7249;
Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West
Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach,
CA 90802–4213; phone (562)980–4001;
fax (562)980–4018; and
Pacific Islands Region, NMFS, 1601
Kapiolani Blvd., Rm 1110, Honolulu, HI
96814–4700; phone (808)944–2200; fax
(808)973–2941.
Dated: June 24, 2009.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9–15344 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jennifer Skidmore or Amy Sloan
(301)713–2289.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
requested permit amendment has been
issued under the authority of the Marine
Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and
the Regulations Governing the Taking
and Importing of Marine Mammals (50
CFR part 216).
Permit No. 984–1587 authorized
captive research activities on two
bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops
truncatus) and juvenile California sea
lions (Zalophus californianus)
undergoing rehabilitation at The Marine
Mammal Center through June 7, 2009.
The minor amendment (No. 984–1587–
08) extends the duration of the permit
through September 7, 2009, but does not
change any other terms or conditions of
the permit.
In compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a final
determination has been made that the
activity proposed is categorically
excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment or
environmental impact statement.
Dated: June 23, 2009.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9–15343 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
International Trade Administration
RIN 0648–XP94
Marine Mammals; File No. 984–1587–08
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit
amendment.
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that
the Dr. Terrie Williams, Department of
Biology, University of California at
Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 has
been issued an amendment to scientific
research Permit No. 984–1587–07.
ADDRESSES: The amendment and related
documents are available for review
upon written request or by appointment
in the following office:
Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room
13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone
(301)713–2289; fax (301)427–2521.
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19:07 Jun 26, 2009
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The Manufacturing Council: Meeting
AGENCY: International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of an open meeting.
SUMMARY: The Manufacturing Council
will hold an introductory meeting with
the Secretary of Commerce to discuss
topics related to the U.S. manufacturing
sector.
DATES: July 20, 2009.
Time: 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
Location: U.S. Department of
Commerce, Room 4832, 1401
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
J. Marc Chittum, The Manufacturing
Council, Room 4043, 1401 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230;
telephone: 202–482–4501; and e-mail:
Marc.Chittum@mail.doc.gov.
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31011
Dated: June 23, 2009.
J. Marc Chittum,
Executive Secretary, The Manufacturing
Council.
[FR Doc. E9–15232 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XP92
Taking and Importing Marine
Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals
Incidental to Construction and
Operation of Offshore Oil and Gas
Facilities in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of issuance of a letter of
authorization.
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, 2009, through July 6, 2010.
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 (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.
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
E:\FR\FM\29JNN1.SGM
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31012
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 123 / Monday, June 29, 2009 / Notices
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
became 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.
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Summary of Request
On May 5, 2009, NMFS received a
request from BPXA for a renewal of an
LOA issued on July 1, 2008, 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, 2009)
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 2008–2009
LOA.
Summary of Activity and Monitoring
Under the 2008–2009 LOA
One offshore ice road was built during
the 2007–2008 ice-covered season.
Helicopters made 222 round trips to
Northstar during the 2007–2008 icecovered season to transport crew and
materials to and from the facility and
recommended flight corridors and
altitude restrictions were maintained.
Tucker tracked vehicles made a total of
111.5 round trips between West Dock
and Northstar Island, and the hovercraft
made 426 round trips during the 2007–
2008 ice-covered season.
Drilling activities were conducted
over two well sites on Northstar Island
VerDate Nov<24>2008
19:07 Jun 26, 2009
Jkt 217001
from January 18, 2008, to May 12, 2008.
Vibratory pile driving occurred from
February 15 to 19, 2008, and from July
24 to August 10, 2008, to place
thermosiphons as part of the new
protections system. No impact pile
driving activities took place during the
present reporting period. The 2008
repair activities consisted of placement
of boulders along the northeast corner of
the island during the ice-covered season
from March 7 to April 24, 2008 and
some minor repair activities during the
open-water season in August 2008.
Aerial overflights were conducted
weekly to inspect the pipeline for leaks
or spills. There were nine reportable
Northstar-related spills during the
2007–2008 ice-covered season and the
2008 open-water season. Two of the
nine reportable spills reach Beaufort Sea
water or ice. The contaminated material
was recovered completely. Materials
that reached Beaufort Sea water or ice
included power steering fluid and
hydraulic fluid. Material from the seven
remaining spills did not reach the
Beaufort Sea or sea ice. Contaminated
snow, ice, and gravel were removed
with various types of equipment and
sorbents. No clean-up activity was
necessary after Northstar flare events
during the reporting period.
During the 2008 open-water period,
there were 119 helicopter round trips,
445.5 hovercraft round trips, 45 tug and
barge trips, and 55 Alaska Clean Seas
Bay-class boat round trips to Northstar.
There were an additional six trips by
Bay-class boats in association with
acoustic monitoring of the bowhead
whale migration.
Seal observations in 2008 were
conducted during 54 days from May 15–
July 15. A total of 415 seals were
observed (including presumed repeat
sightings of the same animal on
different days), which is more than in
previous years over the same period.
Results of seal counts conducted from
Northstar Island during the reporting
period did not provide evidence, or
reason to suspect, that any seals were
killed or injured by Northstar-related
activities during 2008. No Northstar
activity capable of reaching 180 or 190
dB (rms) in the water occurred during
the last year, and, therefore, no
monitoring of these ‘‘safety radii’’ was
implemented.
An array of 10 Directional
Autonomous Seafloor Acoustic
Recorders (DASARs) were installed in
August 2008. The array was deployed
for approximately 29 days between
August 27 and September 25, 2008. In
2008, the scope of the bowhead whale
acoustic monitoring study was
augmented relative to that in 2005–2007
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and was generally similar to that in
2001–2004, although the study design
was somewhat modified from that in
2001–2004. The geometry of the DASAR
array was changed, and new emphasis
was placed on understanding how far
Northstar sounds propagate offshore.
DASARs were deployed at locations
8.5–38.5 km (5.3–24 mi) NNE of
Northstar Island and recorded sounds
continuously for approximately 29 days,
until September 25, 2008.
Simultaneously, near-island recordings
were obtained from three DASARs
placed approximately 450 m (1,476 ft)
north of Northstar over the same period.
In total, 85,669 bowhead whale calls
were detected on the records of the 10
array DASARs combined from a total of
350,597 call detections. When expressed
as a number of calls per day, the 2008
number (1,337 calls/day) is the highest
since the beginning of the study in 2001,
exceeding the previous record of 989
calls/day in 2004. The much higher call
counts in 2008 compared to the lower
counts in 2005 and 2006 are probably
related to the absence of nearshore pack
ice during the 2008 season, meaning
there were probably more whales closer
to shore.
Post-field analyses of the near-island
DASARs revealed the presence of a
previously undetected pulsed sound. As
soon as possible after ice break-up in
2009, a hydrophone will be used to
determine if this sound is still present.
If present, attempts will be made to
localize the source and to either remove
it or reduce its sound output.
Subsistence hunters from Nuiqsut
who traveled to Cross Island for the
annual bowhead whale hunt did not
report any negative effects from
Northstar activities on their ability to
conduct the hunt. In 2008, Nuiqsut
whalers landed their full quota of four
whales.
Authorization
BPXA complied with the
requirements of the 2008 LOA, and
NMFS has determined that the marine
mammal take resulting from the 2008
construction and operation activities is
within that analyzed in and anticipated
by the associated regulations.
Accordingly, NMFS has issued a 1-year
LOA to BPXA, authorizing the taking of
small numbers of marine mammals
incidental to oil production
construction and operations at the
Northstar offshore facility in state and
Federal waters in the U.S. Beaufort Sea.
Issuance of this LOA is based on
findings described in the preamble to
the final rule (71 FR 11314, March 7,
2006) and supported by information
contained in BPXA’s 2008 annual report
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 123 / Monday, June 29, 2009 / Notices
that the activities described in the LOA
will result in the taking of no more than
small numbers of bowhead whales,
beluga whales, ringed seals, and,
possibly California gray whales, bearded
seals, and spotted seals and that the
total taking will have a negligible
impact on these marine mammal stocks
and would not have an unmitigable
adverse impact on the availability of
these species or stocks for taking for
subsistence uses. This LOA will be
renewed annually based on review of
the annual monitoring report.
Dated: June 18, 2009.
James H. Lecky,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9–15188 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
to the respective meeting to allow
adequate time for consideration.
The Designated Federal Officer will
review all timely submissions with the
CNO Executive Panel Chairperson and
will ensure they are provided to
members of the CNO Executive Panel
before the meeting that is the subject of
this notice.
Individuals desiring to participate via
teleconference must submit their
contact information (to include e-mail
address) to CDR Catherine Masar at the
below address.
To contact the Designated Federal
Officer, write to Executive Director,
CNO Executive Panel (N00K), 4825
Mark Center Drive, 2nd Floor,
Alexandria, VA 22311–1846.
Dated: June 23, 2009.
A. M. Vallandingham,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate
General’s Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E9–15243 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P
Notice of Open Meeting of the Chief of
Naval Operations (CNO) Executive
Panel
Department of the Navy, DoD.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Chief of Naval Operations
(CNO) Executive Panel will deliberate
on the findings and proposed
recommendations of the Subcommittee
on Diversity. The matters to be
discussed include: Female and minority
male officer accessions, retention,
development, command climate,
evaluation and mentoring programs, and
accountability.
DATES: The meeting will be held on
Thursday, July 16, 2009, from 9:30 a.m.
to 11:30 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in
the Boardroom, CNA, 4825 Mark Center
Drive, Alexandria, VA 22311–1846.
Some members of the Executive Panel
may participate via teleconference.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: CDR
Catherine Masar, CNO Executive Panel,
4825 Mark Center Drive, Alexandria, VA
22311–1846, telephone: (703) 681–9633.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Individuals or interested groups may
submit written statements for
consideration by the CNO Executive
Panel at any time or in response to the
agenda of the scheduled meeting. All
requests or statements must be
submitted to the Designated Federal
Officer at the address detailed below.
Statements submitted in response to
the agenda mentioned in this meeting
notice must be received by the CNO
Executive Panel at least five days prior
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Nov<24>2008
20:04 Jun 26, 2009
Jkt 217001
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Partially Closed Meeting of
the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO)
Executive Panel
Department of the Navy, DoD.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Chief of Naval Operations
(CNO) Executive Panel will report on
the findings and recommendations to
the Chief of Naval Operations of the
Subcommittee on the Navy’s Industrial
Baseline in the Economic Downturn.
The matters to be discussed during the
meeting have been divided into Open
and Closed matters.
Open matters to be discussed are:
Current U.S. Navy budgets; Navy budget
drivers; Navy’s ability to plan, protect
and optimize its future budgeting
process; general anticipated effects on
Navy’s industrial base caused by the
current state of the economy; related
challenges facing this Administration
and the U.S. Navy.
Closed matters to be discussed are:
The current status of the U.S. Navy
shipbuilding, aircraft, and science &
technology industrial bases; near and
far-term actions that the U.S. Navy can
take to protect, provide visibility into
the viability of second and third order
suppliers, and optimize the Navy’s
industrial bases (quality, reliability,
visibility, affectivity, flexibility,
diversity, capacity, on-time delivery,
and cost); and a conclusion/summary of
PO 00000
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31013
the classified discussions. The executive
session of this meeting will be closed to
the public.
DATES: The open sessions of the meeting
will be held on Monday, July 13, 2009,
from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. The closed
Executive session will be held from 2:15
p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in
Conference Room 1A01, CNA, 4825
Mark Center Drive, Alexandria, VA
22311–1846.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Brian D. Shaw, CNO Executive Panel,
4825 Mark Center Drive, Alexandria, VA
22311–1846, (703) 681–4906.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
matters to be presented during the
closed session of this meeting are of
acquisition sensitive and/or business/
proprietary nature and as such cannot
be released to the public. Pursuant to
title 5 of the United States Code, section
552b(c)(4), these matters are exempt
from public disclosure.
Individuals or interested groups may
submit written statements for
consideration by the CNO Executive
Panel at any time or in response to the
agenda of the scheduled meeting. All
requests or statements must be
submitted to the Designated Federal
Officer at the address detailed below.
Statements submitted in response to
the agenda mentioned in this meeting
notice must be received by the CNO
Executive Panel at least five days prior
to the respective meeting to allow
adequate time for consideration.
The Designated Federal Officer will
review all timely submissions with the
CNO Executive Panel Chairperson and
will ensure they are provided to
members of the CNO Executive Panel
before the meeting that is the subject of
this notice.
To contact the Designated Federal
Officer, write to Executive Director,
CNO Executive Panel (N00K), 4825
Mark Center Drive, 2nd Floor,
Alexandria, VA 22311–1846.
Dated: June 23, 2009.
A.M. Vallandingham,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge
Advocate General, U.S. Navy, Federal
Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E9–15244 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P
DELAWARE RIVER BASIN
COMMISSION
Notice of Commission Meeting and
Public Hearing
Notice is hereby given that the
Delaware River Basin Commission will
E:\FR\FM\29JNN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 123 (Monday, June 29, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31011-31013]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-15188]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XP92
Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals
Incidental to Construction and Operation of Offshore Oil and Gas
Facilities in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of issuance of a letter of authorization.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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, 2009, through July
6, 2010.
ADDRESSES: The LOA and supporting documentation may be obtained by
writing to P. Michael Payne, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315
East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, or by telephoning one of
the contacts listed here.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Candace Nachman (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.
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
[[Page 31012]]
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 became 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 5, 2009, NMFS received a request from BPXA for a renewal of
an LOA issued on July 1, 2008, 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, 2009) 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 2008-2009 LOA.
Summary of Activity and Monitoring Under the 2008-2009 LOA
One offshore ice road was built during the 2007-2008 ice-covered
season. Helicopters made 222 round trips to Northstar during the 2007-
2008 ice-covered season to transport crew and materials to and from the
facility and recommended flight corridors and altitude restrictions
were maintained. Tucker tracked vehicles made a total of 111.5 round
trips between West Dock and Northstar Island, and the hovercraft made
426 round trips during the 2007-2008 ice-covered season.
Drilling activities were conducted over two well sites on Northstar
Island from January 18, 2008, to May 12, 2008. Vibratory pile driving
occurred from February 15 to 19, 2008, and from July 24 to August 10,
2008, to place thermosiphons as part of the new protections system. No
impact pile driving activities took place during the present reporting
period. The 2008 repair activities consisted of placement of boulders
along the northeast corner of the island during the ice-covered season
from March 7 to April 24, 2008 and some minor repair activities during
the open-water season in August 2008.
Aerial overflights were conducted weekly to inspect the pipeline
for leaks or spills. There were nine reportable Northstar-related
spills during the 2007-2008 ice-covered season and the 2008 open-water
season. Two of the nine reportable spills reach Beaufort Sea water or
ice. The contaminated material was recovered completely. Materials that
reached Beaufort Sea water or ice included power steering fluid and
hydraulic fluid. Material from the seven remaining spills did not reach
the Beaufort Sea or sea ice. Contaminated snow, ice, and gravel were
removed with various types of equipment and sorbents. No clean-up
activity was necessary after Northstar flare events during the
reporting period.
During the 2008 open-water period, there were 119 helicopter round
trips, 445.5 hovercraft round trips, 45 tug and barge trips, and 55
Alaska Clean Seas Bay-class boat round trips to Northstar. There were
an additional six trips by Bay-class boats in association with acoustic
monitoring of the bowhead whale migration.
Seal observations in 2008 were conducted during 54 days from May
15-July 15. A total of 415 seals were observed (including presumed
repeat sightings of the same animal on different days), which is more
than in previous years over the same period. Results of seal counts
conducted from Northstar Island during the reporting period did not
provide evidence, or reason to suspect, that any seals were killed or
injured by Northstar-related activities during 2008. No Northstar
activity capable of reaching 180 or 190 dB (rms) in the water occurred
during the last year, and, therefore, no monitoring of these ``safety
radii'' was implemented.
An array of 10 Directional Autonomous Seafloor Acoustic Recorders
(DASARs) were installed in August 2008. The array was deployed for
approximately 29 days between August 27 and September 25, 2008. In
2008, the scope of the bowhead whale acoustic monitoring study was
augmented relative to that in 2005-2007 and was generally similar to
that in 2001-2004, although the study design was somewhat modified from
that in 2001-2004. The geometry of the DASAR array was changed, and new
emphasis was placed on understanding how far Northstar sounds propagate
offshore. DASARs were deployed at locations 8.5-38.5 km (5.3-24 mi) NNE
of Northstar Island and recorded sounds continuously for approximately
29 days, until September 25, 2008. Simultaneously, near-island
recordings were obtained from three DASARs placed approximately 450 m
(1,476 ft) north of Northstar over the same period. In total, 85,669
bowhead whale calls were detected on the records of the 10 array DASARs
combined from a total of 350,597 call detections. When expressed as a
number of calls per day, the 2008 number (1,337 calls/day) is the
highest since the beginning of the study in 2001, exceeding the
previous record of 989 calls/day in 2004. The much higher call counts
in 2008 compared to the lower counts in 2005 and 2006 are probably
related to the absence of nearshore pack ice during the 2008 season,
meaning there were probably more whales closer to shore.
Post-field analyses of the near-island DASARs revealed the presence
of a previously undetected pulsed sound. As soon as possible after ice
break-up in 2009, a hydrophone will be used to determine if this sound
is still present. If present, attempts will be made to localize the
source and to either remove it or reduce its sound output.
Subsistence hunters from Nuiqsut who traveled to Cross Island for
the annual bowhead whale hunt did not report any negative effects from
Northstar activities on their ability to conduct the hunt. In 2008,
Nuiqsut whalers landed their full quota of four whales.
Authorization
BPXA complied with the requirements of the 2008 LOA, and NMFS has
determined that the marine mammal take resulting from the 2008
construction and operation activities is within that analyzed in and
anticipated by the associated regulations. Accordingly, NMFS has issued
a 1-year LOA to BPXA, authorizing the taking of small numbers of marine
mammals incidental to oil production construction and operations at the
Northstar offshore facility in state and Federal waters in the U.S.
Beaufort Sea. Issuance of this LOA is based on findings described in
the preamble to the final rule (71 FR 11314, March 7, 2006) and
supported by information contained in BPXA's 2008 annual report
[[Page 31013]]
that the activities described in the LOA will result in the taking of
no more than small numbers of bowhead whales, beluga whales, ringed
seals, and, possibly California gray whales, bearded seals, and spotted
seals and that the total taking will have a negligible impact on these
marine mammal stocks and would not have an unmitigable adverse impact
on the availability of these species or stocks for taking for
subsistence uses. This LOA will be renewed annually based on review of
the annual monitoring report.
Dated: June 18, 2009.
James H. Lecky,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. E9-15188 Filed 6-26-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
