Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Construction of the Block Island Transmission System, 19639-19640 [2015-08461]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 70 / Monday, April 13, 2015 / Notices AGENCY: Narragansett Electric Company (a subsidiary of National Grid USA), doing business as National Grid (TNEC), to transfer from DWBIT to TNEC, a Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) oneyear Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to construction of the Block Island Transmission System (BITS), following the sale of the BITS from DWBIT to TNEC. No other changes are proposed. NMFS is inviting comments on the proposed transfer of the BITS IHA from DWBIT to TNEC. DATES: Comments and information must be received no later than May 13, 2015. ADDRESSES: Comments on the proposed revised IHA should be addressed to Jolie Harrison, Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. The mailbox address for providing email comments is itp.fiorentino@noaa.gov. Comments sent via email, including all attachments, must not exceed a 10megabyte file size. NMFS is not responsible for comments sent to addresses other than those provided here. Instructions: All comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted to https://www.nmfs. noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental/ without change. All Personal Identifying Information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. An electronic copy of DWBIT’s original IHA application and current IHA for the BITS may be obtained by visiting the internet at: https:// www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/ incidental/. NMFS prepared an Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact on the issuance of the BITS IHA on August 21, 2014 which are available at the same internet address. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Fiorentino, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8477. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS received a joint request from Deepwater Wind Block Island Transmission, LLC (DWBIT) and the Background Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) 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 at sea and in the air. Law enforcement personnel rely on vessel marking information to assure compliance with fisheries management regulations. Vessels that qualify for particular fisheries are also readily identified, and this allows for more cost-effective enforcement. Cooperating fishermen also use the vessel numbers to report suspicious or non-compliant activities that they observe in unauthorized areas. The identifying number on fishing vessels is used by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and other marine agencies in issuing regulations, prosecutions, and other enforcement actions necessary to support sustainable fisheries behaviors as intended in regulations. Regulation-compliant fishermen ultimately benefit from these requirements, as unauthorized and illegal fishing is deterred and more burdensome regulations are avoided. Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations. Frequency: Every 5 years. Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to OIRA_Submission@ omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395–5806. Dated: April 7, 2015. Sarah Brabson, NOAA PRA Clearance Officer. [FR Doc. 2015–08353 Filed 4–10–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XD131 mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Construction of the Block Island Transmission System National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; proposed revised incidental harassment authorization; request for comments. SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:02 Apr 10, 2015 Jkt 235001 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 19639 geographical region if certain findings are made and either regulations are issued or, if the taking is limited to harassment, a notice of a proposed authorization is provided to the public for review. An authorization for incidental takings shall be granted if NMFS finds that the taking will have a negligible impact on the species or stock(s), will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of the species or stock(s) for subsistence uses (where relevant), and if the permissible methods of taking and requirements pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring and reporting of such takings are set forth. Summary of Request On August 22, 2014, NMFS issued an IHA to DWBIT to take marine mammals, by Level B harassment, incidental to construction of the BITS, effective from November 1, 2014 through October 31, 2015 (79 FR 51314). On January 30, 2015, DWBIT sold the BITS, in its entirety, to TNEC. The BITS, a bidirectional submarine transmission cable, will interconnect Block Island to TNEC’s existing distribution system in Narragansett, Rhode Island. To date, no construction has occurred. DWBIT and TNEC subsequently submitted a written request to transfer the current IHA from DWBIT to TNEC. With the transfer of the BITS IHA, TNEC agrees to comply with the associated terms, conditions, stipulations, and restrictions of the original BITS IHA. No other changes were requested. The revised IHA, if issued, would remain effective from November 1, 2014, through October 31, 2015. This Federal Register notice sets forth only a proposed change in the BITS IHA holder’s name. There are no other changes to the current IHA as described in the August 28, 2014, Federal Register notice of a final IHA (79 FR 51314): the specified activity; description of marine mammals in the area of the specified activity; potential effects on marine mammals and their habitat; mitigation and related monitoring used to implement mitigation; reporting; estimated take by incidental harassment; negligible impact and small numbers analyses and determinations; impact on availability of affected species or stocks for subsistence uses and the period of effectiveness remain unchanged and are herein incorporated by reference. Proposed Revision to BITS IHA NMFS is proposing a change in the name of the holder of the BITS IHA from ‘‘Deepwater Wind Block Island E:\FR\FM\13APN1.SGM 13APN1 19640 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 70 / Monday, April 13, 2015 / Notices Transmission, LLC, 56 Exchange Terrace, Suite 101, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903’’ to ‘‘The Narragansett Electric Company, d/b/a National Grid, 40 Sylvan Road, Waltham, Massachusetts, 02451.’’ Request for Public Comments NMFS invites comment on the proposed revised IHA. Please include with your comments any supporting data or literature citations to help inform our final decision on DWBIT and TNEC’s request for transfer of the BITS MMPA authorization. Dated: April 8, 2015. Wanda L. Cain, Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2015–08461 Filed 4–10–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Title: West Coast Region, Gear Identification Requirements. OMB Control Number: 0648–0352. Form Number(s): None. Type of Request: Regular (extension of a currently approved information collection). Number of Respondents: 685. Average Hours per Response: 15 minutes. Burden Hours: 574. Needs and Uses: This request is for extension of a currently approved information collection. The success of fisheries management programs depends significantly on regulatory compliance. The requirements that fishing gear be marked are essential to facilitate enforcement. The ability to link fishing gear to the vessel owner or operator is crucial to enforcement of regulations issued under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The marking of fishing gear is also valuable in actions concerning damage, loss, and civil proceedings. The regulations specify that fishing gear must be marked VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:02 Apr 10, 2015 Jkt 235001 with the vessel’s official number, Federal permit or tag number, or some other specified form of identification. The regulations further specify how the gear is to be marked (e.g., location and color). Law enforcement personnel rely on gear marking information to assure compliance with fisheries management regulations. Gear that is not properly identified is confiscated. Gear violations are more readily prosecuted when the gear is marked, and this allows for more cost-effective enforcement. Gear marking helps ensure that a vessel harvests fish only from its own traps/ pots/other gear are not illegally placed. Cooperating fishermen also use the gear marking numbers to report suspicious or non-compliant activities that they observe, and to report placement or occurrence of gear in unauthorized areas. The identifying number on fishing gear is used by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and other marine agencies in issuing regulations, prosecutions, and other enforcement actions necessary to support sustainable fisheries behaviors as intended in regulations. Regulationcompliant fishermen ultimately benefit from these requirements, as unauthorized and illegal fishing is deterred and more burdensome regulations are avoided. Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations. Frequency: Every five years. Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to OIRA_Submission@ omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395–5806. Dated: April 7, 2015. Sarah Brabson, NOAA PRA Clearance Officer. [FR Doc. 2015–08352 Filed 4–10–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Technical Information Service National Technical Information Service Advisory Board This notice announces the next meeting of the National Technical Information Service Advisory Board (the Advisory Board), which advises the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) on policies and operations of the Service. SUMMARY: The Advisory Board will meet on Friday, April 24, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to approximately 2:30 p.m. DATES: The Advisory Board will be held in Room 116 of the NTIS Facility at 5301 Shawnee Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22312. Please note admittance instructions under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice. ADDRESSES: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The NTIS Advisory Board is established by Section 3704b(c) of Title 15 of the United States Code. The charter has been filed in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.). The meeting will focus on a review of NTIS performance and accomplishments in the first half of Fiscal Year 2015. A final agenda and summary of the proceedings will be posted at NTIS Web site as soon as they are available (https://www.ntis.gov/ about/advisorybd.aspx). The NTIS Facility is a secure one. Accordingly persons wishing to attend should call the NTIS Visitors Center, (703) 605–6040, to arrange for admission no later than Monday, April 20, 2015. If there are sufficient expressions of interest, up to one-half hour will be reserved for public comments during the session. Questions from the public will not be considered by the Board but any person who wishes to submit a written question for the Board’s consideration should mail or email it to the NTIS Visitor Center, bookstore@ntis.gov, not later than Monday, April 20, 2015. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Dated: April 7, 2015. Bruce Borzino, Director. [FR Doc. 2015–08390 Filed 4–10–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–04–P National Technical Information Service. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. AGENCY: PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 Mr. Bruce Borzino, (703) 605–6405, bborzino@ntis.gov. E:\FR\FM\13APN1.SGM 13APN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 70 (Monday, April 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19639-19640]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-08461]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD131


Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; 
Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Construction of the Block Island 
Transmission System

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; proposed revised incidental harassment authorization; 
request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: NMFS received a joint request from Deepwater Wind Block Island 
Transmission, LLC (DWBIT) and the Narragansett Electric Company (a 
subsidiary of National Grid USA), doing business as National Grid 
(TNEC), to transfer from DWBIT to TNEC, a Marine Mammal Protection Act 
(MMPA) one-year Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take 
marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to construction of the Block 
Island Transmission System (BITS), following the sale of the BITS from 
DWBIT to TNEC. No other changes are proposed. NMFS is inviting comments 
on the proposed transfer of the BITS IHA from DWBIT to TNEC.

DATES: Comments and information must be received no later than May 13, 
2015.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the proposed revised IHA should be addressed to 
Jolie Harrison, Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West 
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. The mailbox address for providing 
email comments is itp.fiorentino@noaa.gov. Comments sent via email, 
including all attachments, must not exceed a 10-megabyte file size. 
NMFS is not responsible for comments sent to addresses other than those 
provided here.
    Instructions: All comments received are a part of the public record 
and will generally be posted to https://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental/ without change. All Personal Identifying Information (for 
example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter 
may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business 
Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
    An electronic copy of DWBIT's original IHA application and current 
IHA for the BITS may be obtained by visiting the internet at: https://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental/. NMFS prepared an 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact on the 
issuance of the BITS IHA on August 21, 2014 which are available at the 
same internet address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Fiorentino, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427-8477.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) 
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 certain 
findings are made and either regulations are issued or, if the taking 
is limited to harassment, a notice of a proposed authorization is 
provided to the public for review.
    An authorization for incidental takings shall be granted if NMFS 
finds that the taking will have a negligible impact on the species or 
stock(s), will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the 
availability of the species or stock(s) for subsistence uses (where 
relevant), and if the permissible methods of taking and requirements 
pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring and reporting of such takings 
are set forth.

Summary of Request

    On August 22, 2014, NMFS issued an IHA to DWBIT to take marine 
mammals, by Level B harassment, incidental to construction of the BITS, 
effective from November 1, 2014 through October 31, 2015 (79 FR 51314). 
On January 30, 2015, DWBIT sold the BITS, in its entirety, to TNEC. The 
BITS, a bi-directional submarine transmission cable, will interconnect 
Block Island to TNEC's existing distribution system in Narragansett, 
Rhode Island. To date, no construction has occurred.
    DWBIT and TNEC subsequently submitted a written request to transfer 
the current IHA from DWBIT to TNEC. With the transfer of the BITS IHA, 
TNEC agrees to comply with the associated terms, conditions, 
stipulations, and restrictions of the original BITS IHA. No other 
changes were requested. The revised IHA, if issued, would remain 
effective from November 1, 2014, through October 31, 2015.
    This Federal Register notice sets forth only a proposed change in 
the BITS IHA holder's name. There are no other changes to the current 
IHA as described in the August 28, 2014, Federal Register notice of a 
final IHA (79 FR 51314): the specified activity; description of marine 
mammals in the area of the specified activity; potential effects on 
marine mammals and their habitat; mitigation and related monitoring 
used to implement mitigation; reporting; estimated take by incidental 
harassment; negligible impact and small numbers analyses and 
determinations; impact on availability of affected species or stocks 
for subsistence uses and the period of effectiveness remain unchanged 
and are herein incorporated by reference.

Proposed Revision to BITS IHA

    NMFS is proposing a change in the name of the holder of the BITS 
IHA from ``Deepwater Wind Block Island

[[Page 19640]]

Transmission, LLC, 56 Exchange Terrace, Suite 101, Providence, Rhode 
Island, 02903'' to ``The Narragansett Electric Company, d/b/a National 
Grid, 40 Sylvan Road, Waltham, Massachusetts, 02451.''

Request for Public Comments

    NMFS invites comment on the proposed revised IHA. Please include 
with your comments any supporting data or literature citations to help 
inform our final decision on DWBIT and TNEC's request for transfer of 
the BITS MMPA authorization.

    Dated: April 8, 2015.
Wanda L. Cain,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-08461 Filed 4-10-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.