Withdrawal of Notice of Intent To Prepare Supplemental Environmental Impact Statements and Amendment of Record of Decisions for Programmatic Environmental Impact Statements, 39988-39989 [2018-17225]

Download as PDF 39988 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 156 / Monday, August 13, 2018 / Notices DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Telecommunications and Information Administration RIN 0648–XG406 First Responder Network Authority Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Meeting [Docket Number 131219999–8730–04] National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. RIN 0660–XC009 AGENCY: ACTION: Notice; public meeting. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Advisory Panel will hold a public meeting. SUMMARY: The meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 5, 2018, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. DATES: The meeting will be held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton— Philadelphia Airport, 9000 Bartram Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; telephone: (215) 365–4500. Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 674–2331; www.mafmc.org. ADDRESSES: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D., Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, telephone: (302) 526–5255. The MidAtlantic Fishery Management Council’s (MAFMC’s) Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Advisory Panel will meet to provide feedback on the Public Hearing Document for the Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Excessive Shares Amendment. An agenda and background documents will be posted at the Council’s website (www.mafmc.org) prior to the meeting. The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should be directed to M. Jan Saunders, (302) 526–5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date. sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Dated: August 8, 2018. Tracey L. Thompson, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2018–17326 Filed 8–10–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 20:42 Aug 10, 2018 Jkt 244001 Withdrawal of Notice of Intent To Prepare Supplemental Environmental Impact Statements and Amendment of Record of Decisions for Programmatic Environmental Impact Statements First Responder Network Authority, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of intent; withdrawal. AGENCY: The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) is (1) withdrawing its Notice of Intent to Prepare Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statements (SPEISs) and Conduct Scoping for the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN), and (2) amending five (5) records of decision to remove the references to the FirstNet Authority’s intent to prepare the SPEISs. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eli Veenendaal, First Responder Network Authority, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 3122 Sterling Circle, Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80301 or elijah.veenendaal@firstnet.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.) created and authorized the FirstNet Authority to take all actions necessary to ensure the building, deployment, and operation of an interoperable NPSBN. As part of NPSBN deployment, the FirstNet Authority is required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) (NEPA) and the implementing regulations issued by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 1500–1508) (CEQ Regulations) to assess the environmental effects of its proposed actions prior to making a final decision and implementing the action. To support NEPA compliance, the FirstNet Authority prepared and finalized five regional programmatic environmental impact statements (PEISs) that analyze the potential environmental impacts of the deployment and operation of the SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 NPSBN at a programmatic level.1 However, prior to completing the PEISs and issuing corresponding records of decision (RODs), the FirstNet Authority was still in the process of revising the FirstNet Authority Procedures for Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (FirstNet Authority NEPA Procedures) and identified a potential need to account for these changes in the PEISs and RODs.2 Consequently, on September 25, 2017, the FirstNet Authority published a notice of intent (NOI) in the Federal Register to prepare SPEISs to address the potential impact of the FirstNet Authority NEPA Procedures as well as the process the FirstNet Authority would follow to assess potential environmental impacts of the NPSBN deployment at the site specific-level.3 Similarly, the FirstNet Authority also included comparable language relating to its intent to prepare SPEISs in each of the RODS.4 Subsequently, on February 1, 2018, following the issuance of the NOI and RODs for each region, the FirstNet Authority completed the regulatory process for and published in the Federal Register a notice responding to comments and finalizing its proposed modifications to the FirstNet Authority NEPA Procedures.5 The revised FirstNet 1 Notice of Availability of a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the East Region of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, 82 FR 49785 (Oct. 27, 2017); See also Notice of Availability of a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the South Region of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, 82 FR 45806 (Oct. 5, 2017); See also Notice of Availability of a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Central Region of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, 82 FR 41594 (Sept. 1, 2017); Notice of Availability of a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the West Region of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, 82 FR 33870 (July 21, 2017); Notice of Availability of a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Non-Contiguous Region of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, 82 FR 29825 (June 30, 2017). 2 Revised National Environmental Policy Act Procedures and Categorical Exclusions, 82 FR 28621 (June 23, 2017) (proposing and seeking public comment on revised FirstNet Authority Procedures for Implementing NEPA). 3 Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping for the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, 82 FR 44556 (Sept. 25, 2017). 4 FirstNet Authority, Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decisions for West Region, Central Region, South Region, East Region, and Non-Contiguous Region, https://website.azurewebsites.us/network/peiscontent (discussing the intent to prepare a SPEIS in section 3.4.1—Tiered Site Specific Analysis of each ROD). 5 Revised National Environmental Policy Act Procedures and Categorical Exclusions, 83 FR 4632 (Feb. 1, 2018) (responding to comments and E:\FR\FM\13AUN1.SGM 13AUN1 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 156 / Monday, August 13, 2018 / Notices Authority NEPA Procedures describe the process and review criteria the FirstNet Authority will follow to comply with NEPA and CEQ Regulations for proposed actions related to NPSBN deployment.6 In particular, the FirstNet Authority NEPA Procedures define the roles and responsibilities of the FirstNet Authority and its applicants and describe the criteria and process for determining the appropriate level of NEPA review and making environmental determinations and final decisions for site-specific reviews of FirstNet Authority actions related to the NPSBN.7 Accordingly, the FirstNet Authority has reviewed and determined that the revisions to the FirstNet Authority NEPA Procedures do not significantly impact any of the environmental analyses in the PEISs and that the information anticipated to be presented in the SPEISs related to the process for conducting site-specific reviews has already been sufficiently included in the revised FirstNet Authority Implementing Procedures. Thus, to avoid duplicative analysis and the unnecessary use of resources, the FirstNet Authority is (1) withdrawing its Notice of Intent to Prepare SPEISs and Conduct Scoping for the NPSBN, and (2) amending five (5) records of decision to remove the references to the FirstNet Authority’s intent to prepare SPEISs, including section 3.4.1—Tiered Site Specific Analysis, in each of the documents.8 Dated: August 7, 2018. Elijah Veenendaal, Attorney-Advisor, First Responder Network Authority. [FR Doc. 2018–17225 Filed 8–10–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–TL–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Patent and Trademark Office [Docket No.: PTO–P–2018–0050] Office Patent Trial Practice Guide, August 2018 Update United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce. ACTION: Notice. sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES AGENCY: finalizing revisions to FirstNet Authority Procedures for Implementing NEPA). 6 FirstNet Procedures for Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (January 2018), https://www.firstnet.gov/content/notice-revisednational-environmental-policy-act-procedures-andcategorical-exclusions. 7 See id. 8 The amended RODs for each of five regions are available at www.firstnet.gov. VerDate Sep<11>2014 20:42 Aug 10, 2018 Jkt 244001 The United States Patent and Trademark Office (‘‘Office’’) issued an update to the Office Patent Trial Practice Guide (‘‘TPG’’) in August 2018 to provide updated guidance to the public on standard practices before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (‘‘Board’’) in the post-grant trial procedures implemented following the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (‘‘AIA’’). The Office publishes the TPG to provide practitioners with guidance on typical procedures and times for taking action in AIA trials, as well as to ensure consistency of procedure among panels of the Board. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Tierney and William Fink, Vice Chief Administrative Patent Judges, by telephone at (571) 272–9797. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office issued an update to the TPG in August 2018, to update the guidance set forth in the TPG by incorporating the Board’s current practices and provide further explanation of certain aspects of the Board’s practices to the public. The TPG is divided into sections, each directed to a particular stage of a typical AIA trial proceeding or a specific issue commonly encountered during such proceedings. As such, the TPG contains informative material and outlines the current procedures that panels of the Board typically follow in appropriate cases in the normal course of an AIA trial proceeding. In order to expedite these updates and provide guidance to the public as quickly as possible, the Office has chosen to issue updates to the Practice Guide on a section-by-section, rolling basis, rather than a single, omnibus update addressing all aspects of the current Practice Guide. The Office anticipates releasing further revisions to the remaining sections of the TPG on a periodic basis, to take into account feedback received from stakeholders, changes in controlling precedent or applicable regulations, or the further refinement of the Board’s practices over time. The August 2018 update revises Sections I.G. (Expert Testimony), II.A.3. (Word Count and Page Limits), II.D.2. (Considerations in Instituting a Review), II.I. (Reply to Patent Owner Response and Reply for a Motion to Amend; SurReplies), II.K. (Challenging Admissibility; Motions to Exclude; Motions to Strike), II.M. (Oral Hearing), and Appendix A (Sample Scheduling Order). The August 2018 update of the TPG, containing only the revised sections, may be viewed or downloaded free of charge from the USPTO website at https://go.usa.gov/xU7GP. The full SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 39989 version of the August 2012 TPG continues to be available for reference on the USPTO website at https:// go.usa.gov/xU7GK. Dated: August 8, 2018. Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. [FR Doc. 2018–17315 Filed 8–10–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–16–P COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION Agency Information Collection Activities: Notice of Intent To Extend Collection 3038–0101, Registration of Foreign Boards of Trade Commodity Futures Trading Commission. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed renewal of a collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including proposed extension of an existing collection of information, and to allow 60 days for public comment. This notice solicits comments on collections of information provided for by Commission regulation Part 48, Registration of Foreign Boards of Trade. DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before October 12, 2018. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by ‘‘FBOT Registration’’ or ‘‘OMB Control No. 3038–0101’’ by any of the following methods: • The Agency’s website, at https:// comments.cftc.gov/. Follow the instructions for submitting comments through the website. • Mail: Christopher Kirkpatrick, Secretary of the Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20581. • Hand Delivery/Courier: Same as Mail above. Please submit your comments using only one method. All comments must be submitted in English, or if not, accompanied by an English translation. Comments will be posted as received to https://www.cftc.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Duane C. Andresen, Associate Director, SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\13AUN1.SGM 13AUN1

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[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 156 (Monday, August 13, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39988-39989]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-17225]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

First Responder Network Authority

[Docket Number 131219999-8730-04]
RIN 0660-XC009


Withdrawal of Notice of Intent To Prepare Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statements and Amendment of Record of Decisions 
for Programmatic Environmental Impact Statements

AGENCY: First Responder Network Authority, National Telecommunications 
and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of intent; withdrawal.

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

SUMMARY: The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) is 
(1) withdrawing its Notice of Intent to Prepare Supplemental 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statements (SPEISs) and Conduct 
Scoping for the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN), and 
(2) amending five (5) records of decision to remove the references to 
the FirstNet Authority's intent to prepare the SPEISs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eli Veenendaal, First Responder 
Network Authority, National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 3122 Sterling Circle, 
Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80301 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 
1401 et seq.) created and authorized the FirstNet Authority to take all 
actions necessary to ensure the building, deployment, and operation of 
an interoperable NPSBN. As part of NPSBN deployment, the FirstNet 
Authority is required to comply with the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) (NEPA) and the implementing 
regulations issued by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 
parts 1500-1508) (CEQ Regulations) to assess the environmental effects 
of its proposed actions prior to making a final decision and 
implementing the action.
    To support NEPA compliance, the FirstNet Authority prepared and 
finalized five regional programmatic environmental impact statements 
(PEISs) that analyze the potential environmental impacts of the 
deployment and operation of the NPSBN at a programmatic level.\1\ 
However, prior to completing the PEISs and issuing corresponding 
records of decision (RODs), the FirstNet Authority was still in the 
process of revising the FirstNet Authority Procedures for Implementing 
the National Environmental Policy Act (FirstNet Authority NEPA 
Procedures) and identified a potential need to account for these 
changes in the PEISs and RODs.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Notice of Availability of a Final Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement for the East Region of the Nationwide Public Safety 
Broadband Network, 82 FR 49785 (Oct. 27, 2017); See also Notice of 
Availability of a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement 
for the South Region of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband 
Network, 82 FR 45806 (Oct. 5, 2017); See also Notice of Availability 
of a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Central Region of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, 82 
FR 41594 (Sept. 1, 2017); Notice of Availability of a Final 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the West Region of 
the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, 82 FR 33870 (July 
21, 2017); Notice of Availability of a Final Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Non-Contiguous Region of the 
Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, 82 FR 29825 (June 30, 
2017).
    \2\ Revised National Environmental Policy Act Procedures and 
Categorical Exclusions, 82 FR 28621 (June 23, 2017) (proposing and 
seeking public comment on revised FirstNet Authority Procedures for 
Implementing NEPA).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Consequently, on September 25, 2017, the FirstNet Authority 
published a notice of intent (NOI) in the Federal Register to prepare 
SPEISs to address the potential impact of the FirstNet Authority NEPA 
Procedures as well as the process the FirstNet Authority would follow 
to assess potential environmental impacts of the NPSBN deployment at 
the site specific-level.\3\ Similarly, the FirstNet Authority also 
included comparable language relating to its intent to prepare SPEISs 
in each of the RODS.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping for the 
Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, 82 FR 44556 (Sept. 25, 
2017).
    \4\ FirstNet Authority, Final Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement and Record of Decisions for West Region, Central Region, 
South Region, East Region, and Non-Contiguous Region, https://website.azurewebsites.us/network/peis-content (discussing the intent 
to prepare a SPEIS in section 3.4.1--Tiered Site Specific Analysis 
of each ROD).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Subsequently, on February 1, 2018, following the issuance of the 
NOI and RODs for each region, the FirstNet Authority completed the 
regulatory process for and published in the Federal Register a notice 
responding to comments and finalizing its proposed modifications to the 
FirstNet Authority NEPA Procedures.\5\ The revised FirstNet

[[Page 39989]]

Authority NEPA Procedures describe the process and review criteria the 
FirstNet Authority will follow to comply with NEPA and CEQ Regulations 
for proposed actions related to NPSBN deployment.\6\ In particular, the 
FirstNet Authority NEPA Procedures define the roles and 
responsibilities of the FirstNet Authority and its applicants and 
describe the criteria and process for determining the appropriate level 
of NEPA review and making environmental determinations and final 
decisions for site-specific reviews of FirstNet Authority actions 
related to the NPSBN.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ Revised National Environmental Policy Act Procedures and 
Categorical Exclusions, 83 FR 4632 (Feb. 1, 2018) (responding to 
comments and finalizing revisions to FirstNet Authority Procedures 
for Implementing NEPA).
    \6\ FirstNet Procedures for Implementing the National 
Environmental Policy Act (January 2018), https://www.firstnet.gov/content/notice-revised-national-environmental-policy-act-procedures-and-categorical-exclusions.
    \7\ See id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Accordingly, the FirstNet Authority has reviewed and determined 
that the revisions to the FirstNet Authority NEPA Procedures do not 
significantly impact any of the environmental analyses in the PEISs and 
that the information anticipated to be presented in the SPEISs related 
to the process for conducting site-specific reviews has already been 
sufficiently included in the revised FirstNet Authority Implementing 
Procedures. Thus, to avoid duplicative analysis and the unnecessary use 
of resources, the FirstNet Authority is (1) withdrawing its Notice of 
Intent to Prepare SPEISs and Conduct Scoping for the NPSBN, and (2) 
amending five (5) records of decision to remove the references to the 
FirstNet Authority's intent to prepare SPEISs, including section 
3.4.1--Tiered Site Specific Analysis, in each of the documents.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \8\ The amended RODs for each of five regions are available at 
www.firstnet.gov.

    Dated: August 7, 2018.
Elijah Veenendaal,
Attorney-Advisor, First Responder Network Authority.
[FR Doc. 2018-17225 Filed 8-10-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-TL-P
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