Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Assessment on the Effects of Permitting Translocation of Sturgeon for Scientific Research and Enhancement Under the of the Endangered Species Act, 89385 [2023-28505]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 27, 2023 / Notices
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Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023–28503 Filed 12–26–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–JS–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XD605]
Notice of Availability of Draft
Environmental Assessment on the
Effects of Permitting Translocation of
Sturgeon for Scientific Research and
Enhancement Under the of the
Endangered Species Act
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft
environmental assessment; request for
comments.
AGENCY:
NOAA has prepared a draft
programmatic environmental
assessment (PEA) under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA) analyzing the environmental
impacts of the NMFS, Office of
Protected Resources’ proposal to
authorize directed take under the
sturgeon Endangered Species Act (ESA)
permitting program for the translocation
of shortnose (Acipenser brevirostrum)
and Atlantic (A. oxyrinchus oxyrinchus)
sturgeon needed to achieve recovery
objectives. We are making the draft PEA
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:00 Dec 26, 2023
Jkt 262001
available to the public for review and
comment.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted on or before January 26, 2024.
ADDRESSES: The draft PEA may be
downloaded or viewed at: https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/draftenvironmental-assessment-permittingtranslocation-sturgeon-scientificresearch-and. Please submit public
comments via email to
NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov with the
subject line ‘‘Public Comment on Draft
PEA for Permitting Sturgeon
Translocation’’. No business proprietary
information, copyrighted information,
or personally identifiable information
should be submitted in response to this
request. Please be aware that comments
submitted may be posted on a Federal
website or otherwise released publicly.
Clearly indicate which section, page
number, and line number, if applicable,
submitted comments pertain to. All
comments must be provided in English.
Please note that the U.S. Government
will not pay for response preparation, or
for the use of any information contained
in the response.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin
Markin, Ph.D., erin.markin@noaa.gov,
(301) 427–8416; Malcolm Mohead,
malcolm.mohead@noaa.gov, (301) 427–
8427.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This draft
PEA serves as a framework to analyze
the potential impacts on the natural and
human environments for the
authorization of directed take of
sturgeon by translocation, in scientific
research or enhancement permits under
section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA, to
achieve recovery objectives. For the
purposes of the sturgeon permitting
program, translocation is the intentional
capture, holding, handling, transport,
and release of individuals within a river
system (e.g., translocation of fish across
a dam or fish passage) or between river
systems within the U.S. historical range
of Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon (i.e.,
Maine to Florida). NMFS proposes to
authorize directed take for the
translocation of ESA-listed Atlantic and
shortnose sturgeon as a research or
enhancement activity to support
sturgeon conservation management and
recovery objectives. NMFS proposes to
authorize translocation concurrent with
additional research or enhancement
activities, if the research or
enhancement activity’s objectives are (1)
stated as a term and condition to
implement reasonable and prudent
measures of an active biological
opinion, (2) an identified objective in a
NMFS recovery outline or recovery plan
for the species, or (3) determined
PO 00000
Frm 00024
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
89385
necessary by NMFS Regional Offices
and the NMFS Office of Protected
Resources (OPR) to recover the species.
Programmatic NEPA reviews add value
and efficiency to the decision making
process when they inform the scope of
decisions and subsequent tiered NEPA
reviews. Therefore, NMFS decided that
completing a PEA for the proposed
action was appropriate.
This document has been prepared in
compliance with NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321,
et seq.), the 2020 Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ)
Regulations (40 CFR 1500–1508) as
modified by the Phase 1 2022 revisions,
and NOAA policy and procedures
(NOAA Administrative Order 216–6A
(NAO 216–6A and its Companion
Manual).
Dated: December 21, 2023.
Amy Sloan,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–28505 Filed 12–26–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XD544]
Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to
Specified Activities; Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to the Parallel
Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project, Virginia
Beach, Virginia
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; proposed incidental
harassment authorization; request for
comments on proposed authorization
and possible renewal.
AGENCY:
NMFS has received a request
from the Chesapeake Tunnel Joint
Venture (CTJV) for authorization to take
marine mammals incidental to the
Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project
(PTST) in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Pursuant to the Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is
requesting comments on its proposal to
issue an incidental harassment
authorization (IHA) to incidentally take
marine mammals during the specified
activities. NMFS is also requesting
comments on a possible one-time, 1year renewal that could be issued under
certain circumstances and if all
requirements are met, as described in
Request for Public Comments at the end
of this notice. NMFS will consider
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\27DEN1.SGM
27DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 89385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28505]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD605]
Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Assessment on the
Effects of Permitting Translocation of Sturgeon for Scientific Research
and Enhancement Under the of the Endangered Species Act
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft environmental assessment;
request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NOAA has prepared a draft programmatic environmental
assessment (PEA) under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA) analyzing the environmental impacts of the NMFS, Office of
Protected Resources' proposal to authorize directed take under the
sturgeon Endangered Species Act (ESA) permitting program for the
translocation of shortnose (Acipenser brevirostrum) and Atlantic (A.
oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) sturgeon needed to achieve recovery objectives.
We are making the draft PEA available to the public for review and
comment.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before January 26,
2024.
ADDRESSES: The draft PEA may be downloaded or viewed at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/draft-environmental-assessment-permitting-translocation-sturgeon-scientific-research-and. Please
submit public comments via email to [email protected] with the
subject line ``Public Comment on Draft PEA for Permitting Sturgeon
Translocation''. No business proprietary information, copyrighted
information, or personally identifiable information should be submitted
in response to this request. Please be aware that comments submitted
may be posted on a Federal website or otherwise released publicly.
Clearly indicate which section, page number, and line number, if
applicable, submitted comments pertain to. All comments must be
provided in English. Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay
for response preparation, or for the use of any information contained
in the response.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Markin, Ph.D.,
[email protected], (301) 427-8416; Malcolm Mohead,
[email protected], (301) 427-8427.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This draft PEA serves as a framework to
analyze the potential impacts on the natural and human environments for
the authorization of directed take of sturgeon by translocation, in
scientific research or enhancement permits under section 10(a)(1)(A) of
the ESA, to achieve recovery objectives. For the purposes of the
sturgeon permitting program, translocation is the intentional capture,
holding, handling, transport, and release of individuals within a river
system (e.g., translocation of fish across a dam or fish passage) or
between river systems within the U.S. historical range of Atlantic and
shortnose sturgeon (i.e., Maine to Florida). NMFS proposes to authorize
directed take for the translocation of ESA-listed Atlantic and
shortnose sturgeon as a research or enhancement activity to support
sturgeon conservation management and recovery objectives. NMFS proposes
to authorize translocation concurrent with additional research or
enhancement activities, if the research or enhancement activity's
objectives are (1) stated as a term and condition to implement
reasonable and prudent measures of an active biological opinion, (2) an
identified objective in a NMFS recovery outline or recovery plan for
the species, or (3) determined necessary by NMFS Regional Offices and
the NMFS Office of Protected Resources (OPR) to recover the species.
Programmatic NEPA reviews add value and efficiency to the decision
making process when they inform the scope of decisions and subsequent
tiered NEPA reviews. Therefore, NMFS decided that completing a PEA for
the proposed action was appropriate.
This document has been prepared in compliance with NEPA (42 U.S.C.
4321, et seq.), the 2020 Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
Regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508) as modified by the Phase 1 2022
revisions, and NOAA policy and procedures (NOAA Administrative Order
216-6A (NAO 216-6A and its Companion Manual).
Dated: December 21, 2023.
Amy Sloan,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-28505 Filed 12-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
