Department of Commerce March 13, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces the availability of the Final Environmental Assessment (EA) on the application from PacifiCorp Energy (PacifiCorp or applicant) for an Incidental Take Permit (ITP) and Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for take of a threatened species in accordance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). NMFS and PacifiCorp have also developed an implementing agreement (IA) which details how NMFS and PacifiCorp will work together to implement the HCP. This notice also announces that NMFS has made a decision to issue an ITP to PacifiCorp for the covered activities described in their HCP, and has authorized the incidental take of Southern Oregon/ Northern California Coast (SONCC) Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) as a result of operation and maintenance of its Klamath Hydroelectric Project (Project) in and near the Klamath River in Southern Oregon and Northern California, and implementation of the HCP during a ten-year period. This notice is provided under National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations and NMFS ESA permit regulations to inform the public that the Final EA HCP, responses to public comments, and associated documents are available for review; and NMFS has made a decision to issue the ITP.

NMFS has received an application from AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, on behalf of Fishermen's Atlantic City Windfarm, LLC (Fishermen's) for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to pile driving off the New Jersey coast. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is proposing to issue an IHA to take, by Level B harassment, bottlenose dolphins, harbor porpoises, and harbor seals during the specified activity within a specific geographic region and is requesting comments on its proposal.

NMFS increases the possession limits for Georges Bank (GB) cod and Southern New England (SNE)/Mid-Atlantic (MA) yellowtail flounder for Northeast (NE) multispecies common pool vessels for the remainder of the 2011 fishing year (FY), through April 30, 2012. This is intended to facilitate the harvest of GB cod and SNE/MA yellowtail flounder to allow the total catch of these stocks to approach their pertinent common pool sub-annual catch limits (sub-ACLs).

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a meeting of the Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC).

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this revision of a currently approved collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

The New England Fishery Management Council's (Council) Groundfish Oversight Committee will meet to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).