13604 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2011 / Notices 

Comments may also be submitted by 

facsimile to (301) 713–0376, or by email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. 

Please include the File No. in the 

subject line of the e-mail comment. 

Those individuals requesting a public 

hearing should submit a written request 

to the Chief, Permits, Conservation and 

Education Division at the address listed 

above. The request should set forth the 

specific reasons why a hearing on this 

application would be appropriate. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Tammy Adams or Amy Sloan, (301) 

713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

subject permit is requested under the 

authority of the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act of 1972, as amended 

(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the 

regulations governing the taking and 

importing of marine mammals (50 CFR 

part 216). 

The applicant requests a five-year 

permit to take marine mammals in 

California, Oregon, and Washington to 

investigate population status, health, 

demographic parameters, life history 

and foraging ecology of California sea 

lions (Zalophus californianus), Pacific 

harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), and 

northern elephant seals (Mirounga 

angustrirostris). Procedures include: 

Capture (stalking, round up, hoop net, 

darting, floating trap); administer drug 

(IM, subcutaneously); anesthesia (gas, 

sedatives); euthanasia; attach scientific 

instruments; mark (clip hair, flipper tag, 

hot brand, paint, patch); measure; 

restrain (board, cage, hand, head bag, 

net, pen); collect tissue sample (blood, 

blubber, enema, fecal loop, hair, 

stomach lavage, milk, remote biopsy, 

skin, swab, urine, vibrissae); ultrasound; 

and weigh. Up to 509,475 California sea 

lions may be taken annually, including 

3,315 by capture and handle, 100 by 

harassment and tissue sampling and 

506,060 by incidental disturbance. Up 

to 100 moribund and 40 prematurely 

born California sea lion pups may be 

euthanized for health studies over the 

duration of the permit. Up to 1,185 

harbor seals may be taken annually, 

including 50 by capture and handling, 

and 1,135 by incidental disturbance. Up 

to 2,766 northern elephant seals may be 

taken annually, including 50 by capture 

and handling, and 2,716 by incidental 

disturbance. The applicant requests 

unintentional research-related mortality 

of up to 49 California sea lions, 4 harbor 

seals, and 4 northern elephant seals. Up 

to 4,500 northern fur seals (Callorhinus 

ursinus) may be incidentally disturbed 

annually at San Miguel Island, CA 

during research activities. 

As established under the Preferred 

Alternative in the Final Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) 

for Steller Sea Lion and Northern Fur 

Seal Research (NMFS 2007), NMFS 

proposes to authorize annual 

cumulative research-related mortality 

(under this permit in combination with 

any others for research on Steller sea 

lions (Eumetopias jubatus) or northern 

fur seals) of up to 15 percent of the 

Potential Biological Removal levels for 

each stock. These annual allowances 

would include observed and 

unobserved mortalities, and be 

calculated based on the nature of the 

research. The number of researchrelated mortalities of northern fur seals 

allowed for this permit may be higher or 

lower than those requested by the 

applicant, based on NMFS calculations 

using the methods outlined in the PEIS. 

In compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial 

determination has been made that the 

activity proposed is categorically 

excluded from the requirement to 

prepare an environmental assessment or 

environmental impact statement. 

Concurrent with the publication of 

this notice in the Federal Register, 

NMFS is forwarding copies of the 

application to the Marine Mammal 

Commission and its Committee of 

Scientific Advisors. 

Dated: March 9, 2011. 

Tammy C. Adams, 

Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and 

Education Division, Office of Protected 

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–5838 Filed 3–11–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XA286 

Western Pacific Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public meetings. 

SUMMARY: The Western Pacific Fishery 

Management Council (Council) will 

hold a Western Pacific Stock 

Assessment Review (WPSAR). 

DATES: The meeting of the WPSAR will 

be held on April 5–7, from 8:30 a.m. to 

5 p.m. each day. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Ilima Room, Ala Moana Hotel, 410 

Atkinson Drive, Honolulu, HI 96814, 

telephone: (808) 955–4811. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director; 

telephone: (808) 522–8220. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

WPSAR will meet to review new 

information on the Essential Fish 

Habitat (EFH) and Habitat of Particular 

Concern (HAPC) for deep slope 

bottomfish in the Main Hawaiian 

Islands. The Magnuson-Stevenson Act 

mandates regional fisheries management 

councils and NOAA Fisheries to 

conduct a review and revision of the 

EFH components of fisheries 

management plans every 5 years (600– 

815, section 10). The second cycle for 

such reviews since the Act was put into 

effect was scheduled for 2009. The 

process has two parts, beginning with 

NOAA Fisheries identifying any new 

information relevant to EFH and HAPC 

definitions that include, but are not 

limited to, evaluating published 

scientific literature and unpublished 

scientific reports; soliciting information 

from interested parties; and searching 

for previously unavailable or 

inaccessible data. Once this first step is 

completed, NOAA Fisheries is then 

required to develop written 

recommendations to assist each Council 

in the identification of EFH, adverse 

impacts to EFH, and actions that should 

be considered to ensure the 

conservation and enhancement of EFH 

for each Fishery Management Plan. The 

Act requires that both steps of the 

process be conducted in consultation 

with the Councils, participants in the 

fishery, interstate commissions, Federal 

agencies, state agencies, and other 

interested parties. 

The National Marine Fisheries Service 

has completed this process for deep 

slope bottomfish in the Main Hawaiian 

Islands, and the outcomes of the EFH/ 

HAPC review will be subjected to 

independent peer review and scrutiny 

under the WPSAR process, which will 

inform the Western Pacific Regional 

Fishery Management Council whether 

the information is sufficient to amend 

the EFH/HAPC definitions in the 

Hawaii Archipelago Fisheries 

Ecosystem Plan. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in this agenda may come 

before this group for discussion, those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during these meetings. Action 

will be restricted to those issues 

specifically listed in this notice and any 

issues arising after publication of this 

notice that require emergency action 

under section 305(c) of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and 

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2011 / Notices 13605 

Management Act, provided the public 

has been notified of the Council’s intent 

to take final action to address the 

emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

These meetings are physically 

accessible to people with disabilities. 

Requests for sign language 

interpretation or other auxiliary aids 

should be directed to Kitty M. Simonds, 

(808) 522–8220 (voice) or (808) 522– 

8226 (fax), at least 5 days prior to the 

meeting date. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: March 8, 2011. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–5697 Filed 3–11–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XA123 

Marine Mammals; File No. 15616 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

Craig Matkin, North Gulf Oceanic 

Society, Homer, AK, has been issued a 

permit to conduct research on marine 

mammals. 

ADDRESSES: The permit and related 

documents are available for review 

upon written request or by appointment 

in the following offices: 

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)713–0376; and 

Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, 

Juneau, AK 99802–1668; phone (907) 

586–7221; fax (907) 586–7249. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Tammy Adams or Kristy Beard, (301) 

713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

January 5, 2011, notice was published in 

the Federal Register (76 FR 542) that a 

request for a permit to conduct research 

on marine mammals had been 

submitted by the above-named 

applicant. The requested permit 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). 

The permit allows harassment of 

marine mammals during conduct of 

research in Alaskan waters, including 

southeast Alaska, Prince William 

Sound, the Kenai Peninsula, the Eastern 

Aleutian Islands, and the Bering Sea. 

The purpose of the research is to 

maintain a long-term killer whale 

(Orcinus orca) monitoring program in 

Alaskan waters that was initiated over 

25 years ago. In addition, the permit 

holder will examine movements of other 

non-endangered cetacean species along 

the North Gulf Coast of Alaska in 

relation to U.S. Navy testing activities. 

The research activities include photoidentification, passive acoustic 

recording, biopsy sampling, tagging 

with barbed darts and suction cups, and 

collecting samples of marine mammal 

carcasses from sites of killer whale 

predation. 

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: March 9, 2011. 

Tammy C. Adams, 

Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and 

Education Division, Office of Protected 

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–5849 Filed 3–11–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Notice of Availability of Draft Waste 

Incidental to Reprocessing Evaluation 

for the Vitrification Melter at the West 

Valley Demonstration Project for West 

Valley, New York 

AGENCY: Office of Environmental 

Management, U.S. Department of 

Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy 

(DOE) announces the availability of a 

draft evaluation which shows that the 

vitrification melter (used to vitrify waste 

from reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel 

and certain treatment material) at the 

West Valley Demonstration Project 

(WVDP), located at the Western New 

York Service Center in West Valley, 

New York, is waste incidental to 

reprocessing and thus is not high-level 

radioactive waste (HLW) and may be 

managed and disposed of offsite as lowlevel waste (LLW). DOE prepared the 

draft evaluation pursuant to DOE 

Manual 435.1–1, Radioactive Waste 

Management. DOE is consulting with 

the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

(NRC) before finalizing this evaluation. 

Although it is not required by DOE 

Manual 435.1–1, DOE is making the 

draft evaluation available for public and 

state review and comment during the 

NRC consultative review period. DOE 

will make its final evaluation and 

determination as to whether the 

vitrification melter is HLW, or is waste 

incidental to reprocessing which can be 

managed and disposed of as LLW, after 

consideration of any public, state, and 

NRC comments on this draft evaluation. 

DATES: The comment period will end 

April 28, 2011. Comments received after 

that time will be considered to the 

extent practicable. 

ADDRESSES: The draft waste evaluation 

is available on the Internet at http:// 

apps.em.doe.gov/wvdp/, and is publicly 

available for review at the following 

locations: U.S. Department of Energy, 

Public Reading Room, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20585, phone: (202) 

586–5955, or fax: (202) 586–0575; and 

U.S. DOE, West Valley Demonstration 

Project Public Reading Room located at 

the Town of Concord Hulbert Library, 

18 Chapel St., Springville, New York 

14141, phone: (716) 592–7742. Written 

comments should be submitted to: Mr. 

Daniel Sullivan, U.S. Department of 

Energy, West Valley Demonstration 

Project, 10282 Rock Springs Road, West 

Valley, New York 14171–9799. 

Alternatively, comments may also be 

filed electronically by e-mail to 

melter@wv.doe.gov or by fax at (716) 

942–4703. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information about this draft 

waste evaluation, please contact Mr. 

Daniel Sullivan at the mailing address 

or Web site listed above. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

vitrification melter is a box structure, 

approximately 10 feet on each side, with 

a stainless steel outer structure and an 

interior lined with refractory materials. 

It was used to solidify high-level waste 

which had been generated by 

commercial reprocessing of spent 

nuclear fuel at the Western New York 

Nuclear Service Center in West Valley, 

New York by Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. 

from 1966 through 1972. DOE 

undertook the solidification activities 

pursuant to DOE’s responsibilities 

under the West Valley Demonstration 

Project Act. To solidify the waste, DOE 

vitrified the waste (combined it at a high 

temperature with borosilicate glass) and 

transferred the molten glass-waste 

mixture into specially developed 

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