Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 5 / Friday, January 8, 2021 / Notices 1483 

briefly discuss and approve a draft letter 

to NMFS supporting the investigation of 

using vessel monitoring system (VMS) 

notifications rather than Federal 

Register notices to announce area 

closures for the Atlantic herring fishery. 

The Council also will discuss other 

business as needed. Finally, the Council 

will close out the open portion of its 

meeting and go into closed session to 

discuss 2021–23 appointments to the 

Scientific and Statistical Committee. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained on this agenda may come 

before the Council for discussion, those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during this meeting. Council 

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 

Management Act, provided the public 

has been notified of the Council’s intent 

to take final action to address the 

emergency. The public also should be 

aware that the meeting will be recorded. 

Consistent with 16 U.S.C. 1852, a copy 

of the recording is available upon 

request. 

Special Accommodations 

This meeting is being conducted 

entirely by webinar. Requests for 

auxiliary aids should be directed to 

Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at least 

5 days prior to the meeting date. 

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

Dated: January 5, 2021. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00160 Filed 1–7–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA735] 

Taking and Importing Marine 

Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals 

Incidental to Training Activities in the 

Gulf of Alaska Temporary Maritime 

Activities Area 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for 

a Letter of Authorization; request for 

comments and information. 

SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request 

from the U.S. Navy (Navy) for 

authorization to take marine mammals 

incidental to training activities in the 

Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Temporary 

Maritime Activities Area (TMAA) Study 

Area for a period of seven years, from 

April 2022 through April 2029. 

Pursuant to regulations implementing 

the Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA), NMFS is announcing receipt 

of the Navy’s request for the 

development and implementation of 

regulations governing the incidental 

taking of marine mammals. NMFS 

invites the public to provide 

information, suggestions, and comments 

on the Navy’s application and request. 

DATES: Comments and information must 

be received no later than January 29, 

2021. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on the 

applications should be addressed to 

Jolie Harrison, Chief, Permits and 

Conservation Division, Office of 

Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. Comments should be 

sent to ITP.Davis@noaa.gov. 

Instructions: NMFS is not responsible 

for comments sent by any other method, 

to any other address or individual, or 

received after the end of the comment 

period. Comments received 

electronically, including all 

attachments, must not exceed a 25- 

megabyte file size. Attachments to 

electronic comments will be accepted in 

Microsoft Word or Excel or Adobe PDF 

file formats only. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and will generally be posted online at 

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/ 

national/marine-mammal-protection/ 

incidental-take-authorizations-militaryreadiness-activities without change. All 

personal identifying information (e.g., 

name, address) voluntarily submitted by 

the commenter may be publicly 

accessible. Do not submit confidential 

business information or otherwise 

sensitive or protected information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Leah Davis, Office of Protected 

Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401. An 

electronic copy of the Navy’s 

application may be obtained online at: 

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/ 

national/marine-mammal-protection/ 

incidental-take-authorizations-militaryreadiness-activities. In case of problems 

accessing these documents, please call 

the contact listed above. 

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 (as delegated 

to NMFS) to allow, upon request, the 

incidental, but not intentional, taking 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. 

NMFS has defined ‘‘negligible 

impact’’ in 50 CFR 216.103 as ‘‘. . . an 

impact resulting from the specified 

activity that cannot be reasonably 

expected to, and is not reasonably likely 

to, adversely affect the species or stock 

through effects on annual rates of 

recruitment or survival.’’ 

The MMPA states that the term ‘‘take’’ 

means to harass, hunt, capture, kill or 

attempt to harass, hunt, capture, or kill 

any marine mammal. 

Except with respect to certain 

activities not pertinent here, the MMPA 

defines ‘‘harassment’’ as: Any act of 

pursuit, torment, or annoyance, which 

(i) has the potential to injure a marine 

mammal or marine mammal stock in the 

wild (Level A harassment); or (ii) has 

the potential to disturb a marine 

mammal or marine mammal stock in the 

wild by causing disruption of behavioral 

patterns, including, but not limited to, 

migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, 

feeding, or sheltering (Level B 

harassment). 

The National Defense Authorization 

Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2004 (Pub. 

L. 108–136) removed the ‘‘small 

numbers’’ and ‘‘specified geographical 

region’’ limitations and amended the 

definition of ‘‘harassment’’ as it applies 

to a ‘‘military readiness activity’’ to read 

as follows (Section 3(18)(B) of the 

MMPA): (i) Any act that injures or has 

the significant potential to injure a 

marine mammal or marine mammal 

stock in the wild (Level A Harassment); 

or (ii) Any act that disturbs or is likely 

to disturb a marine mammal or marine 

mammal stock in the wild by causing 

disruption of natural behavioral 

patterns, including, but not limited to, 

migration, surfacing, nursing, breeding, 

feeding, or sheltering, to a point where 

such behavioral patterns are abandoned 

or significantly altered (Level B 

Harassment). On August 13, 2018, the 


tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with NOTICES
1484 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 5 / Friday, January 8, 2021 / Notices 

2019 NDAA (Pub. L. 115–232) amended 

the MMPA to allow incidental take 

regulations for military readiness 

activities to be issued for up to seven 

years. 

Summary of Request 

On October 9, 2020, NMFS received 

an adequate and complete application 

from the Navy requesting authorization 

for take of marine mammals, by Level A 

and Level B harassment incidental to 

training (categorized as military 

readiness activities) from the use of 

active sonar and other transducers and 

explosives (occurring at or near the 

surface of the water) in the TMAA 

Study Area. The requested regulations 

would be valid for seven years, from 

2022 through 2029. 

This will be the third time NMFS has 

promulgated incidental take regulations 

pursuant to the MMPA relating to 

similar military readiness activities in 

the GOA TMAA, following those 

effective from May 4, 2011 to May 4, 

2016 (76 FR 25479; May 4, 2011) and 

from April 26, 2017 to April 26, 2022 

(82 FR 19530; April 27, 2017). 

Description of the Specified Activity 

The TMAA Study Area is a temporary 

area established in conjunction with the 

Federal Aviation Administration that is 

a surface, undersea space, and airspace 

maneuver area within the GOA for 

ships, submarines, and aircraft to 

conduct required training activities. As 

depicted in Figure 1–1 of the Navy’s 

application, the TMAA is a polygon 

roughly resembling a rectangle oriented 

from northwest to southeast, 

approximately 300 nautical miles (nmi) 

(556 kilometers [km]) in length by 150 

nmi (278 km) in width, located south of 

Montague Island and east of Kodiak 

Island. 

The following types of training 

activities and exercises, which are 

classified as military readiness activities 

pursuant to section 315(f) of Public Law 

101–314 (16 U.S.C. 703), are included in 

the specified activity described in the 

Navy’s application: Air warfare, surface 

warfare, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), 

electronic warfare, Naval Special 

Warfare, strike warfare, and support 

operations. 

The Navy’s application includes 

proposed mitigation measures for 

marine mammals that would be 

implemented during training activities 

in the TMAA Study Area (see Section 

11 of the Navy’s application). Proposed 

procedural mitigation measures and 

geographic mitigation areas generally 

include: (1) The use of Lookouts to 

observe for biological resources and 

communicate the need for mitigation 

implementation; (2) powerdowns, 

shutdowns, and delay of starts to avoid 

exposure of marine mammals to high 

levels of sound or explosive blasts more 

likely to result in injury or more serious 

behavioral disruption; and (3) limiting 

the use of active sonar or explosives in 

certain biologically important areas to 

reduce the probability or severity of 

impacts when they are more likely to 

contribute to fitness impacts (see Figure 

11–1 of the Navy’s application). 

The Navy also proposes to undertake 

monitoring and reporting efforts to track 

compliance with incidental take 

authorizations and to help investigate 

the effectiveness of implemented 

mitigation measures in the TMAA Study 

Area. This includes Adaptive 

Management, the Integrated 

Comprehensive Monitoring Program, 

the Strategic Planning Process, and 

Annual Monitoring and Activity 

Reports. As an example, under the 

Integrated Comprehensive Monitoring 

Program, the monitoring relating to the 

effects of Navy training activities on 

protected marine species are designed to 

increase the understanding of the likely 

occurrence of marine mammals in the 

vicinity of the action (i.e., presence, 

abundance, distribution, and density of 

species) and to increase the 

understanding of the nature, scope, or 

context of the likely exposure of marine 

mammals to any of the potential 

stressors associated with the action. 

Information Solicited 

Interested persons may submit 

information, suggestions, and comments 

concerning the Navy’s request (see 

ADDRESSES). NMFS will consider all 

information, suggestions, and comments 

related to the request during the 

development of proposed regulations 

governing the incidental taking of 

marine mammals by the Navy, if 

appropriate. 

Dated: December 21, 2020. 

Donna Wieting, 

Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–28694 Filed 1–7–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM 

PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR 

SEVERELY DISABLED 

Procurement List; Proposed deletions 

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From 

People Who Are Blind or Severely 

Disabled. 

ACTION: Proposed deletions from the 

Procurement List. 

SUMMARY: The Committee is proposing 

to delete product(s) from the 

Procurement List that were furnished by 

nonprofit agencies employing persons 

who are blind or have other severe 

disabilities. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before: February 07, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase 

From People Who Are Blind or Severely 

Disabled, 1401 S Clark Street, Suite 715, 

Arlington, Virginia, 22202–4149. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information or to submit 

comments contact: Michael R. 

Jurkowski, Telephone: (703) 603–2117, 

Fax: (703) 603–0655, or email 

CMTEFedReg@AbilityOne.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

notice is published pursuant to 41 

U.S.C. 8503 (a)(2) and 41 CFR 51–2.3. Its 

purpose is to provide interested persons 

an opportunity to submit comments on 

the proposed actions. 

Deletions 

The following product(s) are proposed 

for deletion from the Procurement List: 

Product(s) 

NSN(s)—Product Name(s): 

7210–01–030–5311—Pillowcase, 321⁄2′′ X 

201⁄2′′ 

7210–00–119–7357—Pillowcase, 321⁄2′′ X 

201⁄2′′, White 

Designated Source of Supply: Cambria 

County Association for the Blind and 

Handicapped, Johnstown, PA 

Contracting Activity: DLA Troop Support, 

Philadelphia, PA 

NSN(s)—Product Name(s): 

8465–01–647–6670—US Forest Service 

Pack, Personal Gear Model 2014 

Designated Source of Supply: Huntsville 

Rehabilitation Foundation, Huntsville, 

AL 

Contracting Activity: DLA Troop Support, 

Philadelphia, PA 

NSN(s)—Product Name(s): 

6150–01–040–6848—Kit, Wiring, ATON 

Buoy 

Designated Source of Supply: Greenville 

Rehabilitation Center, Greenville, SC 

Contracting Activity: SFLC Procurement 

Branch 3, Baltimore, MD 

NSN(s)—Product Name(s): 

7910–00–685–3908—Pad, Machine, 

Polishing, Floor, 14′′ x 1⁄4′′ 

7910–00–685–3909—Pad, Machine, 

Polishing, Floor, 16′′ x 1⁄4′′ 

7910–00–685–3914—Pad, Machine, 

Scrubbing, Floor, 18′′ x 1⁄4′′ 

7910–00–685–3915—Pad, Machine, 

Scrubbing, Floor, 16′′ x 1⁄4′′ 

7910–00–685–4239—Pad, Machine, 

Stripping, Floor, 12′′ x 1⁄4′′ 

7910–00–685–6656—Pad, Machine, 

Scrubbing, Floor, 12′′ x 1⁄4′′ 

7910–00–685–6657—Pad, Machine, 

Scrubbing, Floor, 13′′ x 1⁄4′′ 

7910–00–685–6659—Pad, Machine, 

Scrubbing, Floor, 15′′ x 1⁄4′′ 


tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with NOTICES