Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 42 / Friday, March 5, 2021 / Notices 12915 

1Consent Decree among Defendant BP 

Exploration & Production Inc. (‘‘BPXP’’), the United 

States of America, and the States of Alabama, 

Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas entered 

in In re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig ‘‘Deepwater 

Horizon’’ in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010, 

MDL No. 2179 in the United States District Court 

for the Eastern District of Louisiana. 

2The USACE CEMVN EIS Mid-Barataria 

Sediment Diversion project web page is accessible 

here: http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/ 

Regulatory/Permits/Mid-Barataria-SedimentDiversionEIS/. 

scope if application of either the nominal or 

actual measurement would place it within 

the scope based on the definitions set forth 

above. The products under investigation are 

currently classifiable under Harmonized 

Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) 

subheadings 7607.11.3000, 7607.11.6090, 

7607.11.9030, 7607.11.9060, 7607.11.9090, 

and 7607.19.6000. 

Further, merchandise that falls within the 

scope of this proceeding may also be entered 

into the United States under HTSUS 

subheadings 7606.11.3060, 7606.11.6000, 

7606.12.3045, 7606.12.3055, 7606.12.3091, 

7606.12.3096, 7606.12.6000, 7606.91.3095, 

7606.91.6095, 7606.92.3035, and 

7606.92.6095. Although the HTSUS 

subheadings are provided for convenience 

and customs purposes, the written 

description of the scope of this investigation 

is dispositive. 

Appendix II 

List of Topics Discussed in the Issues and 

Decision Memorandum 

I. Summary 

II. Background 

III. Scope Comments 

IV. Scope of Investigation 

V. New Subsidy Allegation 

VI. Subsidies Valuation 

VII. Benchmarks 

VIII. Partial Use of Facts Available 

IX. Analysis of Programs 

X. Recommendation 

[FR Doc. 2021–04566 Filed 3–4–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA839] 

Notice of Availability of the Deepwater 

Horizon Oil Spill Louisiana Trustee 

Implementation Group Draft Phase II 

Restoration Plan: #3.2: Mid-Barataria 

Sediment Diversion 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Oil 

Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA), and a Consent Decree with BP 

Exploration & Production Inc. (BP),1 the 

Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Federal and 

state natural resource trustee agencies 

for the Louisiana Trustee 

Implementation Group (Louisiana TIG) 

have prepared a Draft Phase II 

Restoration Plan 3.2 (Draft Phase II RP 

#3.2). The Draft Phase II RP #3.2 

describes and proposes restoration 

project alternatives considered by the 

Louisiana TIG to restore natural 

resources and ecological services 

injured or lost as a result of the DWH 

oil spill. The Louisiana TIG evaluated 

these alternatives under criteria set forth 

in the OPA natural resource damage 

assessment regulations. In accordance 

with NEPA the environmental 

consequences of the restoration 

alternatives are evaluated in the 

associated U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, New Orleans District 

(USACE CEMVN) Draft Environmental 

Impact Statement for the Proposed Mid 

Barataria Sediment Diversion Project, 

Plaquemines and Jefferson Parishes 2

(MBSD DEIS) to which the Louisiana 

TIG Federal Trustees are cooperating 

agencies. The purpose of this notice is 

to inform the public of the availability 

of the Draft Phase II RP #3.2 and to seek 

public comments on the document. 

DATES: Submitting Comments: The 

Louisiana TIG will consider public 

comments received on or before May 4, 

2021. 

Virtual Public Meetings: Due to 

continuing COVID–19 limitations on 

gatherings of groups, the Louisiana TIG 

will co-host three virtual public 

meetings with the USACE CEMVN on 

the following dates: 

1.April 6, 2021, 9 a.m. CDT 

2. April 7, 2021, 1 p.m. CDT 

3. April 8, 2021, 6 p.m. CDT 

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You 

may download the Draft Phase II RP 

#3.2 at: http://

www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/ 

restoration-areas/louisiana. The 

associated MBSD DEIS may be 

downloaded at: http://

www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/ 

Regulatory/Permits/Mid-BaratariaSediment-Diversion-EIS/. 

Submitting Comments: You may 

submit comments on the Draft Phase II 

RP #3.2 and the associated MBSD DEIS 

by the following methods: 

• Via the Web: https://

parkplanning.nps.gov/MBSD; 

• Via U.S. Mail: U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, New Orleans District, Attn: 

CEMVN–OD–SE, MVN–2012–2806– 

EOO, 7400 Leake Avenue, New Orleans, 

LA 70118. Please note that mailed 

comments must be postmarked on or 

before the comment deadline of 60 days 

following publication of this notice to 

be considered; or 

• During the virtual public meetings: 

Comments may be provided during the 

webinar. Webinar information is 

provided below in SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

You only need to submit your 

comment via one of these methods. All 

comments submitted will be reviewed 

by both the Louisiana TIG and CEMVN. 

All comments made during the 

comment period time-frame as 

described above will become part of the 

record. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration—Mel Landry, NOAA 

Restoration Center, (310) 427–8711, 

gulfspill.restoration@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

On April 20, 2010, the mobile 

offshore drilling unit DWH, which was 

being used to drill a well for BP, in the 

Macondo prospect (Mississippi Canyon 

252–MC252), experienced a significant 

explosion, fire, and subsequent sinking 

in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in an 

unprecedented volume of oil and other 

discharges from the rig and from the 

wellhead on the seabed. The DWH oil 

spill is the largest off shore oil spill in 

U.S. history, discharging millions of 

barrels of oil over a period of 87 days. 

In addition, well over one million 

gallons of dispersants were applied to 

the waters of the spill area in an attempt 

to disperse the spilled oil. An 

undetermined amount of natural gas 

was also released into the environment 

as a result of the spill. 

The DWH Federal and State natural 

resource trustees (DWH Trustees) 

conducted the natural resource damage 

assessment (NRDA) for the DWH oil 

spill under OPA (33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.). 

Pursuant to OPA, Federal and State 

agencies act as trustees on behalf of the 

public to assess natural resource injuries 

and losses and to determine the actions 


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12916 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 42 / Friday, March 5, 2021 / Notices 

required to compensate the public for 

those injuries and losses. OPA further 

instructs the designated trustees to 

develop and implement a plan for the 

restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, 

or acquisition of the equivalent of the 

injured natural resources under their 

trusteeship, including the loss of use 

and services from those resources from 

the time of injury until the time of 

restoration to baseline (the resource 

quality and conditions that would exist 

if the spill had not occurred) is 

complete. 

The DWH Trustees are: 

• U.S. Department of the Interior 

(DOI), as represented by the National 

Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, and Bureau of Land 

Management; 

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), on behalf of 

the U.S. Department of Commerce; 

• U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA); 

• U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA); 

• State of Louisiana Coastal 

Protection and Restoration Authority 

(CPRA), Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office, 

Department of Environmental Quality, 

Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 

and Department of Natural Resources; 

• State of Mississippi Department of 

Environmental Quality; 

• State of Alabama Department of 

Conservation and Natural Resources and 

Geological Survey of Alabama; 

• State of Florida Department of 

Environmental Protection and Fish and 

Wildlife Conservation Commission; and 

• State of Texas: Texas Parks and 

Wildlife Department, Texas General 

Land Office, and Texas Commission on 

Environmental Quality. 

The DWH Trustees reached and 

finalized a settlement of their natural 

resource damage claims with BP in an 

April 4, 2016, Consent Decree approved 

by the United States District Court for 

the Eastern District of Louisiana. 

Pursuant to that Consent Decree, 

restoration projects in the Louisiana 

Restoration Area are selected and 

implemented by the Louisiana TIG. The 

Louisiana TIG is composed of the 

following Trustees: CPRA; LOSCO; 

LDEQ; LDWF; LDNR; NOAA; DOI; EPA; 

and USDA. 

Background 

On March 20, 2018, the Louisiana TIG 

completed its Strategic Restoration Plan 

and Environmental Assessment #3: 

Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and 

Nearshore Habitats in the Barataria 

Basin, Louisiana (SRP/EA #3). In 

addition to identifying a restoration 

strategy for the Barataria Basin and 

confirming its 2018 decision to move 

forward with the Spanish Pass 

Increment of the Barataria Basin Ridge 

and Marsh Creation project, the SRP/EA 

also advanced a large-scale sediment 

diversion for further evaluation and 

planning in a future Phase II restoration 

plan. Since approval of the SRP/EA #3, 

the Louisiana TIG has been evaluating a 

variety of potential alternatives for this 

large-scale sediment diversion to meet 

its purpose: deliver freshwater 

sediment, and nutrients to the Barataria 

Basin through a large-scale sediment 

diversion from the Mississippi River; 

reconnect and re-establish sustainable 

deltaic processes between the 

Mississippi River and the Barataria 

Basin; and create, restore, and sustain 

wetlands and other deltaic habitats and 

associated ecosystem services. Tiering 

from the SRP/EA #3, the Louisiana TIG 

is proposing in this Phase II RP #3.2 

implementation of the Mid Barataria 

Sediment Diversion project. 

Overview of the Louisiana TIG Draft 

Phase II RP #3.2 

The Draft Phase II RP #3.2 is being 

released in accordance with OPA NRDA 

regulations in 15 CFR part 990, NEPA 

(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Consent 

Decree, and the Final Programmatic 

Damage Assessment and Restoration 

Plan/Programmatic Environmental 

Impact Statement. The Draft Phase II RP 

#3.2 focuses on an area (‘‘the Project 

Area’’) on the west bank of the 

Mississippi River at River Mile (RM) 

60.7, just north of the Town of Ironton; 

the anticipated outfall area for sediment, 

freshwater, and nutrients conveyed from 

the river is located within the MidBarataria Basin. The area of the 

Proposed MBSD Project and its 

alternatives includes the hydrologic 

boundaries of the Barataria Basin and 

the western portion of the lower 

Mississippi River Delta Basin, also 

known as the birdfoot delta. The 

Mississippi River itself, beginning near 

RM 60.7 and extending to the mouth of 

the river, is also included in the 

Proposed MBSD Project area. In the 

Draft Phase II RP #3.2, the Louisiana 

TIG proposes a preferred design 

alternative for the MBSD Project to be 

funded under the DWH Louisiana 

Restoration Area Wetlands, Coastal and 

Nearshore Habitats restoration type 

allocation. The preferred alternative 

(Alternative 1) consists of a controlled 

sediment and freshwater intake 

diversion structure in Plaquemines 

Parish on the right descending bank of 

the Mississippi River at RM 60.7. The 

preferred alternative would have a 

maximum diversion flow of 75,000 

cubic feet per second (cfs), which would 

occur when the Mississippi River gauge 

at Belle Chase reaches 1,000,000 cfs or 

higher. The diversion would operate at 

up to 5,000 cfs (base flow) when the 

river is below 450,000 cfs at Belle 

Chase; at river flows above 450,000 cfs, 

the diversion would be opened fully. At 

the downstream end of the diversion 

channel, an engineered area, ‘‘outfall 

transition feature’’ would be constructed 

to guide and disperse the channel flow 

into the Barataria Basin. The preferred 

alternative is projected to increase land 

area, including emergent wetlands and 

mudflats, in the Barataria Basin across 

the 50-year analysis period relative to 

natural recovery, with a maximum 

increase of 17,300 acres in 2050, at the 

approximate mid-point of the 50-year 

analysis period. The proposed 

investment by the Louisiana TIG for this 

alternative is approximately $2 billion. 

This cost reflects current cost-estimates 

developed from the most current 

designs and information available to the 

Louisiana TIG at the time of drafting 

this restoration plan. Estimated costs 

reflect all costs associated with 

implementing the Proposed MBSD 

Project, potentially including, but not 

limited to, revising/finalizing 

engineering and design, permitting, 

mitigation, land acquisition, 

construction, monitoring and adaptive 

management, Trustee oversight, 

associated stewardship actions, and 

contingencies. A portion of the 

engineering and permitting costs has 

been paid by the National Fish and 

Wildlife Federation’s Gulf 

Environmental Benefit Fund. 

The Louisiana TIG fully evaluated a 

smaller-capacity diversion with a 

maximum capacity of 50,000 cfs 

(Alternative 2). The Trustees found that 

such a diversion would provide 

substantially less benefit in marsh 

preservation and restoration, with only 

a small reduction in adverse impacts 

and a slight cost reduction. 

The Louisiana TIG also fully 

evaluated a larger-capacity diversion 

with a maximum capacity of 150,000 cfs 

(Alternative 3). While the marsh 

creation benefits of such a large 

diversion would be significantly greater, 

the collateral injuries and cost would 

also increase to levels unacceptable to 

the Trustees. 

Alternatives 4–6 are similar to 

Alternatives 1–3, respectively, but also 

would include marsh terrace outfall 

features. The terraces would be chevron 

or ‘‘v’’ shaped, and oriented toward the 

discharge current from the diversion. 

The marsh terrace features would aid in 

overall sediment retention, would help 

protect newly deposited sediment from 

erosion, and would be designed to avoid 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 42 / Friday, March 5, 2021 / Notices 12917 

interfering with the ability of the basin 

to receive diversion flows. While 

providing some benefits, the outfall 

feature alternatives do not substantially 

change the extent to which the 

corresponding alternatives with similar 

capacity and without terraces meet the 

Proposed MBSD Project’s goals and 

objectives. 

While the Louisiana TIG has rejected 

the No-Action-Alternative for this Draft 

Phase II RP #3.2, the OPA analysis 

provided in Chapter 3 integrates 

information about the MBSD DEIS NoAction Alternative (40 CFR 1502.14(c)) 

because it provides a baseline against 

which the benefits and collateral 

injuries of the Proposed MBSD Project 

and its alternatives can be compared. 

The Louisiana TIG is committed to 

continuing efforts to restore the 

resources that would be adversely 

affected by the diversion, many of 

which were also injured by the DWH oil 

spill. This Draft Phase II RP #3.2 

includes proposed strategies to help 

avoid, minimize, and mitigate collateral 

injuries to these resources. These 

include proactive strategies to address 

the communities, individuals, and 

stakeholders that rely on the resources 

that could be harmed by the proposed 

diversion. 

The Louisiana TIG has examined the 

injuries assessed by the DWH Trustees 

and evaluated restoration alternatives to 

address the injuries. In Draft Phase II RP 

#3.2, the Louisiana TIG presents to the 

public its draft plan for providing 

partial compensation to the public for 

injured natural resources and ecological 

services in the Louisiana Restoration 

Area. The preferred alternative is 

intended to continue the process of 

using DWH restoration funding to 

restore natural resources injured or lost 

as a result of the DWH oil spill. 

Additional restoration planning for the 

Louisiana Restoration Area will 

continue. 

The Draft Phase II Restoration Plan 

#3.2 does not include integrated NEPA 

analysis. Under OPA NRDA regulations, 

Trustees typically choose to combine a 

restoration plan and the required NEPA 

analysis into a single document (33 CFR 

990.23(a), (c)(1)). Prior to evaluation of 

the Proposed MBSD Project by the 

Louisiana TIG as a proposed restoration 

project under OPA, the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers (USACE CEMVN) initiated 

scoping for the MBSD Project EIS, 

which was initiated through a permit 

application for the project by CPRA. In 

this case, to increase efficiency, reduce 

redundancy, and be consistent with 

Federal policy and 40 CFR 1506.3, the 

four Federal Trustees in the Louisiana 

TIG decided to participate as 

cooperating agencies in the 

development of a single MBSD DEIS. As 

the lead agency, the USACE CEMVN has 

primary responsibility for preparing the 

MBSD DEIS (40 CFR 1501.5(a)). The 

Louisiana TIG is relying on the MBSD 

DEIS to evaluate potential 

environmental effects of the restoration 

alternatives proposed in this Draft Phase 

II RP #3.2. Adoption of the MBSD Final 

EIS by the Louisiana TIG would be 

completed upon signature of a Record of 

Decision (ROD). Public review and 

opportunity to comment, and virtual 

public meetings on both the Draft Phase 

II RP #3.2 and the MBSD DEIS are being 

run concurrently. 

Next Steps 

The public is encouraged to review 

and comment on the Draft Phase II RP 

#3.2 and associated MBSD DEIS. Virtual 

public meetings are scheduled to 

facilitate the public review and 

comment process for both documents. 

Each virtual meeting will include a 

presentation of the Draft Phase II RP 

#3.2 and a presentation of the associated 

MBSD DEIS. Following the 

presentations, public comment will be 

taken through the virtual meeting 

platform. Presentation slides, project 

fact sheets, and a recording of the 

webinar will be posted on the Louisiana 

TIG website. Instructions on how to 

access the virtual meetings by computer 

or telephone will be provided on the 

Louisiana TIG’s website approximately 

two weeks prior to the first meeting. 

After the public comment period 

ends, the Louisiana TIG will consider 

and address the comments received 

before issuing a Final Phase II RP #3.2. 

A summary of comments received and 

the Louisiana TIG’s responses and any 

revisions to the document, as 

appropriate, will be included in the 

final document. After issuing the Final 

Phase II RP #3.2 and completion of the 

Final MBSD EIS, the Louisiana TIG 

anticipates preparing a ROD that 

formally adopts the MBSD Final EIS and 

selects an alternative for 

implementation. 

Additional Access to Materials 

You may request a CD of the Draft 

Phase II RP #3.2 (see FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT above). Copies of 

the Draft Phase II RP #3.2 and MBSD 

DEIS are also available for review 

during the public comment period at the 

following locations: 

REPOSITORIES WITH PAPER COPIES OF THE DRAFT PHASE II RP #3.2 AND MBSD DEIS 

Location Address 

Lafitte Library ............................................................. 4917 City Park Drive, Lafitte, LA 70067, (504) 689–5097. 

West Bank Regional Library ..................................... 2751 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey, LA 70058, (504) 364–2660. 

East New Orleans Regional Library .......................... 5641 Read Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70127, (504) 596–0200. 

Belle Chasse Library ................................................. 8442 Highway 23, Belle Chasse, LA 70037, (504) 394–3570. 

Port Sulphur Library .................................................. 139 Civic Drive, Port Sulphur, LA 70083, (337) 527–7200. 

Buras Library ............................................................. 35572 Highway 11, Buras, LA 70041, (504) 564–0944. 

South Lafourche Library ............................................ 16241 East Main Street, Cut Off, LA 70345, (985) 632–7140. 

St. Charles Parish Library, Paradis Branch .............. 307 Audubon St, Paradis, LA 70080, (985) 758–1868. 

REPOSITORIES WITH PAPER COPIES OF THE DRAFT PHASE II RP #3.2 AND MBSD DEIS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, AND

ELECTRONIC COPIES OF THE MBSD DEIS AND APPENDICES ON A USB 

Location Address 

St. Tammany Parish Library ..................................... 310 W. 21st Ave., Covington, LA 70433, (985) 893–6280. 

Terrebonne Parish Library ........................................ 151 Library Dr., Houma, LA 70360, (985) 876–5861. 

New Orleans Public Library ...................................... 219 Loyola Ave., New Orleans, LA 70112, (504) 596–2570. 

East Baton Rouge Parish Library ............................. 7711 Goodwood Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70806, (225) 231–3750. 

Jefferson Parish Library, East Bank Regional Library.4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie, LA 70001, (504) 838–1190. 


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12918 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 42 / Friday, March 5, 2021 / Notices 

REPOSITORIES WITH PAPER COPIES OF THE DRAFT PHASE II RP #3.2 AND MBSD DEIS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, AND

ELECTRONIC COPIES OF THE MBSD DEIS AND APPENDICES ON A USB—Continued 

Location Address 

St. Bernard Parish Library ......................................... 2600 Palmisano Blvd., Chalmette, LA 70043, (504) 279–0448. 

St. Martin Parish Library ........................................... 201 Porter St., St. Martinville, LA 70582, (337) 394–2207. 

Alex P. Allain Library ................................................. 206 Iberia St., Franklin, LA 70538, (337) 828–5364. 

Vermilion Parish Library ............................................ 405 E. Victor St., Abbeville, LA 70510, (337) 893–2674. 

Martha Sowell Utley Memorial Library ...................... 705 W. 5th St., Thibodaux, LA 70301, (985) 447–4119. 

Calcasieu Parish Public Library, Central Branch ...... 301 W. Claude St., Lake Charles, LA 70605, (337) 721–7116. 

Iberia Parish Library .................................................. 445 E. Main St., New Iberia, LA 70560, (337) 364–7024. 

LSU Agricultural Center, Southwest Region ............. 1105 West Port St., Abbeville, LA 70510, (337) 898–4335. 

Translation Opportunities 

Vietnamese and Spanish translation 

will be available at all meetings. All prerecorded presentations are in English, 

but are available on USACE CEMVN’s 

project web page in English, 

Vietnamese, and Spanish. Anyone 

requiring translation in other languages 

should contact Ricky Boyett at 

ricky.d.boyett@usace.army.mil or 504– 

862–1524. 

Administrative Record 

The documents comprising the 

Administrative Record for the Draft 

Phase II RP #3.2 can be viewed 

electronically at http://www.doi.gov/ 

deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord. 

Authority 

The authority of this action is the Oil 

Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701 et 

seq.) and its implementing Oil Pollution 

Act Natural Resource Damage 

Assessment regulations found at 15 CFR 

part 990 and the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 

Dated: February 25, 2021. 

Carrie Diane Robinson, 

Director, Office of Habitat Conservation, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–04355 Filed 3–4–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA912] 

Marine Mammals; File No. 23960 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

Minnesota Zoological Gardens, 13000 

Zoo Boulevard, Apple Valley, MN 

55124 (Responsible Party: Tony Fisher), 

has applied in due form for an 

enhancement permit for captive 

Hawaiian monk seals (Neomonachus 

schauinslandi). 

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email 

comments must be received on or before 

April 5, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: The application and related 

documents are available for review by 

selecting ‘‘Records Open for Public 

Comment’’ from the ‘‘Features’’ box on 

the Applications and Permits for 

Protected Species (APPS) home page, 

https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then 

selecting File No. 23960 from the list of 

available applications. These documents 

are also available upon written request 

via email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@

noaa.gov. 

Written comments on this application 

should be submitted via email to 

NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Please 

include File No. 23960 in the subject 

line of the email comment. 

Those individuals requesting a public 

hearing should submit a written request 

via email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@

noaa.gov. The request should set forth 

the specific reasons why a hearing on 

this application would be appropriate. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jennifer Skidmore or Sara Young, (301) 

427–8401. 

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.), the 

regulations governing the taking and 

importing of marine mammals (50 CFR 

part 216), the Endangered Species Act of 

1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 

et seq.), and the regulations governing 

the taking, importing, and exporting of 

endangered and threatened species (50 

CFR parts 222–226). 

The Minnesota Zoological Gardens 

(MZG) proposes continued maintenance 

of two non-releasable Hawaiian monk 

seals for enhancement purposes. These 

animals would be provided with daily 

husbandry care and treatment for 

current medical conditions, routine 

veterinary care, and would be made 

available for opportunistic research. 

MZG will continue public awareness 

through education and observation, and 

non-intrusive husbandry and medical 

studies conducted incidental to the 

routine care and husbandry of the 

animals. The permit is requested for the 

maximum 5-year period. 

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 1, 2021. 

Amy Sloan, 

Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–04528 Filed 3–4–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA840] 

Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to 

Specified Activities; Taking Marine 

Mammals Incidental to Ferry Berth 

Improvements in Tongass Narrows, 

Alaska 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments on 

proposed Renewal incidental 

harassment authorization. 

SUMMARY: NMFS received a request from 

the Alaska Department of 


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