15052 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 50 / Wednesday, March 14, 2012 / Notices 

the area or temporarily alter their 

behavior at time of exposure. 

Based on the analysis contained in 

this notice, the proposed IHA notice (77 

FR 2701, January 19, 2012), and the IHA 

application, and taking into 

consideration the implementation of the 

mitigation and monitoring measures, 

NMFS has determined that ORPC’s pile 

driving activities will result in the 

incidental take of small numbers of 

marine mammals, by Level B 

harassment only, and that the total 

taking will have a negligible impact on 

the affected species or stocks. 

Impact on Availability of Affected 

Species for Taking for Subsistence Uses 

There are no relevant subsistence uses 

of marine mammals implicated by this 

action. 

Endangered Species Act (ESA) 

No marine mammal species listed 

under the ESA are anticipated to occur 

within the action area. Therefore, 

section 7 consultation under the ESA is 

not required. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) 

In compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), as implemented by 

the regulations published by the 

Council on Environmental Quality (40 

CFR parts 1500–1508), and NOAA 

Administrative Order 216–6, NMFS 

prepared an Environmental Assessment 

(EA) to consider the environmental 

impacts of issuance of a 1-year IHA and 

made a finding of no significant impact 

FONSI. The EA and FONSI are available 

on the NMFS Web site listed in the 

beginning of this document (see 

ADDRESSES). 

Dated: March 8, 2012. 

Helen M. Golde, 

Deputy Director, Office of Protected 

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6196 Filed 3–13–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Dataset Workshop—U.S. Billion Dollar 

Disasters Dataset (1980–2011): 

Assessing Dataset Strengths and 

Weaknesses for a Pathway to an 

Improved Dataset 

AGENCY: National Environmental 

Satellite, Data, and Information Service 

(NESDIS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Department of Commerce (DOC). 

ACTION: Notice of request for 

information. 

SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the 

schedule and topics of an upcoming 

workshop hosted by NOAA’s National 

Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North 

Carolina. Invited participants will 

discuss topics as outlined below. 

Members of the administrative public, 

private and academic sectors are invited 

to attend the workshop, and are 

required to fulfill a request to RSVP to 

Karen.L.Miller@noaa.gov by 5 p.m. EDT, 

Friday, April 27, 2012 if they wish to 

attend. The workshop is to be held in 

a federal facility; building-security 

restrictions preclude attendance for 

those who do not RSVP by the deadline. 

Space is also limited to the first 35 

responses, but remote access via 

webinar will be made available for the 

first 50 participants requesting webinar 

participation. The remote access 

participation information will be 

provided on an individual basis once 

participation has been confirmed 

through RSVP. 

Workshop Date and Time: The 

workshop will be held on May 3, 2012 

from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and May 4, 2012 

from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 

RSVP Deadline: Anyone wishing to 

attend the workshop must RSVP no later 

than 5:00 pm EDT on April 27, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: The workshop will be held 

at the Veach-Baley Federal Complex, 

located at 151 Patton Avenue, Asheville, 

North Carolina 28801. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Adam Smith, National Climatic Data 

Center, 151 Patton Avenue, Rm. 471, 

Asheville, North Carolina 28801. 

(Phone: 828–271–4183, Email: 

Adam.Smith@noaa.gov) For RSVP 

responses, use the email address noted 

above (Karen.L.Miller@noaa.gov). 

Workshop Goals 

The workshop will focus on a review, 

discussion, and evaluation of NOAA’s 

U.S. Billion Dollar Disasters (1980– 

2011) dataset and associated methods 

used to develop the data set. An 

important goal of the meeting is to 

identify strengths and weaknesses of the 

current dataset and related 

methodology. Emphasis will be placed 

on dataset accuracy and time-dependent 

biases. Pathways to overcome accuracy 

and bias issues will be an important 

focus. 

Participants will consider: 

• Historical development and current 

state of the U.S. Billion Dollar Disasters 

Report; 

• What additional data sources and/ 

or new methods should be considered to 

enhance the robustness of the Billion 

Dollar Disasters dataset; 

• Examination of unique 

uncertainties related to the cost of each 

of the major types of weather and 

climate disasters the data set addresses; 

• What steps should be taken to 

enhance the robustness of the billiondollar disaster dataset and the input 

sources used for it; and 

• What steps might NOAA take to 

leverage the expertise of the public, 

private and academic partners in the 

development, maintenance and the 

timely review/revision of the U.S. 

Billion Dollar Dataset in the long-term? 

The report from this workshop will 

include: 

Æ A peer review of the current 

methods used to estimate disaster costs. 

Æ Guidance for improving these 

methods. 

Æ Recommendations for rectifying 

any known time-dependent biases. 

Æ Recommendations for minimizing 

future errors and biases. 

Mary E. Kicza, 

Assistant Administrator for Satellite and 

Information Services. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6069 Filed 3–13–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL 

QUALITY 

National Ocean Council—National 

Ocean Policy Draft Implementation 

Plan 

AGENCY: Council on Environmental 

Quality. 

ACTION: Extension of comment period. 

SUMMARY: On July 19, 2010, President 

Obama signed Executive Order 13547 

establishing a National Policy for the 

Stewardship of the Ocean, our Coasts, 

and the Great Lakes (National Ocean 

Policy). As part of the President’s charge 

for Federal agencies to implement the 

National Ocean Policy, the National 

Ocean Council developed actions to 

achieve the Policy’s nine priority 

objectives, and to address some of the 

most pressing challenges facing the 

ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes. 

Collectively, the actions are 

encompassed in a single draft National 

Ocean Policy Implementation Plan 

(Implementation Plan). The draft 

Implementation Plan describes more 

than 50 actions the Federal Government 

will take to improve the health of the 

ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes, which 

support tens of millions of jobs, 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 50 / Wednesday, March 14, 2012 / Notices 15053 

contribute trillions of dollars a year to 

the national economy, and are essential 

to public health and national security. 

Next, public comments on the draft 

Implementation Plan will inform the 

preparation of the final plan. Per our 

prior notice, which was published at 77 

FR 2514 on January 18, 2012, we 

welcome your general input, and also 

pose the following questions: 

• Does the draft Implementation Plan 

reflect actions you see are needed to 

address the nine priorities for the ocean, 

coasts, and the Great Lakes? 

• What is the most effective way to 

measure outcomes and to detect 

whether a particular action in the 

Implementation Plan has achieved its 

intended outcome? Would a report card 

format be useful? 

With this notice, we are pleased to 

inform you that the comment period on 

the draft Implementation Plan has been 

extended. As stated on the National 

Ocean Council’s Web site, http:// 

www.WhiteHouse.gov/oceans, on 

February 28, 2012, the new deadline for 

public comment on the draft 

Implementation Plan is March 28, 2012. 

Comments received will be collated and 

posted on the National Ocean Council 

Web site. The final Implementation Plan 

is expected in the spring of 2012. 

DATES: The National Ocean Council 

must receive comments by midnight, 

March 28, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: The draft Implementation 

Plan and additional information can be 

found at http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/ 

oceans. Comments should be submitted 

electronically to http:// 

www.WhiteHouse.gov/oceans. 

Comments may also be sent in writing 

to ‘‘ATTN: National Ocean Council’’ by 

fax to (202) 456–0753, or by mail to 

National Ocean Council, 722 Jackson 

Place NW., Washington, DC 20503. 

Heightened security measures in force 

may delay mail delivery; therefore, 

please allow at least two (2) to three (3) 

weeks of additional time for mailed 

comments to arrive. We encourage you 

to also submit comments through the 

National Ocean Council Web site. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Questions about the content of this 

request may be submitted through the 

National Ocean Council Web site at 

http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/ 

administration/eop/oceans/contact or 

by mail to National Ocean Council, 722 

Jackson Place NW., Washington, DC 

20503. Please note, heightened security 

measures in force may delay mail 

delivery; therefore, we encourage you to 

also submit questions through the 

National Ocean Council Web site. 

Dated: March 9, 2012. 

Nancy H. Sutley, 

Chair. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6215 Filed 3–13–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3225–F2–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Office of the Secretary 

[Docket ID DoD–2011–OS–0112] 

Manual for Courts-Martial; Proposed 

Amendments 

AGENCY: Joint Service Committee on 

Military Justice (JSC), DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of response to public 

comments on proposed amendments to 

the Military Rules of Evidence (M.R.E.) 

in the Manual for Courts-Martial, United 

States (2008 ed.) (MCM). 

SUMMARY: The Joint Service Committee 

on Military Justice (JSC) is forwarding 

final proposed amendments to the 

Manual for Courts-Martial, United 

States (MCM) to the Department of 

Defense. The proposed changes 

constitute the 2012 revision of the 

Military Rules of Evidence (M.R.E.) in 

the MCM in accordance with DoD 

Directive 5500.17, ‘‘Role and 

Responsibilities of the Joint Service 

Committee (JSC) on Military Justice,’’ 

May 3, 2003. The proposed changes 

affect all the M.R.E. and are in 

conformity, to the extent practicable, 

with the Federal Rules of Evidence. 

These proposed changes have not been 

coordinated within the Department of 

Defense under DoD Directive 5500.1, 

‘‘Preparation, Processing and 

Coordinating Legislation, Executive 

Orders, Proclamations, Views Letters 

Testimony,’’ June 15, 2007, and do not 

constitute the official position of the 

Department of Defense, the Military 

Departments, or any other Government 

agency. 

ADDRESSES: Comments and materials 

received from the public are available 

for inspection or copying at the U.S. 

Army Office of the Judge Advocate 

General, Criminal Law Division, 2200 

Army Pentagon, Room 3B548, between 

9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal Holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lieutenant Colonel Christopher A. 

Kennebeck, Executive Secretary, Joint 

Service Committee on Military Justice, 

Office of the Judge Advocate General, 

Criminal Law Division, 2200 Army 

Pentagon, Room 3B548, Washington DC 

20310–2200, (571) 256–8136, (571) 693– 

7368 fax, c.kennebeck@us.army.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On October 19, 2011 (76 FR 65062– 

65093), the JSC published a Notice of 

Proposed Amendments to the Military 

Rules of Evidence contained within the 

Manual for Courts-Martial and a Notice 

of Public Meeting to receive comments 

on these proposals. The public meeting 

was held on November 17, 2011. No 

member of the public appeared. Several 

comments were received via electronic 

mail and were considered by the JSC. 

Discussion of Comments and Changes 

The JSC considered each public 

comment, and after making minor 

modifications, the JSC is satisfied that 

the proposed amendments are 

appropriate to implement. The JSC will 

forward the public comments and 

proposed amendments to the 

Department of Defense. 

The public comments regarding the 

proposed changes follow: 

a. Commenter recommended that the 

JSC prepare and include comments for 

each M.R.E. similar to Committee Notes 

accompanying F.R.E. The notes 

contained in the Appendix 22, Analysis 

of the Military Rules of Evidence, are 

intended to serve the same purpose as 

the Committee Notes. In addition to the 

analysis in the MCM, the JSC prepared 

an Executive Summary of the 

amendments to the M.R.E. and a Word 

document using color-coded text and 

comments to explain amendments. 

Updated analysis is being prepared by 

the JSC and will be included in the next 

Executive Order; however, the analysis 

currently in the MCM will suffice until 

the MCM is updated to include both the 

amended M.R.E. and its amended 

analysis (projected in 2013). 

b. Commenter recommended that the 

revised M.R.E. 412 not limit its purpose 

to the privacy interests of a single 

affected victim. JSC removed reference 

to victim ‘‘privacy’’ and instead refers to 

M.R.E. 403 (military judge determines 

what evidence is relevant and material 

and whether its probative value 

outweighs the danger of unfair 

prejudice). A new discussion lists 

‘‘ordinary countervailing interests’’ for 

the military judge to consider, 

including, but not limited to, 

harassment of a victim. 

c. Commenter recommended 

renaming the title of M.R.E. 412(c)(3) 

from ‘‘Privacy’’ to ‘‘Order’’ because 

privacy is no longer part of the M.R.E. 

412(c)(3) balancing test. The JSC 

renamed the subsection from ‘‘Privacy’’ 

to ‘‘Scope’’ because it addresses the 

scope of admissible evidence as 

determined by the military judge’s 

order. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES