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[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 150 (Friday, August 4, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44324-44325]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-6668]

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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft Environmental Assessment for 
proposed activities in the Pacific Ocean.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation gives notice of the 
availability of a draft Environmental Assessment for proposed 
activities in the Pacific Ocean.
    The Division of Ocean Sciences in the Directorate for Geosciences 
(GEO/OCE) has prepared a draft Environmental Assessment for a low-
energy marine seismic survey by the Research Vessel Roger Revelle in 
the South Pacific Ocean, in international waters roughly between 
23[deg] and 47[deg] S, and between 115[deg] and 165[deg] W during 
December 2006-January 2007. The draft Environmental Assessment is 
available for public review for a 30-day period.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before September 5, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft Environmental Assessment are available 
upon request from: Dr. William Lang, National Science Foundation, 
Division of Ocean Sciences, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Suite 725, Arlington, VA 
22230. Telephone: (703) 292-7857. The draft is also available on the 
agency's Web site at http://www.nsf.gov/geo/oce/pubs/scripps_seismic_southpac_dec2006_EA.pdf.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Scripps Institution of Oceanography 
(SIO), with research funding from the National Science Foundation 
(NSF), plans to conduct a piston/gravity coring, magnetic, and seismic 
survey program at 12 sites in the South Pacific Ocean during December 
2006-January 2007. The proposed action is part of the Integrated Ocean 
Drilling Program (IODP) and will collect data that will be used to (1) 
document the metabolic activities genetic composition, and biomass of 
prokaryotic communities in the subseafloor sediments with very low 
total activity; (2) quantify the extent to which those communities may 
be supplied with harvestable energy by water radiolysis, a process 
independent of the surface photosynthetic world; and (3) survey broad 
characteristics of subseafloor communities and habitats in this region, 
in order to refine the planning and objectives of IODP South Pacific 
research. The seismic survey is required to locate optimal piston/
gravity-coring sites and involves one vessel, the R/V Roger Revelle. 
One pair of low-energy Generator-Injector (GI) airguns (45 in\3\ 
discharge volume each) will used as the seismic energy source with a 
proposed survey program of approximately 1930 km of seismic lines, 
including turns, with water depths of 3200 to 5700m. The research will 
be carried out entirely within international waters.
    Numerous species of cetaceans and sea turtles occur in the South 
Pacific Ocean. Several of the species are listed as Endangered under 
the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). The increased underwater noise 
from the research may result in avoidance behavior by some marine 
animals, and other forms of disturbance. An integral part of the 
planned survey is a monitoring and mitigation program designed to 
minimize impacts of the proposed activities on marine species present, 
and to document the nature and extent of any effects. Injurious impacts 
to marine animals have not been proven to occur near equipment proposed 
to be used in this research; however, the planned monitoring and 
mitigation measures would minimize the possibility of such effects 
should they otherwise occur.
    With the planned monitoring and mitigation measures, unavoidable 
impacts to each of the species of marine mammal that might be 
encountered are expected to be limited to short-term localized changes 
in behavior and distribution near the seismic vessel. At most, such 
effects may be interpreted as falling within the Marine Mammal 
Protection Act (MMPA) definition of ``Level B Harassment'' for those 
species managed by NMFS. No long-term or significant effects are 
expected on individual marine mammals, or the populations to which they 
belong, or their habitats. The agency is currently consulting with the 
National Marine Fisheries Service regarding species within their 
jurisdiction potentially affected by this proposed activity.
    Copies of the draft Environmental Assessment, titled 
``Environmental Assessment of a Planned Low-Energy Marine Seismic 
Survey by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the South Pacific 
Ocean, December 2006-January 2007'', are available upon request from: 
Dr. William Lang, National Science foundation, Division of Ocean 
Sciences, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Suite 725, Arlington, VA 22230. Telephone: 
(703) 292-7857 or at the agency's Web site at: http://www.nsf.gov/geo/oce/pubs/scripps_seismic_southpac_dec2006_EA.pdf. The National 
Science Foundation invites interested members of the public to provide 
written comments on this draft Environmental Assessment.

[[Page 44325]]

    Dated: July 31, 2006.
William Lang,
Program Director, Division of Ocean Sciences, National Science 
Foundation.
[FR Doc. 06-6668 Filed 8-3-06; 8:45am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M
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