75600 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 246 / Friday, December 21, 2012 / Proposed Rules 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Parts 91, 121, 125, and 135 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0953] 

Policy Statement on Occupational 

Safety and Health Standards for 

Aircraft Cabin Crewmembers; 

Extension of Comment Period 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; Extension 

of comment period. 

SUMMARY: This action extends the 

comment period for a notice of 

availability that was published in the 

Federal Register on December 7, 2012. 

In that document, the FAA announced 

a proposed policy statement regarding 

the regulation of some occupational 

safety and health conditions affecting 

cabin crewmembers on aircraft by the 

Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration. The comment period is 

scheduled to close on January 7, 2013. 

Several airline associations have 

requested that the FAA extend the 

comment period for an additional 30 

days to allow time for their members to 

evaluate the impacts and implications of 

the proposed policy and prepare 

comments. 

DATES: The comment period for the 

Notice of availability published on 

December 7, 2012, was scheduled to 

close on January 7, 2013, and is 

extended until January 22, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments 

identified by docket number FAA– 

2012–0953 using any of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and follow 

the online instructions for sending your 

comments electronically. 

• Mail: Send comments to Docket 

Operations, M–30; U.S. Department of 

Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Room W12–140, West 

Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 

20590–0001. 

• Hand Delivery or Courier: Take 

comments to Docket Operations in 

Room W12–140 of the West Building 

Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 

a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. 

• Fax: Fax comments to Docket 

Operations at 202–493–2251. 

Privacy: The FAA will post all 

comments it receives, without change, 

to http://www.regulations.gov, including 

any personal information the 

commenter provides. Using the search 

function of the docket Web site, anyone 

can find and read the electronic form of 

all comments received into any FAA 

docket, including the name of the 

individual sending the comment (or 

signing the comment for an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). DOT’s 

complete Privacy Act Statement can be 

found in the Federal Register published 

on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477–19478), 

as well as at http://DocketsInfo.dot.gov. 

Docket: Background documents or 

comments received may be read at 

http://www.regulations.gov at any time. 

Follow the online instructions for 

accessing the docket or Docket 

Operations in Room W12–140 of the 

West Building Ground Floor at 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Gene Kirkendall, Part 121 Air Carrier 

Operations Branch (AFS–200), Flight 

Standards Service, Federal Aviation 

Administration, 800 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591, 

telephone (202) 267–8166; email 

Gene.Kirkendall@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: See the 

‘‘Additional Information’’ section for 

information on how to comment on this 

proposal and how the FAA will handle 

comments received. 

Background 

On November 29, 2012, the FAA 

issued a Notice entitled ‘‘Policy 

Statement on Occupational Safety and 

Health Standards for Aircraft Cabin 

Crewmembers’’ that published in the 

Federal Register on December 7, 2012 

(77 FR 72998). Comments to that 

document were to be received on or 

before January 7, 2013. 

By letter dated December 7, 2012, the 

Regional Airline Association (RAA), on 

behalf of its member airlines, requested 

that the FAA extend the comment 

period for a minimum of 30 days. The 

petitioner stated that the additional time 

is necessary so that their members can 

assess the extent of the proposed 

changes, as well as develop questions 

and comments. 

By letter dated December 10, 2012, 

Airlines for America (A4A), the RAA, 

and the National Air Carrier Association 

(NACA) also requested an extension of 

the comment period, as the 30-day 

comment period over the holiday season 

will make it extremely difficult for their 

respective members to evaluate the 

impacts and implications of the 

proposed policy and provide 

meaningful input to the FAA. 

While the FAA concurs with the 

petitioners’ requests for an extension of 

the comment period, it does not support 

a 30-day extension. The FAA finds that 

providing additional time until January 

22, 2013 is sufficient for these 

petitioners to analyze the proposed 

policy statement and provide 

meaningful comment. 

Absent unusual circumstances, the 

FAA does not anticipate any further 

extension of the comment period for 

this notice. 

Extension of Comment Period 

In accordance with § 11.47(c) of title 

14, Code of Federal Regulations, the 

FAA has reviewed the petitions made 

by A4A, RAA, and NACA for extension 

of the comment period. These 

petitioners have shown a substantive 

interest in the proposed policy 

statement and good cause for the 

extension. The FAA has determined that 

extension of the comment period is 

consistent with the public interest, and 

that good cause exists for taking this 

action. 

Accordingly, the comment period is 

extended until January 22, 2013. 

Additional Information 

A. Comments Invited 

The FAA invites interested persons to 

participate by submitting written 

comments, data, or views on the policy 

statement. The most helpful comments 

reference a specific portion of the policy 

statement, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. To ensure the docket 

does not contain duplicate comments, 

commenters should send only one copy 

of written comments, or if comments are 

filed electronically, commenters should 

submit only one time. 

The FAA will file in the docket all 

comments it receives, as well as a report 

summarizing each substantive public 

contact with FAA personnel concerning 

this notice. The FAA will consider all 

comments it receives on or before the 

closing date for comments. The FAA 

will consider comments filed after the 

comment period has closed if it is 

possible to do so without incurring 

expense or delay. The agency may 

change this proposal in light of the 

comments it receives. 

B. Availability of Notice 

An electronic copy of the notice may 

be obtained from the Internet by— 

1. Searching the Federal eRulemaking 

Portal (http://www.regulations.gov); or 

2. Accessing the Government Printing 

Office’s Web page at http:// 

www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 246 / Friday, December 21, 2012 / Proposed Rules 75601 

Copies may also be obtained by 

sending a request to the Federal 

Aviation Administration, Office of 

Rulemaking, ARM–1, 800 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591, or 

by calling (202) 267–9680. Commenters 

must identify the docket of this notice. 

All documents the FAA considered in 

developing this proposed policy 

statement, may be accessed from the 

Internet through the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal referenced in item 

(1) above. 

Issued in Washington, DC, December 14, 

2012. 

John M. Allen, 

Director, Flight Standards Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–30701 Filed 12–20–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

15 CFR Part 922 

Boundary Expansion of Cordell Bank 

and Gulf of the Farallones National 

Marine Sanctuaries; Intent To Prepare 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement; 

Scoping Meetings 

AGENCY: Office of National Marine 

Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean 

Service (NOS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Department of Commerce (DOC). 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Consider 

Expanding Sanctuary Boundaries; Intent 

to Prepare Environmental Impact 

Statement; Scoping Meetings. 

SUMMARY: With this notice, NOAA 

announces that it is considering 

whether to expand the boundaries of 

Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones 

national marine sanctuaries. NOAA will 

conduct this review pursuant to section 

304(e) of the National Marine 

Sanctuaries Act, as amended, (NMSA) 

(16 U.S.C. 1434(e)). As required by the 

NMSA, the review will include public 

processes outlined under the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 

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

that the review and potential expansion 

of existing sanctuary boundaries will be 

completed within 18 to 24 months. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

March 1, 2013. Dates for scoping 

meetings are: 

(1) January 24 2013 at the Bodega Bay 

Grange Hall. 

(2) February 12, 2013 at the Gualala 

Community Center. 

(3) February 13, 2013 at the Point 

Arena High School. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on this document, identified by NOAA– 

NOS–2012–0228, by any of the 

following methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NOS-2012- 

0228, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Maria Brown, Sanctuary 

Superintendent, Gulf of the Farallones 

National Marine Sanctuary, 991 Marine 

Drive, The Presidio, San Francisco, CA 

94129. 

Instructions: Comments sent by any 

other method, to any other address or 

individual, or received after the end of 

the comment period, may not be 

considered by NOAA. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and will generally be posted for public 

viewing on www.regulations.gov 

without change. All personal identifying 

information (e.g., name, address, etc.), 

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive information 

submitted voluntarily by the sender will 

be publicly accessible. NOAA will 

accept anonymous comments (enter 

‘‘N/A’’ in the required fields if you wish 

to remain anonymous). Attachments to 

electronic comments will be accepted in 

Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF 

file formats only. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Maria Brown at Maria.Brown@noaa.gov 

or 415–561–6622; or Dan Howard at 

Dan.Howard@noaa.gov or 415–663– 

0314. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background Information 

Gulf of the Farallones National 

Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS), designated 

in 1981, and Cordell Bank National 

Marine Sanctuary (CBNMS), designated 

in 1989, are federally protected marine 

areas along and offshore of California’s 

north-central coast. Centered along an 

important upwelling area, the 

sanctuaries are able to support 

important commercial and recreational 

fisheries, tourism and recreation 

industries, and coastal economies and 

communities. Sanctuary personnel 

contribute greatly to ocean and coastal 

management by engaging in public 

outreach and education to promote 

stewardship, conducting scientific and 

applied research initiatives, and 

developing and supporting programs 

that strengthen resource protection for 

the long-term health of the region. 

NOAA is considering expansion of 

GFNMS and CBNMS to an area north of 

the existing sanctuaries that extends 

from Bodega Bay in Sonoma County, to 

Alder Creek in Mendocino County, and 

west to the edge of the continental shelf. 

This area encompasses the Point Arena 

upwelling center that consistently 

produces the most intense upwelling in 

all of North America. 

The nutrients brought to the surface 

during upwelling events at Point Arena 

are carried south into the sanctuaries by 

the prevailing California Current; these 

nutrients fuel an incredibly productive 

ocean area protected by GFNMS and 

CBNMS. The sanctuaries are destination 

feeding areas for endangered blue 

whales and humpback whales, sharks, 

salmon, and seabirds like albatrosses 

and shearwaters that travel tens of 

thousands of miles. Food that results 

from the Point Arena upwelling center 

also supports the largest assemblage of 

breeding seabirds in the contiguous 

United States on the Farallon Islands. 

Living reefs of corals, sponges and a 

myriad of other invertebrates cover hard 

bottom areas and these sessile 

invertebrate communities are washed 

with food rich water from the north. 

These invertebrate reefs also provide 

structure and habitat for many species 

of juvenile and adult rockfish that 

prosper in these productive waters. 

Sanctuary waters also support valuable 

commercial fisheries for salmon and 

Dungeness crab. Local ports and coastal 

communities all derive socioeconomic 

benefits from these healthy ocean 

habitats. The rich diversity and health 

of this thriving marine ecosystem 

depends on the cold nutrient rich 

source water originating from the Point 

Arena upwelling center. 

In 2008, the joint management plan 

review for CBNMS and GFNMS 

determined that managers in these 

sanctuaries would facilitate a public 

process in the next five years to ensure 

that ‘‘current boundaries were inclusive 

of the area’s natural resource and 

ecological qualities, including the 

biogeographic representation of the 

area.’’ Sanctuary advisory councils from 

both sites have regularly discussed the 

boundary expansion alternative and 

have expressed support for boundary 

expansion when proposed by local 

congressional members. 

In accordance with Section 304(e) of 

the NMSA, NOAA is now initiating a 

review of the boundaries for CBNMS 

and GFNMS to evaluate and assess a 

proposed expansion of the sanctuaries. 

As noted above, NOAA is considering 

extending the boundaries of the two 

sanctuaries to add the northern area 

from Bodega Bay, Sonoma County to 

Alder Creek, Mendocino County, and 

west to the edge of the continental shelf 

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