Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 108 / Wednesday, June 6, 2007 / Notices 31351 

(2) NARA has determined that as a result of 

the suspected or confirmed compromise 

there is a risk of harm to economic or 

property interests, identity theft or fraud, or 

harem to the security or integrity of this 

system or other systems or programs 

(whether maintained by NARA of another 

agency or entity) that rely upon the 

compromised information; and (3) the 

disclosure is made to such agencies, entities, 

and persons who are reasonably necessary to 

assist in connection with NARA’s efforts to 

respond to the suspected or confirmed 

compromise and prevent, minimize, or 

remedy such harm. 

[FR Doc. E7–10849 Filed 6–5–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7515–01–P 

NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR THE 

ARTS AND HUMANITIES 

Notice of Proposed Information 

Collection: Assessing the 

Effectiveness of Various Methods 

Used To Distribute Funds to U.S. 

Museums 

AGENCY: Institute of Museum and 

Library Services, National Foundation 

for the Arts and Humanities. 

SUMMARY: The Institute of Museum and 

Library Services (IMLS) as part of its 

continuing effort to reduce paperwork 

and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to 

provide the general public and federal 

agencies with an opportunity to 

comment on proposed and/or 

continuing collections of information in 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 

U.S.C. 3508(2)(A)]. This program helps 

to ensure that requested data can be 

provided in the desired format, 

reporting burden (time and financial 

resources) is minimized, collection 

instruments are clearly understood, and 

the impact of collection requirements on 

respondents can be properly assessed. 

The Institute of Museum and Library 

Services is soliciting comments on a 

proposed study to assess the 

effectiveness of various methods used to 

distribute funds to the nation’s 

museums. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted to the office listed in the 

ADDRESSES section below on or before 

August 6, 2007. IMLS is particularly 

interested in comments that help the 

agency to: 

• Evaluate whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; 

• Evaluate the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed collection of information, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; 

• Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and 

• Minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including through the 

use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology, 

e.g., permitting electronic submission of 

responses. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments to: Mamie 

Bittner, Deputy Director, Office of 

Policy, Planning, Research, and 

Communications, Institute of Museum 

and Library Services, 1800 M Street, 

NW., 9th Floor, Washington, DC. Ms. 

Bittner can be reached by telephone: 

202–653–4630; fax: 202–653–4600; or email: mbittner@imls.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

The Institute of Museum and Library 

Services is authorized by the Museum 

and Library Services Act, Public Law 

108–81, and is the primary source of 

federal support for the nation’s 122,000 

libraries and 17,500 museums. The 

Institute’s mission is to create strong 

libraries and museums that connect 

people to information and ideas. The 

Institute works at the national level and 

in coordination with state and local 

organizations to sustain heritage, 

culture, and knowledge; enhance 

learning and innovation; and support 

professional development. 

II. Current Actions 

To better understand the role of 

public funding the study will be framed 

by four questions: 

(1) What mechanisms are currently 

used to deliver public funding to 

museums from the Federal government 

and the state government in each of the 

states to be identified? 

(2) For what purposes are state and 

Federal public funds allocated to 

museums in each of the states to be 

identified? 

(3) How do delivery mechanisms 

impact the quality of services? Are there 

gaps? 

(4) Would alternative funding models, 

such as a population-based state grant, 

make a significant impact in addressing 

any identified gaps in museum services? 

Once completed, the results of the 

study will be incorporated into a report 

which will be made widely available to 

inform and benefit the museum 

community and the public at large. 

Agency: Institute of Museum and 

Library Services. 

Title: Assessing the Effectiveness of 

Various Methods Used to Distribute 

Funds to U.S. Museums. 

OMB Number: N/A. 

Agency Number: 3137. 

Frequency: One time. 

Affected Public: Museums, libraries, 

State Library Administrative Agencies, 

institutions of higher education, not-forprofit institutions, library and museum 

professional associations, Native 

American tribal governments, State and 

local governments, appointed and 

elected officials, school officials and 

educators, and individuals. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mamie Bittner, Deputy Director, Office 

of Policy, Planning, Research, and 

Communications, Institute of Museum 

and Library Services, 1800 M Street, 

NW., 9th Floor, Washington, DC. Ms. 

Bittner can be reached by telephone: 

202–653–4630; fax: 202–653–4600; or email: mbittner@imls.gov. 

Dated: May 30, 2007. 

Barbara Smith, 

E-Projects Officer. 

[FR Doc. E7–10829 Filed 6–5–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7036–01–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Notice of the Availability of a Draft 

Environmental Assessment 

AGENCY: National Science Foundation. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft 

Environmental Assessment for proposed 

activities in the Eastern Tropical Pacific 

Ocean. 

SUMMARY: The National Science 

Foundation (NSF) gives notice of the 

availability of a draft Environmental 

Assessment (EA) for proposed activities 

in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. 

The Division of Ocean Sciences in the 

Directorate for Geosciences (GEO/OCE) 

has prepared a draft Environmental 

Assessment for a pair of marine 

geophysical surveys by the Research 

Vessel Marcus G Langseth in the Eastern 

Tropical Pacific Ocean, in international 

waters (2000–5000 meters depth) 

between 5° S and 11° N, along ∼105° W 

during September–December 2007. The 

draft Environmental Assessment is 

available for public review for a 30-day 

period. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before July 6, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft 

Environmental Assessment are available 

upon request from: Dr. William Lang, 

National Science Foundation, Division 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
31352 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 108 / Wednesday, June 6, 2007 / Notices 

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/ 

MGL_ETP_2007_EA.pdf. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: LamontDoherty Earth Observatory (LDEO), with 

research funding from the NSF, plans to 

conduct two marine seismic surveys in 

the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) 

during 2007. The research programs will 

take place in international waters of the 

ETP at least 890 km from any coast. The 

surveys will use a towed airgun array 

consisting of up to 27 operating airguns 

with a maximum discharge volume of 

4950 in3. The studies will take place in 

offshore waters >2000 m deep. 

The first survey will start in 

September 2007 and will obtain seismic 

reflection images of the internal 

structure of the magmatic-hydrothermal 

system at the fast-spreading mid-ocean 

ridge of the East Pacific Rise (EPR). The 

seismic data from the EPR survey will 

be used to advance our understanding of 

the linkages between the fundamental 

process of crustal creation at the midocean ridge and the biological systems 

that thrive in the absence of sunlight at 

deep sea volcanoes. The survey will 

allow the characterization of the 

fundamental heat source driving the 

seafloor hydrothermalism in the EPR, by 

examining the subsurface magma 

system. It will also provide an 

understanding of the relationships 

between the temporal variations in 

subsurface magma systems and highly 

transient phenomena observed at the 

seafloor like faulting, volcanism, and 

hydrothermal venting. Hydrothermal 

systems are of great interest in that they 

may be linked to the origin of life in 

early Earth history. 

The second survey is expected to take 

place from early November through 

December 2007. It will examine two 

important types of seismic behavior of 

the Quebrada, Discovery, and Gofar 

fault systems (QDG) to understand 

better the behavior of earthquakes and 

faults in general. Oceanic transform 

faults, such as the QDG, are the most 

poorly studied of the various types of 

plate boundaries. The QDG survey will 

examine the seismogenic properties that 

make oceanic transforms unique, 

including abundant foreshocks before 

large earthquakes, slow ruptures, and 

large variations in fault seismic 

coupling. The two main questions to be 

addressed by the study are: (1) Do large 

and small earthquakes nucleate in the 

same way, or is there some kind of fault 

preparation process before large events, 

and (2) why do some faults remain 

locked for decades to centuries between 

large earthquakes while others creep 

aseismically and never have a large 

event? Refraction images of the material 

properties in both fault zones will 

provide important information about the 

physics of faulting and the earthquake 

process. 

The first survey (EPR) is a 

multichannel seimic (MCS) reflection 

survey in a 3D configuration. The 

survey will consist of two racetrack 

configurations with a total of 36 loops 

that will cover an area of ∼28 × 28 km. 

The Langseth will deploy a 36-airgun 

array as an energy source. However, two 

identical two-stirring sources will be 

firing alternately, so that no more than 

18 airguns will be firing at any time. 

The maximum discharge volume will be 

3300 in3. The Langseth will also tow the 

receiving system, which consists of four 

6-km hydrophone streamers; each 

streamer will be located 100 m from the 

adjacent streamer. The second study 

(QDG) will consist of a refraction survey 

done in a 2D configuration. It will 

consist of two north-south lines, each 

∼122 km in length, each to be surveyed 

twice. If there is time, two 25-km westeast lines will also be surveyed, and one 

of the north-south lines will be 

resurveyed. With the contingency 

surveys, the study will consist of a total 

of 654 km of survey lines, including 

turns. The Langseth will deploy a 36- 

airgun array as an energy source. 

However, no more than 27 airguns will 

be fired at any time. The maximum 

discharge volume will be 4950 in3. A 

single 8-km streamer will be deployed. 

The Langseth will also deploy 40 longterm OBSs, deployed over a 50-km wide 

spread. The long-term OBSs will be 

recovered 1 year after deployment. 

Another 8–10 short-term OBSs will be 

deployed on each line, which will be 

retrieved after the seismic surveys are 

completed. 

LDEO has applied for the issuance of 

an Incidental Harrassment 

Authorization (IHA) from the National 

Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to 

authorize the incidental harassment of 

small numbers of marine mammals 

during the seismic survey. the 

information in this Environmental 

Assessment supports the IHA permit 

application process, provides 

information on marine species not 

covered by the IHA, and addresses the 

requirements of Executive Order 12114, 

‘‘Environmental Effects Abroad of Major 

Federal Actions’’. Alternatives 

addressed in this EA consist of a 

corresponding seismic survey at a 

different time, along with issuance of an 

associated IHA; and the no action 

alternative, with no IHA and no seismic 

survey. 

Numerous species of cetaceans and 

sea turtles occur in the Eastern Tropical 

Pacific Ocean. Several of the cetacean 

species are listed as endangered under 

the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), 

including the humpback, sei, fin, blue, 

and sperm whales. Sea turtles that are 

known to occur in the ETP include the 

endangered leatherback, green, olive 

ridley, and hawksbill turtle, and the 

threatened loggerhead turtle. 

The potential impacts of the seismic 

surveys would be primarily a result of 

the operation of airguns, although a 

multi-beam sonar and a sub-bottom 

profiler will also be operated. Impacts 

may include increased marine noise and 

resultant avoidance behavior by marine 

mammals, sea turtles, and fish; and 

other forms of disturbance. The 

operations of the project vessel during 

the study would also cause a minor 

increase in the amount of vessel traffic. 

An integral part of the planned survey 

is a monitoring and mitigation program 

designed to minimize the impacts of the 

proposed activities on marine mammals 

and sea turtles that may be present 

during the proposed research, and to 

document the nature and extent of any 

effects. Injurious impacts to marine 

mammals and sea turtles have not been 

proven to occur near airgun arrays; 

however the planned monitoring and 

mitigation measures would minimize 

the possibility of such effects should 

they otherwise occur. 

Protection measures designed to 

mitigate the potential environmental 

impacts will include the following: a 

minimum of one dedicated marine 

mammal observer maintaining a visual 

watch during all daytime airgun 

operations, and two observers for 30 

minutes before start up. A passive 

acoustic monitoring (PAM) array will be 

monitored 24 hours per day while at the 

survey area during airgun operations 

and when the Langseth is underway 

while the airguns are not operating. The 

use of ramp-up, as well as 

implementation of power-down or shutdown procedures when animals 

approach a designated exclusion zone 

(EZ) are also important mitigation 

measures. LDEO and its contractors are 

committed to apply those measures in 

order to minimize disturbance of marine 

mammals and sea turtles, and also to 

minimize the risk of injuries or of other 

environmental impacts. 

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 


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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 108 / Wednesday, June 6, 2007 / Notices 31353 

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 NMFS regarding 

species within their jurisdiction 

potentially affected by this proposed 

activity. 

Copies of the draft EA, titled 

‘‘Environmental Assessment of two 

Marine Geophysical Surveys by the 

Marcus G. Langseth in the Eastern 

Tropical Pacific, 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/MGL ETP 

2007 EA.pdf. The NSF invites interested 

members of the public to provide 

written comments on this draft EA. 

Dated: May 31, 2007. 

Dr. Alexander Shor, 

Program Director, Oceanographic 

Instrumentation and Technical Services, 

Division of Ocean Sciences, National Science 

Foundation. 

[FR Doc. 07–2809 Filed 6–5–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–M 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste 

and Materials; Meeting Notice 

The Advisory Committee on Nuclear 

Waste and Materials (ACNW&M) will 

hold its 180th meeting on June 19–21, 

2007, Room T–2B3, 11545 Rockville 

Pike, Rockville, Maryland. 

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 

10 a.m.–10:05 a.m.: Opening Remarks 

by the ACNW&M Chairman (Open)—

The Chairman will make opening 

remarks regarding the conduct of 

today’s sessions. 

10:05 a.m.–11:30 a.m.: U.S. 

Department of Energy Briefing on the 

Transportation, Aging, and Disposal 

(TAD) Canister and the Total System 

Model (TSM) in Support of the Yucca 

Mountain Repository Effort (Open)—A 

representative from the Department of 

Energy (DOE), Office of Civilian 

Radioactive Waste Management, will 

brief the Committee on the status of the 

Transportation, Aging, and Disposal 

(TAD) canister that will be used to 

transport and dispose of spent nuclear 

fuel and other high-level radioactive 

waste to the proposed Yucca Mountain 

Repository. The speaker will also 

discuss DOE’s Total System Model 

(TSM) in support of the transportation 

effort. 

11:30 a.m.–12 p.m.: Election of 

ACNW&M Officers for the period of July 

1, 2007 to June 30, 2008 (Open)—The 

Committee will elect the Chairman and 

Vice Chairman for the ACNW&M for the 

next 1-year period. 

Working Group Meeting on 

Implementation of 10 CFR 20.1406 

(Open) 

1 p.m.–1:05 p.m.: Opening Remarks 

and Introductions (Open)—ACNW&M 

Member Dr. James Clarke will provide 

an overview of the Working Group 

Meeting, including the meeting purpose 

and scope, and introduce invited 

speakers. 

1:05 p.m.–4 p.m.: Scheduled 

Presentations 

• Representatives from the designers 

of the Westinghouse AP1000 and the 

General Electric ESBWR power reactors 

will present information on the 

implementation of 10 CFR 20.1406, 

‘‘Minimization of Contamination,’’ in 

the designs of these reactors. 

• A representative from the NRC’s 

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research 

will brief the Committee on draft 

Regulatory Guide 4012. 

• A representative of the Nuclear 

Energy Institute will present 

information on industry contributions to 

the draft Regulatory Guide and 

implementation of 10 CFR 20.1406. 

There may be a 15 minute break at 

some point during this activity. 

4 p.m.–5 p.m.: Discussion and Wrap 

Up (Open)—Committee Member Clarke 

will lead a discussion of the ACNW&M 

Members and the invited speakers. Dr. 

Clarke will provide a summary of the 

Working Group Meeting, including a 

discussion of a possible letter report to 

the Commission. 

Wednesday, June 20, 2007 

8:30 a.m.–8:35 a.m.: Opening 

Remarks by the ACNW&M Chairman 

(Open)—The Chairman will make 

opening remarks regarding the conduct 

of today’s sessions. 

8:35 a.m.–9:30 a.m.: NRC Office of 

Public Affairs’ Perspectives on 

Radiation Risk Communication 

(Open)—NRC staff representative from 

the Office of Public Affairs (OPA) will 

brief the Committee on the NRC’s efforts 

to inform the public about the health 

effects from low dose radiation 

exposure. The discussion is also 

expected to address the public 

perceptions about radiation exposures. 

9:30 a.m.–10 a.m.: A Basic Primer on 

High-Burnup Spent Nuclear Fuel and Its 

Cladding (Open)—ACNW&M staff will 

provide the Committee with a lecture on 

spent nuclear fuels (SNFs), the effects 

from high-burnup exposure, and how 

storage and transportation of SNF can be 

affected by burnup-affected 

characteristics. Some of the topics to be 

covered are cladding types, hydriding, 

and oxidation. 

10:15 a.m.–11:45 a.m.: ACNW&M 

Staff Attendance to Recent Technical 

Meetings (Open)—ACNW&M staff will 

report to the Committee on their 

attendance to recent technical meetings 

such as: the NEI Dry Cask Storage 

Forum, the National Mining Association 

(NMA)/NRC Uranium Recovery 

Workshop, the Devil’s Hole Workshop, 

and the DOE/NRC Technical Exchange 

Meeting on Preclosure Facilities Layout 

and Operations. 

1 p.m.–4:30 p.m.: Discussion of 

ACNW&M Letter Reports (Open)—The 

Committee will discuss potential and 

proposed ACNW&M letter reports. 

4:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.: Miscellaneous 

(Open)—The Committee will discuss 

matters related to the conduct of 

ACNW&M activities and specific issues 

that were not completed during 

previous meetings, as time and 

availability of information permit. 

Discussions may include content of 

future letters and scope of future 

Committee Meetings. 

Thursday, June 21, 2007 

8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.: Miscellaneous 

(Open)—The Committee will discuss 

matters related to the conduct of 

ACNW&M activities and specific issues 

that were not completed during 

previous meetings. Discussions may 

include content of future letters and 

scope of future Committee Meetings. 

Procedures for the conduct of and 

participation in ACNW&M meetings 

were published in the Federal Register 

on October 12, 2006 (71 FR 60196). In 

accordance with those procedures, oral 

or written views may be presented by 

members of the public. Electronic 

recordings will be permitted only 

during those portions of the meeting 

that are open to the public. Persons 

desiring to make oral statements should 

notify Dr. Antonio F. Dias (Telephone 

301–415–6805), between 8:15 a.m. and 

5 p.m. ET, as far in advance as 

practicable so that appropriate 

arrangements can be made to schedule 

the necessary time during the meeting 

for such statements. Use of still, motion 

picture, and television cameras during 

the meeting may be limited to selected 


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