44466 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 152 / Wednesday, August 8, 2007 / Proposed Rules 

24 5 U.S.C. 603(c). 

25 5 U.S.C. 603(b). 

newspapers, or applicants for licenses. As 

noted above, we invite small business 

entities to comment in response to the 

Second FNPRM. 

E. Steps Taken To Minimize Significant 

Impact on Small Entities, and Significant 

Alternatives Considered 

11. The RFA requires an agency to describe 

any significant alternatives that it has 

considered in reaching its proposed 

approach, which may include the following 

four alternatives (among others): (1) The 

establishment of differing compliance or 

reporting requirements or timetables that take 

into account the resources available to small 

entities; (2) the clarification, consolidation, 

or simplification of compliance or reporting 

requirements under the rule for small 

entities; (3) the use of performance, rather 

than design, standards; and (4) an exemption 

from coverage of the rule, or any part thereof, 

for small entities.24

12. We are directed under law to describe 

any alternatives we consider, including 

alternatives not explicitly listed above.25 The 

Second FNPRM describes and seeks 

comment on the minority ownership 

proposals made by MMTC in comments in 

the 2002 biennial ownership proceeding, as 

well as the recommendations of the Diversity 

Committee, and consolidates the record 

developed in MB Docket No. 04–228 with the 

record in MB Docket Nos. 06–121, et al. The 

proposals are intended to promote minority 

and female ownership, and we seek comment 

on the extent to which they would benefit 

small businesses, including those owned by 

minorities and women. We especially 

encourage small entities to comment on the 

proposals under consideration in this 

consolidated proceeding. We do not propose 

specific rules in the Second FNRPM but 

rather seek comment on a number of different 

proposals that could have an impact on small 

entities. Accordingly, we will describe the 

steps taken to minimize the significant 

impact on small entities and the significant 

alternatives that we consider in the Final 

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis. 

F. Federal Rules That May Duplicate, 

Overlap, or Conflict With the Proposed 

Rules 

None. 

[FR Doc. E7–15456 Filed 8–7–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Office of the Secretary 

49 CFR Part 71 

[OST Docket No. 2007–28746] 

RIN 2105–AD71 

Standard Time Zone Boundary in 

Southwest Indiana 

AGENCY: Department of Transportation 

(DOT), Office of the Secretary (OST). 

ACTION: Supplemental notice of 

proposed rulemaking. 

SUMMARY: DOT is providing notice of a 

petition from the Board of 

Commissioners in Perry County, IN, to 

change the time zone boundary for the 

County from the Central Time Zone to 

the Eastern Time Zone, and DOT’s 

request for additional information from 

Perry County to aid in its determination 

of whether this change would serve the 

convenience of commerce, the statutory 

standard for a time zone change. Other 

persons supporting or opposing the 

change to Perry County’s time zone 

boundary are also requested to provide 

comment. The final rule will be based 

on all of the information received 

during the entire rulemaking proceeding 

and whether the statutory standard has 

been met. 

DATES: Comments should be received by 

August 31, 2007, to be assured of 

consideration. Comments received after 

that date will be considered to the 

extent practicable. If the time zone 

boundary is changed as a result of this 

rulemaking, the effective date would be 

November 4, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by any of the following methods: 

• Web site: http://dms.dot.gov. 

Follow the instructions for submitting 

comments on the DOT electronic docket 

site. 

• Fax: 1–202–493–2251. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility; 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room W12–

140, Washington, DC 20590–001. 

• Hand Delivery: Room W12–140 on 

the plaza level of the U.S. Department 

of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, between 

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

Friday, except Federal Holidays. 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

online instructions for submitting 

comments. 

General Instructions: All submissions 

must include the agency name and 

docket number (OST Docket Number 

2007–28746) or Regulatory 

Identification Number (RIN 2105–AD71) 

for this rulemaking. Note that all 

comments received will be posted 

without change (including any personal 

information provided) to http:// 

dms.dot.gov. Please refer to the Privacy 

Act heading under Regulatory Notices. 

Docket: For access to the docket to 

read background documents or 

comments received, go to http:// 

dms.dot.gov at any time or to Room 

W12–140 on the plaza level of the U.S. 

Department of Transportation, 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: 

Judith S. Kaleta, Office of the General 

Counsel, U.S. Department of 

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, 

indianatime@dot.gov, (202) 493–0992. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Knox, 

Daviess, Martin, Pike, and Dubois 

Counties (the Petitioning Counties) and 

Perry County were six of eight counties 

that moved from the Eastern Time Zone 

to the Central Time Zone under DOT’s 

January 2006 final rule to establish a 

standard time zone boundary in Indiana 

(71 FR 3228). On July 19, 2007, DOT 

published a notice of proposed 

rulemaking in the Federal Register (72 

FR 39593) finding that, based on a Joint 

Petition filed by the Petitioning 

Counties and three Supplemental 

Responses, the Petitioning Counties 

provided enough information to justify 

proposing to change their boundary 

from the Central Time Zone to the 

Eastern Time Zone. 

Under our normal procedures, we do 

not take action unless a county makes 

a clear showing that the proposed 

change of time zone would meet the 

statutory standard. However, as we 

noted in our previous rulemaking on 

time zone boundary changes in Indiana, 

this has been an unusual case because 

of the number of counties involved, 

their relationship to each other and to 

other neighboring counties, and the 

circumstances leading up to the 

petitions. Perry County is located in 

southwest Indiana, is contiguous to the 

Petitioning Counties, and had its time 

zone changed at the same time as the 

Petitioning Counties. Therefore, DOT 

asked for comments with regard to Perry 

County in the Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking concerning standard time 

zone boundary in Southwest Indiana 

published in the Federal Register on 

July 19, 2007. DOT stated, ‘‘We also 

understand that this proposal may have 

an impact on surrounding Counties, 

particularly Perry County which 


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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 152 / Wednesday, August 8, 2007 / Proposed Rules 44467 

changed time zone boundaries at the 

same time as the Petitioning Counties 

* * *. Our decision in the final rule 

will be made on the basis of information 

and comments developed during the 

entire rulemaking proceeding.’’ DOT 

specifically requested comment on 

whether the proposed change would 

serve the convenience of commerce, the 

statutory standard for a time zone 

change, and whether the time zone 

boundary should be changed for other 

contiguous counties in southwestern 

Indiana. 

At the time of the NPRM, DOT was 

unaware that, on June 1, 2007, Perry 

County submitted a Petition (2007 Perry 

County Petition) (OST 2007–28746–654) 

for a time zone boundary change back 

to the Eastern Time Zone. DOT has now 

reviewed the 2007 Perry County Petition 

and the exhibits attached to it. As set 

forth below, the 2007 Perry County 

Petition addresses all of the factors that 

we consider in these proceedings. 

However, on July 31, 2007, DOT wrote 

to Perry County requesting additional 

information to justify that changing back 

Perry County to the Eastern Time Zone 

would serve the convenience of 

commerce. DOT has summarized below 

the petition Perry County filed in 

support of its request to change to the 

Central Time Zone (the 2005 Perry 

County Petition), the 2007 Perry County 

Petition, and DOT’s questions on the 

information submitted by Perry County. 

DOT seeks comments on the 

justification provided by Perry County 

and responsive information to its 

questions. 

2005 and 2007 Perry County Petitions 

and DOT’s Questions 

Community Imports and Exports 

The 2005 Perry County Petition to 

move from the Eastern Time Zone to the 

Central Time Zone stated that the 

primary employers in the county supply 

products to customers located 

throughout North America although 

most of the customer base is located in 

the Midwest or the South. In addition, 

it noted that Perry County’s newer 

employers are considered ‘‘just-in-time’’

suppliers to the automotive industry 

which require a location less than a 

day’s distance from their respective 

customers. 

In lieu of answering the question on 

community imports and exports with an 

overview or analysis of the matter, the 

2007 Perry County Petition summarizes 

and attaches 16 letters from businesses, 

schools, a hospital, and individuals. 

According to the 2007 Perry County 

Petition, the letters express ‘‘a desire to 

change to the Eastern Time Zone’’

because business conducted on Eastern 

time and difference in time zones 

‘‘causes operating challenges on a daily 

basis.’’ The 2007 Perry County Petition 

notes that ‘‘businesses in Perry County 

have in effect lost four hours of each day 

that they can deal with customers and 

suppliers from the Eastern Time Zone: 

One hour in the morning, two hours at 

lunch, and one hour at the end of the 

day.’’ In further support of the Eastern 

Time Zone request, the 2007 Perry 

County Petition specifically references 

three diverse businesses: The Southern 

Indiana Rural Electric Cooperatives, 

which would be the only Hoosier 

Energy Power Network out of 17 that 

would be in the Central Time Zone and 

claims metering and billing problems; 

Kleeman Masonary, Inc, which usually 

travels east in its construction business; 

and Perry County Memorial Hospital, 

which has difficulties dealing with 

insurance companies in the Eastern 

Time Zone. 

While the 2007 Perry County Petition 

claims the 16 letters attached to it are 

from businesses and schools, DOT notes 

that two of the letters were written on 

business letterhead but merely provide 

a preference for a time zone without any 

justification. Another letter states that it 

is ‘‘more cumbersome’’ to be on a 

different time zone, but provides no 

explanation. Similarly, the 2007 Perry 

County Petition states that the Perry 

County Chamber of Commerce has 

informed the Perry County 

Commissioners that ‘‘there are 386 total 

employers located in Perry County’’ and 

that 41% of businesses have expressed 

a preference for the Central Time Zone. 

The 2007 Perry County Petition does not 

provide the reasons for the 

‘‘preference.’’

In order to assess the impact of a time 

zone change on businesses, DOT 

requests comments on the time zone 

impact on businesses in the County and 

the reasons for the time zone 

preferences expressed by Perry County 

businesses. 

Television and Radio Broadcasts 

With regard to television broadcasts, 

the 2005 Perry County Petition stated 

that the County was ‘‘located within the 

Area of Dominant Influence for the 

Evansville, Indiana television market.’’

The 2005 Perry County Petition also 

stated that Perry County ‘‘receives cable 

and over-the-air broadcasts from the 

Louisville, Kentucky market as well.’’

The 2007 Perry County Petition makes 

the same statements concerning 

television broadcasts. 

With regard to radio broadcasts, the 

2005 Perry County Petition stated that 

the ‘‘majority of the stations serving 

Perry County are located either in the 

Central Daylight Saving or Eastern 

Standard time zones.’’ The 2007 Perry 

County Petition elaborates on its earlier 

submission by providing a list of AM 

and FM radio signals for five cities 

within the County based on information 

from radio-locator.com. As the 2007 

Perry County Petition notes, residents in 

the northern part of the County receive 

radio signals from the Eastern Time 

Zone while residents in the southern 

part of the County receive radio signals 

from the Central Time Zone. While the 

Perry County Petition provides radio 

signal information for five cities, it does 

not provide any information about the 

population of those cities. 

In order to assess the impact of a time 

zone change on television and radio 

broadcasts, DOT seeks comments on 

this issue generally and particularly 

requests population data for Bristow, 

Cannelton, Leopold, St. Croix, and Tell 

City, in Perry County. 

Newspapers 

The 2005 Perry County Petition 

stated, ‘‘The primary daily newspaper 

that serves Perry County is the 

Evansville Courier & Press’’ in the 

Central Time Zone and that the local 

county newspaper, which publishes 

editions twice per week, also operates a 

printing plant that prints weekly 

newspapers for two Central Time Zone 

communities. On the other hand, the 

2005 Perry County Petition also noted 

that the Louisville Courier & Journal, 

from the Eastern Time Zone, maintains 

drop boxes for the Sunday edition at 

several area convenience stores. Daily 

service, however, is unavailable. 

The 2007 Perry County Petition 

provides more detailed information on 

newspaper use within the County. First, 

the 2007 Perry County Petition now 

asserts that Perry County residents 

‘‘primarily’’ receive their news from the 

local newspaper, The Perry County 

News, which is published twice a week. 

Second, it includes circulation numbers 

for the Evansville Courier & Press. 

According to the 2007 Perry County 

Petition, there are 1,901 weekday 

subscriptions and 2,271 Sunday 

subscriptions. While this is consistent 

with Perry County’s original request for 

the Central Time Zone, the 2007 Perry 

County Petition claims that the 

subscriptions support the Eastern Time 

Zone because the population base is in 

excess of 18,000. Third, it notes that the 

Indianapolis Star has a very small 

circulation in the County. 

With regard to newspaper publishing, 

DOT seeks comment on this issue 

generally and is also interested in the 

number of subscriptions of The Perry 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with PROPOSALS
44468 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 152 / Wednesday, August 8, 2007 / Proposed Rules 

County News and the Indianapolis Star; 

the total number of households in Perry 

County; whether the residents of Perry 

County receive any newspapers from 

Daviess, Dubois, Knox, Martin, or Pike 

Counties and; if residents do receive 

newspaper from these counties, the 

circulation numbers of those 

newspapers within Perry County. 

Bus and Passenger Rail Service 

The 2005 Perry County Petition states 

that there are no bus or passenger rail 

services in the community. The 2007 

Perry County Petition explains bus 

service in more detail, contrasting bus 

service provided in Evansville and 

Louisville, and freight rail services. The 

2007 Perry County Petition notes that 

Evansville is approximately 50 miles 

away and offers services to western and 

southern routes. In contrast, Louisville 

is approximately 75 miles away and 

offers service to the north, northeast, 

and south. As for rail service, although 

DOT requested information on 

passenger rail service, the 2007 Perry 

County Petition refers only to freight rail 

service that carries goods through 

several southern Indiana counties. 

DOT seeks comment on the bus 

information submitted by Perry County, 

but has no specific request for 

additional data on this issue. 

Airports/Airline Services 

The 2005 Perry County Petition states 

that the nearest airport is in Evansville, 

located in the Central Time Zone, 

approximately 55 miles from Perry 

County. The 2005 Perry County Petition 

also notes that that there is an airport in 

Louisville, in the Eastern Time Zone, 75 

miles from Perry County. The 2007 

Perry County Petition reiterates the 

same information with regard to airport 

location and supplements it by referring 

to the number of departures and 

destinations and the impact of early 

morning flights on travelers. According 

to the 2007 Perry County Petition, 

Evansville Regional Airport has 

approximately only 35 daily departures 

in contrast to Louisville International 

Airport which offers daily departures to 

‘‘around 140 domestic destinations plus 

53 international destinations.’’ The 2007 

Perry County Petition also notes that 

because Louisville International Airport 

is in the Eastern Time Zone, it is 

‘‘extremely difficult’’ to take early 

morning flights unless travelers spend 

the night at or near the airport. 

DOT seeks comment on the airport/ 

airline services information submitted 

by Perry County, but has no specific 

request for additional data on this issue. 

Worker Commuting Patterns 

The 2005 Perry County Petition states 

that 3,267 persons, or 26% of its total 

workforce, reside in Perry County but 

work outside of the County. Of the top 

five areas to which Perry County 

residents commute for work, four were 

in the Central Time Zone and, the fifth, 

Dubois County, was at that time 

requesting to be located in the Central 

Time Zone. (Dubois County is now 

requesting to be moved back to the 

Eastern Time Zone.) A STATS Indiana 

Annual Commuting Trends Profile 

based on Indiana IT–40 Returns for Tax 

Year 2003 was attached to the Petition. 

The 2007 Perry County Petition also 

refers to the Perry County workforce. 

The actual numbers provided differ 

from the earlier submission and are now 

based on STATS Indiana Annual 

Commuting Trends Profile based on 

Indiana IT–40 Returns for Tax Year 

2005. Nevertheless, the percentage of 

the workforce that leaves the County did 

not change; it remains 26%. 

DOT seeks comment on the worker 

commuting patterns information 

submitted by Perry County, but has no 

specific request for additional data on 

this issue. 

The Community’s Economy/Economic 

Development 

The 2005 Perry County Petition 

discussed the major elements of the 

community’s economy, the 

improvement in the County’s economy, 

and efforts to ensure that the local 

economy continues to improve. The 

Perry County Petition noted ‘‘a dramatic 

shift from traditional woodworking 

industries to a significant transportation 

cluster.’’ It stated that the ‘‘primary 

employers manufacture products for the 

automotive, heavy truck, and aerospace 

industries.’’ The 2005 Perry County 

Petition also noted the planning and 

infrastructure the County has put in 

place to support future economic 

growth and its partnerships to enhance 

growth. 

The 2007 Perry County Petition 

answer to the question on the 

community’s economy is nearly the 

same as the 2005 Perry County Petition. 

There is only one change. The 2007 

Perry County Petition eliminates, in this 

response, reference to ‘‘a regional rural 

hospital which serves counties in 

Southern Indiana and Western 

Kentucky, located in the Central time 

zone.’’ However, it includes that 

reference to the hospital in response to 

the question concerning health care. 

In order to assess the impact of a time 

zone change on the community’s 

economy, DOT requests comment on the 

community’s economy and information 

on whether Perry County has entered 

into economic partnerships with 

Daviess, Dubois, Knox, Martin, or Pike 

Counties or other Counties in southern 

Indiana and, if yes, the nature of these 

partnerships and how a time zone 

change would affect these partnerships. 

Schools, Recreation, Health Care, or 

Religious Worship 

With regard to schools, the 2005 Perry 

County Petition emphasized postsecondary education. While the 2005 

Perry County Petition recognized that 

Perry County residents attend postsecondary schools in the Eastern and 

Central Time Zones, it noted that more 

Perry County residents go to the 

University of Southern Indiana in the 

Central Time Zone than any other 

school. 

The 2007 Perry County Petition shifts 

the focus from post-secondary education 

to the high school level. It notes that 

there are no school districts in Perry 

County that are in more than one time 

zone, but indicates that the schools 

cross time zones to participate in 

sporting events. Exhibits 10 through 14 

to the 2007 Perry County Petition 

provide information on the athletic 

conferences in southern Indiana, and 

the schedules for basketball, volleyball, 

football, cross country, baseball, and 

softball. The 2007 Perry County Petition 

asserts that playing games in different 

time zones ‘‘causes extreme 

complications with scheduling and 

arrival and departure times for the 

schools.’’

DOT seeks comment on the 

information submitted by Perry County 

with regard to schooling, but has no 

specific request for additional data. 

The 2005 Perry County Petition did 

not address recreation or whether 

County residents left the County to 

pursue recreational interests. The 2007 

Perry County Petition, however, states 

‘‘Perry County prides itself on its 

outdoor recreational activities including 

the vast amounts of Hoosier National 

Forest and ready access to the Ohio 

River for recreation such as boating, 

fishing and hunting.’’ The 2007 Perry 

County Petition also refers to 

recreational softball, baseball, and 

soccer leagues that could play later into 

the evening if the County were located 

in the Eastern Time Zone. 

In order to assess the impact of a time 

zone change on recreation, DOT 

requests information on whether 

residents leave Perry County for 

recreation and the standard of time 

observed in the places where they go for 

this purpose. 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 152 / Wednesday, August 8, 2007 / Proposed Rules 44469 

With regard to health care, the 2005 

Perry County Petition noted that Perry 

County is ‘‘home to a regional rural 

hospital.’’ It also noted that residents 

also ‘‘primarily travel to Evansville and 

Jasper, Indiana’’ to purchase health 

services. The 2007 Perry County 

Petition also notes the regional hospital 

and refers to a letter from Perry County 

Memorial Hospital that is ‘‘in favor of 

the Eastern Time Zone for the reasons 

set forth in the letter.’’ The letter states 

that the hospital conducts ‘‘a lot of 

business with our State Capitol in 

Indianapolis’’ and that ‘‘the large 

insurance companies’’ that it does 

business with are also located there. 

While the letter provides business 

reasons for an Eastern Time Zone 

preference, it does not address the 

impact of the current time zone on Perry 

County residents and whether they are 

referred to health care providers in other 

time zones. 

In order to assess the impact of a time 

zone change on health care, DOT 

requests comments on this issue and 

information on the number of patients 

referred from Perry County to health 

care providers in Evansville, Jasper, 

Indianapolis, and Louisville. 

Neither the 2005 Perry County 

Petition nor the 2007 Perry County 

Petition addressed religious worship 

and DOT has no additional questions 

concerning this issue. 

Regional Connections 

In the original rulemaking proceeding 

to change time zone boundaries from 

the Eastern Time Zone to the Central 

Time Zone, petitioning counties and 

commenters advocated for a move by 

referring to their ties to other Indiana 

counties currently in the Central Time 

Zone. DOT carefully reviewed this data 

and utilized it in reaching its decision. 

DOT recognizes the importance of 

regional connections and the benefits of 

similar time zones and regional ties 

among counties. As described in DOT’s 

January 2006 Final Rule’s summary of 

the hearings and comments to the 

docket, the Southwestern Counties have 

strong regional ties to each other and 

Central Time Zone Counties. DOT 

stated, ‘‘While Daviess, Dubois, Knox, 

Martin, and Perry border other Indiana 

counties in the Eastern Time Zone, their 

ties to those counties are not as strong 

as they are to each other and to other 

counties to their south, which are 

currently in the Central Time Zone. 

Along with Pike, these counties are 

located in the same workforce, 

commerce, transportation, and 

education regions designated by 

Indiana. Remaining in the same time 

zone and maintaining their regional ties 

better position counties to realize 

advantages in economic, cultural, social, 

and civic activities, thereby serving the 

convenience of commerce.’’

The 2007 Perry County Petition 

addresses regional connections by 

noting that at DOT’s hearing on time 

zones in November 2005, ‘‘Perry County 

representatives stated that one of the 

reasons for the requested change was 

the fact that Dubois County was also 

petitioning to be placed in the Central 

Time Zone.’’ It also notes that five other 

counties in the area petitioned for a time 

zone change. 

DOT seeks comment on the regional 

connectivity of Perry County with other 

counties in southern Indiana, including 

those that have and have not petitioned 

for a time zone change and how a time 

zone change would affect regional 

connections. 

Request for Comments 

To aid us in our consideration of 

whether a time zone change would be 

for the convenience of commerce, we 

ask for comments on the impact on 

commerce of a change in the time zone 

and whether a new time zone would 

improve the convenience of commerce. 

The comments should address the 

impact on such things as economic, 

cultural, social, and civic activities and 

how time zone changes affect 

businesses, communication, 

transportation, and education. The 

comments should be as detailed as 

possible, providing the basis of the 

information including factual data or 

surveys. 

Comment Period 

It is important to resolve this 

rulemaking expeditiously so that we can 

provide ample notice if a change to the 

Petitioning Counties’ and Perry 

County’s time zone boundaries is 

adopted. Nevertheless, we are extending 

the time for public comments to August 

31, 2007. We expect that the comment 

period is adequate time to submit the 

necessary data, which is based on 

currently available information. 

Issued in Washington, DC on August 3, 

2007. 

D.J. Gribbin, 

General Counsel. 

[FR Doc. 07–3864 Filed 8–3–07; 2:56 pm] 

BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 660 

[Docket No. 070703215–7215–01] 

RIN 0648–AU08 

Fisheries Off West Coast States; 

Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 

Vessel Monitoring System; Open 

Access Fishery 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS issues this proposed 

rule to require all vessels fishing 

pursuant to the harvest guidelines, 

quotas, and other management measures 

governing the open access groundfish 

fishery, and all trawl vessels to provide 

declaration reports and to activate and 

use a vessel monitoring system (VMS) 

transceiver while fishing off the coasts 

of Washington, Oregon and California. 

NMFS has implemented a series of 

large-scale geographically-defined 

closed areas intended to: Minimize the 

bycatch of overfished groundfish 

species, minimize the bycatch of 

protected salmon species, and protect 

Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) from harm 

through contact with fishing gear. This 

action is intended to improve the 

monitoring of compliance with those 

closed areas through regular VMS 

transmissions of vessel locations for 

those vessel subject to groundfish closed 

area restrictions. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

September 7, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by RIN 0648–AU08 by any of 

the following methods: 

E-mail: 

VMSOpenAccess.nwr@noaa.gov: 

Include RIN 0648–AU08 in the subject 

line of the message. 

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Fax: 206–526–6736, Attn: Becky 

Renko. 

Mail: D. Robert Lohn, Administrator, 

Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand 

Point Way, NE., Seattle, WA 98115–

0070, Attn: Becky Renko. 

Copies of the Environmental 

Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/ 

Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis 

(EA/RIR/IRFA) prepared for this action 

may be obtained from the Pacific 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with PROPOSALS