Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 201 / Thursday, October 19, 2023 / Notices 72049 

surveys using active acoustic sources; 

the detonation of up to 10 unexploded 

ordnance or munitions and explosives 

of concern (UXOs/MECs) of different 

charge weights; fishery and ecological 

monitoring surveys; the placement of 

scour protection; the installation of the 

export cable route from OSSs to shorebased converter stations and inter-array 

cables between turbines by trenching, 

laying, and burial activities; vessel 

transits within the specified 

geographical region to transport crew, 

supplies, and materials to support 

construction and operation. 

Marine mammals exposed to elevated 

noise levels during impact driving, or 

UXO/MEC detonations may be taken by 

Level A harassment, and marine 

mammals exposed to elevated noise 

levels during impact and vibratory pile 

driving, site characterization surveys, or 

UXO/MEC detonations may be taken by 

Level B harassment. No Level A 

harassment of North Atlantic right 

whales, blue whales, sperm whales, 

Atlantic spotted dolphins, Atlantic 

white-sided dolphins, common 

dolphins, long-finned or short-finned 

pilot whales, or Risso’s dolphins is 

anticipated or authorized. No mortality 

or serious injury of any marine mammal 

is anticipated or authorized. 

Authorization 

In accordance with the final rule (88 

FR 62898, September 13, 2023, see 50 

CFR 217.266), we have issued a LOA to 

Ocean Wind authorizing the take, by 

harassment, of marine mammals 

incidental to specified construction 

activities within the specified 

geographical region. No mortality or 

serious injury of any marine mammal 

species is anticipated or authorized. The 

incidental takes authorized herein are 

the same as those analyzed and 

authorized in the final rule (88 FR 

62898, September 13, 2023). Takes of 

marine mammals will be minimized 

through the following planned 

mitigation and monitoring measures, as 

applicable for each specified activity: (1) 

implementation of seasonal/time of day 

work restrictions; (2) use of multiple 

NMFS-approved Protected Species 

Observers (PSOs) to visually observe for 

marine mammals (with any detection 

within specifically designated zones 

triggering a delay or shutdown, as 

applicable); (3) use of NMFS-approved 

passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) 

operators to acoustically detect marine 

mammals, with a focus on detecting 

baleen whales (with any detection 

within designated zones triggering a 

delay or shutdown, as applicable); (4) 

implementation of clearance and 

shutdown zones; (6) use of soft-start 

prior to the start of impact pile driving; 

(7) use of noise attenuation technology 

during impact pile driving and UXO/ 

MEC detonations; (8) use of situational 

awareness monitoring for marine 

mammal presence; (9) use of sound field 

verification monitoring; (10) use of softstart impact pile driving and ramp-up 

acoustic sources during HRG surveys; 

(11) implementation of vessel separation 

zones between marine mammals and 

project vessels; (12) use of PAM within 

the vessel transit corridor for Project 

vessels to travel over 10 knots (11.5 

miles per hour); and (13) 

implementation of additional Vessel 

Strike Avoidance measures to reduce 

the risk of a vessel collision with a 

marine mammal. Additionally, NMFS 

may modify the LOA’s mitigation, 

monitoring, or reporting measures, 

based on new information, when 

appropriate (see also 50 CFR 

217.267(c)). Ocean Wind is also 

required to submit reports, as specified 

in the final rule. 

Based on the findings and information 

discussed in the preamble of the final 

rule, the take authorized in the LOA 

will have a negligible impact on marine 

mammal stocks, will not have an 

unmitigable adverse impact on the 

availability of the affected marine 

mammal stock for subsistence uses, and 

the mitigation measures provide a 

means of affecting the least practicable 

adverse impact on the affected stocks 

and their habitat. 

Dated: October 16, 2023. 

Kimberly Damon-Randall, 

Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–23087 Filed 10–18–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; Application for Appointment 

in the NOAA Commissioned Officer 

Corps 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit the following information 

collection request to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and clearance in accordance 

with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995, on or after the date of publication 

of this notice. We invite the general 

public and other Federal agencies to 

comment on proposed, and continuing 

information collections, which helps us 

assess the impact of our information 

collection requirements and minimize 

the public’s reporting burden. Public 

comments were previously requested 

via the Federal Register on August 10, 

2023 during a 60-day comment period. 

This notice allows for an additional 30 

days for public comments. 

Agency: National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, 

Commerce. 

Title: Application for Appointment in 

the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps. 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0047. 

Form Number(s): NOAA Forms 56–42 

and 56–42a. 

Type of Request: Regular submission 

[revision and extension of a current 

information collection]. 

Number of Respondents: 300. 

Average Hours per Response: Written 

applications: 2 hours; Interviews: 5 

hours; References: 15 minutes. 

Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,475. 

Needs and Uses: This is a request for 

revision and extension of an existing 

information collection. 

The NOAA Commissioned Officer 

Corps is the uniformed service of the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), a bureau of the 

United States Department of Commerce. 

Officers serve under Senate-confirmed 

appointments and Presidential 

commissions (33 U.S.C. chapter 17, 

subchapter 1, sections 853 and 854). 

The NOAA Corps provides a cadre of 

professionals trained in engineering, 

earth sciences, oceanography, 

meteorology, fisheries science, and 

other related disciplines who serve their 

country by supporting NOAA’s mission 

of surveying the Earth’s oceans, coasts, 

and atmosphere to ensure the economic 

and physical well-being of the Nation. 

NOAA Corps officers operate vessels 

and aircraft engaged in scientific 

missions and serve in leadership 

positions throughout NOAA. Persons 

wishing to apply for an appointment in 

the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps 

must complete an application package, 

including NOAA Form 56–42, at least 

three letters of recommendation, and 

official transcripts. A personal interview 

must also be conducted. Eligibility 

requirements include a bachelor’s 

degree with at least 48 credit hours of 

science, engineering, or other 

disciplines related to NOAA’s mission, 

excellent health, and normal color 

vision with uncorrected visual acuity no 

worse than 20/400 in each eye 

(correctable to 20/20). 

The revision includes updates which 

reflect the current status of the NOAA 

Corps. This includes amending the 

essay questions and updating the 


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72050 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 201 / Thursday, October 19, 2023 / Notices 

instructions to reflect a new direct-toaviation recruitment model. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households. 

Frequency: On occasion. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Required to 

obtain or retain benefits. 

Legal Authority: 33 U.S.C. chapter 17, 

subchapter 1, sections 853 and 854. 

This information collection request 

may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov. 

Follow the instructions to view the 

Department of Commerce collections 

currently under review by OMB. 

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be 

submitted within 30 days of the 

publication of this notice on the 

following website www.reginfo.gov/ 

public/do/PRAMain. Find this 

particular information collection by 

selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day 

Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or 

by using the search function and 

entering either the title of the collection 

or the OMB Control Number 0648–0047. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of 

the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, 

Commerce Department. 

[FR Doc. 2023–23015 Filed 10–18–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS 

Notice of Meeting 

Per 45 CFR chapter XXI 2102.3, the 

next meeting of the U.S. Commission of 

Fine Arts is scheduled for October 19, 

2023, at 9:00 a.m. and will be held via 

online videoconference. Items of 

discussion may include buildings, 

infrastructure, parks, memorials, and 

public art. 

Draft agendas, the link to register for 

the online public meeting, and 

additional information regarding the 

Commission are available on our 

website: www.cfa.gov. Inquiries 

regarding the agenda, as well as any 

public testimony, should be addressed 

to Thomas Luebke, Secretary, U.S. 

Commission of Fine Arts, at the above 

address; by emailing cfastaff@cfa.gov; or 

by calling 202–504–2200. Individuals 

requiring sign language interpretation 

for the hearing impaired should contact 

the Secretary at least 10 days before the 

meeting date. 

Dated: October 10, 2023 in Washington, 

DC. 

Susan M. Raposa, 

Technical Information Specialist. 

[FR Doc. 2023–23009 Filed 10–18–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6330–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Air Force 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

Master Plan and Installation 

Development at Nellis Air Force Base, 

Nevada 

AGENCY: Department of the Air Force. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The Department of the Air 

Force (Air Force) is issuing this Notice 

of Intent (NOI) to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

to assess the potential social, economic, 

and environmental impacts associated 

with the proposed master plan and 

installation development at Nellis Air 

Force Base (AFB), Nevada. 

DATES: A public scoping period of 30 

days will take place starting from the 

date of the publication of this NOI in the 

Federal Register. Comments will be 

accepted at any time during the 

environmental impact analysis process; 

however, to ensure the Air Force has 

sufficient time to consider public 

scoping comments during preparation of 

the Draft EIS, please submit comments 

within the 30-day scoping period. The 

Draft EIS is anticipated in late 2024. The 

Final EIS and a decision on which 

alternative to implement is expected in 

late 2025. 

During the scoping period, the Air 

Force will hold two in-person public 

scoping meetings: November 14 and 15, 

2023, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at the 

Cora Coleman Senior Center located at 

2100 Bonnie Lane, Las Vegas, NV 

89156. Both meetings are at the same 

location but offered on two different 

days to provide options to interested 

individuals. 

ADDRESSES: All public meeting 

materials may be viewed on the EIS 

website (https://www.nellisafbeis.com). 

For those without access to a computer 

or the internet, copies of the scoping 

materials may be obtained by submitting 

a request to Nellis AFB Public Affairs at 

(702) 652–2750. Scoping comments may 

be submitted by one of the following 

methods: (1) submit a written comment 

in person at one of the two public 

scoping meetings, (2) mail a written 

comment to Attn: Master Plan and 

Installation Development at Nellis AFB, 

2222 S 4th Avenue, P.O. Box 6257, 

Yuma, AZ 85366, and/or (3) submit a 

comment via the project website at 

https://www.nellisafbeis.com. For 

questions regarding the Proposed Action 

or EIS development, or to request sign 

language assistance at the in-person 

scoping meetings, contact Daniel Fisher 

at daniel.fisher.26@us.af.mil or (210) 

925–2738. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Nellis 

AFB is proposing to develop the east 

side of the Installation. The purpose of 

the Proposed Action is to optimize 

Nellis AFB’s current operational 

capabilities and capacity for future 

warfighting training and testing. The 

Proposed Action is needed because the 

current Nellis and United States Air 

Force Warfare Center mission sets are 

outpacing the ability to expand 

resources and capacity. In addition, the 

Air Force anticipates that facility 

requirements are likely to increase over 

time through normal attrition and the 

arrival of new missions and that the 

number of active duty and civilian 

personnel would also increase. The 

existing infrastructure does not meet 

current and future mission needs; 

mission capability at Nellis AFB is 

nearing physical capacity, and 

additional flightline support facilities 

and infrastructure are needed to meet 

anticipated future growth. The Proposed 

Action is also needed to relieve stress 

on facility and infrastructure constraints 

on the west side of the Installation. 

Flying units are currently sharing 

hangar space, which is not conducive to 

future mission growth. Presently, the 

Installation’s infrastructure and utilities 

are a limitation to operational expansion 

and growth; utilities and the west-side 

ramp are reaching full operational 

capacity and must be expanded to 

accommodate future operations. 

Without expansion, the existing 

facilities and infrastructure at Nellis 

AFB would be insufficient to meet Air 

Force and Department of Defense 

current and future mission 

requirements. 

The Proposed Action is development 

of the east side of Nellis AFB to address 

current mission constraints and future 

mission growth because the majority of 

the land available to construct facilities 

and infrastructure is located in the 

undeveloped area on the east side of the 

Installation. Constructed facilities and 

infrastructure will be grouped by 

functional land use category, and 

facilities with similar uses and mission 

functions will be located in the same 

general area. For planning purposes, the 

Air Force grouped similar mission 

activities into eight categories based on 

facility and infrastructure function and 

conservatively estimated the anticipated 

amount of impervious surface coverage 

typical of each functional category. The 

eight functional categories are Airfield 

Operations/Industrial/Light Industrial; 

Administrative/Small-scale 

Administrative; Medical/Community 


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