15864 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 63 / Tuesday, April 3, 2007 / Notices 

http://trade.gov/press/press_releases/ 

2007/brazilceo_01.asp 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 

23, 2007, the International Trade 

Administration of the U.S. Department 

of Commerce published a Federal 

Register notice soliciting applications 

from U.S. persons interested in serving 

as members of the U.S. Section of the 

U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum. See 72 FR 

13747. The International Trade 

Administration of the U.S. Department 

of Commerce is amending the previous 

notice due to the level of interest in the 

Forum. The amendment to the 

eligibility criteria changes ‘‘each 

candidate also must be a U.S. citizen 

residing in the United States and able to 

travel to Brazil or locations in the 

United States to attend official Forum 

meetings as well as independent U.S. 

Section and Committee meetings,’’ to 

‘‘each candidate also must be a U.S. 

citizen or otherwise legally authorized 

to work in the United States and able to 

travel to Brazil and locations in the 

United States to attend official Forum 

meetings as well as independent U.S. 

Section and Committee meetings.’’

Applicants must meet all other 

requirements put forward in the 

previous notice. See 72 FR 13747. 

Dated: March 29, 2007. 

Anne Driscoll, 

Acting Director for the Office of Latin America 

and the Caribbean. 

[FR Doc. E7–6160 Filed 4–2–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DA–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology 

[Docket No.: 0612242610–7036–01] 

Establishment of and Availability of 

Applications for the Laboratory 

Accreditation Program for Radiation 

Detection Instruments Under the 

National Voluntary Laboratory 

Accreditation Program 

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards 

and Technology, Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Under the National Voluntary 

Laboratory Accreditation Program 

(NVLAP) the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (NIST) 

announces the establishment of a 

laboratory accreditation program and 

the availability of applications for 

accreditation for laboratories that 

perform testing of radiation detection 

instruments using standards developed 

by the American National Standards 

Institute, Homeland Security 

Instrumentation and Radiation 

Protection Instrumentation groups. 

DATES: Laboratories interested in 

seeking accreditation are required to 

submit an application to NVLAP and 

pay required fees. Applications will be 

considered as received. 

ADDRESSES: Laboratories may obtain 

requirement documents and an 

application for accreditation for this 

program by calling (301) 975–4016, by 

writing to Radiation Detection 

Instrument Testing Program Manager, 

National Voluntary Laboratory 

Accreditation Program, 100 Bureau 

Drive/MS 2140, Gaithersburg, MD 

20899–2140, or by sending e-mail to 

nvlap@nist.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Betty Ann Sandoval, Senior Program 

Manager, NIST/NVLAP, 100 Bureau 

Drive/MS 2140, Gaithersburg, MD 

20899–2140, Phone: (301) 975–8446 or 

e-mail: betty.sandoval@nist.gov. 

Information regarding NVLAP and the 

accreditation process can be viewed at 

http://www.nist.gov/nvlap. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The United States Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS) requested 

that NIST establish a laboratory 

accreditation program for laboratories 

that test radiation detection instruments 

used in homeland security applications. 

In response to the request from DHS, 

and after consultation with interested 

parties through public workshops and 

other means, the National Voluntary 

Laboratory Accreditation Program 

(NVLAP) has established an 

accreditation program for laboratories 

that test radiation detection 

instruments. 

This notice is issued in accordance 

with NVLAP procedures and general 

requirements, found in Title 15 Part 285 

of the Code of Federal Regulations. 

Technical Requirements for the 

Accreditation Process 

NVLAP accreditation criteria are 

established in accordance with the Code 

of Federal Regulations (CFR, Title 15, 

Part 285), NVLAP Procedures and 

General Requirements. NVLAP 

accreditation is in full conformance 

with the standards of the International 

Organization for Standardization (ISO) 

and the International Electrotechnical 

Commission (IEC), including ISO/IEC 

17025. 

Accreditation is granted to a 

laboratory following successful 

completion of a process, which includes 

submission of an application and 

payment of fees by the laboratory, an 

on-site assessment by technical experts, 

resolution of any non-conformities 

identified during the on-site assessment, 

and participation in proficiency testing. 

The accreditation is formalized through 

issuance of a Certificate of Accreditation 

and Scope of Accreditation. 

General requirements for 

accreditation are given in NIST 

Handbook 150, NVLAP Procedures and 

General Requirements. The specific 

technical and administrative 

requirements for the program for 

accreditation of laboratories that test 

radiation detection instruments are 

given in NIST Handbook 150–23, 

Homeland Security Applications—

Radiation Detection Instruments. 

Laboratories must meet all NVLAP 

criteria and requirements in order to 

become accredited. To be considered for 

accreditation, the applicant laboratory 

must provide a completed application to 

NVLAP, pay all required fees, agree to 

conditions for accreditation, and 

provide a quality manual to NVLAP (or 

a designated NVLAP assessor) prior to 

the beginning of the assessment process. 

Application Requirements 

(1) Legal Name and full address of the 

laboratory; 

(2) Ownership of the laboratory; 

(3) Authorized Representative’s name 

and contact information; 

(4) Names, titles and contact 

information for laboratory staff 

nominated to serve as Approved 

Signatories of test or calibration reports 

that reference NVLAP accreditation; 

(5) Organization chart defining 

relationships that are relevant to 

performing testing and calibrations 

covered in the accreditation request; 

(6) General description of the 

laboratory, including its facilities and 

scope of operations; and 

(7) Requested scope of accreditation. 

In addition, the laboratory shall 

provide a copy of its quality manual and 

related documentation, where 

appropriate, prior to the on-site 

assessment. NVLAP will review the 

quality management documentation and 

discuss any noted nonconformities with 

the Authorized Representative before 

the on-site visit. Laboratories that apply 

for accreditation will be required to pay 

for NVLAP fees and undergo on-site 

assessment and shall meet proficiency 

testing requirements before initial 

accreditation can be granted. 

PRA Clearance 

This action contains a collection of 

information requirements subject to 

review and approval by the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) under 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 63 / Tuesday, April 3, 2007 / Notices 15865 

the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 

1995. Collection activities for NVLAP 

are currently approved by OMB under 

control number 0693–0003. 

Notwithstanding any other provision of 

the law, no person is required to 

respond to, nor shall any person be 

subject to a penalty for failure to comply 

with a collection of information unless 

it displays a currently valid OMB 

Control Number. 

Dated: March 27, 2007. 

James E. Hill, 

Acting Deputy Director. 

[FR Doc. E7–6177 Filed 4–2–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 032207D] 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants; Notice of Availability of the 

Status Review Report for Atlantic 

Sturgeon in the United States 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the 

Status Review Report for Atlantic 

Sturgeon in the United States. 

SUMMARY: We, NMFS, convened a Status 

Review Team (SRT) consisting of 

Federal biologists from NMFS, U.S. 

Geological Survey (USGS), and U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The 

SRT has completed a Status Review 

Report of Atlantic sturgeon in the 

United States. This notice makes this 

report available to the public in the 

Federal Register. 

ADDRESSES: Requests for a copy of the 

Status Review Report should be 

addressed to Marcia Hobbs, NMFS, 

Northeast Regional Office, Protected 

Resources Division, One Blackburn 

Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. A copy of 

the Status Review Report can also be 

downloaded from the following web 

address: http://www.nero.noaa.gov/ 

prot_res/CandidateSpeciesProgram/ 

csr.htm 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim 

Damon-Randall, NMFS Northeast 

Region, 978–281–9300 ext. 6535, or Dr. 

Stephania Bolden, NMFS Southeast 

Region,727–824–5312. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On June 2, 1997, we and FWS (jointly, 

the Services) received a petition from 

the Biodiversity Legal Foundation 

requesting us to list Atlantic sturgeon 

(Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus), in 

the United States where it continues to 

exist, as threatened or endangered under 

the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and 

to designate critical habitat within a 

reasonable period of time following the 

listing. A notice was published in the 

Federal Register on October 17, 1997, 

stating the Services had determined 

substantial information existed 

indicating the petitioned action may be 

warranted (62 FR 54018). The ESA 

requires the Services to make listing 

determinations based on the best 

scientific and commercial information 

available after conducting a review of 

the status of species and after taking 

into account efforts to protect the 

species. 

On September 21, 1998, after 

completing a comprehensive status 

review, the Services published a 12–

month determination in the Federal 

Register announcing that listing was not 

warranted at that time (63 FR 50187). 

On the same date, Atlantic sturgeon 

were retained on the NMFS candidate 

species list (63 FR 50211; subsequently 

changed to the Species of Concern List 

(69 FR 19975; April 15, 2004)). 

Concurrently, the Atlantic States Marine 

Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) 

completed Amendment 1 to the 1990 

Atlantic Sturgeon Fishery Management 

Plan that imposed a 20–40 year 

moratorium on all U.S. Atlantic 

sturgeon fisheries until the Atlantic 

Coast spawning stocks could be restored 

to a level where 20 subsequent year 

classes of adult females were protected 

(ASMFC, 1998). In 1999, pursuant to 

section 804(b) of the Atlantic Coastal 

Fisheries Cooperative Management Act 

(16 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.), we followed 

this action by closing the Exclusive 

Economic Zone to Atlantic sturgeon 

retention. 

In 2003, we sponsored a workshop 

with ASMFC and FWS on the ‘‘Status 

and Management of Atlantic Sturgeon’’

in Raleigh, North Carolina, to discuss 

the current status of sturgeon along the 

Atlantic Coast and determine what 

obstacles, if any, were impeding the 

recovery of Atlantic sturgeon (Kahnle et 

al., 2005). The results of the workshop 

reported ‘‘mixed’’ reviews where some 

populations seemed to be recovering 

while others were declining. Bycatch 

and habitat degradation were noted as 

possible causes for some population 

declines.Based on the information 

gathered by the participants during the 

2003 workshop on Atlantic sturgeon, we 

decided that a second review of Atlantic 

sturgeon status was needed to determine 

if listing as threatened or endangered 

under the ESA was warranted. In 2006, 

we convened a SRT to conduct a 

thorough review of the status of the 

species. 

The 2007 Status Review Report 

On February 23, 2007, the SRT 

finalized its report on the status of 

Atlantic sturgeon (Status Review for 

Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser 

oxyrinchus oxyrinchus)). The status 

review report was also reviewed and 

supplemented by eight state and 

regional experts who provided 

individual expert opinions on the 

information contained in the status 

review report and provided additional 

information to ensure the report 

provided the best available data. Lastly, 

the report was peer reviewed by six 

experts from academia and received 

favorable reviews. The final report 

incorporates edits and information in 

light of this peer review and the expert 

reviews. Consistent with the February 7, 

1996, joint FWS and NMFS Distinct 

Vertebrate Population Segment Policy 

(61 FR 4722), the SRT concluded that 

Atlantic sturgeon populations should be 

divided into five distinct population 

segments (DPSs). The five DPSs were 

named: (1) Gulf of Maine, (2) New York 

Bight, (3) Chesapeake Bay, (4) Carolina, 

and (5) South Atlantic. These Atlantic 

sturgeon DPSs were discrete because 

they were markedly separated from each 

other based on physical, genetic, and 

physiological factors. They were also 

significant to the species because they: 

(1) were located in a unique ecological 

setting; (2) had unique genetic 

characteristics; and (3) would represent 

a significant gap in the range of the 

taxon if any one of them were to become 

extirpated. Canadian populations were 

considered to be discrete from the Gulf 

of Maine DPS because there were 

significant differences in control of 

exploitation and regulatory mechanism 

for the populations (i.e., still support a 

commercial fishery). Further support for 

discreteness between Canadian 

populations and the Gulf of Maine DPS 

was the marked separation between 

them based on genetic, physiological, 

and habitat features. Therefore, 

Canadian populations were not 

included in the Gulf of Maine DPS, and 

they were not considered further in the 

status review report. 

The SRT evaluated the status of 

Atlantic sturgeon DPSs by analyzing the 

impacts of the factors listed in section 

4(a)(1) of the ESA on each 

subpopulation within each DPS and 

considering whether the subpopulations 

constituted significant portions of the 

range of each DPS. The SRT identified 

15 stressors within these factors and 


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