Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 183 / Monday, September 22, 1997 / Notices 49469

animals used in exhibition (such as, but

not limited to, elephants, lions, or

tigers), and what training and

experience levels trainers and handlers

of such animals have. This reopening

and extension will provide interested

groups and individuals with additional

time to prepare comments on the

request for information.

DATES: Consideration will be given only

to comments on Docket No. 97–001–1

that are received on or before November

6, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Please send an original and

three copies of your comments to

Docket No. 97–001–1, Regulatory

Analysis and Development, PPD,

APHIS, Suite 3C03, 4700 River Road

Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–1238.

Please state that your comments refer to

Docket No. 97–001–1. Comments

received may be inspected at USDA,

room 1141, South Building, 14th Street

and Independence Avenue SW.,

Washington, DC, between 8:00 a.m. and

4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,

except holidays. Persons wishing to

inspect comments are requested to call

ahead on (202) 690–2817 to facilitate

entry into the comment reading room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Stephen Smith, Staff Animal Health

Technician, Animal Care, APHIS, 4700

River Road Unit 84, Riverdale, MD

20737-1234, (301) 734–7833.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On July 24, 1997, we published in the

Federal Register (62 FR 39802, Docket

No. 97–001–1) a notice requesting

information concerning the training and

handling of potentially dangerous wild

and exotic animals used in exhibition in

order to obtain a better understanding of

the issues pertaining to their welfare.

Comments on the request for

information were required to be

received on or before September 22,

1997. We received two requests to

extend the period during which

comments will be accepted. The

requests were from an animal welfare

organization and an industry

association. In response, we are

reopening and extending the comment

period on Docket No. 97–001–1 for an

additional 45 days. This action will

allow interested groups and individuals

additional time to prepare and submit

comments.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 2131–2159; 7 CFR 2.22,

2.80, and 371.2(g).

Done in Washington, DC, this 17th day of

September 1997.

Craig A. Reed,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 97–25069 Filed 9–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P

CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION

Sunshine Act Meeting

AGENCY: U.S. Commission on Civil

Rights.

DATE AND TIME: Monday, September 22,

1997, 9:30 a.m.

PLACE: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights,

624 Ninth Street, N.W., Room 540,

Washington, DC 20425.

STATUS: Special Telephonic Meeting

(Open)

Agenda

I. Approval of Agenda

II. Announcements

III. FY 1998 Budget & Program Planning

CONTACT PERSON FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION: Barbara Brooks, Press and

Communications (202) 376–8312.

Stephanie Y. Moore,

General Counsel.

[FR Doc. 97–25152 Filed 9–17–97; 4:54 p.m.]

BILLING CODE 6335–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board

[Docket 71–97]

Foreign-Trade Zone 149—Freeport,

Texas Application for Foreign-Trade

Subzone Status Amoco Chemical

Company (Petrochemical Complex)

Brazoria County, Texas

An application has been submitted to

the Foreign-Trade Zones Board (the

Board) by the Port of Freeport, grantee

of FTZ 149, requesting special-purpose

subzone status for the petrochemical

complex of Amoco Chemical Company

(Amoco), a subsidiary of Amoco

Corporation, located in Brazoria County,

Texas. The application was submitted

pursuant to the provisions of the

Foreign-Trade Zones Act, as amended

(19 U.S.C. 81a–81u), and the regulations

of the Board (15 CFR part 400). It was

formally filed on September 9, 1997.

The Amoco petrochemical complex

(3,020 acres, 669 employees) consists of

two sites in Brazoria County, Texas: Site

1: Chocolate Bayou olefins plant (2,334

acres) located on FM 2004 near the city

of Alvin, some 50 miles south of

Houston, and Site 2: Stratton Ridge

storage facility (686 acres, eight tanks/

8.5 milion-barrel capacity) located at

FM 523 near Angleton, some 15 miles

southwest of the plant. The olefins plant

produces a variety of petrochemical

feedstocks and intermediate fuel

products, including ethylene (3 billionlb. capacity), propylene (800 million-lb.

capacity), butadiene (200 million-lb.

capacity), butene, liquified natural gas,

methane, fuel oil, naphtha, and

benzene. The petrochemical complex is

integrated with the Amoco Oil Company

refinery subzone in Texas City, Texas

(FTZ 199A, Board Order 731, 60 FR

13118, 3/10/95), which supplies the

petrochemical complex with nearly all

of its feedstock needs, including foreignstatus naphthas, ethane and propane.

Zone procedures would exempt the

petrochemical complex from Customs

duty payments on the foreign products

used in its exports. On domestic sales,

the company would be able to choose

the Customs duty rates that apply to

certain petrochemical feedstocks (dutyfree) by admitting incoming foreign

inputs (e.g. naphthas, ethane and

propane) in non-privileged foreign

status. The duty rates on inputs range

from duty-free to 10.5¢/barrel. Under

the FTZ Act, certain merchandise in

FTZ status is exempt from ad valorem

inventory-type taxes. The application

indicates that the savings from zone

procedures would help improve the

refinery’s international competitiveness.

In accordance with the Board’s

regulations, a member of the FTZ Staff

has been designated examiner to

investigate the application and report to

the Board.

Public comment is invited from

interested parties. Submissions (original

and 3 copies) shall be addressed to the

Board’s Executive Secretary at the

address below. The closing period for

their receipt is [60 days from date of

publication]. Rebuttal comments in

response to material submitted during

the foregoing period may be submitted

during the subsequent 15-day period (to

[75 days from date of publication]).

A copy of the application and

accompanying exhibits will be available

for public inspection at each of the

following locations:

U.S. Department of Commerce, Export

Assistance Center, Suite 1160, 500

Dallas, Houston, Texas 77002.

Office of the Executive Secretary,

Foreign-Trade Zones Board, Room

3716, U.S. Department of Commerce,

14th & Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,

Washington, DC 20230.
49470 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 183 / Monday, September 22, 1997 / Notices

Dated: September 12, 1997.

John J. Da Ponte, Jr.

Executive Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–25106 Filed 9–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 091697C]

Caribbean Fishery Management

Council; Committee Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Caribbean Fishery

Management Council’s (Council)

Enforcement Committee will hold a

meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held on

October 1, 1997, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00

p.m., approximately.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Best Western Hotel Pierre, located at

De Diego Ave., Santurce, Puerto Rico.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Caribbean Fishery Management Council,

268 Mun ̃ oz Rivera Ave., Suite 1108, San

Juan, Puerto Rico 00918-2577;

telephone: (787) 766-5926.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Council will hold an Enforcement

Committee meeting to discuss topics

related to enforcement of the Queen

Conch Fishery Management Plan and

the proposed MCD off South of St. John,

U.S.V.I.

The meeting is open to the public,

and will be conducted in English.

Interested persons are invited to attend

and participate with oral or written

statements regarding the agenda issues.

Although other issues not contained

in this agenda may come before this

Committee for discussion, in accordance

with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act,

those issues may not be the subject of

formal Committee action during this

meeting. Committee action will be

restricted to those issues specifically

identified in the agenda listed in this

notice.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. For more

information or requests for sign

language interpretation and/or other

auxiliary aids please contact Mr. Miguel

A. Rolo ́n, Executive Director, at the

Council (see ADDRESSES), at least 5 days

prior to the meeting date.

Dated: September 16, 1997.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–25040 Filed 9–17–97; 9:19 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 091597A]

Marine Mammals; Permit No. 836

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of application for

amendment and issuance of

amendment.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Dr.

Daniel P. Costa, University of California,

Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa

Cruz, California 95064, has requested an

amendment to Permit No. 836, and an

amendment has been issued authorizing

the conduct of the proposed research.

DATES: Written comments must be

received on or before October 22, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The amendment request

and related documents are available for

review upon written request or by

appointment in the following office(s):

Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, NMFS,

1315 East-West Highway, Room 13130,

Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/713–

2289); and

Regional Administrator, Southwest

Region, 501 West Ocean Boulevard,

Suite 4200,Long Beach, CA 90802–4213

(310/980–4001).

Written comments for the record on

this request should be submitted to the

Chief, Permits and Documentation

Division, F/PR1, Office of Protected

Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West

Highway, Room 13130, Silver Spring,

MD 20910.

Comments may also be submitted by

facsimile at (301) 713–0376, provided

the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy

submitted by mail and postmarked no

later than the closing date of the

comment period. Please note that

comments will not be accepted by email or other electronic media.

Concurrent with the publication of

this notice in the Federal Register,

NMFS is forwarding copies of the

application and amended permit to the

Marine Mammal Commission and its

Committee of Scientific Advisors.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

subject amendment to permit no. 836,

issued on May 19, 1993 (58 FR 29199)

is requested under the authority of the

Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972,

as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.).

Permit no. 836 authorizes the permit

holder to, among other things, capture

and instrument elephant seals

((Mirounga angustirostris) at Ano

Nuevo, CA and release them at sea up

to 200 km from Ano Nuevo to study the

effects of low frequency sounds under

1,000 Hz (ATOC). The permit holder has

requested authorization to expand the

research area to enable him to

investigate the potential effect of the

Navy’s Surface Towed Array

Surveillance System Low Frequency

Active (SURTASS LFA) system on the

behavior of elephant seals (Mirounga

angustirostris). The amendment request

involves no increase in the number of

animals currently authorized to be taken

under the Permit. Nor does it involve

any changes to the currently authorized

experimental protocol.

The permit holder states that the

operation of the LFA source will occur

only between September 15, 1997 to

October 11, 1997, and that a significant

research opportunity will be lost if the

requested authorization is not provided.

Therefore, in light of the time

constraints and the unique research

opportunity that would otherwise be

lost, pursuant to Section 104(c)(3)(A) of

the Marine Mammal Protection Act and

50 CFR 216.33(e)(6) of the MMPA

regulations, we issued an amendment to

Permit No. 836 granting the

authorization.

In compliance with the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial

determination has been made that the

activity proposed is categorically

excluded from the requirement to

prepare an environmental assessment or

environmental impact statement.

Dated: September 11, 1997.

Ann D. Terbush,

Chief, Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–25012 Filed 9–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F