Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 133 / Wednesday, July 11, 2018 / Notices 32099 

false killer whale group size, a factor 

that will significantly impact the 

resulting abundance estimates. A robust 

assessment of population trend will 

require additional data and inclusion of 

environmental variables that influence 

false killer whale distribution and the 

proportion of the population 

represented within the survey area 

during each survey period. 

Comment 21: The HLA notes that the 

draft false killer whale SAR updates the 

Insular Stock population estimate to 167 

based upon an unpublished paper by 

Bradford et al., which concludes that 

the population size of the Insular Stock 

of false killer whales in certain study 

areas has consistently ranged between 

144 and 187 animals over a 16-year 

period. However, in reporting 167 as the 

population size for the Insular Stock, 

the Draft SAR states that the Bradford et 

al. annual estimate ‘‘represents only the 

animals present in the study area within 

that year.’’ HLA suggests that, if the 

reported 2015 abundance estimate of 

167 applies only to a study area that is 

smaller than the range of the Insular 

Stock of false killer whales, then the 

actual abundance of the entire Insular 

Stock must be some amount higher than 

167. HLA states that they are unable to 

sufficiently comment on this issue 

because the Bradford et al. paper is 

unpublished and not available for 

public review. 

Response: NMFS notes that although 

the abundance estimates provided in 

Bradford et al. are limited to the number 

of animals in the survey area in each 

survey year, they are still the best 

available estimates of population size. 

The new estimates account for many 

sources of potential bias, and although 

we expect that limiting estimates to the 

surveyed area for a given year does 

likely result in an under estimation of 

abundance in years when the surveyed 

area is smaller than the stock area, we 

do not have sufficient information to 

correct annual estimates for the extent 

of the survey area. NMFS feels the use 

of estimates derived from the best 

available data spanning 15 years of 

surveys is far better than use of catalog 

size, the previous metric for the 

minimum population estimate (Nmin) 

in the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) 

insular false killer whale SAR. Further, 

the Nmin derived from the new markrecapture estimates meets the definition 

of Nmin provided within the GAMMS 

(NMFS 2016). Although cited as ‘‘in 

review,’’ the Bradford et al. paper was 

reviewed by the Pacific SRG at its 2017 

meeting and is currently in review for 

journal publication. 

Comment 22: The HLA incorporates 

by reference its more specific comments 

on previous draft SARs related to: (1) 

The assignment of a recovery factor to 

the pelagic stock of false killer whales, 

and continues to maintain that NMFS 

should apply a recovery factor to the 

pelagic stock that is greater than 0.5; (2) 

the 2010 Hawaiian Islands Cetacean 

Ecosystem and Assessment Survey 

(HICEAS) and the assumptions made by 

NMFS based upon the data from that 

survey, and assert that NMFS has 

inappropriately withheld acoustic data 

that should be publicly disclosed and 

reported; and (3) NMFS’ assumption 

that the insular stock of false killer 

whales has declined is speculative. 

Response: NMFS reiterates its 

responses to these comments from 

previous SARs. Specifically: (1) 

Reanalysis of existing datasets to derive 

more precise estimates does not 

constitute an increase in population 

size. There are only two EEZ-wide 

estimates of abundance (484 from a 

2002 survey and 1,540 from a 2010 

survey). These estimates may not be 

directly compared due to changes in 

group size enumeration methods 

between those surveys. For this reason, 

the current status of pelagic false killer 

whales is unknown. (2) NMFS has not 

made any attempt to withhold the 

acoustic data from the HICEAS 2010 

survey. It can be made available by 

request. NMFS has used the HICEAS 

2010 data for a variety of analyses, 

including the development of 

automated routines to detect and 

classify false killer whale and other 

species’ sounds, to assess false killer 

whale sub-group spatial arrangements, 

and other projects. There were many 

changes in array hardware during the 

survey, complicating streamlined 

analyses of these data, such that a fullscale analysis of this dataset for 

abundance is not appropriate, efficient, 

or cost-effective at this time. (3) NMFS 

makes no assumption that MHI insular 

stock abundance has declined in recent 

years. The minimum estimate reflects 

the number of individuals enumerated 

during the stated period and may reflect 

not only changes in actual population 

abundance, but also changes in 

encounter rates due to survey location 

or animal distribution. 

Dated: July 6, 2018. 

Donna S. Wieting, 

Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–14811 Filed 7–10–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement for the Coral Reef 

Conservation Program; Notice of 

Intent; Scoping Period Announcement 

AGENCY: Office for Coastal Management 

(OCM), National Ocean Service (NOS), 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), Department of 

Commerce (DOC). 

ACTION: Notice of intent; announcement 

of public scoping period and request for 

written comments. 

SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Office for Coastal Management 

announces its intention to prepare a 

programmatic environmental impact 

statement (PEIS) in accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA) for its Coral Reef 

Conservation Program (CRCP), which is 

managed out of NOAA’s National Ocean 

Service in Silver Spring, MD, and 

implemented in coastal areas and 

marine waters of Florida, Puerto Rico, 

U.S. Virgin Islands, Gulf of Mexico, 

Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of 

the Northern Mariana Islands, American 

Samoa, the U.S. Pacific Remote Island 

Area, and targeted international regions 

including the wider Caribbean, the 

Coral Triangle, the South Pacific, and 

Micronesia. Publication of this 

document begins the official scoping 

period that will help identify issues and 

alternatives to be considered in the 

PEIS. 

DATES: Written comments on the intent 

to prepare a PEIS will be accepted on or 

before Wednesday, August 15, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit scoping 

comments for the CRCP PEIS by any of 

the following methods: 

• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/NOAANOS-2018-0077. Click the ‘‘Comment 

Now!’’ icon, complete the required 

fields, and enter or attach your 

comments. 

• Mail: Please direct written 

comments to Harriet Nash, Deputy 

Director, NOAA’s Coral Reef 

Conservation Program, Office for Coastal 

Management, 1305 East-West Highway, 

N/OCM6, Room 10404, Silver Spring, 

MD 20910. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

NOAA is preparing a Draft 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement (DPEIS) for coral reef 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
32100 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 133 / Wednesday, July 11, 2018 / Notices 

conservation and restoration activities 

implementing NOAA’s CRCP 

throughout the United States, South 

Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and 

Pacific Island Regions, and priority 

international areas (i.e., wider 

Caribbean, Coral Triangle, South Pacific, 

and Micronesia). It will assess the 

direct, indirect, and cumulative 

environmental impacts of NOAA’s 

proposed action to continue funding 

and otherwise implementing coral reef 

conservation and restoration activities. 

This will be achieved through its 

existing programmatic framework and 

related procedures for implementing the 

CRCP. The CRCP is implemented 

consistently with the requirements of 

the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 

(CRCA) and Executive Order 13089. 

Projects implemented or funded by 

NOAA vary in terms of their size, 

complexity, geographic location, and 

NOAA involvement. They often benefit 

diverse coral species, habitats, and 

ecosystem types. The CRCP conducts 

research and monitoring to gather data 

on the existence and condition of coral 

reef ecosystems to support conservation 

and restoration efforts. NOAA 

implements the CRCP across four of its 

line offices (i.e., National Ocean Service, 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, 

National Marine Fisheries Service, 

National Environmental Satellite Data 

Information Service) and in 

coordination with other federal 

agencies, state and local agencies, 

private conservation organizations, and 

research and academic institutions. A 

significant amount of this support is 

administered through grants and 

cooperative agreements. CRCP activities 

are prioritized based on available 

funding and the responsiveness to the 

priorities in its strategic plan, including 

jurisdictional needs. 

The purpose of this DPEIS is to 

identify and evaluate the general 

environmental impacts, issues, and 

concerns related to the comprehensive 

management and implementation of the 

CRCP, including potential mitigation. 

NOAA anticipates that actual 

environmental effects will be caused by 

site-specific, project-level activities 

implementing the CRCP; therefore, this 

DPEIS will be used to support tiered, 

site-specific NEPA reviews by 

narrowing the scope of environmental 

impacts and facilitating focused, 

project-level reviews. NOAA also 

intends for this DPEIS to establish a 

tiered environmental decision making 

framework that will support efficient 

compliance with other statutes 

protecting natural resources such as the 

Endangered Species Act and Marine 

Mammal Protection Act. Since the CRCP 

will use this DPEIS to conduct tiered 

analyses, this document does not 

evaluate the environmental impacts of 

any project-level activities. 

Alternatives 

NOAA is preliminarily proposing to 

analyze three program-level alternatives: 

• No Action Alternative reflecting the 

‘‘status quo’’ management of the CRCP 

based on minimizing threats. 

• Alternative 1: Continued Operation 

of the CRCP based on minimizing 

threats with the addition of a framework 

to further research, test, and potentially 

implement novel coral restoration 

intervention techniques to respond 

rapidly to imminent threats to corals 

and coral ecosystems. 

• Alternative 2: Continued Operation 

of the CRCP plus implementation of 

discretionary, standardized 

conservation and mitigation measures 

with or without the addition of a 

framework for novel intervention 

techniques. 

The fundamental distinction between 

Alternative 1 and the No Action 

Alternative is that Alternative 1 would 

adopt a framework that would add 

novel intervention techniques as tools to 

respond to imminent threats to corals. 

The DPEIS will consider the 

environmental effects of a suite of these 

intervention strategies, but will not 

commit to implement any. 

Implementation would occur through a 

separate decision making process. The 

primary distinction between Alternative 

2 and the No Action Alternative is that 

Alternative 2 would call for 

implementation of not only mitigation 

measures imposed through statutory 

and regulatory compliance but also 

discretionary, standardized 

conservation and mitigation measures 

designed to further protect and conserve 

marine and other environmental 

resources. Alternative 2 could be 

adopted with or without a framework 

for novel intervention strategies. 

Preliminary major issues to be 

addressed in this DPEIS may include: 

the impact of the CRCP’s activities and 

operations on coral ecosystems; coral 

species listed as threatened or 

endangered under the Federal 

Endangered Species Act; other marine 

and terrestrial resources; and the 

cumulative effects of the action when 

considered along with environmental 

conditions and past, present, and future 

actions potentially affecting coral and 

coastal ecosystems and coastal marine 

resources. The CRCP is also seeking to 

identify mitigation measures that would 

be effective at avoiding, minimizing, 

and mitigating adverse effects of projectlevel activities and specifically requests 

public comment on this issue. 

Public Comment 

OCM begins this NEPA process by 

soliciting input from the public and 

interested parties on the type of impacts 

to be considered in the DPEIS, the range 

of alternatives to be assessed, and any 

other pertinent information. 

Specifically, this scoping process is 

intended to accomplish the following 

objectives: 

1. Invite affected federal, state, and 

local agencies, and interested persons to 

participate in the DPEIS process. 

2. Determine the potential significant 

environmental issues to be analyzed in 

the DPEIS. 

3. Identify and eliminate issues 

determined to be insignificant or 

addressed in other documents. 

4. Identify related environmental 

documents being prepared. 

5. Identify other environmental 

review and consultation requirements. 

The official scoping period ends on 

August 15, 2018. Please visit the CRCP 

web page for additional information 

regarding the program: https://

coralreef.noaa.gov/. 

Authority 

The preparation of the DPEIS for the 

CRCP will be conducted under the 

authority and in accordance with the 

requirements of NEPA, Council on 

Environmental Quality Regulations (40 

CFR parts 1500–1508), other applicable 

regulations, and NOAA’s policies and 

procedures for compliance with those 

regulations. 

Written comments must be received 

on or before August 15, 2018. 

Dated: June 29, 2018. 

W. Russell Callender, 

Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services 

and Coastal Zone Management, National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2018–14750 Filed 7–10–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–08–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army 

Army Education Advisory Committee; 

Notice of Federal Advisory Committee 

Meeting 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of Federal Advisory 

Committee Meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Defense 

(DoD) is publishing this notice to 

announce that the following Federal 

Advisory Committee meeting of the 


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