Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 203 / Thursday, October 21, 2010 / Notices 65005 

Authorization 

As a result of these determinations, 

NMFS proposes to issue an IHA to SIO 

for conducting a marine geophysical 

survey in the eastern tropical Pacific 

Ocean, provided the previously 

mentioned mitigation, monitoring, and 

reporting requirements are incorporated. 

The duration of the IHA would not 

exceed one year from the date of its 

issuance. 

Dated: October 15, 2010. 

Helen M. Golde, 

Deputy Director, Office of Protected 

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–26547 Filed 10–20–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XZ53 

Taking and Importing of Marine 

Mammals 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; annual affirmative 

finding renewal. 

SUMMARY: The Assistant Administrator 

for Fisheries, NMFS, (Assistant 

Administrator) has renewed the 

affirmative finding for the Government 

of El Salvador under the Marine 

Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This 

affirmative finding will allow yellowfin 

tuna harvested in the eastern tropical 

Pacific Ocean (ETP) in compliance with 

the International Dolphin Conservation 

Program (IDCP) by El Salvadorian-flag 

purse seine vessels or purse seine 

vessels operating under El Salvadorian 

jurisdiction to be imported into the 

United States. The affirmative finding 

was based on review of documentary 

evidence submitted by the Government 

of El Salvador and obtained from the 

Inter-American Tropical Tuna 

Commission (IATTC) and the U.S. 

Department of State. 

DATES: The affirmative finding renewal 

is effective from April 1, 2010, through 

March 31, 2011. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sarah Wilkin, Southwest Region, NMFS, 

501 West Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200, 

Long Beach, CA 90802–4213; phone 

562–980–3230; fax 562–980–4027. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

MMPA, 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq., allows 

the entry into the United States of 

yellowfin tuna harvested by purse seine 

vessels in the ETP under certain 

conditions. If requested by the 

harvesting nation, the Assistant 

Administrator will determine whether 

to make an affirmative finding based 

upon documentary evidence provided 

by the government of the harvesting 

nation, the IATTC, or the Department of 

State. 

The affirmative finding process 

requires that the harvesting nation is 

meeting its obligations under the IDCP 

and obligations of membership in the 

IATTC. Every 5 years, the government of 

the harvesting nation must request an 

affirmative finding and submit the 

required documentary evidence directly 

to the Assistant Administrator. On an 

annual basis, NMFS will review the 

affirmative finding and determine 

whether the harvesting nation continues 

to meet the requirements. A nation may 

provide information related to 

compliance with IDCP and IATTC 

measures directly to NMFS on an 

annual basis or may authorize the 

IATTC to release the information to 

NMFS to annually renew an affirmative 

finding determination without an 

application from the harvesting nation. 

An affirmative finding will be 

terminated, in consultation with the 

Secretary of State, if the Assistant 

Administrator determines that the 

requirements of 50 CFR 216.24(f) are no 

longer being met or that a nation is 

consistently failing to take enforcement 

actions on violations, thereby 

diminishing the effectiveness of the 

IDCP. 

As a part of the affirmative finding 

process set forth in 50 CFR 216.24(f), the 

Assistant Administrator considered 

documentary evidence submitted by the 

Republic of El Salvador or obtained 

from the IATTC and the Department of 

State and has determined that El 

Salvador has met the MMPA’s 

requirements to receive an annual 

affirmative finding renewal. 

After consultation with the 

Department of State, the Assistant 

Administrator issued the Republic of El 

Salvador’s annual affirmative finding 

renewal, allowing the continued 

importation into the United States of 

yellowfin tuna and products derived 

from yellowfin tuna harvested in the 

ETP by El Salvadorian-flag purse seine 

vessels or purse seine vessels operating 

under El Salvadorian jurisdiction. This 

annual renewal of El Salvador’s 

affirmative finding will remain valid 

through March 31, 2011. 

Dated: October 15, 2010. 

Eric C. Schwaab, 

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–26652 Filed 10–20–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement 

(SEIS), Mississippi Barrier Island 

Restoration, Mississippi Coastal 

Improvements Program (MsCIP) for 

Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson 

Counties, MS 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DOD. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The Mobile District, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), 

intends to prepare a Draft Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement 

(DSEIS) to the MsCIP Comprehensive 

Plan and Integrated Programmatic EIS, 

prepared in June 2009, which evaluated 

comprehensive water resource 

improvements associated with 

hurricane and storm damage risk 

reduction, shoreline erosion, salt water 

intrusion and fish and wildlife 

preservation in three coastal counties of 

Mississippi. As described in the 

Comprehensive Plan, the SEIS will 

address potential impacts associated 

with the comprehensive restoration of 

the Mississippi barrier islands. These 

actions are related to the consequences 

of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in 

2005 and will be used as a basis for 

ensuring compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 

ADDRESSES: Questions about the 

proposed action and the DSEIS should 

be addressed to Mr. Larry Parson, or Dr. 

Susan Ivester Rees, Planning and 

Environmental Division, Mobile 

District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

P.O. Box 2288, Mobile, AL 36628–0001. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Larry Parson, (251) 694–3139 or e-mail 

at larry.e.parson@usace.army.mil or Dr. 

Susan Ivester Rees, (251) 694–414, or email at susan.i.rees@usace.army.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 

Mississippi on August 29, 2005 causing 

catastrophic damage to lives, property, 

and natural resources throughout 

coastal Mississippi. In response, the 

U.S. Congress directed the Secretary of 

the Army through the Corps of 

Engineers (the Corps) to conduct an 


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65006 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 203 / Thursday, October 21, 2010 / Notices 

analysis and design for comprehensive 

improvements or modifications to 

existing improvements in the coastal 

area of Mississippi in the interest of 

hurricane and storm damage reduction, 

prevention of saltwater intrusion, 

preservation of fish and wildlife, 

prevention of erosion, barrier island 

restoration, and other related water 

resources purposes. Further, the Corps 

was directed to provide interim 

recommendations for near term 

improvements by June 30, 2006, with 

final recommendations provided by 

December 30, 2007. Environmental 

impacts associated with implementation 

of 15 interim projects were addressed in 

an Environmental Assessment and a 

Finding of No Significant Impact signed 

on June 29, 2006. 

2. The MsCIP Comprehensive Plan 

evaluated an array of measures to 

promote the recovery of coastal 

Mississippi from the hurricanes of 2005 

and to provide for a coast resilient to 

future storm events. The Integrated 

Programmatic EIS evaluated multiple 

natural and engineered alternatives to 

provide various measures for various 

levels of risk reduction and restoration 

for the Mississippi coast. Formulation of 

the comprehensive plan involved 

identifying potential ‘‘Lines of Defense’’ 

moving from offshore to nearshore, 

shoreline, and along existing natural 

features inland, to possibly reduce 

damage from hurricane and storm 

events. This analysis included 

restoration of the barrier islands, 

nearshore features such as rubble and 

movable wall breakwaters, beachfront 

measures such as dunes, berms, and 

seawalls, coastal roadways and beach 

front property barriers such as elevation 

of roadways and property, and various 

other inland features such as 

installation of levees, elevated highwaytopped levee systems, and surge 

protection gates, for potential inclusion 

in the overall damage reduction system. 

Consideration of ‘‘non-structural 

measures’’, such as acquisition and 

relocation of structures, hurricane 

evaluation, floodplain management, 

building codes and other event planning 

activities also serve as important 

hurricane and storm damage reduction 

planning features. Other alternatives 

considered restoration of storm 

damaged habitats such as coastal 

marshes, beaches, forests, oyster reefs, 

and submerged aquatic vegetation in 

Mississippi Sound and on the 

Mississippi mainland; restoration of 

historical water flows to coastal 

watersheds including freshwater 

diversion from Louisiana; and 

watershed based drainage modifications 

for flood damage reduction. The EIS 

identified, screened, evaluated, 

prioritized, and optimized an array of 

alternatives. 

3. The Draft SEIS. As discussed in the 

Integrated Programmatic EIS, a 

supplement would be prepared to 

address the borrow sources and 

placement areas for the Mississippi 

Barrier Islands Restoration. This is 

phase II of the plan described in the 

Programmatic EIS. Under phase I, the 

general plan of the barrier islands 

restoration was addressed; however the 

final design was not completed because 

the borrow sources were not identified. 

The Comprehensive Barrier Island 

Restoration consists of the placement of 

approximately 22 million cubic yards of 

sand within the National Park Service’s 

Gulf Islands National Seashore, 

Mississippi unit. Between 13–16 million 

cubic yards of sand would be used to 

close Camille Cut between East Ship 

Island and West Ship Island, which 

originally was opened by Hurricane 

Camille, through the construction of a 

low level dune system. The remaining 

sand would be placed in the littoral 

zones at the eastern ends of Ship and 

Petit Bois Islands. This would result in 

the restoration of 1,150 acres of critical 

coastal zone habitats and improvement 

to the water quality of the Mississippi 

Sound and provide incidental 

protection to two cultural sites on Ship 

Island listed on the National Register of 

Historic Places. In addition, the project 

would include the restoration of Cat 

Island using 1–2 million cubic yards of 

sand which are not included in the 22 

million cubic yards of sand. 

4. Public Involvement: a. The Corps 

has conducted extensive public 

involvement during the Comprehensive 

Plan and Integrated Programmatic EIS of 

June 2009. Since April 2006, the Corps 

Mobile District has hosted over 90 

public involvement events, including 12 

formal public and agency meetings, a 2- 

day Regional coordination meeting, a 

Public Scoping workshop, 3 online 

meetings, a Public Hearing workshop, 

and numerous internal meetings, which 

the agencies were invited to participate. 

The Corps also launched a project 

website enabling user downloads, 

project team collaboration, and 

communication among agencies and the 

public. This Web site will be updated 

with information on the SEIS for the 

Mississippi Barrier Island Restoration 

Project throughout the NEPA process: 

http://www.mscip.usace.army.mil. 

b. The SEIS will analyze potential 

environmental impacts and benefits 

associated with proposed borrow and 

placement sites. Specifically, the 

following major issues will be analyzed 

in the SEIS: Water quality, threatened 

and endangered species, essential fish 

habitat and other marine habitat, 

cultural resources, parks and protected 

lands, wetlands, and cumulative 

impacts. 

c. The Corps will serve as the lead 

Federal agency during preparation of 

the SEIS. The following agencies have 

been invited to participate as 

cooperating agencies: U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. 

Department of the Interior—Fish and 

Wildlife Service, National Park Service, 

U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. 

Department of Transportation—Federal 

Highway Administration; U.S. 

Department of Commerce—National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration and the National Marine 

Fisheries Service; U.S. Department of 

Homeland Security—Federal Emergency 

Management Agency; U.S. Department 

of Agriculture—Natural Resources 

Conservation Service; Mississippi 

Department of Marine Resources; 

Mississippi Department of 

Environmental Quality, and Mississippi 

Department of Archives and History; 

Mississippi Museum of Natural Science; 

Mississippi Department of 

Transportation; Mississippi Emergency 

Management Agency and the Gulf 

Regional Planning Commission. 

Participation from other agencies, 

interest groups, and individual citizens 

is being encouraged and sought. 

5. It is anticipated that the SEIS will 

be made available for public review in 

December 2010. 

Curtis M. Flakes, 

Chief, Planning and Environmental Division. 

[FR Doc. 2010–26493 Filed 10–20–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army 

Board of Visitors, United States 

Military Academy (USMA) 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. 

ACTION: Meeting notice. 

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act of 

1972, the Government in the Sunshine 

Act of 1976, and Federal regulations 

governing advisory committee meetings, 

the Department of Defense announces a 

Federal advisory committee meeting for 

the United States Military Academy 

Board of Visitors. This is the 2010 

Annual Meeting of the USMA Board of 

Visitors. Members of the Board will be 

provided updates on Academy issues. 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES