22488 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 77 / Tuesday, April 22, 2014 / Notices 

Respondents/affected entities: 

Facilities that own and operate 

underground storage tanks (USTs), 

states that implement the UST 

programs, and tribes. 

Respondent’s obligation to respond: 

Mandatory (40 CFR part 280). 

Estimated number of respondents: 

211,540. 

Frequency of response: Once, on 

occasion, annual. 

Total estimated burden: 6,753,558 

hours (per year). Burden is defined at 5 

CFR 1320.03(b). 

Total estimated cost: $479,519,291 

(per year), includes $279,652,536 

annualized capital or operation & 

maintenance costs. 

Changes in Estimates: There is an 

increase of 1,500 hours in the total 

estimated respondent burden compared 

with the ICR currently approved by 

OMB. For Region 9, this represents an 

increase of 1,500 hours which is due to 

a readjustment of estimates after the first 

collection. Therefore this ICR’s burden 

hours are increasing by 1,500 hours due 

to the consolidation of adding in the 

estimates from the Region 9 UST 

program. For the general UST program, 

EPA expects the estimates to remain 

substantially the same for the renewal 

ICR since estimates of the universe of 

tanks and facilities has not changed 

significantly over the past three years. 

Dated: April 9, 2014. 

Carolyn Hoskinson, 

Director, Office of Underground Storage 

Tanks. 

[FR Doc. 2014–09138 Filed 4–21–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–HQ–OW–2013–0262; FRL–9909–87– 

OW] 

Re-Issuance of a General Permit to the 

National Science Foundation for the 

Ocean Disposal of Man-Made Ice Piers 

From Its Base at McMurdo Sound in 

Antarctica 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice; final permit. 

SUMMARY: EPA is re-issuing a permit 

authorizing the National Science 

Foundation (NSF) to dispose of ice piers 

in ocean waters. Permit re-issuance is 

necessary because the current permit 

has expired. Today, this renewed permit 

retains the conditions established in the 

previous general permit issuance. 

DATES: This general permit is effective 

May 22, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: This permit is identified as 

Docket No. EPA–HQ–OW–2013–0262. 

The record is closed but available for 

inspection from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 

Monday through Friday, excluding legal 

holidays, at the Water Docket, 1301 

Constitution Avenue NW., Room B–135, 

Washington, DC 20460. For access to 

docket materials, call (202) 566–2426, to 

schedule an appointment. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Ryan Gross, Environmental Engineer, 

Marine Pollution Control Branch, 

Oceans and Coastal Protection Division 

(4504T), U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue 

NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone 

(202) 566–1810. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

February 14, 2003, EPA issued a general 

permit to the NSF for ocean disposal of 

man-made ice piers from its base at 

McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. The 

Marine Protection, Research, and 

Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) section 104(a) 

provides that permits shall be issued for 

a period not to exceed seven years, 33 

U.S.C. 1414(a). This general permit has 

expired, but remains in effect under the 

Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 

558(c) because NSF filed a timely and 

sufficient application for renewal prior 

to expiration. EPA published a notice 

proposing renewal of the permit on May 

9, 2011 (76 FR 26721). Therefore, 

today’s action by the EPA finalizes the 

provisions of the general permit and 

extends the terms of the 2003 permit for 

another seven-year period. 

EPA re-issues the general permit 

under sections 102(a) and 104(c) of the 

MPRSA to authorize the NSF to dispose 

of man-made ice piers in ocean waters 

from its base at McMurdo Sound in 

Antarctica. The NSF is the agency of the 

United States Government responsible 

for oversight of the United States 

Antarctic Program. The NSF currently 

operates three major bases in Antarctica: 

McMurdo Station on Ross Island, 

adjacent to McMurdo Sound; Palmer 

Station, near the western terminus of 

the Antarctic Peninsula; and 

Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, at 

the geographic South Pole. McMurdo 

Station is the largest of the three stations 

and serves as the primary logistics base 

for the Antarctica operations of NSF. 

The great majority of personnel and 

supplies destined for the three stations 

are unloaded from ships docked at the 

McMurdo Station ice pier. This manmade pier has a normal life span of 

three to five years. NSF constructed the 

current ice pier in 2012. 

When an ice pier is at the end of its 

effective life, all transportable 

equipment, materials, and debris are 

removed. The pier is then cast loose 

from its moorings at the base and is 

towed out to McMurdo Sound for 

disposal, where it melts naturally. 

Issuance of this general permit is 

necessary because the pier must be 

towed out to sea for disposal at the end 

of its effective life. In accordance with 

Section 104(c) of the MPRSA, 33 U.S.C. 

1414(c) and implementing regulations at 

40 CFR 220.3, the terms and conditions 

of this general permit are designed to 

protect the marine environment, 

including through specification of 

operating conditions applicable over the 

life of the pier, as well as required 

clean-up actions, with which the NSF 

must comply before the disposal of any 

ice pier. 

A. Background on McMurdo Station Ice 

Pier 

The construction of the ice pier at 

McMurdo Sound Station was explained 

in the Federal Register notice of January 

7, 2003 (68 FR 775), and remains largely 

similar today. The current pier, 

however, contains fewer materials and 

is about half the size of the 2003 ice 

pier, and measures 354 feet long, 200 

feet wide, and 15 feet thick. The current 

pier contains the following types and 

approximate quantities of materials: (a) 

11,500 feet of one-inch steel cable 

embedded 5 feet from the bottom; (b) a 

6 inch by 6 inch steel mesh embedded 

10 feet from the bottom; (c) 650 feet of 

two-inch steel pipe; (d) eight steel 

bollards; and (e) 1,750 cubic yards of 

local gravel, 2 cm or smaller in size. 

When the pier has deteriorated to the 

point that it is not capable of being used 

the following season, the gravel is 

scraped off for use in the following 

season; all transportable equipment, 

materials, and debris are removed; and 

the pier is physically separated from its 

attachment to McMurdo Base at the end 

of the austral summer. The defunct pier 

is then towed by a U.S. Coast Guard 

cutter into McMurdo Sound past the 

distal end of the open channel in the 

ice, as near to the Ross Sea currents as 

possible. The pier is released in a 

direction that allows it to flow with the 

Ross Sea currents, away from the open 

channel in the ice. The pier then floats 

free within the ice pack, where it mixes 

with the annual sea ice and eventually 

disintegrates. The materials dumped 

under this general permit (other than 

ice, which melts naturally) include 

those materials used in construction of 

the ice pier that cannot be removed 

prior to disposal. 

For background information on the 

McMurdo Station ice pier, the reader is 

referred to the Federal Register notice of 

January 7, 2003 (68 FR 775), which is 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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hereby incorporated by reference into 

this notice. The 2003 notice summarizes 

the permit action and provides 

supplementary information on several 

relevant topics. The 2003 notice also 

describes the history of NSF operations 

at McMurdo Station, the construction of 

the ice pier, and EPA’s legal basis for 

issuance of the permit. The 2003 notice 

explains how the potential effects of the 

ice pier disposal on the human health 

and the environment were evaluated 

through testing and consultation with 

other agencies and determined to 

present a very small risk to the marine 

environment. The 2003 notice discusses 

EPA’s basis for the conditions in the 

permit, including tracking and reporting 

requirements, and how the permit 

satisfies requirements of other relevant 

federal statutes. None of the facts 

regarding the background of the 

McMurdo Station Ice Pier described in 

Section A of the January 7, 2003, notice 

have changed. 

B. Statutory and Regulatory 

Background 

1. Marine Protection, Research, and 

Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) 

Section 102(a) of the MPRSA, 33 

U.S.C. 1412(a) requires that agencies or 

instrumentalities of the United States 

obtain a permit to transport any material 

from any location for the purpose of 

dumping into ocean waters. MPRSA 

Section 104(c), 33 U.S.C. 1414(c), and 

EPA regulations at 40 CFR 220.3(a) 

authorize the issuance of a general 

permit under the MPRSA for the 

dumping of materials which have a 

minimal adverse environmental impact 

and are generally disposed of in small 

quantities. The towing of ice piers by 

the USCG from McMurdo Station for 

disposal at sea constitutes 

transportation of material for the 

purpose of dumping in ocean waters, 

and thus is subject to the MPRSA. EPA 

has determined that ocean disposal of 

the material associated with the ice 

piers is likely to cause only a minimal 

adverse environmental effect and 

represents comparatively small 

quantities of unrecoverable non-ice 

materials. 

2. Obligations Under International Law 

The Antarctic Science, Tourism, and 

Conservation Act of 1996 amended the 

Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. 

This law is designed to implement the 

provisions of the Protocol on 

Environmental Protection to the 

Antarctic Treaty (‘‘the Protocol’’). The 

United States Senate ratified the 

Protocol on April 17, 1997, and it 

entered into force on January 18, 1998. 

The Protocol builds on the Antarctic 

Treaty to extend its effectiveness as a 

mechanism for ensuring protection of 

the Antarctic environment. The Protocol 

designates Antarctica as a natural 

reserve, devoted to peace and science, 

and sets forth basic principles and 

detailed, mandatory rules applicable to 

human activities in Antarctica. The 

Protocol prohibits all activities relating 

to mineral resources in Antarctica, 

except for scientific research, and 

commits signatories to the Protocol 

(known as Parties) to environmental 

impact assessment procedures for 

proposed activities, both governmental 

and private. Among other things, the 

Protocol also requires Parties to protect 

Antarctic flora and fauna, and imposes 

strict limitations on disposal of wastes 

in Antarctica and discharges of 

pollutants into Antarctic waters. 

Several sets of regulations implement 

the legislation that, in turn, implements 

the Protocol, including: (a) NSF 

regulations regarding environmental 

impact assessment of proposed NSF 

actions in Antarctica (45 CFR part 641); 

(b) NSF waste regulations for Antarctica 

(45 CFR part 671); and (c) EPA 

regulations regarding environmental 

impact assessment of non-governmental 

activities in Antarctica (40 CFR part 8). 

In this regard, EPA notes that the NSF 

completed a United States Antarctic 

Program (USAP) Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) (June 1980), a USAP 

Final Supplemental Environmental 

Impact Statement (SEIS) (October 1991), 

and an Initial Environmental Evaluation 

(May 1992). Since then, the NSF issued 

two Records of Environmental Review: 

Installation of Freeze Cells in Ice Piers 

(1998) and Use of Freeze Cells in Ice 

piers to Repair Cracks (2000). All these 

documents address various aspects of 

the construction, operation, and 

disposal of ice piers at McMurdo Station 

in Antarctica. None of these documents 

identify any potential environmental 

impacts from the disposal of ice piers. 

EPA considered the analyses contained 

in these five documents in re-issuance 

of the general permit for the NSF. The 

documents are available for review 

through the EPA docket for this action 

and at the Office of Polar Programs of 

the NSF, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, 

Arlington, VA 22230. 

C. Potential Effects of Ice Pier Disposal 

EPA’s decision is based on findings 

regarding three areas of the ocean 

disposal of ice piers in ocean waters off 

the Antarctic: (1) The fate of the 

materials disposed in the ocean; (2) the 

potential effects of ice pier disposal on 

organisms in the polar environment, 

including whales, seals, bird species, 

and endangered and threatened species; 

and (3) environmental concerns 

associated with any operational 

discharges, leaks, or spills that may 

have contaminated the surface of the 

pier. 

The materials contained in the ice 

pier that cannot be removed (11,500 feet 

of one-inch steel cable, steel mesh, steel 

bollards, and 650 feet of two-inch steel 

pipe) will, eventually, sink to the sea 

floor after the surrounding ice has 

melted. While the ice is slowly melting 

into the Antarctic Sea or the Southern 

Ocean, it is possible that steel mesh or 

loops of cable from partially melted 

layers of ice may hang temporarily from 

the floating pier. However, considering 

the normal behavior and mating habits 

of whales, seals, and sea birds, it is 

unlikely that these materials pose any 

danger to these species. Furthermore, 

EPA consulted both the Fish and 

Wildlife Service (FWS) in the 

Department of the Interior and the 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS) in the Department of 

Commerce, and both agencies 

concluded that the disposal will not 

have any effect on endangered or 

threatened species. 

In 1993 and, again, in 1994, NSF 

sampled the ice on the surface of the 

pier to assess the potential for 

contamination from discharges of 

gasoline and antifreeze. Contamination 

was detected in only one location 

directly under two 55-gallon fuel drums. 

In response, NSF issued a directive that 

all fuel drums shall be underlain with 

secondary containment methods. Also, 

as one of the conditions of the 2003 

permit, NSF developed and now 

implements a spill prevention, control, 

and countermeasure (SPCC) plan for all 

the stations and bases under NSF 

jurisdiction in Antarctica to reduce the 

potential for adverse effects associated 

with any such spills. That plan, updated 

in 2012, is titled: Spill Prevention, 

Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) 

Plan, McMurdo Station, McMurdo 

Sound, Antarctica. The SPCC plan 

includes a section addressing fuel 

storage and transfer systems for the ice 

pier at McMurdo Station. With the 

implementation of new protective 

measures in the updated 2012 plan, 

such as longer length hoses for 

unloading petroleum products from the 

annual supply tanker and new 

precautions taken in the handling and 

return to bases outside Antarctica of 

used or contaminated chemicals, 

solvents, and hazardous materials, the 

risks of any spill or any discharge of 

these materials is now lower than under 

the 2003 SPCC plan. There is 

considerable vehicular traffic on the ice 


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pier during the austral summer season, 

and the possibility of engine block leaks 

or discharges from these vehicles cannot 

be totally avoided. However, NSF has 

provided EPA reasonable assurance that 

every effort to mitigate the risk of 

leakages or discharges is being taken, 

including limits on the time that 

vehicles are parked on the pier and that 

no vehicles are ever parked on the pier 

overnight. 

D. Discussion 

Considering the information 

presented in the previous section, EPA 

finds that the potential effects of this 

disposal are minimal and in accordance 

with the statutory standards applicable 

to permit issuance under the MPRSA. 

The general permit that EPA today reissues to NSF and its agents for the 

ocean disposal of man-made ice piers 

from the NSF research station at 

McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, is subject 

to eight specific conditions applicable 

during the use and disposal of ice piers. 

First, the general permit requires that 

NSF continue to maintain and 

implement an SPCC plan, consistent 

with the requirements of 40 CFR 112.3, 

for the ice pier that addresses: 

(1) The unloading of petroleum 

products from supply tankers to the 

storage tanks at McMurdo Station; 

(2) The unloading of drummed 

chemicals, petroleum products, and 

material from cargo freighters to supply 

depots at McMurdo Station; 

(3) The loading of materials to 

freighters destined to be returned to 

bases outside Antarctica; and 

(4) Methods to minimize the 

accidental release or discharge of any 

products to the ice pier. 

Second, the general permit requires 

that the following clean-up and 

reporting procedures must be followed 

by NSF in the event of a spill or 

discharge on the ice pier: 

(1) All spills or discharges must be 

cleaned up as soon as possible. 

(2) If a spill or discharge occurs, 

clean-up procedures must be completed 

with a performance level such that no 

visible evidence of the spill or discharge 

remains. 

Third, as part of normal permit 

monitoring requirements, an official 

record of the following information 

shall be kept by NSF: 

(1) The date and time of all spills or 

discharges, the location of the spill or 

discharge, a description of the material 

that was spilled or discharged, the 

approximate volume of the spill or 

discharge, clean-up procedures 

employed, and the results of clean-up 

procedures; 

(2) The approximate amount of the 

steel cables, steel pipe and steel mesh 

remaining in the ice pier at the time of 

its release; 

(3) Any other visible substances 

remaining on the ice pier at the time of 

its release; and 

(4) The date of detachment of the ice 

pier from McMurdo Station, and the 

geographic coordinates (latitude and 

longitude) of the point of final release of 

the pier in McMurdo Sound. 

Fourth, the non-embedded ends of all 

wooden utility poles shall be cut off 

from the ice pier prior to disposal and 

shall not be disposed of in the ocean. 

Though the current ice pier design does 

not call for wooden poles, this condition 

is retained in case wooden poles are 

installed in the future. 

The fifth condition requires certain 

actions be performed in preparation for 

disposal of the ice pier. All objects, 

excluding those embedded in the ice, 

shall be removed from the ice pier. This 

includes the removal, to the extent 

practicable, of the gravel surface. Also, 

NSF shall establish and implement a 

methodology to track the ice pier for one 

year after release. Such methodologies 

could include the use of satellitetracked pingers placed on the ice pier, 

or any other methodology that enables 

data collection on the course, speed, 

and location of the ice pier. The permit 

requires the monitoring period of one 

year because that length of tracking data 

is expected to provide adequate 

evidence concerning the movement of 

the ice pier until it has completely 

melted and the ultimate fate of the 

materials in the pier. 

When EPA first issued this permit, the 

Agency explained that if tracking results 

from the first three ice piers tracked 

after being disposed of from McMurdo 

Station demonstrated that all ice piers 

generally followed the same path over 

the same length of time for the one year 

following release, then EPA would 

consider whether it would require 

further tracking efforts and reporting 

under any future versions of this permit. 

To date, only two ice piers have been 

tracked after leaving McMurdo Station, 

in 1999 and 2011. Both of these ice piers 

followed similar paths in a general 

north-northwesterly direction into the 

Ross Sea after release or detachment. 

NSF has been unable to implement a 

tracking methodology with any other 

piers because all other piers have either 

broken away or inadvertently detached 

from the station. Tracking information 

from a third ice pier should provide 

adequate data to determine whether 

future detached piers follow the same 

general path and whether tracking 

requirements should be included in 

future versions of this permit. 

Sixth, the general permit requires that 

NSF submit a report to the Director of 

the Oceans and Coastal Protection 

Division, in the EPA’s Office of Water, 

by June 30 of every year as part of the 

annual reporting requirements. The 

report needs to inform EPA of: (1) Any 

spills, discharges, or clean-up 

procedures on the ice pier at McMurdo 

Station, (2) any ocean disposal of ice 

piers from McMurdo Station, and (3) 

any tracking efforts of ice piers disposed 

of from McMurdo Station under this 

general permit for the year preceding 

the date of the report. 

The seventh and eighth conditions 

define the term ‘‘ice pier’’ and explain 

that the permit shall be valid for seven 

years, as per the MPRSA, respectively. 

Any contaminants remaining on the 

surface of the piers after release are 

expected to be minimal and 

insignificant. The area over which the 

melting and disintegration of the piers 

occurs is immense. Thus, the dilution of 

contaminants in ocean waters should be 

adequate such that the potential for 

damage to the environment from ocean 

disposal of any McMurdo Station ice 

piers is minimal. In addition, the 

possibility of entanglement of large 

organisms in suspended loops of cable 

from the melting ice piers has been 

determined by EPA to be very minimal. 

(Further discussion of this issue can be 

found in ‘‘C. Potential Effects of Ice Pier 

Disposal,’’ above.) 

Finally, the re-issuance of this permit 

to NSF does not in any way relieve NSF 

of meeting the United States’ obligations 

under the Antarctic Protocol, the 

Antarctic Conservation Act, or the 

implementing regulations. 

E. Responses to Comments Received 

EPA received one comment during 

the public comment period. The 

comment raised objections to the 

reissuance of the permit on the basis 

that: The pier should be reused rather 

than dumped; the EIS from 1980 is no 

longer applicable; the danger of a 

chemical spill was underestimated; the 

impact on endangered species is not 

known; and the pier should be tracked 

for a longer period of time. 

EPA disagrees that these concerns 

warrant rejecting the permit re-issuance 

application. The pier cannot be used for 

more than 3–5 years because damage 

sustained through normal use over time 

makes continued use unsafe. The 

findings of the 1980 EIS and the 1991 

SEIS still validly show that the adverse 

impact of the ice pier on the 

environment will be minimal 

notwithstanding the passage of time 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 77 / Tuesday, April 22, 2014 / Notices 22491 

because the conditions required by the 

permit today are similar to or more 

protective than the conditions required 

at that time. EPA has concluded 

discussions with FWS and NMFS 

regarding the risk of entanglement to 

marine species and agreed that no effect 

is anticipated from that hypothetical 

situation. Finally, tracking the released 

ice pier for one year has allowed EPA 

and NSF to confidently determine the 

fate of materials used in the ice pier’s 

construction. If future tracking data 

indicates that more than one year of 

tracking is needed to make this 

determination, then EPA will consider 

requiring a longer duration of tracking 

in future versions of this permit. 

F. Statutory and Executive Order 

Reviews 

1. Paperwork Reduction Act 

The Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq., is intended to 

minimize the reporting and recordkeeping burden on the regulated 

community, as well as to minimize the 

cost of Federal information collection 

and dissemination. In general, the Act 

requires that information requests and 

record-keeping requirements affecting 

ten or more non-Federal respondents be 

approved by the Office of Management 

and Budget. Because this general permit 

affects only Federal agency recordkeeping and reporting requirements, it 

is not subject to the requirements of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act. 

2. Endangered Species Act 

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) 

imposes duties on Federal agencies 

regarding endangered species of fish, 

wildlife, or plants and designated 

critical habitats. Section 7(a)(2) of the 

ESA and its implementing regulations 

(50 CFR Part 402) require agencies like 

EPA to ensure, in consultation with the 

Secretary of the Interior or of 

Commerce, that any action authorized, 

funded, or carried out by EPA in the 

United States or upon the high seas, is 

not likely to jeopardize the continued 

existence of any endangered or 

threatened species, or adversely affect 

their critical habitat. 

In accordance with Section 7 of the 

ESA, EPA requested and received from 

both FWS and NMFS an endangered 

species list for the affected area of ocean 

disposal of ice piers from the NSF 

facility at McMurdo Station in 

Antarctica. No endangered, threatened, 

or candidate species are reported to 

potentially occur in the affected area. 

EPA has discussed this matter with 

both FWS and NMFS, who have 

concluded that the ocean disposal of ice 

piers by NSF or its agents from 

McMurdo Station in Antarctica will 

have no effect on endangered or 

threatened species. 

For the reasons stated above, EPA reissues the general permit for NSF as 

follows: 

Disposal of Ice Piers From McMurdo 

Station, Antarctica 

The United States National Science 

Foundation (NSF) and its agents are 

hereby granted a general permit under 

sections 102(a) and 104(c) of the Marine 

Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries 

Act, 33 U.S.C. 1412(a) and 1414(c), to 

transport ice piers from the McMurdo 

Sound, Antarctica, research station for 

the purpose of ocean dumping, subject 

to the following conditions: 

(A) The NSF shall implement a spill 

prevention, control, and 

countermeasure (SPCC) plan, consistent 

with the requirements of 40 CFR 112.3, 

for the McMurdo Station ice pier. The 

SPCC plan shall address procedures for 

loading and unloading the following 

materials, and shall include methods to 

minimize the accidental release or 

discharge of any of the following 

materials to the ice pier: 

(1) Petroleum products unloaded from 

supply tankers to the storage tanks at 

McMurdo Station; 

(2) Drummed chemicals, petroleum 

products, and materials unloaded from 

cargo freighters to supply depots at 

McMurdo Station; and 

(3) Materials loaded to freighters 

destined to be returned to bases outside 

Antarctica. 

(B) If a spill or discharge occurs on an 

ice pier, clean-up procedures must be 

completed by NSF or its contractors 

with a performance level such that no 

visible evidence of the spill or discharge 

remains. All spills or discharges on an 

ice pier should be cleaned up soon as 

possible. 

(C) As part of normal monitoring 

requirements, a record of the following 

information shall be kept by NSF: 

(1) The date and time of all spills or 

discharges, the location of the spill or 

discharge, a description of the material 

that was spilled or discharged, the 

approximate volume of the spill or 

discharge, clean-up procedures 

employed, and the results of the cleanup procedures; 

(2) The approximate length of the 

steel cables, steel pipe, and steel mesh 

remaining in the ice pier at the time of 

its release; 

(3) Any other visible substances 

remaining on the ice pier at the time of 

its release; and 

(4) The date of detachment of the ice 

pier from McMurdo Station, and the 

geographic coordinates (latitude and 

longitude) of the point of final release of 

the pier in McMurdo Sound or the 

Antarctic Sea. 

(D) The non-embedded ends of all 

wooden utility poles and wooden 

bollards will be cut off from the ice pier 

prior to disposal, and shall not be 

disposed of in the ocean. 

(E) Prior to the ocean disposal of any 

ice piers, the following actions shall be 

taken by NSF: 

(1) Other than the matter embedded in 

the ice pier (i.e., the ends of light poles 

or bollards frozen in the pier, and the 

strengthening cables), all other objects 

(including the non-embedded portions 

of bollards used for maintaining a 

connection between the pier and the 

mainland, the non-embedded portions 

of poles used for lighting, power, or 

telephone connections, and any 

removable equipment, debris, or objects 

of anthropogenic origin), shall be 

removed from the pier. 

(2) The gravel non-slip surface of the 

pier shall be removed to the maximum 

extent practicable and stored on the 

mainland for subsequent use. 

(3) NSF shall implement a 

methodology to track the ice pier 

disposed of under this permit for a 

period of one year after disposal. NSF 

shall include the tracking data from this 

effort in the annual report that NSF is 

required to submit to EPA. 

(F) NSF shall submit a report by June 

30 of every year to the Director of the 

Oceans and Coastal Protection Division, 

in EPA’s Office of Water, on (1) any 

spills, discharges, or clean-up 

procedures on the ice pier at McMurdo 

Station, (2) any ocean disposal of ice 

piers from McMurdo Station, and (3) 

any tracking efforts of ice piers released 

from McMurdo Station under this 

general permit for the year preceding 

the date of the annual report. 

(G) For the purpose of this permit, the 

term ‘‘ice pier(s)’’ means those manmade ice structures containing 

embedded steel cable, mesh, and pipe, 

and any remaining gravel frozen into the 

surface of the pier, that are constructed 

at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, for the 

purpose of off-loading the annual 

provision of material and supplies for 

the base at McMurdo Station and other 

U.S. Antarctic bases, and for loading the 

previous year’s accumulation of wastes, 

which are returned to the United States. 

(H) This permit shall be valid for a 

period of seven years beginning 30 days 

after the date of publication in the 

Federal Register. 


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Dated: April 2, 2014. 

Paul Cough, 

Director, Oceans and Coastal Protection 

Division. 

[FR Doc. 2014–09136 Filed 4–21–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL–9909–84–OA] 

Notification of a Correction Regarding 

a Public Teleconference of the Clean 

Air Scientific Advisory Committee 

(CASAC) Ozone Review Panel 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board 

(SAB) Staff Office published a notice in 

the Federal Register on April 9, 2014, 

concerning a public teleconference of 

the Clean Air Scientific Advisory 

Committee (CASAC) and the CASAC 

Ozone Review Panel. The notice 

contained an incorrect date and time of 

the teleconference. 

In the Federal Register of April 9, 

2014, in 79 FR 19613 in the second 

column, correct the DATES caption to 

read: 

DATES: If additional time is needed 

following the May 28, 2013, 

teleconference, CASAC and the CASAC 

Panel will hold a teleconference on 

Wednesday, June 4, 2014, from 9:00 

a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Holly Stallworth, Designated Federal 

Officer, 202–564–2073. 

Dated: April 16, 2014. 

Thomas H. Brennan, 

Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board 

Staff Office. 

[FR Doc. 2014–09137 Filed 4–21–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

Sunshine Act Meeting; Open 

Commission Meeting; Wednesday, 

April 23, 2014 

Date: April 16, 2014. 

The Federal Communications 

Commission will hold an Open Meeting 

on the subjects listed below on 

Wednesday, April 23, 2014. The 

meeting is scheduled to commence at 

10:30 a.m. in Room TW–C305, at 445 

12th Street SW., Washington, DC. 

Item No. Bureau Subject 

1 ............. WIRELINE COMPETITION TITLE: Connect America Fund (WC Docket No. 1090); Universal Service Reform—Mobility Fund (WT

Docket No. 10–208); ETC Annual Reports and Certifications (WC Docket No. 14–58); Developing a 

Unified Intercarrier Compensation Regime (CC Docket No. 01–92); Establishing Just and Reasonable Rates for Local Exchange Carriers (WC Docket No. 07–135). 

SUMMARY: The Commission will consider a Report and Order, Declaratory Ruling, Order, Memorandum Opinion and Order, and Seventh Order on Reconsideration taking significant steps to continue the implementation of the landmark reforms adopted in the 2011 USF/ICC Transformation 

Order to modernize universal service for the 21st century. An accompanying Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposes measures to update and further implement the framework adopted by 

the Commission in 2011. 

2 ............. WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS 

AND OFFICE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY.

TITLE: Amendment of the Commission’s Rules with Regard to Commercial Operations in the 3550– 

3650 MHz Band (GN Docket No.12–354). 

SUMMARY: The Commission will consider a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would implement an innovative three-tier spectrum sharing approach to make up to 150 megahertz of spectrum available for wireless broadband use in the 3550–3700 MHz band. 

* * * * * Consent Agenda 

The Commission will consider the 

following subjects listed below as 

consent agenda and these items will not 

be presented individually: 

Item No. Bureau Subject 

1 ............. MEDIA ................................ TITLE: Application for a Construction Permit For a New FM Broadcast Station at Aguila, Arizona. 

SUMMARY: The Commission will consider a Memorandum Opinion and Order concerning an Application for Review filed by Entravision Holdings seeking review of a decision by the Media Bureau 

granting an application by Able Radio Corporation. 

2 ............. MEDIA ................................ TITLE: Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting Corporation, Application for a Permit to Construct a New 

Noncommercial Educational FM Station at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. 

SUMMARY: The Commission will consider a Memorandum Opinion and Order concerning an Application for Review filed by Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting Corporation seeking review of a waiver request dismissal by the Media Bureau. 

3 ............. MEDIA ................................ TITLE: Chapin Enterprises, LLC, Application for a Construction Permit for a Minor Change to a Licensed Facility Applications for Minor Modification of a Construction Permit Station KVSS(FM), Papillion, Nebraska. 

SUMMARY: The Commission will consider a Memorandum Opinion and Order concerning an Application for Review filed by William B. Clay seeking review of a minor modification grant by the Media 

Bureau. 

4 ............. MEDIA ................................ TITLE: Galaxy Communications, L.P., Application for Modification of License Station WTKV(FM), 

Oswego, NY. 

SUMMARY: The Commission will consider a Memorandum Opinion and Order concerning an Application for Review filed by Galaxy Syracuse Licensee LLC seeking review of a waiver request denial 

by the Media Bureau. 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES