Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 58 / Thursday, March 26, 2015 / Notices 15985 

Division, 510 Desmond Dr., Suite 103, 

Lacey, WA 98503, or faxed to (360) 753– 

9517. Comments may be submitted by 

email. The mailbox address for 

providing email comments is: 

EWSteelheadHatcheries.wcr@noaa.gov. 

Include in the subject line of the email 

comment the following identifier: 

Comments on Early Winter Steelhead 

Hatchery Programs. When commenting 

on the draft environmental assessment, 

please refer to the specific page number 

and line number of the subject of your 

comment. The Secretary’s proposed 

evaluation of effects on listed steelhead 

and salmon, and the draft 

Environmental Assessment are also 

available on the Internet at 

www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov. 

Comments received will also be 

available for public inspection, by 

appointment, during normal business 

hours by calling (503) 230–5418. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim 

Tynan at (360) 753–9579 or email: 

tim.tynan@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

ESA-Listed Species Covered in This 

Notice 

Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss): 

Threatened, naturally produced and 

artificially propagated Puget Sound. 

Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha): 

Threatened, naturally produced and 

artificially propagated Puget Sound. 

Chum salmon (O. keta): Threatened, 

naturally produced and artificially 

propagated Hood Canal summer-run. 

Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus): 

Threatened Puget Sound/Washington 

Coast. 

The WDFW, with the Jamestown 

S’Klallam Tribe, the Lummi Nation, the 

Nooksack Tribe, the Stillaguamish 

Tribes, and the Tulalip Tribes as the 

U.S. v. Washington salmon resource comanagers, has submitted to NMFS plans 

for three jointly operated hatchery 

programs in the Dungeness, Nooksack, 

and Stillaguamish river basins. The 

plans were submitted in July 2014, 

pursuant to limit 6 of the 4(d) Rule for 

the listed Puget Sound steelhead 

distinct population segment (DPS), and 

the listed Puget Sound Chinook Salmon 

and listed Hood Canal Summer Chum 

Salmon evolutionarily significant units 

(ESU). The plans reflect refinements of 

draft versions of the plans provided 

previously and evaluated pursuant to 

the 4(d) Rule. The hatchery programs 

would release early winter steelhead 

that are not included as part of the ESAlisted Puget Sound Steelhead Distinct 

Population Segment into the Dungeness 

River, Nooksack River, and 

Stillaguamish River watersheds. All 

three programs would release fish that 

are not native to the watersheds. 

As required by the ESA 4(d) rule (65 

FR 42422, July 10, 2000, as updated in 

70 FR 37160, June 28, 2005), the 

Secretary is seeking public comment on 

her pending determination as to 

whether the joint plans for early winter 

steelhead hatchery programs in the 

Dungeness River, Nooksack River, and 

Stillaguamish River would appreciably 

reduce the likelihood of survival and 

recovery of ESA-listed Puget Sound 

steelhead and Puget Sound salmon. 

Under section 4(d) of the ESA, the 

Secretary is required to adopt such 

regulations as she deems necessary and 

advisable for the conservation of species 

listed as threatened. NMFS has issued a 

final ESA 4(d) Rule for salmon and 

steelhead, adopting in Limit 6 

regulations necessary and advisable to 

harmonize statutory conservation 

requirements with tribal rights and the 

Federal trust responsibility to tribes (50 

CFR 223.209). 

This 4(d) Rule applies the 

prohibitions enumerated in section 

9(a)(1) of the ESA. NMFS did not find 

it necessary and advisable to apply the 

take prohibitions described in section 

9(a)(1)(B) and 9(a)(1)(C) to artificial 

propagation activities if those activities 

are managed in accordance with a joint 

plan whose implementation has been 

determined by the Secretary to not 

appreciably reduce the likelihood of 

survival and recovery of the listed 

salmonids. As specified in limit 6 of the 

4(d) Rule, before the Secretary makes a 

decision on the joint plan, the public 

must have an opportunity to review and 

comment on the pending determination. 

Authority 

Under section 4 of the ESA, the 

Secretary of Commerce is required to 

adopt such regulations as she deems 

necessary and advisable for the 

conservation of species listed as 

threatened. The ESA salmon and 

steelhead 4(d) rule (65 FR 42422, July 

10, 2000, as updated in 70 FR 37160, 

June 28, 2005) specifies categories of 

activities that contribute to the 

conservation of listed salmonids and 

sets out the criteria for such activities. 

Limit 6 of the updated 4(d) rule (50 CFR 

223.203(b)(6)) further provides that the 

prohibitions of paragraph (a) of the 

updated 4(d) rule (50 CFR 223.203(a)) 

do not apply to activities associated 

with a joint state/tribal artificial 

propagation plan provided that the joint 

plan has been determined by NMFS to 

be in accordance with the salmon and 

steelhead 4(d) rule (65 FR 42422, July 

10, 2000, as updated in 70 FR 37160, 

June 28, 2005). 

We also apply this notice in 

accordance with the requirements of 

NEPA as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371 et 

seq.) and its implementing regulations 

(40 CFR 1506.6), and other appropriate 

Federal laws and regulations, and 

policies and procedures of NMFS for 

compliance with those regulations. 

Dated: March 23, 2015. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office 

of Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06927 Filed 3–25–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Bureau of Economic Analysis 

[Docket No. 150128086–5086–01] 

RIN 0691–XC034] 

BE–45: Quarterly Survey of Insurance 

Transactions by U.S. Insurance 

Companies With Foreign Persons 

AGENCY: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of reporting 

requirements. 

SUMMARY: By this Notice, the Bureau of 

Economic Analysis (BEA), Department 

of Commerce, is informing the public 

that it is conducting the mandatory 

survey titled Quarterly Survey of 

Insurance Transactions by U.S. 

Insurance Companies with Foreign 

Persons (BE–45). This survey is 

authorized by the International 

Investment and Trade in Services 

Survey Act. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

Notice constitutes legal notification to 

all United States persons (defined 

below) who meet the reporting 

requirements set forth in this Notice that 

they must respond to, and comply with, 

the survey. Reports are due 60 days after 

the end of the U.S. person’s fiscal 

quarter, except for the final quarter of 

the U.S. person’s fiscal year when 

reports must be filed within 90 days. 

This notice is being issued in 

conformance with the rule BEA issued 

in 2012 (77 FR 24373) establishing 

guidelines for collecting data on 

international trade in services and direct 

investment through notices, rather than 

through rulemaking. Additional 

information about BEA’s collection of 

data on international trade in services 

and direct investment can be found in 

the 2012 rule, the International 

Investment and Trade in Services 

Survey Act (22 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.), and 

15 CFR part 801. Survey data on 

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15986 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 58 / Thursday, March 26, 2015 / Notices 

international trade in services and direct 

investment that are not collected 

pursuant to the 2012 rule are described 

separately in 15 CFR part 801. The BE– 

45 survey forms and instructions are 

available on the BEA Web site at 

www.bea.gov/ssb. 

Definitions 

(a) Person means any individual, 

branch, partnership, associated group, 

association, estate, trust, corporation, or 

other organization (whether or not 

organized under the laws of any State), 

and any government (including a 

foreign government, the United States 

Government, a State or local 

government, and any agency, 

corporation, financial institution, or 

other entity or instrumentality thereof, 

including a government-sponsored 

agency). 

(b) United States person means any 

person resident in the United States or 

subject to the jurisdiction of the United 

States. 

(c) United States, when used in a 

geographic sense, means the 50 States, 

the District of Columbia, the 

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and all 

territories and possessions of the United 

States. 

(d) Foreign person means any person 

resident outside the United States or 

subject to the jurisdiction of a country 

other than the United States. 

Reporting 

Who Must Report: (a) Reports are 

required from U.S. persons whose 

covered transactions exceeded $8 

million (positive or negative) in the 

prior fiscal year, or are expected to 

exceed that amount during the current 

fiscal year. 

(b) Entities required to report will be 

contacted individually by BEA. Entities 

not contacted by BEA have no reporting 

responsibilities. 

What To Report: The survey collects 

information on cross-border insurance 

transactions between U.S. insurance 

companies and foreign persons. 

How To Report: Reports can be filed 

using BEA’s electronic reporting system 

at www.bea.gov/efile. Copies of the 

survey forms and instructions, which 

contain complete information on 

reporting procedures and definitions, 

may be obtained at the BEA Web site 

given above. Form BE–45 inquiries can 

be made by phone to BEA at (202) 606– 

5588 or by sending an email to 

be45help@bea.gov. 

When To Report: Reports are due to 

BEA 60 days after the end of the fiscal 

quarter, except for the final quarter of 

the reporter’s fiscal year, when reports 

must be filed within 90 days. 

Paperwork Reduction Act Notice 

This data collection has been 

approved by the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) in accordance with 

the Paperwork Reduction Act and 

assigned control number 0608–0066. An 

agency may not conduct or sponsor, and 

a person is not required to respond to, 

a collection of information unless it 

displays a valid control number 

assigned by OMB. Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 8 hours per 

response. Send comments regarding this 

burden estimate to Director, Bureau of 

Economic Analysis (BE–1), U.S. 

Department of Commerce, Washington, 

DC 20230; and to the Office of 

Management and Budget, Paperwork 

Reduction Project 0608–0066, 

Washington, DC 20503. 

Authority: 22 U.S.C. 3101–3108. 

Brian C. Moyer, 

Director, Bureau of Economic Analysis. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06942 Filed 3–25–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XD827 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Notice of Intent To Withdraw Existing 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of withdrawal. 

SUMMARY: NMFS is announcing the 

withdrawal of a draft Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) that was being 

prepared on two resource management 

plans (RMPs) and 114 supporting 

hatchery and genetic management plans 

(HGMPs) for Puget Sound hatchery 

programs. The plans were submitted to 

NMFS by the Washington Department of 

Fish and Wildlife and the Puget Sound 

treaty tribes (referred to as the comanagers) for evaluation under the 

Endangered Species Act (ESA) for 

threatened Puget Sound Chinook 

salmon and Puget Sound steelhead. 

Subsequent to the notice of intent to 

prepare an EIS in 2004, the co-managers 

have made important changes in 

hatchery programs for salmon and 

steelhead. Changes in the programs and 

updated information important for 

analysis are being reflected in revised 

joint RMPs that are generally organized 

on a watershed-specific basis. In light of 

this and the ongoing submissions of 

revised watershed-specific joint 

hatchery RMPs and considering public 

comments received on the draft EIS, 

NMFS has determined that it is 

appropriate to withdraw the draft EIS. 

NMFS will conduct NEPA reviews for 

the revised RMPs that are jointly 

submitted to NMFS by the co-managers. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steve Leider, telephone (360) 753–4650; 

fax (360) 753–9517; electronic mail: 

Steve.Leider@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 

12, 2004, NMFS published the original 

notice of intent in the Federal Register 

to prepare an EIS for two joint 2004 

state and tribal RMPs for salmon and 

steelhead hatcheries in Puget Sound (69 

FR 26364). On July 29, 2011, NMFS 

published a second notice of intent in 

the Federal Register (76 FR 45515), to 

remind other agencies and the public of 

its plans to analyze the effects related to 

the action, and obtain information that 

may not have been available in 2004 

pertinent to the scope of issues to 

include in the EIS. On July 25, 2014, 

NMFS published notification in the 

Federal Register that a draft EIS was 

available for comment (79 FR 43465). In 

response to requests from the public the 

comment period was extended twice as 

published in the Federal Register (79 

FR 59767, October 3, 2014, and 79 FR 

69470, November 21, 2014). 

Subsequent to NMFS’ publication of 

the notice of intent to prepare an EIS in 

2004, and subsequent to the 2004 RMPs, 

the co-managers have updated their 

hatchery programs to reflect important 

changes in hatchery management in 

different areas of Puget Sound. Such 

changes include new management 

practices to respond to new scientific 

information, revised purposes and sizes 

of some programs, and management 

responses to other issues unique to 

particular watersheds. Several hatchery 

programs have been terminated since 

2004. Finally, the RMPs have been 

updated to reflect the 2007 listing of 

Puget Sound steelhead under the ESA. 

In light of these changes, the comanagers have begun to submit to 

NMFS for review and approval revised 

joint RMPs for hatchery programs, 

generally organized by watershed, but 

located within the same action area as 

the 2004 RMPs. Because the comanagers are in control of how to design 

their RMPs and whether to revise the 

underlying HGMPs, these new RMPs 

replace the RMPs submitted in 2004. 

While the draft EIS for Puget Sound 

hatchery programs was being 

developed, and in response to comanager requests, NMFS conducted 

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