32522 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 108 / Thursday, June 5, 2014 / Proposed Rules 

available, e.g., CBI or other information 

for which disclosure is restricted by 

statute. Certain other material, such as 

copyrighted material, will be publicly 

available only in hard copy. Publicly 

available docket materials are available 

either electronically in 

www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at 

the EPA Docket Center, EPA West, 

Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. 

NW., Washington, DC. The Public 

Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 

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

excluding legal holidays. The telephone 

number for the Public Reading Room is 

(202) 566–1744, and the telephone 

number for the Docket Center is (202) 

566–1742. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Brian Littleton, EPA Office of Radiation 

and Indoor Air, (202) 343–9216, 

littleton.brian@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. What should I consider as I prepare 

my comments for the EPA? 

1. Tips for Preparing Your Comments. 

When submitting comments, remember 

to: 

• Identify the rulemaking by docket 

number, subject heading, Federal 

Register date and page number. 

• Follow directions—the EPA may 

ask you to respond to specific questions 

or organize comments by referencing the 

chapter number. 

• Explain why you agree or disagree; 

suggest alternatives and substitute 

language for your requested changes. 

• Describe any assumptions and 

provide any technical information and/ 

or data that you used. 

• If you estimate potential costs or 

burdens, explain how you arrived at 

your estimate in sufficient detail to 

allow it to be reproduced. 

• Illustrate your concerns with 

specific examples and suggest 

alternatives. 

• Explain your views as clearly as 

possible, avoiding the use of profanity 

or personal threats. 

• Make sure to submit your 

comments by the comment period 

deadline identified. 

B. How can I get copies of this 

document, the proposed rule and other 

related information? 

The EPA has established a docket for 

this action under Docket ID No. EPA– 

HQ–OAR–2013–0689. The EPA has also 

developed a Web site for the ANPR at: 

www.epa.gov/radiation/laws/190. Please 

refer to the original Federal Register 

notification on the ANPR for detailed 

information on accessing information 

related to the notificaiton. 

In response to requests for an 

extension, we are extending the public 

comment period for this ANPR through 

August 3, 2014. This extension will 

provide the public additional time to 

provide comment on updating this 

standard. 

Dated: May 27, 2014. 

Janet G. McCabe, 

Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Air 

and Radiation. 

[FR Doc. 2014–12953 Filed 6–4–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Defense Acquisition Regulations 

System 

48 CFR Parts 212, 237, and 252 

RIN 0750–AI24 

Defense Federal Acquisition 

Regulation Supplement: Service 

Contract Reporting (DFARS Case 

2012–D051) 

AGENCY: Defense Acquisition 

Regulations System, Department of 

Defense (DoD). 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: DoD is proposing to amend 

the Defense Federal Acquisition 

Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to 

implement a section of the National 

Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

Year 2008. The rule proposes to require 

contractors to annually report, using an 

online DoD database, service contract 

data at the end of the Government fiscal 

year or at the end of contract 

performance, whichever comes first. 

DATES: Comment Date: Comments on 

the proposed rule should be submitted 

in writing to the address shown below 

on or before August 4, 2014, to be 

considered in the formation of a final 

rule. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments 

identified by DFARS Case 2012–D051, 

using any of the following methods: 

Æ Regulations.gov: http://

www.regulations.gov. Submit comments 

via the Federal eRulemaking portal by 

entering ‘‘DFARS Case 2012–D051’’ 

under the heading ‘‘Enter keyword or 

ID’’ and selecting ‘‘Search.’’ Select the 

link ‘‘Submit a Comment’’ that 

corresponds with ‘‘DFARS Case 2012– 

D051.’’ Follow the instructions provided 

at the ‘‘Submit a Comment’’ screen. 

Please include your name, company 

name (if any), and ‘‘DFARS Case 2012– 

D051’’ on your attached document. 

Æ Email: osd.dfars@mail.mil. Include 

DFARS Case 2012–D051 in the subject 

line of the message. 

Æ Fax: 571–372–6094. 

Æ Mail: Defense Acquisition 

Regulations System, Attn: Ms. Janetta 

Brewer, OUSD(AT&L)DPAP/DARS, 

Room 3B855, 3060 Defense Pentagon, 

Washington, DC 20301–3060. 

Comments received generally will be 

posted without change to http://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information provided. To 

confirm receipt of your comment(s), 

please check www.regulations.gov, 

approximately two to three days after 

submission to verify posting (except 

allow 30 days for posting of comments 

submitted by mail). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Janetta Brewer, Defense Acquisition 

Regulations System, OUSD (AT&L) 

DPAP/DARS, Room 3B855, 3060 

Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 

20301–3060. Telephone 571–372–6104. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

DoD is proposing to revise the DFARS 

to implement section 807 of the 

National Defense Authorization Act 

(NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, 

Public Law 110–181 (10 U.S.C. 2330a), 

which requires the Secretary of Defense 

to submit to Congress an annual 

inventory of the activities performed 

during the preceding fiscal year 

pursuant to contracts for services for or 

on behalf of the DoD, to include direct 

labor hours and cost data collected from 

contractors. 

II. Discussion 

This rule proposes to require 

contractors to report service contract 

direct labor and corresponding dollar 

value data for prime contractors and 

subcontractors in the Enterprise-wide 

Contractor Manpower Reporting 

Application (ECMRA) database annually 

or at the end of contract performance, 

whichever comes first. Data collected 

via the ECMRA database will enable 

DoD to identify and track the services 

provided by contractors and comply 

with section 807 of the NDAA for FY 

2008. 

The rule proposes to amend DFARS 

parts 212, 237, and 252 as follows: 

• At DFARS 212.301, the proposed 

DFARS clause 252.237–70XX, Service 

Contract Reporting Requirements, is 

added to apply to solicitations and 

contracts for the acquisition of 

commercial items. 

• At DFARS 237.17X, a new section 

is added that provides the scope and 

applicability of the DoD service contract 


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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 108 / Thursday, June 5, 2014 / Proposed Rules 32523 

reporting requirement. Additionally, the 

contracting officer’s or contracting 

officer’s representative’s duties for 

ensuring and documenting compliance 

are outlined. The reporting 

requirements contained in the proposed 

rule apply to all solicitations, contracts, 

and task and delivery orders, including 

solicitations and contracts using FAR 

part 12 procedures for the acquisition of 

commercial items if the acquisition is 

for the provision of (1) services with a 

total estimated value exceeding the 

simplified acquisition threshold, or (2) 

supplies that contain separate line items 

for services with a total estimated value 

exceeding the simplified acquisition 

threshold. Exceptions are provided for 

construction of structures and facilities, 

lease/rental of equipment or facilities, 

utilities, freight and shipping, and 

classified services. 

• A new clause is added, 252.237– 

XX, Service Contract Reporting 

Requirements, which contains the DoD 

service contract reporting requirement. 

Data subject to this clause must be 

entered into the ECMRA database no 

later than October 31st each year or at 

the end of the contract performance 

period, whichever comes first. 

Contractors are required to include the 

substance of the clause in subcontracts 

that may include services. 

III. Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 

Executive Orders (E.O.s) 12866 and 

13563 direct agencies to assess all costs 

and benefits of available regulatory 

alternatives and, if regulation is 

necessary, to select regulatory 

approaches that maximize net benefits 

(including potential economic, 

environmental, public health and safety 

effects, distributive impacts, and 

equity). E.O. 13563 emphasizes the 

importance of quantifying both costs 

and benefits, of reducing costs, of 

harmonizing rules, and of promoting 

flexibility. This is not a significant 

regulatory action and, therefore, was not 

subject to review under section 6(b) of 

E.O. 12866, Regulatory Planning and 

Review, dated September 30, 1993. This 

rule is not a major rule under 5 U.S.C. 

804. 

IV. Regulatory Flexibility Act 

DoD does not expect this proposed 

rule to have a significant impact on a 

substantial number of small entities 

within the meaning of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601, et seq., 

because the data collection requirement 

has been tailored to maximize the use of 

existing records already maintained by 

contractors. However, an Initial 

Regulatory Flexibility Act analysis has 

been prepared and is summarized as 

follows: 

This DFARS case was initiated to 

implement the contractual reporting 

requirements that originate from Title 

10, United States Code (U.S.C.), section 

2330a titled Procurement of Services: 

Tracking of Purchases. Section 2330a 

requires the Secretary of Defense to 

submit to Congress, no later than June 

30th of each fiscal year, an annual 

inventory of service contracts performed 

during the preceding fiscal year. 

This rule establishes the contractual 

requirement for contractors to report 

manpower data for prime contractors 

and subcontractors for each purchase of 

services in excess of the simplified 

acquisition threshold on an annual basis 

or at the end of contract performance, 

whichever comes first. To streamline 

reporting, the rule incorporates the use 

of a DoD-developed software 

application, Enterprise-wide Contractor 

Manpower Reporting Application 

(ECMRA). The rule exempts the 

following from reporting: 

—Construction of structures and 

facilities. 

—Lease and rentals of equipment or 

facilities. 

—Utilities. 

—Freight and shipping. 

—Classified services. 

DoD will use the reported manpower 

data to fulfill its statutory reporting 

requirement to Congress pursuant to 10 

U.S.C. 2330a. Access to this data will 

provide DoD with the ability to identify 

and report the inventory of contractor 

full-time equivalent direct labor and 

associated costs for service contract 

actions. As an adjunct, the information 

will support DoD’s total force 

management and in making strategic 

workforce planning decisions pursuant 

to 10 U.S.C. 129a. The information will 

also enable DoD to comply with 10 

U.S.C. 235. The information collection 

stemming from DFARS clause, 252.237– 

70XX, Service Contract Reporting 

Requirements, requires contractors to 

enter manpower reporting data into 

ECMRA. The contractor data entry 

includes contract and order details, 

such as location of services including 

product service codes, and direct labor 

hours and dollars invoiced amounts for 

each reportable contract action. 

The reporting requirement applies to 

all classes of small business concerns 

with DoD contracts or subcontracts that 

contain service requirements that 

exceed the simplified acquisition 

threshold. Based on a review of Fiscal 

Year 2013 data from the Federal 

Procurement Data System (FPDS), it is 

estimated that the total number of small 

businesses that will be impacted by this 

rule is 7,962. This requirement is not 

expected to impose a significant 

economic burden on small business 

concerns. 

The burden applied to small 

businesses is the minimum consistent 

with applicable laws, Executive Orders, 

regulations and prudent business 

practices. The information collection 

requirement has been refined to 

maximize the use of existing records 

already maintained by contractors and 

by the Government. To further minimize 

the impact, the information will be 

collected electronically, help-desk 

support will be provided to users, and 

reporting requirements will be limited 

to a small number of easy-to-obtain data 

elements. The ECMRA database makes 

maximum use of drop-down menus and 

pre-populated data fields. For example, 

award information such as whether the 

contract or order is performance based, 

the extent of competition, or award 

made to a small business, contract 

funding and organization information 

will be pre-populated by the COR. No 

additional alternatives were identified 

that would that would reduce impact on 

small business and still accomplish the 

objectives of the statute and the policies. 

DoD invites comments from small 

business concerns and other interested 

parties on the expected impact of this 

rule on small entities. 

DoD will also consider comments 

from small entities concerning the 

existing regulations in subparts affected 

by this rule in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 

610. Interested parties must submit such 

comments separately and should cite 5 

U.S.C. 610 (DFARS Case 2012–D051), in 

correspondence. 

V. Paperwork Reduction Act 

The rule contains information 

collection requirements that require the 

approval of the Office of Management 

and Budget under the Paperwork 

Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). 

Accordingly, DoD has submitted a 

request for approval of a new 

information collection requirement 

concerning DFARS Case 2012–D051, 

DoD Service Contract Reporting 

Requirements, to the Office of 

Management and Budget. Once cleared 

by OMB, the information collection 

associated with DFARS Case 2012–D051 

will supersede OMB Control Number 

0704–0491 titled DoD Inventory of 

Contracts for Services Compliance, 

which expires on May 31, 2015, and 

which is not associated with 

rulemaking. 

A. Public reporting burden for this 

collection of information is estimated to 

average 1.4 hours per response, 


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32524 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 108 / Thursday, June 5, 2014 / Proposed Rules 

including the time for reviewing 

instructions, searching existing data 

sources, gathering and maintaining the 

data needed, and completing and 

reviewing the collection of information. 

The annual reporting burden 

estimated as follows: 

Respondents: 13,269. 

Responses per respondent: 

approximately 4.1. 

Total annual responses: 54,234. 

Average hours per response: 1.4 

hours. 

Total response Burden Hours: 76,141. 

B. Request for Comments Regarding 

Paperwork Burden. Written comments 

and recommendations on the proposed 

information collection, including 

suggestions for reducing this burden, 

should be sent to Ms. Jasmeet Seehra at 

the Office of Management and Budget, 

Desk Officer for DoD, Room 10236, New 

Executive Office Building, Washington, 

DC 20503, or email Jasmeet_K._Seehra@

omb.eop.gov, with a copy to the Defense 

Acquisition Regulations System, Attn: 

Ms. Janetta Brewer, OUSD(AT&L)DPAP/ 

DARS, Room 3B855, 3060 Defense 

Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301–3060. 

Comments can be received from 30 to 60 

days after the date of this notice, but 

comments to OMB will be most useful 

if received by OMB within 30 days after 

the date of this notice. 

Public comments are particularly 

invited on: Whether this collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of functions of the DFARS, 

and will have practical utility; whether 

our estimate of the public burden of this 

collection of information is accurate, 

and based on valid assumptions and 

methodology; ways to enhance the 

quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and ways in 

which we can minimize the burden of 

the collection of information on those 

who are to respond, through the use of 

appropriate technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. 

To request more information on this 

proposed information collection or to 

obtain a copy of the proposal and 

associated collection instruments, 

please write to the Defense Acquisition 

Regulations System, Attn: Ms. Janetta 

Brewer, OUSD(AT&L)DPAP/DARS, 

Room 3B855, 3060 Defense Pentagon, 

Washington, DC 20301–3060, or email 

osd.dfars@mail.mil. Include DFARS 

Case 2012–D051 in the subject line of 

the message. 

List of Subjects in 48 CFR Parts 212, 

237, and 252 

Government procurement. 

Manuel Quinones, 

Editor, Defense Acquisition Regulations 

System. 

Therefore, 48 CFR parts 212, 237, and 

252 are proposed to be amended as 

follows: 

■ 1. The authority citation for parts 212, 

237, and 252 continues to read as 

follows: 

Authority: 41 U.S.C. 1303 and 48 CFR 

chapter 1. 

PART 212—ACQUISITION OF 

COMMERCIAL ITEMS 

■ 2. Section 212.301 is amended by— 

■ a. Redesignating paragraphs (f)(lvii) 

through (lxx) as (f)(lviii) through (lxxi); 

and 

■ b. Adding a new paragraph (f)(lvii) to 

read as follows: 

212.301 Solicitation provisions and 

contract clauses for the acquisition of 

commercial items. 

(f) * * * 

(lvii) Use the clause at 252.237–70XX, 

Service Contract Reporting 

Requirements, as prescribed in 

237.17X–5. 

* * * * * 

PART 237—SERVICE CONTRACTING 

■ 3. Amend subpart 237.1 by adding 

section 237.17X to read as follows: 

* * * * * 

237.17X Service contract reporting. 

237.17X–1 Scope. 

This section implements section 807 

of the National Defense Authorization 

Act for Fiscal Year 2008, Public Law 

110–181 (10 U.S.C. 2330a), which 

requires the Secretary of Defense to 

annually report to Congress an 

inventory of the activities performed 

during the preceding fiscal year 

pursuant to contracts for services for or 

on behalf of the DoD. 

237.17X–2 Applicability. 

(a) Except as identified in paragraph 

(b), this section applies to service 

contracts and orders with a total 

estimated value exceeding the 

simplified acquisition threshold, and 

supply contracts and orders with 

separate line items for services with a 

total estimated value exceeding the 

simplified acquisition threshold. 

(b) This section does not apply to 

separate line items in contracts and 

orders for— 

(1) Construction of structures and 

facilities (product or service code (PSC) 

Group Y); 

(2) Lease/rental of equipment or 

facilities (PSC Groups W and X); 

(3) Utilities (PSC Group S1); 

(4) Freight and shipping (PSC Groups 

V0, V1, and V2); and 

(5) Classified services. 

237.17X–3 Service contract reporting 

requirements. 

(a) The contracting officer’s 

representative (COR), when appointed, 

or the contracting officer, if no COR is 

appointed, is responsible for ensuring 

the contractor has completed the 

reporting requirement in the clause at 

252.237–70XX. Contracting officers 

shall verify that the contractor’s ECMRA 

compliance is documented. 

(b) Waiver. (1) The contracting officer 

shall prepare a determination and 

findings when data required to comply 

with the clause at 252.237–70XX cannot 

reasonably be made available in a timely 

manner. The determination and findings 

shall be approved at one level above the 

contracting officer. 

(2) Upon approval, the contracting 

officer shall notify the requiring activity 

and the contractor. 

237.17X–4 Contract clause. 

Use the clause at 252.237–70XX, 

Service Contract Reporting 

Requirements, in solicitations, 

contracts, and task or delivery orders, 

including those using FAR part 12 

procedures for the acquisition of 

commercial items, if— 

(a) The acquisition is for the provision 

of services with a total estimated value 

exceeding the simplified acquisition 

threshold; or 

(b) The acquisition is for the provision 

of supplies that contain separate line 

items for services with a total estimated 

value exceeding the simplified 

acquisition threshold. 

PART 252—SOLICITATION 

PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT 

CLAUSES 

■ 4. Add section 252.237–70XX to read 

as follows: 

252.237–70XX Service Contract Reporting 

Requirements. 

As prescribed in 237.17X–5, use the 

following clause, and if not all line 

items are covered, indicate in the 

Schedule which line items are covered 

by the clause: 

SERVICE CONTRACT REPORTING 

REQUIREMENTS (DATE) 

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of 

this clause, the Contractor shall— 


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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 108 / Thursday, June 5, 2014 / Proposed Rules 32525 

(1) Report all required prime contract and 

subcontract data, or require any 

subcontractors to report separately, using the 

Enterprise-wide Contractor Manpower 

Reporting Application (ECMRA) database, 

and 

(2) Enter data for all line items subject to 

this clause into the ECMRA at the end of 

each Government fiscal year and not later 

than October 31 or at the end of the contract 

performance period, whichever comes first. 

(b) Information regarding ECMRA is 

available on the Internet at http://

www.ecmra.mil. 

(c) The Contractor may request a waiver if 

the data required to comply with the clause 

cannot reasonably be made available in a 

timely manner. See Defense Federal 

Acquisition Regulation Supplement 

237.17X–3. 

(d) Subcontractor information. The 

Contractor shall include the substance of this 

clause, including this paragraph (c), in 

subcontracts that may include services. 

(End of clause) 

[FR Doc. 2014–12810 Filed 6–4–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 5001–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

RIN 0648–BD48 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Chinook Salmon 

Bycatch Management in the Gulf of 

Alaska Non-Pollock Trawl Fishery; 

Amendment 97 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of fishery 

management plan amendment; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery 

Management Council has submitted 

Amendment 97 to the Fishery 

Management Plan for Groundfish of the 

Gulf of Alaska (FMP). If approved, 

Amendment 97 would limit Chinook 

salmon prohibited species catch (PSC) 

in the Western and Central Gulf of 

Alaska (GOA) non-pollock trawl 

fisheries. This action would establish 

separate Chinook salmon PSC annual 

limits for the non-pollock trawl catcher 

vessel (CV) and catcher/processor (C/P) 

sectors and a seasonal limit for the C/ 

P sector. The CV sector PSC limit would 

be further divided between vessels 

participating in the Central GOA 

Rockfish Program and vessels not 

participating in the Central GOA 

Rockfish Program. If a sector reached its 

seasonal or annual Chinook salmon PSC 

limit, NMFS would prohibit further 

directed fishing for non-pollock 

groundfish by vessels in that sector for 

the remainder of the season or fishing 

year. This proposed action would also 

establish salmon retention and discard 

requirements for vessels, shoreside 

processors and stationary floating 

processors participating in the nonpollock groundfish fisheries. The 

combination of these retention 

requirements will enable accurate 

reporting of salmon in eLandings at the 

processor. Salmon accounting at a 

processor may assist the industry in 

tracking and cooperatively managing its 

Chinook salmon PSC. This action is 

necessary to minimize the catch of 

Chinook salmon to the extent 

practicable in the Western and Central 

GOA non-pollock trawl fisheries. 

Amendment 97 is intended to promote 

the goals and objectives of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act, the 

FMP, and other applicable laws. 

DATES: Comments on the amendment 

must be received on or before August 4, 

2014. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on this document, identified by FDMS 

Docket Number NOAA–NMFS–2013– 

0077 by either of the following methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013- 

0077, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Submit written comments to 

Glenn Merrill, Assistant Regional 

Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries 

Division, Alaska Region NMFS, Attn: 

Ellen Sebastian. Mail comments to P.O. 

Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668. 

Instructions: Comments sent by any 

other method, to any other address or 

individual, or received after the end of 

the comment period, may not be 

considered by NMFS. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and will generally be posted for public 

viewing on www.regulations.gov 

without change. All personal identifying 

information (e.g., name, address), 

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive information 

submitted voluntarily by the sender will 

be publicly accessible. NMFS will 

accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/ 

A’’ in the required fields if you wish to 

remain anonymous). Attachments to 

electronic comments will be accepted in 

Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF 

file formats only. 

Electronic copies of the 

Environmental Assessment/Regulatory 

Impact Review/Initial Regulatory 

Flexibility Analysis (collectively, 

Analysis) prepared for this action are 

available from http://

www.regulations.gov or from the NMFS 

Alaska Region Web site at http://

alaskafisheries.noaa.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff 

Hartman, 907–586–7228. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(MSA) requires that each regional 

fishery management council submit any 

fishery management plan amendment it 

prepares to NMFS for review and 

approval, disapproval, or partial 

approval by the Secretary of Commerce. 

The MSA also requires that NMFS, 

upon receiving a fishery management 

plan amendment, immediately publish a 

notice in the Federal Register 

announcing that the amendment is 

available for public review and 

comment. This notice announces that 

proposed Amendment 97 to the FMP is 

available for public review and 

comment. 

The groundfish fisheries in the 

exclusive economic zone of the GOA are 

managed under the FMP. The FMP was 

prepared by the North Pacific Fishery 

Management Council (Council) under 

the MSA. Amendment 97 would apply 

Chinook salmon PSC limits to 

Federally-permitted vessels fishing for 

groundfish other than pollock with 

trawl gear (non-pollock trawl fisheries) 

in the Western and Central Reporting 

Areas of the Gulf of Alaska (Western 

and Central GOA). The Western and 

Central Reporting Areas, defined at 

§ 679.2 and shown in Figure 3 to 50 CFR 

part 679, consist of the Western and 

Central Regulatory Areas in the 

exclusive economic zone (Statistical 

Areas 610, 620, and 630) and the 

adjacent waters of the State of Alaska (0 

to 3 nm). 

If approved, Amendment 97 would: 

(1) Establish annual Chinook salmon 

PSC limits for the Trawl C/P, Rockfish 

Program CV, and Non-Rockfish Program 

CV Sectors; (2) establish an ‘‘incentive 

buffer’’ for the Trawl C/P and NonRockfish Program CV Sectors that would 

allow each sector to increase its annual 

Chinook salmon PSC limit if the amount 

of Chinook salmon PSC taken in the 

sector in the previous year was less than 

a specified amount of the sector’s limit; 

(3) establish a seasonal limit on the 

amount of Chinook salmon PSC that 

could be taken in the Trawl C/P Sector 


rmajette on DSK2TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS