Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 67 / Tuesday, April 8, 1997 / Notices 16789

may specify their own testing or adopt

other techniques for evaluating

conference to these specifications.

Information on the test methods and

procedures for conformance testing are

available in the Validated Products List

(VPL) on the internet Universal

Resource Locator (URL) address ftp://

speckle.ncsl.nist.gov/vpl/intro.htm.

NIST test suites and testing procedures

are distributed freely via the World

Wide Web (WWW) Universal Resource

Locator (URL) http://www.nist.gov/

div897/ctg.

DATES: The effective date for terminating

validation services for FIPS 127–2, SQL,

and FIPS 128–2, CGM (CALS), is July 1,

1997. Comments on terminating

validation services for FIPS 21–4,

COBOL; FIPS 69–1, Fortran; FIPS 128–

2, CGM (ATA); FIPS 151–2, POSIX; and

FIPS 160, C, must be received no later

than May 8, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments

concerning the termination should be

sent to: Director, Information

Technology Laboratory, Attn: Validation

Services, Building 820, Room 562,

National Institute of Standards and

Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.

Electronic comments should be sent to:

fips.comments@nist.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR COMMENTS

CONTACT:

Ms. Lynne Rosenthal, National Institute

of Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD 20899, telephone

(301) 975–3283, email lsr@nist.gov.

Authority: Federal Information Processing

Standards Publications (FIPS PUBS) are

issued by the National Institute of Standards

and Technology after approval by the

Secretary of Commerce pursuant to Section

5131 of the Information Technology

Management Reform Act of 1996, Public Law

104–106, and the Computer Security Act of

1987.

Elaine Bunten-Mines,

Director, Program Office.

[FR Doc. 97–8961 Filed 4–7–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–CN–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 040197C]

Northern Right Whale Protection;

Endangered and Threatened Marine

Mammals

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of petition and

determination.

SUMMARY: On August 26, 1996, NMFS

received a petition from Mr. Richard

Max Strahan representing GreenWorld,

Inc., requesting that NMFS and the U.S.

Coast Guard undertake a variety of

actions to protect and preserve marine

wildlife and, in particular, the northern

right whale (Eubalaena glacialis). The

petition was amended on September 18,

1996.

NMFS has denied the petition from

GreenWorld, Inc., because it does not

contain substantial information

indicating that the petitioned actions

may be warranted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert C. Ziobro, Protected Species

Management Division, Office of

Protected Resources, East-West

Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland

20910 (301– 713–1401).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August

26, 1996, NMFS received a notice of

intent to bring suit under the

Endangered Species Act (ESA) on a

petition for proposed regulations from

Mr. Strahan. On September 18, 1996,

Mr. Strahan amended his original

petition to add another provision to his

list of requested actions. The notice and

petition was addressed both to officials

at NMFS and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The following is a brief summary of

some of the primary elements of the

petition and the request for relief in Mr.

Strahan’s letters that appear to be

directed to NMFS, or to NMFS and the

U.S. Coast Guard: Issue a letter to

coastal state government agencies

informing them that they are in

violation of the ESA and must apply to

NMFS for a section 10 permit or face

U.S. Coast Guard enforcement action;

issue an emergency rule followed by a

permanent rule banning fixed fishing

gear in right whale critical habitat;

promulgate and enforce a rule banning

all gillnets and aquaculture projects;

promulgate a rule allowing other types

of fishing gear in right whale critical

habitat areas only pursuant to a section

10 incidental take permit and a small

take authorization pursuant to section

101 of the Marine Mammal Protection

Act (MMPA); and comply with the

mandatory and non-discretionary duties

imposed under section 7(a) of the ESA

and utilize all statutory and regulatory

authorities to adopt and implement a

conservation plan to enforce the take

prohibitions of the ESA and MMPA to

stop marine fisheries licensed and

regulated by States from incidentally

taking northern right whales and other

Federally protected whales taken

incidententally in State fishery activities

along the Atlantic and Pacific Coastlines

of the U.S.

NMFS has evaluated the petition and

request for relief and determined that

they do not contain substantial

information that the requested actions

may be warranted. NMFS notes,

however, that efforts are underway to

reduce incidental takes in commercial

fisheries, including State regulated

fisheries, under section 118 of the

MMPA. For example, a large whale take

reduction team was formed and notice

thereof published in the Federal

Register on August 6, 1996 (61 FR

40819) to address incidental takings of

certain large whale species that occur or

may occur in several fisheries. NMFS

filed a proposed Large Whale Take

Reduction Plan at the Federal Register

on April 1, 1997, and Mr. Strahan and

others are invited to comment on that

plan.

Dated: April 1, 1997.

Charles Karnella,

Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–8860 Filed 4–7–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 040297D]

Endangered Species; Permits

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of four applications for

scientific research permits (P772#71,

P639, P640, P641).

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the Southwest Fisheries Science Center,

Tiburon Laboratory, NMFS at Tiburon,

CA (SWFSC); Point Reyes National

Seashore and Golden Gate National

Recreation Area, National Park Service

at San Francisco, CA (PR/GG); the Marin

Municipal Water District at Corte

Madera, CA (MMWD); and the Sonoma

County Water Agency at Santa Rosa, CA

(SCWA) have applied in due form for

permits authorizing takes of a

threatened species for scientific research

purposes.

DATES: Written comments or requests for

a public hearing on any of these

applications must be received on or

before May 8, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The applications and

related documents are available for