9592 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 40 / Monday, March 1, 2004 / Notices 

Standards Services Division, NIST, 100 

Bureau Drive, Stop 2150, Gaithersburg, 

MD 20899–2150; fax (301) 975–5414. 

Electronic comments may be submitted 

via e-mail to joanne.overman@nist.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

JoAnne Overman, Standards 

Coordination and Conformity Group, 

Standards Services Division, National 

Institute of Standards and Technology, 

telephone: (301) 975–4037; fax: (301) 

975–5414, e-mail: 

joanne.overman@nist.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under 

Department of Commerce procedures 

established in Title 15 Code of Federal 

Regulations Part 10, Procedures for the 

Development of Voluntary Product 

Standards, and administered by NIST, 

the American Lumber Standard 

Committee acts as the Standing 

Committee for PS 20–99, American 

Softwood Lumber Standard, and is 

responsible for maintaining, revising, 

and interpreting the standard. The 

Committee is comprised of producers, 

distributors, users, and others with an 

interest in the standard. 

Voluntary Product Standard (PS) 20–

99 establishes standard sizes and 

requirements for developing and 

coordinating the lumber grades of the 

various species of softwood lumber, the 

assignment of design values, and the 

preparation of grading rules applicable 

to each species. Its provisions include 

implementation of the standard through 

an accreditation and certification 

program; establishment of principal 

trade classifications and lumber sizes 

for yard, structural, and factory/shop 

use; classification, measurement, 

grading, and grade-marking of lumber; 

definitions of terms and procedures to 

provide a basis for the use of uniform 

methods in the grading inspection, 

measurement, and description of 

softwood lumber; commercial names of 

the principal softwood species; 

definitions of terms used in describing 

standard grades of lumber; and 

commonly used industry abbreviations. 

The standard also includes the 

organization and functions of the 

American Lumber Standard Committee, 

the Board of Review, and the National 

Grading Rule Committee. 

All public comments will be reviewed 

and considered. The American Lumber 

Standard Committee and NIST will 

revise the standard accordingly.

Dated: February 20, 2004. 

Hratch G. Semerjian, 

Deputy Director.

[FR Doc. 04–4443 Filed 2–27–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–13–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[Docket No. 030602141–4026–06; 061703A] 

RIN 0648–ZB55

Availability of Grant Funds for Fiscal 

Year 2004; Republication

Editorial Note: Due to numerous errors, 

this document is being reprinted in its 

entirety. It was originally printed in the 

Federal Register on Thursday, February 12, 

2004, at 69 FR 6942–6946.

AGENCY: National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Omnibus Notice Announcing 

the Availability of Grant Funds for 

Fiscal Year 2004. 

SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 

announces a third availability of grant 

funds for Fiscal Year 2004. This notice 

provides the general public program and 

application information related to the 

Agency’s competitive grant offerings, 

and it contains the information about 

those programs required to be published 

in the Federal Register. It should be 

noted that additional program initiatives 

unanticipated at the time of the 

publication of this notice may be 

announced through both subsequent 

Federal Register notices and the NOAA 

Web site: http://www.ofa.noaa.gov/

∼amd/SOLINDEX.HTML.

DATES: Proposals must be received by 

the date and time indicated under each 

program listing in the SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION section.

ADDRESSES: Proposals must be 

submitted to the addresses listed in the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for 

each program.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

a copy of the full funding opportunity 

announcement and/or application kit, 

please contact the person listed as the 

information contact under each program 

or access it via NOAA’s Web site: http:/

/www.ofa.noaa.gov/∼amd/

SOLINDEX.HTML.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

NOAA published its first omnibus 

notice announcing the availability of 

grant funds for both projects and 

fellowships/scholarships/internships for 

Fiscal Year 2004 in the Federal Register

on June 30, 2003 (68 FR 38678). The 

evaluation criteria and selection 

procedures contained in the June 30, 

2003, omnibus notice are applicable to 

this solicitation. For a copy of the June 

30, 2003, omnibus notice, please go to: 

http://www.ofa.noaa.gov/∼amd/

SOLINDEX.HTML.

Electronic Access 

The full funding announcement for 

each program is available via Web site 

http://www.ofa.noaa.gov/∼amd/

SOLINDEX.HTML or by contacting the 

program official identified below. These 

announcements will also be available 

through FedGrants at http://

www.fedgrants.gov.

NOAA Project Competitions 

This third omnibus notice describes 

funding opportunities for the following 

NOAA discretionary grant programs: 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

1. Right Whale Research Grants Program 

(RWRGP) 

Summary Description: The North 

Atlantic right whale is among the 

world’s most endangered cetaceans. The 

population is believed to number only 

about 300 individuals and appears to be 

declining. The lack of recovery is due in 

part to high mortality from human 

sources, notably fishing gear 

entanglements and vessel collisions. A 

Recovery Plan is in effect, and 

conservation of this species is a high 

priority for NOAA Fisheries. Research 

directed at facilitating such 

conservation or to provide monitoring of 

the population’s status and health, is 

also a high priority for the agency. The 

RWRGP is conducted by NOAA to 

provide Federal assistance to eligible 

researchers for: (1) Detection and 

tracking of right whales; (2) behavior of 

right whales in relation to ships; (3) 

relationships between vessel speed, size 

or design with whale collisions; (4) 

modeling of ship traffic along the 

Atlantic coast; (5) population 

monitoring and assessment studies; (6) 

reproduction, health and genetic 

studies; (7) development of a 

Geographic Information System 

database or other system designed to 

investigate predictive modeling of right 

whale distribution in relation to 

environmental variables; (8) habitat 

quality studies including food quality 

and pollutant levels; and (9) any other 

work relevant to the recovery of North 

Atlantic right whales. 

Funding Availability: This solicitation 

announces that a maximum of $2.0M 

may be available for distribution under 

the FY 2004 RWRGP, in award amounts 

to be determined by the proposals and 

available funds. Applicants are hereby 

given notice that funds have not yet 

been appropriated for this program. 

There is no guarantee that sufficient 

funds will be available to make awards

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 40 / Monday, March 1, 2004 / Notices 9593

for all qualified projects. The exact 

amount of funds that may be awarded 

will be determined in pre-award 

negotiations between the applicant and 

NOAA representatives. Publication of 

this notice does not oblige NOAA to 

award any specific project or to obligate 

any available funds. There is no set 

minimum or maximum amount for any 

award, and there is no limit on the 

number of applications that can be 

submitted by the same researcher during 

the 2004 competitive grant cycle. 

However, there are insufficient funds to 

award financial assistance to every 

applicant. If an application for a 

financial assistance award is selected for 

funding, NOAA/NMFS has no 

obligation to provide any additional 

funding in connection with that award 

in subsequent years. 

Statutory Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1380. 

CFDA: 11.472, Unallied Science 

Programs. 

Application Deadline: Proposals must 

be postmarked by 5 p.m. eastern time on 

April 12, 2004. 

Address for Submitting Proposals:

NOAA Fisheries Right Whale Grants 

Program, Protected Species Branch, 

Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 

Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, 

508–495–2316. 

Information Contact(s): Dr. Phillip J. 

Clapham, Northeast Fisheries Science 

Center, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, 

MA 02543, 508 495–2316, e-mail 

rightwhalegrants@noaa.gov.

Eligibility: Eligible applicants are 

individuals, institutions of higher 

education, other nonprofits, commercial 

organizations, international 

organizations, foreign governments, 

organizations under the jurisdiction of 

foreign governments, and State, local 

and Indian tribal governments. Federal 

agencies, or employees of Federal 

agencies are not eligible to apply. 

Cost Sharing Requirements: No cost 

sharing is required under this program. 

Applications under this program are 

subject to Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’

National Ocean Service 

1. Bay Watershed Education & Training 

(B–WET) Program, Hawaiian Islands 

Summary Description: The B–WET 

grant program is a competitively based 

program that supports existing 

environmental education programs, 

fosters the growth of new programs, and 

encourages the development of 

partnerships among environmental 

education programs throughout the 

Hawaiian Islands. Funded projects 

provide ‘‘meaningful’’ outdoor 

experiences for students and 

professional development opportunities 

for teachers in the area of environmental 

education. 

Funding Availability: This solicitation 

announces that approximately $400,000 

may be available for FY 2004 in award 

amounts to be determined by the 

proposals and available funds. It is 

anticipated that approximately 10 grants 

will be awarded with these funds. 

About $200,000 will be for proposals 

that provide opportunities for students 

to participate in a ‘‘meaningful’’ outdoor 

experience. About $200,000 will be for 

proposals that provide opportunities for 

professional development in the area of 

environmental education for teachers. 

Proposals may be submitted for up to 3 

years. However, funds will be made 

available for only a 12-month award 

period. The Pacific Services Center may 

review the grants funded under this 

announcement pending submission of 

successful proposals subject to technical 

and panel review, adequate progress on 

previous award(s) and/or site visits, and 

available funding. 

Statutory Authority: 33 U.S.C. 883d, 

15 U.S.C. 1540. 

CFDA: 11.473, Coastal Services 

Center. 

Application Deadline: Proposals must 

be received by 5 p.m. Pacific time on 

March 29, 2004. 

Address for Submitting Proposals:

Monterey Bay National Marine 

Sanctuary Office; 299 Foam Street, 

Monterey, CA 93940. Facsimile 

transmissions and electronic mail 

submission of proposals will not be 

accepted. 

Information Contact: Seaberry 

Nachbar, phone 831–647–4201, fax 831–

647–4250, Internet at 

seaberry.nachbar@noaa.gov.

Eligibility: Eligible applicants for both 

areas of interest (‘‘meaningful outdoor 

experience’’ and professional 

development in the area of 

environmental education for teachers) 

are K-through-12 public and 

independent schools and school 

systems, institutions of higher 

education, commercial and nonprofit 

organizations, State or local government 

agencies, and Indian tribal governments. 

Applicants that are not eligible are 

individuals and Federal agencies. 

Cost Sharing Requirements: No cost 

sharing is required under this program; 

however, the Pacific Services Center 

strongly encourages applicants to share 

as much of the costs of the award as 

possible. Funds from other Federal 

awards may not be considered matching 

funds. The nature of the contribution 

(cash versus in-kind) and the amount of 

matching funds will be taken into 

consideration in the review process 

with cash being the preferred method of 

contribution. 

Intergovernmental Review:

Applications under this program are not 

subject to Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’

2. Bay Watershed Education & Training 

(B–WET) Program, Monterey Bay 

Watershed 

Summary Description: The B–WET 

grant program is a competitively based 

program that supports existing 

environmental education programs, 

fosters the growth of new programs, and 

encourages the development of 

partnerships among environmental 

education programs throughout the 

Monterey Bay watershed. Funded 

projects provide ‘‘meaningful’’ outdoor 

experiences for students and 

professional development opportunities 

for teachers in the area of environmental 

education. 

Funding Availability: This solicitation 

announces that approximately $475,000 

may be available in FY 2004 in award 

amounts to be determined by the 

proposals and available funds. It is 

anticipated that approximately 15 grants 

will be awarded with these funds. 

About $250,000 will be for proposals 

that provide opportunities for students 

to participate in a ‘‘meaningful’’ outdoor 

experience. About $225,000 will be for 

proposals that provide opportunities for 

professional development in the area of 

environmental education for teachers. 

Proposals may be submitted for up to 3 

years. However, funds will be made 

available for only a 12-month award 

period and any renewal of the award 

period will depend on submission of a 

successful proposal subject to technical 

and panel review, adequate progress on 

previous award(s), and available 

funding to renew the award. The NMSP 

may renew the grants funded under this 

announcement pending submission of 

successful proposals subject to technical 

and panel reviews, adequate progress on 

previous award(s) and/or site visits, and 

available funding. 

Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1440. 

CFDA: 11.429, Marine Sanctuary 

Program. 

Application Deadline: Proposals must 

be received by 5 p.m. Pacific time on 

March 29, 2004. 

Address for Submitting Proposals:

Monterey Bay National Marine 

Sanctuary Office; 299 Foam Street, 

Monterey, CA 93940. Facsimile 

transmissions and electronic mail 

submission of proposals will not be 

accepted.

9594 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 40 / Monday, March 1, 2004 / Notices 

Information Contact: Seaberry 

Nachbar, phone 831–647–4201, fax 831–

647–4250, Internet at 

seaberry.nachbar@noaa.gov.

Eligibility: Eligible applicants for both 

areas of interest (‘‘meaningful outdoor 

experiences’’ and professional 

development in the area of 

environmental education for teachers) 

are K-through-12 public and 

independent schools and school 

systems, institutions of higher 

education, commercial and nonprofit 

organizations, State or local government 

agencies, and Indian tribal governments. 

Applicants that are not eligible are 

individuals and Federal agencies. 

Cost Sharing Requirements: No cost 

sharing is required under this program; 

however, the National Marine Sanctuary 

Program strongly encourages applicants 

to share as much of the costs of the 

award as possible. Funds from other 

Federal awards may not be considered 

matching funds. The nature of the 

contribution (cash versus in-kind) and 

the amount of matching funds will be 

taken into consideration in the review 

process with cash being the preferred 

method of contribution. 

Intergovernmental Review:

Applications under this program are not 

subject to Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’

3. FY2004 Coastal Services Center 

Technical Assistance for Coastal 

Managers Program 

Summary Description: The Technical 

Assistance for Coastal Managers 

program represents an NOAA/CSC effort 

to improve the use of monitoring data 

and geospatial information and 

technology in coastal management 

through collaborative work with 

members of the coastal management 

community that have expertise in 

community planning and resource 

management. These activities will 

engage coastal managers from multiple 

organizations and levels of government 

and improve the management of coastal 

resources by applying geospatial 

knowledge, practices, and principles to 

new approaches for managing coastal 

resources. The Technical Assistance for 

Coastal Managers program contributes 

to other efforts at the NOAA/CSC and is 

designed to complement those efforts. 

Five program priorities will be targeted 

as a result of this announcement. They 

are: 

(1) Increasing coordination and 

planning between local land trusts, 

State agencies, and regional planning 

agencies within New England. 

(2) Development of a nationally 

consistent inventory system for 

geospatial data at the state level. 

(3) Increasing education and research 

opportunities in the application of CIS 

and remote-sensing technologies to 

coastal resource management, with 

emphasis on recruiting underrepresented minorities. 

(4) Incorporation of seagrass into the 

monitoring of the health of special 

management areas. 

(5) Pilot projects supporting the Data 

Management and Communications 

component of the Integrated Ocean 

Observing System. 

NOAA/CSC will give sole attention to 

individual proposals that address one or 

more of the program priorities described 

above. Proposals must clearly specify 

which program priority is being 

addressed. A proposal must contain 

tasks that address each element listed 

for the priority chosen. All awards will 

be in the form of a cooperative 

agreement, which allows the NOAA/

CSC to have substantial involvement in 

the projects in addition to providing 

funds. Applicants must propose a role 

for the NOAA/CSC that constitutes the 

substantial involvement listed for that 

priority. 

The names, affiliations, and phone 

numbers of relevant NOAA/CSC 

personnel are provided below. 

Prospective applicants should 

communicate with these focal points to 

ensure the role specified for the NOAA/

CSC is practicable. Focal points cannot 

assist in the conceptual design of the 

project nor can they help with the 

design of specific elements included in 

a proposal. 

Funding Availability for FY2004: This 

funding opportunity announces that 

approximately $1,750,000 will be 

available through this announcement for 

fiscal year 2004 for cooperative 

agreements. Proposals should be 

prepared assuming a total budget of no 

more than $500,000 for priorities (1) and 

(4), and $125,000 for priorities (2), (3), 

and (5). It is expected that one award 

will be made for priority areas (1) 

through (4) and up to three awards for 

priority (5), depending on availability of 

funds. 

Statutory Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1456c 

and 33 U.S.C 1442. 

CFDA: 11.473, Coastal Services 

Center. 

Application Deadline: Applicants 

applying for Federal assistance under 

the Technical Assistance for Coastal 

Managers Program, must submit their 

applications by 5 p.m. local time March 

15, 2004. 

Address for Submitting Proposals:

Coastal Services Center, 2234 South 

Hobson Avenue, Charleston, South 

Carolina 29405–2413 to the attention of 

Violet Legette, room 218. 

Information Contact(s): For 

administrative questions on all five 

program priorities, contact Violet 

Legette, NOAA CSC, 2234 South 

Hobson Avenue, Room 218, Charleston, 

South Carolina 29405–2413, or by 

phone at 843–740–1222, or by fax 843–

740–1232, or via Internet at 

Violet.Legette@noaa.gov. For technical 

questions on program priorities (1), (2), 

and (3), contact Hamilton Smillie, 

NOAA CSC, 2234 South Hobson 

Avenue, Room 153, Charleston, South 

Carolina 29405–2413, or by phone at 

843–740–1192, or by fax 843–740–1315, 

or via Internet at 

Hamilton.Smillie@noaa.gov. For 

technical questions on program priority 

(4), contact Pace Wilber, NOAA CSC, 

2234 South Hobson Avenue, Room 

234B, Charleston, South Carolina 

29405–2413, or by phone at 843–740–

1235, or by fax 843–740–1315, or via 

Internet at Pace.Wilber@noaa.gov. For 

technical questions on program priority 

(5), contact Anne Ball, NOAA CSC, 2234 

South Hobson Avenue, Room 211, 

Charleston, South Carolina 29405–2413, 

or by phone at 843–740–1229, or by fax 

843–740–1315, or via Internet at 

Anne.Ball@noaa.gov. 

Eligibility: Eligible applicants are 

institutions of higher education, 

hospitals, other non-profits, commercial 

organizations, foreign governments, 

organizations under the jurisdiction of 

foreign governments, international 

organizations, and State, local and 

Indian tribal governments. Federal 

agencies or institutions are not eligible 

to receive Federal assistance under this 

announcement. 

Cost Sharing Requirements: None. 

Intergovernmental Review:

Applications under this program are 

subject to Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’

Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Research 

1. NOAA Educational Partnership 

Program With Minority Serving 

Institutions: Environmental 

Entrepreneurship Program 

Summary Description: The goal of the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration Educational Partnership 

Program with Minority Serving 

Institutions (EPP/MSI) is to strengthen 

the capacity of Minority Serving 

Institutions to foster student careers, 

entrepreneurship opportunities and 

advanced academic degrees in sciences 

directly related to NOAA’s mission. The

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 40 / Monday, March 1, 2004 / Notices 9595

Environmental Entrepreneurship 

Program is designed to support 

education and training programs to 

engage students in applying the 

necessary skills, tools, methods and 

technologies in sciences directly related 

to NOAA’s mission. This includes 

fostering educational opportunities in 

coastal, oceanic, atmospheric, 

environmental sciences, and remote 

sensing technology, coupled with 

training in economics, marketing, 

product development, and services to 

create jobs, businesses, and economic 

development opportunities. The 

Environmental Entrepreneurship 

Program promotes partnerships with 

MSIs, NOAA and the public-private 

sector. 

Funding Availability: Subject to 

appropriations, approximately $3 

million will be available for the 

Environmental Entrepreneurship 

Program competition in 2004. Proposals 

are limited to a total of $500,000 for a 

maximum of three years and 

approximately six proposals will be 

funded. 

Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1540. 

CFDA: 11.481 Educational 

Partnership Program with Minority 

Serving Institutions. 

Application Deadline: Proposals must 

be received by 5 p.m. eastern time on 

March 15, 2004. 

Address for Submitting Applications:

NOAA EPP/MSI: Environmental 

Entrepreneurship Program, National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, Room 10725, SSMC3, 

1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, 

MD 20910. Facsimile transmissions and 

electronic mail submission of proposals 

will not be accepted. 

Information Contact: Jewel G. Linzey, 

Program Manager, Environmental 

Entrepreneurship Program, (301) 713–

9437, ext. 118, facsimile (301) 713–

9465, e-mail Jewel.GriffinLinzey@noaa.gov.

Eligibility: Minority Serving 

Institutions eligible to submit proposals 

include institutions of higher education 

identified by the Department of 

Education as: 

(i) Historically black colleges and 

universities, 

(ii) Hispanic-serving institutions, 

(iii) Tribal colleges and universities, 

(iv) Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian 

serving institutions 

on the most recent ‘‘2003 United States 

Department of Education Accredited 

Post-Secondary Minority Institutions’’

list: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/

list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst.html.

Cost Sharing Requirements: There is 

no cost-sharing requirement. 

Intergovernmental Review:

Applications under this program are not 

subject to Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’

Limitation of Liability 

In no event will NOAA or the 

Department of Commerce be responsible 

for proposal preparation costs if these 

programs fail to receive funding or are 

cancelled because of other agency 

priorities. Publication of this 

announcement does not oblige NOAA to 

award any specific project or to obligate 

any available funds. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) 

NOAA must analyze the potential 

environmental impacts, as required by 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA), for applicant projects or 

proposals which are seeking NOAA 

Federal funding opportunities. Detailed 

information on NOAA compliance with 

NEPA can be found at the following 

NOAA NEPA Web site: http://

www.nepa.noaa.gov/, including our 

NOAA Administrative Order 216–6 for 

NEPA, http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/

NAO216_6_TOC.pdf, and the Council 

on Environmental Quality 

implementation regulations, http://

ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ceq/

toc_ceq.htm. Consequently, as part of an 

applicant’s package, and under their 

description of their program activities, 

applicants are required to provide 

detailed information on the activities to 

be conducted, locations, sites, species 

and habitat to be affected, possible 

construction activities, and any 

environmental concerns that may exist 

(e.g., the use and disposal of hazardous 

or toxic chemicals, introduction of nonindigenous species, impacts to 

endangered and threatened species, 

aquaculture projects, and impacts to 

coral reef systems). 

In addition to providing specific 

information that will serve as the basis 

for any required impact analyses, 

applicants may also be requested to 

assist NOAA in drafting of an 

environmental assessment, if NOAA 

determines an assessment is required. 

Applicants will also be required to 

cooperate with NOAA in identifying 

and implementing feasible measures to 

reduce or avoid any identified adverse 

environmental impacts of their 

proposal. The failure to do so shall be 

grounds for the denial of an application. 

The Department of Commerce PreAward Notification Requirements for 

Grants and Cooperative Agreements 

The Department of Commerce PreAward Notification Requirements for 

Grants and Cooperative Agreements 

contained in the Federal Register notice 

of October 1, 2001 (66 FR 49917), as 

amended by the Federal Register notice 

published on October 30, 2002 (67 FR 

66109), are applicable to this 

solicitation. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

This document contains collection-ofinformation requirements subject to the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The 

use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, 

SF–LLL, and CD–346 has been approved 

by Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) under the respective control 

numbers (0348–0043, 0348–0044, 0348–

0040, 0348–0046, and 0605–0001). 

Notwithstanding any other provision of 

law, no person is required to respond to, 

nor shall any person be subject to a 

penalty for failure to comply with, a 

collection of information subject to the 

requirements of the PRA unless that 

collection of information displays a 

currently valid OMB control number. 

Executive Order 12866

This notice has been determined to be 

not significant for purposes of Executive 

Order 12866. 

Executive Order 13132 (Federalism) 

It has been determined that this notice 

does not contain policies with 

federalism implications as that term is 

defined in Executive Order 13132. 

Administrative Procedure Act/

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

Prior notice and an opportunity for 

public comment are not required by the 

Administrative Procedure Act or any 

other law for rules concerning public 

property, loans, grants, benefits, and 

contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2)). Because 

notice and opportunity for comment are 

not required pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or 

any other law, the analytical 

requirements of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are 

inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory 

flexibility analysis has not been 

prepared.

Dated: February 5, 2004. 

John J. Kelly, Jr., 

Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for 

Oceans and Atmosphere, National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration.

[FR Doc. 04–3083 Filed 2–11–04; 8:45 am]

Editorial Note: Due to numerous errors, 

this document is being reprinted in its 

entirety. It was originally printed in the

9596 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 40 / Monday, March 1, 2004 / Notices 

Federal Register on Thursday, February 12, 

2004, at 69 FR 6942–6949.

[FR Doc. R4–3083 Filed 2–27–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 1505–01–D

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

[I.D. 021904B]

Advisory Committee to the U.S. 

Section to the International 

Commission for the Conservation of 

Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT); Spring 

Species Working Group Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Advisory Committee to 

the U.S. Section to ICCAT announces its 

spring meeting from March 15 to 17, 

2004. The Advisory Committee will 

hold a workshop on the first day of the 

spring meeting, March 15, 2004, to 

discuss the upcoming ICCAT 

intersessional meeting on integrated and 

coordinated management of Atlantic 

bluefin tuna. Following the workshop, 

the Advisory Committee will meet with 

its Species Working Group Technical 

Advisors on March 16 and 17, 2004.

DATES: The open sessions of the 

Committee meeting will be held on 

March 15, 2004, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 

p.m., on March 16, 2004, from 8:30 a.m. 

to 12 p.m., and on March 17, 2004, from 

8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m and from 10:30 a.m. 

to 12:30 a.m.. Closed sessions will be 

held on March 15, 2004, from 1:30 p.m. 

to approximately 6 p.m., on March 16, 

2004, from 1:30 p.m. to approximately 

6 p.m., and on March 17, 2004, from 9 

a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Holiday Inn Hotel, 8777 Georgia 

Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Erika Carlsen at (301) 713–2276.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section 

to ICCAT will meet in an open session 

on March 15, 2004, for a workshop to 

receive and discuss information on the 

upcoming ICCAT intersessional on 

integrated and coordinated management 

of Atlantic bluefin tuna, including 

Atlantic bluefin tuna stock composition; 

a historical review of Atlantic bluefin 

tuna management; and the 2001 ICCAT 

report on bluefin tuna mixing. In 

addition, the Committee will receive 

information on the results of the review 

of bluefin tuna and marlin landings 

estimates previously reported to ICCAT. 

The Advisory Committee will meet 

again in an open session on March 16 

and 17, 2004, to receive and discuss 

information on (1) the 2003 ICCAT 

meeting results and U.S. 

implementation of ICCAT decisions; (2) 

2003 ICCAT and NMFS research and 

monitoring activities; (3) 2004 

Commission activities; (4) the Atlantic 

Tunas Convention Act required 

consultation on the identification of 

countries that are diminishing the 

effectiveness of ICCAT; (5) the results of 

the meetings of the Committee’s Species 

Working Groups; and (6) other matters 

relating to the international 

management of ICCAT species. The 

public will have access to the open 

sessions of the meeting, but there will 

be no opportunity for public comment.

The Advisory Committee will go into 

executive session during part of the 

afternoon of March 15, 2004, to discuss 

sensitive information relating to 

upcoming international negotiations. In 

addition, the Committee will meet in its 

Species Working Groups for a portion of 

the afternoon of March 16 and morning 

of March 17, 2004. These sessions are 

not open to the public, but the results 

of the species working group 

discussions will be reported to the full 

Advisory Committee during the 

Committee’s morning open session on 

March 17.

Special Accommodations 

The meeting location is physically 

accessible to people with disabilities. 

Requests for sign language 

interpretation or other auxiliary aids 

should be directed to Erika Carlsen at 

(301) 713–2276 at least 5 days prior to 

the meeting date.

Dated: February 24, 2004.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 04–4516 Filed 2–27–04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

[I.D. 021804A]

Endangered Species; Permit File No. 

1260

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of application for 

modification.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the NMFS, Southeast Region, 9721 

Executive Center Drive, North, St. 

Petersburg, Florida 33702–2449, has 

requested a modification to scientific 

research Permit No. 1260.

DATES: Written comments or requests for 

a public hearing must be received on or 

before March 31, 2004.

ADDRESSES: The modification request 

and related documents are available for 

review upon written request or by 

appointment in the following offices:

Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone 

(301)713–2289; fax (301)713–0376; and

Southeast Region, NMFS, 9721 

Executive Center Drive North, St. 

Petersburg, FL 33702–2432; phone 

(727)570–5301; fax (727)570–5320.

Written comments or requests for a 

public hearing must be submitted to the 

Chief, Permits, Conservation and 

Education Division, F/PR1, Office of 

Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 EastWest Highway, Room 13705, Silver 

Spring, MD 20910. Those individuals 

requesting a hearing should set forth the 

specific reasons why a hearing on this 

particular modification request would 

be appropriate.

Comments may be submitted by 

facsimile to (301)713–0376, provided 

the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy 

submitted by mail and postmarked no 

later than the closing date of the 

comment period. They may also be 

submitted by e-mail. The mailbox 

address for providing e-mail comments 

is NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. 

Include in the subject line of the e-mail 

comment the following document 

identifier: File No. 1260 Modification.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patrick Opay, (301)713–1401 or Ruth 

Johnson, (301)713–2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

subject modification request to Permit 

No. 1260, issued on June 29, 2001 (66 

FR 34621) is requested under the 

authority of the Endangered Species Act 

of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 

seq.) and the regulations governing the 

taking, importing, and exporting of 

endangered and threatened species (50 

CFR 222–226).

Permit No. 1260 authorizes the permit 

holder to take loggerhead (Caretta 

caretta), leatherback (Dermochelys 

coriacea), Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys 

kempii), hawksbill (Eretmochelys 

imbricata), green (Chelonia mydas) and 

olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) sea