Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 107 / Monday, June 4, 2001 / Notices 29935

Authority to take listed species is

subject to conditions set forth in the

permits. Permits and modifications are

issued in accordance with and are

subject to the ESA and NMFS

regulations governing listed fish and

wildlife permits (50 CFR parts 222–226).

Those individuals requesting a

hearing on an application listed in this

notice should set out the specific

reasons why a hearing on that

application would be appropriate (see

ADDRESSES). The holding of such

hearing is at the discretion of the

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

NOAA. All statements and opinions

contained in the permit action

summaries are those of the applicant

and do not necessarily reflect the views

of NMFS.

Species Covered in This Notice

The following species are covered in

this notice:

Sea turtles

Threatened and endangered Green

turtle (Chelonia mydas)

Endangered Hawksbill turtle

(Eretmochelys imbricata)

Endangered Kemp’s ridley turtle

(Lepidochelys kempii)

Endangered Leatherback turtle

(Dermochelys coriacea)

Threatened Loggerhead turtle (Caretta

caretta)

Fish

Endangered Shortnose Sturgeon

(Acipenser brevirostrum)

New Applications Received

Application 1324

The Southeast Fisheries Science

Center (SEFSC) has applied for a twoyear permit to conduct sea turtle

bycatch reduction experiments

associated with longline fishing

techniques. The SEFSC proposes to

conduct experiments to focus on the

effectiveness of specific measures to

reduce the bycatch of sea turtles in the

Pelagic Longline fishery. The applicant

proposes to take 415 loggerhead, 301

leatherback, 2 Kemp’s ridley, 2 green

and 2 hawksbill turtles over the life of

the permit. Turtles taken by longline

gear during this experiment will be

handled, measured, flipper and PIT

tagged, have a skin biopsy collected and

be released. The applicant also requests

authorization to attach 20 conventional

satellite tags and 75 pop-up satellites to

a total of 95 of the already taken

loggerhead turtles. Any turtles brought

aboard the vessel dead will be removed

from marine environment for research

purposes. The application is available

for download and review from the

Office of Protected Resources permits

webpage: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/

prot—res/PR3/Permits/ESApermit.html.

Permits and Modified Permits Issued

Permit #1275

Notice was published on January 25,

2001 (66 FR 7742) that Mr. Joseph

Hightower, of North Carolina

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research

Unit applied for a scientific research

permit (1275). The applicant proposed

to conduct a two year survey of the

Neuse River to prepare a baseline study

of the possible existence of shortnose

sturgeon in the river. The research will

use the NMFS sampling protocols for

determining presence or absence of

shortnose sturgeon in a selected river.

The goals of the study are to determine

whether shortnose sturgeon are present

within the Neuse River system, and to

determine if suitable shortnose sturgeon

habitat is available within the river

system. Permit 1275 was issued on May

24, 2001 and expires December 31,

2002.

Permit #1295

Notice was published on March 5,

2001 (66 FR 13305) that Dr. Michael P.

Sissenwine, of Northeast Fisheries

Science Center applied for a scientific

research permit (1295). The goal of the

five-year plan for sea turtles in the

Northeast is to work cooperatively with

other regions to support and direct

research on sea turtles in order to

identify and assess the status of sea

turtle stocks, reduce the estimated

mortality associated with fishing

activities and other anthropogenic and

natural sources and to recover ESA

listed species. Permit 1295 was issued

on May 24, 2001, and expires May 31,

2006.

Permit #1299

Notice was published on March 9,

2001 (66 FR 14134) that Dr. Raymond

Carthy, of the Florida Cooperative Fish

& Wildlife Research Unit applied for a

scientific research permit (1299). The

applicant requested a three year permit

to take juvenile and adult turtles along

the St. Joseph Peninsula, in St. Joseph

Bay, Florida. The applicant proposes to

examine the internesting movements

and habitat usage of adult loggerhead

turtles along the northwestern coast of

Florida, while also examining species

composition, population densities and

habitat utilization in coastal bays in the

same area. Permit 1299 was issued on

May 24, 2001, and expires December 31,

2003.

Modification #2 to Permit #1198

The Florida Marine Research Institute

currently possesses a five-year scientific

research permit to take up to 700

loggerhead, 250 green, 5 leatherback, 25

hawksbill, and 100 Kemp’s ridley sea

turtles annually from Florida coastal

waters. Turtles captured will include all

life history stages from post-hatchling

through adult. Of the 700 loggerheads

authorized annually, 400 are hatchlings.

This research will further the

understanding of life histories, habitat

requirements, migratory behaviors, and

threats to these five species of sea turtles

occurring in Florida waters. The permit

holder currently has authorization to

capture turtles in tended, straight-set,

large-mesh tangle nets; tended, drifting

large-mesh tangle nets; tended,

encircling (strike) large-meshed nets;

dip nets; and by hand-capture. Captured

turtles are weighed, measured,

photographed, and flipper and PIT

tagged. Select turtles have blood and

stomach samples (via gastric lavage)

collected and receive radio, sonic, and/

or satellite transmitters. Additionally,

laparoscopy and tumor collection are

authorized to be performed on selected

turtles.

For modification #2, the applicant

requests the Dr. Allen Foley be

designated as permit holder in place of

Mr. J. Alan Huff, who is no longer

responsible for this permit activity. The

applicant also requests authorization to

use ten crittercams in lieu of ten

previously authorized radio/sonic

transmitters. Modification #2 to Permit

1198 was issued on May 18, 2001, and

permit 1198 expires March 31, 2004.

Dated: May 25, 2001.

Phil Williams,

Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–13969 Filed 6–1–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Preparation of a Programmatic

Environmental Impact Statement

(PEIS) on the Chemical and Biological

Defense Program (CBDP)

AGENCY: U.S. Army Medical Research

and Materiel Command, Department of

the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: The Department of the Army

announces its intention to prepare a

PEIS that will assesses the potential

29936 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 107 / Monday, June 4, 2001 / Notices

environmental impacts associated with

the execution of the DoD CBDP

designed to protect our soldiers, sailors,

marines, and airmen from the evolving

chemical and biological threats they

may encounter on the battlefield. The

National Defense Authorization Act for

Fiscal Year 1994 mandated the

coordination and integration of all DoD

CBDP. The Army is the executive agent

for the CBDP.

ADDRESSES: Written comments

concerning the PEIS should be

addressed to Dr. Robert J. Carton,

Environmental Coordinator, U.S. Army

Medical Research and Materiel

Command, ATTN: MCMR–RCQ–E, 504

Scott Street, Fort Detrick, MD 21702–

5012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Robert Carton at (301) 619–2004 or by

fax at (301) 619–6694.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

mission of the DoD CBDP is to provide

chemical and biological (CB) defense

capabilities to allow the military forces

of the United States to survive and

successfully complete their operational

missions in battlespace environments

contaminated with CB warfare agents. If

our military forces are not fully and

adequately prepared to meet this threat,

the consequences could be devastating.

The CBDP to support this mission

comprises research, development and

acquisition activities. Each of the

Military Services, the Joint Program

Office for Biological Defense, and the

Defense Advanced Research Projects

Agency conduct CBDP activities. Some

of these CBDP activities necessarily

involve the use of hazardous chemicals

or infectious disease agents for research,

development, and production purposes.

The controls on and the potential

environmental consequences of such

use both for the proposed action and for

any reasonable alternatives will be a

primary focus of the CBDP PEIS.

The CBDP is divided into six

commodity areas. Each commodity area

is managed by one of the Military

Services and has an activity focus as

follows:

(1) Contamination Avoidance (Army):

Pursuit of technological advances in CB

standoff detection, remote/early

warning detection, sensor

miniaturization, and improved

detection sensitivity.

(2) Individual Protection (Marine

Corps) and Collective Protection (Navy):

Pursuit of technological advances that

provide an individual with improved

vision and voice capabilities, increased

protection levels, and reduced heat

stress over current individual protection

equipment. Also the pursuit of

technological advances that improve

generic CB protective filters and fans,

and advances that reduce the weight,

volume, cost, logistics, and manpower

requirements associated with providing

individual and collective protection.

(3) Decontamination (Air Force):

Pursuit of technological advances in

sorbents, coatings, and physical

removal, which will reduce logistics

burden, manpower requirements, and

lost operational capability associated

with decontamination operations.

(4) Medical Protection (Army):

Chemical defense efforts include

development of pretreatment

therapeutic drugs, diagnostic

equipment, and other life support

equipment for protection against and

management of chemical warfare agents.

Biological defense efforts include

development of vaccines, drugs, and

diagnostic medical devices for

protection against validated biological

warfare agents to include bacteria,

viruses, and toxins of biological origin.

(5) Modeling and Simulation (Navy):

Efforts include meteorological models,

transport and dispersion models, hazard

and casualty assessment, computational

fluid dynamics, hydrocodes, and

constructive, live, and virtual

simulation.

The activities take place at numerous

military installations and contractor

facilities throughout the United States.

Details concerning the CBDP are

contained in the ‘‘Chemical and

Biological Defense Program, Annual

Report to Congress, March 2000.’’ This

report may be downloaded in electronic

format from the DoD web site at http:/

/www.defenselink.com.

Although numerous environmental

documents, dating back to the Final

Programmatic Environmental Impact

Statement on the Biological Defense

Research and Development Program

(April 1989), have been prepared

analyzing the potential environmental

consequences of various elements of the

CBDP, no one document analyzes the

potential environmental impacts of the

full range of these activities. In keeping

with the purposes of the National

Environmental Policy Act, DoD has

decided to prepare such a document in

the form of a PEIS on the CBDP. This

document will create an overarching

framework that will continue to ensure

fully informed Government decision

making within this program and provide

a single, up-to-date informational

resource for the public.

Specifically, the PEIS will: (1) Update

and expand current programmatic

documentation, providing information

on and analysis of the changes that have

occurred in the biological defense

program over the last decade; (2) enlarge

the scope of the current programmatic

documentation to include the chemical

defense program; (3) provide a current

programmatic NEPA document that will

facilitate future Government decision

making by allowing future

environmental analyses under the CBDP

to be tiered from it; and (4) share with

the public the features of this program

that demonstrate DoD’s commitment to

protect the environment and to ensure

public safety during the execution of

this operationally mandated program.

Proposed Action and Alternatives

The proposed action consists of the

execution of an integrated program

designed to protect our soldiers, sailors,

marines, and airmen from the evolving

chemical and biological threats they

may encounter on the battlefield. The

No-Action alternative, continuation of

current CBDP operations as described in

and covered by existing environmental

analyses will be evaluated, as well as all

other reasonable alternatives identified

during the public scoping process.

Scoping Process

Public comments are solicited

concerning the environmental issues

related to the CBDP. Scoping activities

will be designed to facilitate public

involvement. The scoping process

supporting this effort will include:

establishment of the public CBDP PEIS

web site at http://

ChemBioEIS.detrick.army.mil;

dissemination of public information

packages; publications in local

newspapers; and coordination with

public interest groups. Public meetings

may be held if subsequently determined

appropriate. These efforts will allow the

public to provide input regarding the

scope of the study and reasonable

alternatives. To permit sufficient time

for the U.S. Army to fully consider

public input on issues, written or e-mail

comments should be mailed or

transmitted to ensure receipt prior to the

end of the scoping period that will be

identified on the CBDP PEIS web site.

E-mail comments may be submitted via

the CBDP PEIS web site at http://

ChemBioEIS.detrick.army.mil.

Dated: May 29, 2001.

Raymond J. Fatz,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army

(Environment, Safety and Occupational

Health), OASA (I&E).

[FR Doc. 01–13892 Filed 6–1–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3710–08–M