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###### Department of the Interior

###### Fish and Wildlife Service

          - [Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0007; FXIA16710900000-223-FF09A30000]

# AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

# ACTION:

Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.

# SUMMARY:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the public to comment on foreign or native species for which the Service has jurisdiction under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and foreign bird species covered under the Wild Bird Conservation Act (WBCA). With some exceptions, the MMPA and WBCA prohibit activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. These Acts also require that we invite public comment before issuing permits for any activity they otherwise prohibit with respect to any species.

# DATES:

We must receive comments by May 25, 2022.

# ADDRESSES:

*Obtaining Documents:*                         The application, application supporting materials, and any comments and other materials that we receive will be available for public inspection at                         *https://www.regulations.gov*                         in Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0007.                    

*Submitting Comments:*                         When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. You may submit comments by one of the following methods:                    
      -  Internet: https://www.regulations.gov.                          Search for and submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0007.                    
      -  U.S. mail:                          Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0007; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.                    

                        For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under                         **SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION**                        .                    

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

                        Brenda Tapia, by phone at 703-358-2185 or via email at                         *DMAFR@fws.gov.*                         Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TTD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.                    

# SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

## I. Public Comment Procedures

### A. How do I comment on submitted applications?

We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested permits, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period.

                    You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in                     **ADDRESSES**                    . We will not consider comments sent by email or fax, or to an address not in                     **ADDRESSES**                    . We will not consider or include in our administrative record comments we receive after the close of the comment period (see                     **DATES**                    ). When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. Provide sufficient information to allow us to authenticate any scientific or commercial data you include.                

The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) those that include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and regulations.

### B. May I review comments submitted by others?

                    You may view and comment on others' public comments at                     *https://www.regulations.gov,*                     unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).                

### C. Who will see my comments?

                    If you submit a comment at                     *https://www.regulations.gov,*                     your entire comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email address, you may request at the top of your document that we withhold this information from public review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Moreover, all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their entirety.                

## II. Background

                    To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected species, and in consideration of section 104(c) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361*et seq.*), and section 112(4) of the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (WBCA; 16 U.S.C. 4901-4916), we invite public comments on permit applications before final action is taken. With some exceptions, these Acts prohibit certain activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. Service regulations regarding permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the MMPA with respect to any marine mammals are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 18. Service regulations regarding permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the WBCA with respect to any wild birds are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 15.                

                    Concurrent with publishing this notice in the                     **Federal Register***,*                     we are forwarding copies of the marine mammal applications to the Marine Mammal Commission and the Committee of Scientific Advisors for their review.                

## III. Permit Applications

                    We invite comments on the following applications.                          ( print page 24339)    

### A. Marine Mammal Protection Act

#### Applicant: Matson's Laboratory, Manhattan, MT; Permit No. 166346

                    The applicant requests to renew a permit to obtain samples of polar bears (                    *Ursus maritimus*) that have been legally harvested or were taken from the wild for the purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.                

#### Applicant: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fairbanks, AK; Permit No. 57198B

                    The applicant requests to renew a permit to deploy transmitters and collect skin biopsies to monitor the movement, timing, behavior, and habitat use of walruses (                    *Odobenus rosmarus*) in the wild for the purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.                

#### Applicant: Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Tacoma, WA; Permit No. PER0028852

                    The applicant requests a permit to import and maintain one male and one female captive born live walrus (                    *Odobenus rosmarus*) for the purpose of public display. This notification covers activities to be conducted once within a 1-year time frame.                

#### Applicant: USGS Alaska Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA; Permit No. PER0030527

                    The applicant requests to amend a permit to measure the oxygen consumption of two captive adult polar bears (                    *Ursus maritimus*) to inform data collected from wild polar bears on the energetic costs of swimming for the purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.                

### B. Wild Bird Conservation Act

#### Applicant: Vernon Padgett, Atlanta, GA; Permit No. PER0026547

                    The applicant wishes to amend the Cooperative Breeding Program CB042 to add the following new species: Wreathed hornbill (                    *Rhyticeros undulatus*), wrinkled hornbill (                    *Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus*), rhinoceros hornbill (                    *Buceros rhinoceros*), and Indian hornbill (                    *Buceros bicornis*), and to increase the approved number of imports for the Papuan hornbill (                    *Rhyticeros plicatus*) and rufous hornbill (                    *Buceros hydrocorax*) to their already existing program.                

## IV. Next Steps

                    After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed in this notice, we will publish a notice in the                     **Federal Register**                    . You may locate the notice announcing the permit issuance by searching                     *https://www.regulations.gov*                     for the permit number listed above in this document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to                     *https://www.regulations.gov*                     and search for “12345A”.                

## V. Authority

                    We issue this notice under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531*et seq.*), and its implementing regulations, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361*et seq.*), and its implementing regulations.                

Brenda Tapia,

Supervisory Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits, Division of Management Authority.

[FR Doc. 2022-08738 Filed 4-22-22; 8:45 am]

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