24970 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 81 / Wednesday, April 27, 2022 / Notices 

that the Renewal IHA expiration date 

cannot extend beyond 1 year from 

expiration of the initial IHA). 

• The request for renewal must 

include the following: 

(1) An explanation that the activities 

to be conducted under the requested 

Renewal IHA are identical to the 

activities analyzed under the initial 

IHA, are a subset of the activities, or 

include changes so minor (e.g., 

reduction in pile size) that the changes 

do not affect the previous analyses, 

mitigation and monitoring 

requirements, or take estimates (with 

the exception of reducing the type or 

amount of take). 

(2) A preliminary monitoring report 

showing the results of the required 

monitoring to date and an explanation 

showing that the monitoring results do 

not indicate impacts of a scale or nature 

not previously analyzed or authorized. 

Upon review of the request for 

renewal, the status of the affected 

species or stocks, and any other 

pertinent information, NMFS 

determines that there are no more than 

minor changes in the activities, the 

mitigation and monitoring measures 

will remain the same and appropriate, 

and the findings in the initial IHA 

remain valid. 

Dated: April 21, 2022. 

Catherine Marzin, 

Deputy Director, Office of Protected 

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–08888 Filed 4–26–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XB979] 

Taking and Importing Marine 

Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals 

Incidental to Geophysical Surveys 

Related to Oil and Gas Activities in the 

Gulf of Mexico 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of revised letter 

of authorization. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA), as amended, its implementing 

regulations, and NMFS’ MMPA 

Regulations for Taking Marine 

Mammals Incidental to Geophysical 

Surveys Related to Oil and Gas 

Activities in the Gulf of Mexico, 

notification is hereby given that NMFS 

has issued a revised Letter of 

Authorization (LOA) to Equinor Gulf of 

Mexico LLC (Equinor), in place of 

TotalEnergies E&P USA, Inc. 

(TotalEnergies), for the take of marine 

mammals incidental to geophysical 

survey activity in the Gulf of Mexico. 

DATES: The LOA is effective from April 

20, 2022, through April 19, 2023. 

ADDRESSES: The LOA, original LOA 

request, request for transferal, and 

supporting documentation are available 

online at: www.fisheries.noaa.gov/ 

action/incidental-take-authorization-oiland-gas-industry-geophysical-surveyactivity-gulf-mexico. In case of problems 

accessing these documents, please call 

the contact listed below (see FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben 

Laws, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, (301) 427–8401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the 

MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct 

the Secretary of Commerce to allow, 

upon request, the incidental, but not 

intentional, taking of small numbers of 

marine mammals by U.S. citizens who 

engage in a specified activity (other than 

commercial fishing) within a specified 

geographical region if certain findings 

are made and either regulations are 

issued or, if the taking is limited to 

harassment, a notice of a proposed 

authorization is provided to the public 

for review. 

An authorization for incidental 

takings shall be granted if NMFS finds 

that the taking will have a negligible 

impact on the species or stock(s), will 

not have an unmitigable adverse impact 

on the availability of the species or 

stock(s) for subsistence uses (where 

relevant), and if the permissible 

methods of taking and requirements 

pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring 

and reporting of such takings are set 

forth. NMFS has defined ‘‘negligible 

impact’’ in 50 CFR 216.103 as an impact 

resulting from the specified activity that 

cannot be reasonably expected to, and is 

not reasonably likely to, adversely affect 

the species or stock through effects on 

annual rates of recruitment or survival. 

Except with respect to certain 

activities not pertinent here, the MMPA 

defines ‘‘harassment’’ as: Any act of 

pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (i) 

has the potential to injure a marine 

mammal or marine mammal stock in the 

wild (Level A harassment); or (ii) has 

the potential to disturb a marine 

mammal or marine mammal stock in the 

wild by causing disruption of behavioral 

patterns, including, but not limited to, 

migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, 

feeding, or sheltering (Level B 

harassment). 

On January 19, 2021, we issued a final 

rule with regulations to govern the 

unintentional taking of marine 

mammals incidental to geophysical 

survey activities conducted by oil and 

gas industry operators, and those 

persons authorized to conduct activities 

on their behalf (collectively ‘‘industry 

operators’’), in Federal waters of the 

U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) over the 

course of 5 years (86 FR 5322; January 

19, 2021). The rule was based on our 

findings that the total taking from the 

specified activities over the 5-year 

period will have a negligible impact on 

the affected species or stock(s) of marine 

mammals and will not have an 

unmitigable adverse impact on the 

availability of those species or stocks for 

subsistence uses. The rule became 

effective on April 19, 2021. 

Our regulations at 50 CFR 217.180 et 

seq. allow for the issuance of LOAs to 

industry operators for the incidental 

take of marine mammals during 

geophysical survey activities and 

prescribe the permissible methods of 

taking and other means of effecting the 

least practicable adverse impact on 

marine mammal species or stocks and 

their habitat (often referred to as 

mitigation), as well as requirements 

pertaining to the monitoring and 

reporting of such taking. Under 50 CFR 

217.186(e), issuance of an LOA shall be 

based on a determination that the level 

of taking will be consistent with the 

findings made for the total taking 

allowable under these regulations and a 

determination that the amount of take 

authorized under the LOA is of no more 

than small numbers. 

Summary of Request 

On January 26, 2022, NMFS issued an 

LOA to TotalEnergies (87 FR 4866; 

January 31, 2022) to take marine 

mammals incidental to a 3D ocean 

bottom node (OBN) survey within the 

North Platte field. The survey area is 

located in Garden Banks, Green Canyon, 

Keathley Canyon, and Walker Ridge 

lease areas with approximate water 

depths ranging from 725 to 2,180 meters 

(m). See Figure 1 of TotalEnergies’ LOA 

application for a map of the area. 

Additional description of the planned 

survey, as well as analysis related to the 

issuance of that LOA, is available in 

TotalEnergies’ LOA application and the 

aforementioned Federal Register notice 

of issuance. 

On April 12, 2022, TotalEnergies 

notified NMFS that it had relinquished 

operatorship of the offshore asset, with 

which the subject geophysical survey 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 81 / Wednesday, April 27, 2022 / Notices 24971 

was associated, to its joint interest 

owner (Equinor). Accordingly, 

TotalEnergies requested the transfer of 

the LOA to Equinor. Equinor confirmed 

to NMFS that it similarly requested 

transfer of the LOA. With the transfer of 

the LOA, Equinor agrees to comply with 

the associated terms, conditions, 

stipulations, and restrictions of the 

original LOA. No other changes were 

requested. The revised LOA remains 

effective through April 19, 2023. 

The revised LOA sets forth only a 

change in the LOA holder’s name. There 

are no other changes to the LOA as 

described in the January 31, 2022, 

Federal Register notice of issuance (87 

FR 4866): The specified activity; 

estimated take by incidental 

harassment; and small numbers analysis 

and determination; and the period of 

effectiveness remain unchanged and are 

herein incorporated by reference. 

Authorization 

NMFS is changing the name of the 

holder of the LOA from ‘‘TotalEnergies 

E&P USA, Inc.’’ to ‘‘Equinor Gulf of 

Mexico LLC.’’ 

Dated: April 21, 2022. 

Catherine G. Marzin, 

Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–09008 Filed 4–26–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; Groundfish Tagging Program 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit the following information 

collection request to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and clearance in accordance 

with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995, on or after the date of publication 

of this notice. We invite the general 

public and other Federal agencies to 

comment on proposed, and continuing 

information collections, which helps us 

assess the impact of our information 

collection requirements and minimize 

the public’s reporting burden. Public 

comments were previously requested 

via the Federal Register on January 20, 

2022, during a 60-day comment period. 

This notice allows for an additional 30 

days for public comments. 

Agency: National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

Title: Alaska Groundfish Tagging 

Program. 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0276. 

Form Number(s): None. 

Type of Request: Regular submission. 

Extension of a currently approved 

collection. 

Number of Respondents: 440. 

Average Hours per Response: 5 

minutes for returning a regular tag 

(groundfish or sablefish simple tag), and 

20 minutes for returning an internal 

archival tag electronically. 

Burden Hours: 89. 

Needs and Uses: NOAA Fisheries is 

mandated to assess the health of the 

populations of commercially important 

species with the best information 

possible. Groundfish tagging programs 

in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and 

Alaska waters provide essential research 

data on groundfish life histories and 

migration patterns that are necessary for 

successful management. Collecting tag 

recovery data from the public is 

essential for the success of this program. 

Each year, thousands of fish are caught 

during NOAA Fisheries stock 

assessment surveys. These fish are 

weighed and measured, and their sex is 

determined. Fish that appear healthy 

and uninjured are tagged before being 

released back into the wild. Fishermen 

and seafood processors subsequently 

find the tagged fish. By returning the tag 

to NOAA Fisheries, along with 

information on when and where the fish 

was caught and the size and weight of 

the fish, these fishermen and processors 

provide extremely valuable information 

to fishery scientists and managers. 

Tagging groundfish for subsequent 

tracking and recovery is an important 

tool for managing fishery resources and 

the information gathered has resulted in 

numerous scientific and management 

publications by NOAA Fisheries 

personnel. 

Affected Public: Not-for-profit 

institutions; State, local, or tribal 

government; business or other for-profit 

organizations. 

Frequency: As needed. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. 

Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act. 

This information collection request 

may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov. 

Follow the instructions to view the 

Department of Commerce collections 

currently under review by OMB. 

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be 

submitted within 30 days of the 

publication of this notice on the 

following website www.reginfo.gov/ 

public/do/PRAMain. Find this 

particular information collection by 

selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day 

Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or 

by using the search function and 

entering either the title of the collection 

or the OMB Control Number 0648–0276. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of 

the Chief Information Officer, Commerce 

Department. 

[FR Doc. 2022–08920 Filed 4–26–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Telecommunications and 

Information Administration 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities, Submission for Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

Review and Emergency Approval; 

Comment Request; Infrastructure 

Investment and Jobs Act—Application 

for Broadband Grant Programs 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit the following information 

collection request to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

emergency review and approval in 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the 

date of publication of this notice. We 

invite the general public and other 

Federal agencies to comment on 

proposed, and continuing information 

collections, which helps us assess the 

impact of our information collection 

requirements and minimize the public’s 

reporting burden. 

Agency: National 

Telecommunications and Information 

Administration (NTIA), Commerce. 

Title: Infrastructure Investment and 

Jobs Act—Application for Broadband 

Grant Programs. 

OMB Control Number: 0660–XXXX. 

Form Number(s): N/A. 

Type of Request: Emergency 

submission, New Information Collection 

Request. 

Number of Respondents: 950 

respondents. 

Average Hours per Response: 14 

hours for Middle Mile grant application 

and 4 hours for the State Equity 

Planning program application. 

Burden Hours: 10,300 hours. 

Needs and Uses: NTIA requests 

emergency review and approval of the 

emergency collection to ensure that the 

agency can meet the statutory deadlines 

Congress set forth for the Infrastructure 

Act Broadband Grant Programs. Given 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1