4264 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 16 / Tuesday, January 26, 2016 / Notices 

Unique Entity Identifier and System 

for Award Management (SAM): 

Pursuant to 2 CFR part 25, applicants 

and recipients (as the case may be) are 

required to: (i) Be registered in SAM 

before submitting its application; (ii) 

provide a valid unique entity identifier 

in its application; and (iii) continue to 

maintain an active SAM registration 

with current information at all times 

during which it has an active Federal 

award or an application or plan under 

consideration by a Federal awarding 

agency, unless otherwise excepted from 

these requirements pursuant to 2 CFR 

25.110. NIST will not make a Federal 

award to an applicant until the 

applicant has complied with all 

applicable unique entity identifier and 

SAM requirements. If an applicant has 

not fully complied with the 

requirements by the time that NIST is 

ready to make a Federal award pursuant 

to this notice and the corresponding 

FFO, NIST may determine that the 

applicant is not qualified to receive a 

Federal award and use that 

determination as a basis for making a 

Federal award to another applicant. 

Paperwork Reduction Act: The 

standard forms in the application kit 

involve a collection of information 

subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act. 

The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 

424B, SF–LLL, and CD–346 have been 

approved by OMB under the respective 

Control Numbers 0348–0043, 0348– 

0044, 0348–0040, 0348–0046, and 0605– 

0001. MEP program-specific application 

requirements have been approved by 

OMB under Control Number 0693–0056. 

Notwithstanding any other provision 

of the 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 Paperwork 

Reduction Act, unless that collection of 

information displays a currently valid 

OMB Control Number. 

Certifications Regarding Federal 

Felony and Federal Criminal Tax 

Convictions, Unpaid Federal Tax 

Assessments and Delinquent Federal 

Tax Returns. In accordance with Federal 

appropriations law, an authorized 

representative of the selected 

applicant(s) may be required to provide 

certain pre-award certifications 

regarding federal felony and federal 

criminal tax convictions, unpaid federal 

tax assessments, and delinquent federal 

tax returns. 

Funding Availability and Limitation 

of Liability: Funding for the program 

listed in this notice and the 

corresponding FFO is contingent upon 

the availability of appropriations. In no 

event will NIST or DoC be responsible 

for application preparation costs if this 

program fails to receive funding or is 

cancelled because of agency priorities. 

Publication of this notice and the 

corresponding FFO does not oblige 

NIST or DoC to award any specific 

project or to obligate any available 

funds. 

Other Administrative and National 

Policy Requirements: Additional 

administrative and national policy 

requirements are set forth in section 

VI.2 of the corresponding FFO. 

Executive Order 12866: This funding 

notice was 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. 

Executive Order 12372: Proposals 

under this program are not subject to 

Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’ 

Administrative Procedure Act/

Regulatory Flexibility Act: Notice and 

comment are not required under the 

Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 

553) or any other law, for matters 

relating to public property, loans, 

grants, benefits or contracts (5 U.S.C. 

553(a)). Moreover, because notice and 

comment are not required under 5 

U.S.C. 553, or any other law, for matters 

relating to public property, loans, 

grants, benefits or contracts (5 U.S.C. 

553(a)), a Regulatory Flexibility 

Analysis is not required and has not 

been prepared for this notice, 5 U.S.C. 

601 et seq. 

Richard R. Cavanagh, 

Director, Special Programs Office. 

[FR Doc. 2016–01405 Filed 1–25–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XE355 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Initiation of 5-Year Review for 

Southern Resident Killer Whales 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of initiation of 5-year 

review; request for information. 

SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce a 5-year 

review of Southern Resident killer 

whales (Orcinus orca) under the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (ESA). The purpose of these 

reviews is to ensure that the listing 

classification of a species is accurate. 

The 5-year review will be based on the 

best scientific and commercial data 

available at the time of the review; 

therefore, we request submission of any 

such information on Southern Resident 

killer whales that has become available 

since their original listing as endangered 

in November 2005 or since the previous 

5-year review completed in 2011. Based 

on the results of this 5-year review, we 

will make the requisite determination 

under the ESA. 

DATES: To allow us adequate time to 

conduct this review, we must receive 

your information no later than April 25, 

2016. However, we will continue to 

accept new information about any listed 

species at any time. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit 

information on this document identified 

by NOAA–NMFS–2016–0006 by either 

of the following methods: 

• Electronic submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal 

www.regulations.gov. To submit 

comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking 

Portal, first click the ‘‘submit a 

comment’’ icon, then enter NOAA– 

NMFS–2016–0006 in the keyword 

search. Locate the document you wish 

to comment on from the resulting list 

and click on the ‘‘Submit a Comment’’ 

icon on the right of that line. 

• Mail or hand-delivery: Lynne Barre, 

NMFS West Coast Region, 7600 Sand 

Point Way NE., Seattle, WA 98115. 

Instructions: Comments must be 

submitted by one of the above methods 

to ensure that the comments are 

received, documented, and considered 

by NMFS. Comments sent by any other 

method, to any other address or 

individual, or received after the end of 

the comment period, may not be 

considered. All comments received are 

a part of the public record and will 

generally be posted for public viewing 

on www.regulations.gov without change. 

All personal identifying information 

(e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted 

voluntarily by the sender will be 

publicly accessible. Do not submit 

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive or protected 

information. NMFS will accept 

anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/A’’ in 

the required fields if you wish to remain 

anonymous). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lynne Barre, West Coast Regional 

Office, 206–526–4745. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 16 / Tuesday, January 26, 2016 / Notices 4265 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the 

ESA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

maintains a list of endangered and 

threatened wildlife and plant species at 

50 CFR 17.11 (for animals and 17.12 (for 

plants). Section 4(c)(2)(A) of the ESA 

requires that we conduct a review of 

listed species at least once every five 

years. On the basis of such reviews 

under section 4(c)(2)(B), we determine 

whether or not any species should be 

delisted or reclassified from endangered 

to threatened or from threatened to 

endangered. Delisting a species must be 

supported by the best scientific and 

commercial data available and only 

considered if such data substantiates 

that the species is neither endangered 

nor threatened for one or more of the 

following reasons: (1) The species is 

considered extinct; (2) the species is 

considered to be recovered; and/or (3) 

the original data available when the 

species was listed, or the interpretation 

of such data, were in error. Any change 

in Federal classification would require a 

separate rulemaking process. The 

regulations in 50 CFR 424.21 require 

that we publish a notice in the Federal 

Register announcing those species 

currently under active review. This 

notice announces our active review of 

the Southern Resident killer whale 

distinct population segment (DPS) 

currently listed as endangered (70 FR 

69903; November 18, 2005). 

Background information on Southern 

Resident killer whales including the 

endangered listing, critical habitat 

designation, recovery planning and 

protective regulations is available on the 

NMFS West Coast Region Web site at 

http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.

gov/. Below is a brief list of several 

significant actions since the endangered 

listing of the Southern Resident killer 

whale DPS. Critical habitat was 

designated in November 2006 (71 FR 

69054) and includes 2,560 square miles 

(6,630 sq km) of marine habitat in Haro 

Strait and waters around the San Juan 

Islands, Puget Sound, and the Strait of 

Juan de Fuca. The final Recovery Plan 

was released in January 2008 (73 FR 

4176), and contains detailed 

information on status, threats and 

recovery actions for Southern Residents. 

Regulations to protect Southern 

Resident killer whales from vessel 

effects were released in April 2011 (76 

FR 20870). A five year review was 

completed in 2011 and concluded that 

no change was needed to the 

endangered status (NMFS 2011). In 2014 

we released a report summarizing 

research and recovery efforts over the 

last 10 years. The report and other 

supporting documents and media are 

available on our Web site at http://www.

nwfsc.noaa.gov/news/features/killer_

whale_report/index.cfm. In 2015 

Southern Resident killer whales were 

named as a Species in the Spotlight, one 

of eight species among the most at risk 

of extinction in the near future. For 

more information on the Species in the 

Spotlight program, please visit our Web 

site at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/

stories/2015/05/05_14_15species_in_

the_spotlight.html. 

Determining if a Species Is Threatened 

or Endangered 

Section 4(a)(1) of the ESA requires 

that we determine whether a species is 

endangered or threatened based on one 

or more of the five following factors: (1) 

The present or threatened destruction, 

modification, or curtailment of its 

habitat or range; (2) overutilization for 

commercial, recreational, scientific, or 

educational purposes; (3) disease or 

predation; (4) the inadequacy of existing 

regulatory mechanisms; or (5) other 

natural or manmade factors affecting its 

continued existence. Section 4(b) also 

requires that our determination be made 

on the basis of the best scientific and 

commercial data available after taking 

into account those efforts, if any, being 

made by any State or foreign nation, to 

protect such species. 

Public Solicitation of New Information 

To ensure that the 5-year review is 

complete and based on the best 

available scientific and commercial 

information, we are soliciting new 

information from the public, 

governmental agencies, Tribes, the 

scientific community, industry, 

environmental entities, and any other 

interested parties concerning the status 

of Southern Resident killer whales. The 

5-year review considers the best 

scientific and commercial data and all 

new information that has become 

available since the listing determination 

or most recent status review. Categories 

of requested information include: (1) 

Species biology including, but not 

limited to, population trends, 

distribution, abundance, demographics, 

and genetics; (2) habitat conditions 

including, but not limited to, amount, 

distribution, and important features for 

conservation; (3) status and trends of 

threats; (4) conservation measures that 

have been implemented that benefit the 

species, including monitoring data 

demonstrating effectiveness of such 

measures; (5) need for additional 

conservation measures or updates to the 

Recovery Plan, (6) adequacy of the 

recovery criteria, including information 

on recovery criteria that have or have 

not been met; and (7) other new 

information, data, or corrections 

including, but not limited to, taxonomic 

or nomenclatural changes, identification 

of erroneous information contained in 

the list of endangered and threatened 

species, and improved analytical 

methods for evaluating extinction risk. 

Any new information will be 

considered during the 5-year review and 

may also be useful in evaluating the 

ongoing recovery program for Southern 

Resident killer whales. For example, 

information on conservation measures 

will assist in tracking implementation of 

actions in the Recovery Plan. Habitat 

information received during the 5-year 

review process may also be useful in our 

consideration of a revision to the 

designated critical habitat for Southern 

Resident killer whales. In February 

2015, we published a 12-month finding 

notice on a petition requesting that we 

revise critical habitat (80 FR 9682). The 

12-month finding describes how we 

intend to proceed with the requested 

revision and lays out a timeline. The 

critical habitat designation process is 

separate from this 5-year review and 

will include a separate opportunity for 

public comment. 

If you wish to provide information for 

this 5-year review, you may submit your 

information and materials electronically 

or via mail (see ADDRESSES section). We 

request that all information be 

accompanied by supporting 

documentation such as maps, 

bibliographic references, or reprints of 

pertinent publications. We also would 

appreciate the submitter’s name, 

address, and any association, 

institution, or business that the person 

represents; however, anonymous 

submissions will also be accepted. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. 

Dated: January 20, 2016. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office 

of Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2016–01400 Filed 1–25–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit to the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) for clearance the 

following proposal for collection of 

information under the provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 

chapter 35). 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES