Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 175 / Tuesday, September 9, 2008 / Notices 52327 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Proposed Information Collection; 

Comment Request; Protocol for 

Access to Tissue Specimen Samples 

from the National Marine Mammal 

Tissue Bank 

AGENCY: National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, as part of its continuing 

effort to reduce paperwork and 

respondent burden, invites the general 

public and other Federal agencies to 

take this opportunity to comment on 

proposed and/or continuing information 

collections, as required by the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted on or before November 10, 

2008. 

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments 

to Diana Hynek, Departmental 

Paperwork Clearance Officer, 

Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 

14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20230 (or via the 

Internet at dHynek@doc.gov). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

copies of the information collection 

instrument and instructions should be 

directed to Patricia Lawson, (301) 713–

2289 or at Patricia.Lawson@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The National Marine Mammal Tissue 

Bank (NMMTB) was established in 1992 

and provides protocols, techniques, and 

physical facilities for the long-term 

storage of tissues from marine 

mammals. Scientists can request tissues 

from this repository for retrospective 

analyses to determine environmental 

trends of contaminants and other 

substances of interest. The NMMTB 

collects, processes, and stores tissues 

from specific indicator species (e.g., 

Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic 

white sided dolphins, pilot whales, 

harbor porpoises), animals from mass 

strandings, animals that have been 

obtained incidental to commercial 

fisheries, animals taken for subsistence 

purposes, biopsies, and animals from 

unusual mortality events. 

The purposes of this collection of 

information are: (1) To enable NOAA to 

allow the scientific community the 

opportunity to request tissue specimen 

samples from the NMMTB; (2) to enable 

the Marine Mammal Health and 

Stranding Response Program 

(MMHSRP) of NOAA to assemble 

information on all specimens submitted 

to the National Biomonitoring Specimen 

Bank (Bank), which includes the 

NMMTB. 

II. Method of Collection 

Reports are required from 

participants, and methods of submittal 

include Internet, mail and facsimile 

transmission of paper forms. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0468. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission. 

Affected Public: Not-for-profit 

institutions; and business or other forprofit organizations. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

50. 

Estimated Time per Response: 

Request for tissue sample, 2 hours; 

specimen submission form, 45 minutes. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 155. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $152.00. 

IV. Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and/or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they also will become a matter of public 

record. 

Dated: September 3, 2008. 

Gwellnar Banks, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. E8–20792 Filed 9–8–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Proposed Information Collection; 

Comment Request; Report of Whaling 

Operations 

AGENCY: National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, as part of its continuing 

effort to reduce paperwork and 

respondent burden, invites the general 

public and other Federal agencies to 

take this opportunity to comment on 

proposed and/or continuing information 

collections, as required by the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted on or before November 10, 

2008. 

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments 

to Diana Hynek, Departmental 

Paperwork Clearance Officer, 

Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 

14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20230 (or via the 

Internet at dHynek@doc.gov). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

copies of the information collection 

instrument and instructions should be 

directed to Ryan Wulff, (301) 713–2276 

or Ryan.Wulff@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

Native Americans may conduct 

certain aboriginal subsistence whaling 

in accordance with the provisions of the 

International Whaling Commission 

(IWC). In order to respond to obligations 

under the International Convention for 

the Regulation of Whaling, and the IWC, 

captains participating in these 

operations must submit certain 

information to the relevant Native 

American whaling organization about 

strikes on, and catch of, whales. Anyone 

retrieving a dead whale is also required 

to report. Captains must place a 

distinctive, permanent identification 

mark on any harpoon, lance, or 

explosive dart used, and must also 

provide information on the mark and 

self-identification information. The 

relevant Native American whaling 

organization receives the reports, 

compiles them, and submits the 

information to NOAA. 

The information is used to monitor 

the hunt and to ensure that quotas are 

not exceeded. The information is also 

provided to the IWC, which uses it to 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
52328 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 175 / Tuesday, September 9, 2008 / Notices 

monitor compliance with its 

requirements. 

II. Method of Collection 

Reports may be made by phone or fax. 

Information on equipment marks must 

be made in writing. No form is used. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0311. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households; State, Local, or Tribal 

Governments. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

52. 

Estimated Time per Response: 30 

minutes for reports on whales struck or 

on recovery of dead whales; 5 minutes 

for providing the relevant Native 

American whaling organization with 

information on the mark and selfidentification information; 5 minutes for 

marking gear; and 5 hours for the 

relevant Native American whaling 

organization to consolidate and submit 

reports. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 48. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $100. 

IV. Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and/or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they also will become a matter of public 

record. 

Dated: September 3, 2008. 

Gwellnar Banks, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. E8–20791 Filed 9–8–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[Docket No. 080626787–81157–03] 

RIN 0648–ZB97 

Availability of Grants Funds for Fiscal 

Year 2009 

AGENCY: National Ocean Service (NOS), 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice 

SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, National 

Ocean Service, publishes this notice on 

the Modeling the Causes of Hypoxia 

component of the Northern Gulf of 

Mexico program to provide clarification 

regarding funding availability. 

DATES: The deadline for the receipt of 

proposals is 3 p.m. EST, October 20, 

2008, for both electronic and paper 

applications. 

ADDRESSES: The address for submitting 

Proposals electronically is: http:// 

www.grants.gov/. (Electronic 

submission is strongly encouraged). 

Paper submissions should be sent to the 

attention of, Center for Sponsored 

Coastal Ocean Research (N/SCI2), 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, 1305 East-West 

Highway, SSMC4, 8th Floor Station 

8240, Silver Spring, MD 20910. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information, contact: Libby 

Jewett, (libby.jewett@noaa.gov, 301–

713–3338 x 121). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

program was originally solicited in the 

Federal Register on July 11, 2008, as 

part of the July 2008 NOAA Omnibus 

solicitation. NOAA is publishing this 

notice to provide clarification regarding 

funding availability for the Modeling 

the Causes of Hypoxia component of the 

Northern Gulf of Mexico program. 

Please note that funds for Modeling the 

Causes of Hypoxia component of the 

Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecosystems 

and Hypoxia Assessment program will 

not exceed $1,000,000.00 per project per 

year. It is anticipated that only one 

project will be awarded for this program 

with project durations of 3 to 5 years. 

All other requirements for this 

solicitation remain the same. 

Award Notices 

The notice of award is signed by the 

NOAA Grants Officer and is the 

authorizing document. It is provided by 

postal mail or electronically through the 

Grants Online system to the appropriate 

business office of the recipient 

organization. 

Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

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 February 11, 2008 (73 FR 7696), are 

applicable to this solicitation. 

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 website: http:// 

www.nepa.noaa.gov/, including our 

NOAA Administrative Order 216–6 for 

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

NAO216l6lTOC.pdf, and the Council 

on Environmental Quality 

implementation regulations, http:// 

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

toclceq.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 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES