Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 123 / Monday, June 29, 2009 / Notices 31011 

Issuance of this permit, as required by 

the ESA, was based on a finding that 

such permit: (1) was applied for in good 

faith; (2) will not operate to the 

disadvantage of such endangered 

species; and (3) is consistent with the 

purposes and policies set forth in 

section 2 of the ESA. 

Documents may be reviewed in the 

following locations: 

Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone 

(301)713–2289; fax (301)427–2521; 

Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand 

Point Way NE, BIN C15700, Bldg. 1, 

Seattle, WA 98115–0700; phone 

(206)526–6150; fax (206)526–6426; 

Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 

21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668; phone 

(907)586–7221; fax (907)586–7249; 

Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West 

Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, 

CA 90802–4213; phone (562)980–4001; 

fax (562)980–4018; and 

Pacific Islands Region, NMFS, 1601 

Kapiolani Blvd., Rm 1110, Honolulu, HI 

96814–4700; phone (808)944–2200; fax 

(808)973–2941. 

Dated: June 24, 2009. 

P. Michael Payne, 

Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–15344 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XP94 

Marine Mammals; File No. 984–1587–08 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit 

amendment. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Dr. Terrie Williams, Department of 

Biology, University of California at 

Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 has 

been issued an amendment to scientific 

research Permit No. 984–1587–07. 

ADDRESSES: The amendment and related 

documents are available for review 

upon written request or by appointment 

in the following office: 

Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone 

(301)713–2289; fax (301)427–2521. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jennifer Skidmore or Amy Sloan 

(301)713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

requested permit amendment has been 

issued under the authority of the Marine 

Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as 

amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and 

the Regulations Governing the Taking 

and Importing of Marine Mammals (50 

CFR part 216). 

Permit No. 984–1587 authorized 

captive research activities on two 

bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops 

truncatus) and juvenile California sea 

lions (Zalophus californianus) 

undergoing rehabilitation at The Marine 

Mammal Center through June 7, 2009. 

The minor amendment (No. 984–1587– 

08) extends the duration of the permit 

through September 7, 2009, but does not 

change any other terms or conditions of 

the permit. 

In compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a final 

determination has been made that the 

activity proposed is categorically 

excluded from the requirement to 

prepare an environmental assessment or 

environmental impact statement. 

Dated: June 23, 2009. 

P. Michael Payne, 

Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–15343 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

The Manufacturing Council: Meeting 

AGENCY: International Trade 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of an open meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Manufacturing Council 

will hold an introductory meeting with 

the Secretary of Commerce to discuss 

topics related to the U.S. manufacturing 

sector. 

DATES: July 20, 2009. 

Time: 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m. 

Location: U.S. Department of 

Commerce, Room 4832, 1401 

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 

DC 20230. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

J. Marc Chittum, The Manufacturing 

Council, Room 4043, 1401 Constitution 

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230; 

telephone: 202–482–4501; and e-mail: 

Marc.Chittum@mail.doc.gov. 

Dated: June 23, 2009. 

J. Marc Chittum, 

Executive Secretary, The Manufacturing 

Council. 

[FR Doc. E9–15232 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XP92 

Taking and Importing Marine 

Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals 

Incidental to Construction and 

Operation of Offshore Oil and Gas 

Facilities in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of issuance of a letter of 

authorization. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA), as amended, and 

implementing regulations, notice is 

hereby given that NMFS has issued a 

letter of authorization (LOA) to BP 

Exploration (Alaska), Inc. (BPXA) to 

take marine mammals incidental to the 

production of offshore oil and gas at the 

Northstar development in the Beaufort 

Sea off Alaska. 

DATES: This Authorization is effective 

from July 7, 2009, through July 6, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: The LOA and supporting 

documentation may be obtained by 

writing to P. Michael Payne, Office of 

Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD 

20910, or by telephoning one of the 

contacts listed here. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Candace Nachman (301) 713–2289 or 

Brad Smith (907) 271–3023. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 

101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 

1361 et seq.) directs NMFS to allow, on 

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 by NMFS and regulations are 

issued. Under the MMPA, the term 

‘‘take’’ means to harass, hunt, capture, 

or kill or to attempt to harass, hunt, 

capture, or kill marine mammals. 

Authorization may be granted for 

periods up to 5 years if NMFS finds, 

after notice and opportunity for public 

comment, that the taking will have a 


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31012 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 123 / Monday, June 29, 2009 / Notices 

negligible impact on the species or 

stock(s) of marine mammals and will 

not have an unmitigable adverse impact 

on the availability of the species or 

stock(s) of marine mammals for 

subsistence uses. In addition, NMFS 

must prescribe regulations setting forth 

the permissible methods of taking and 

other means of effecting the least 

practicable adverse impact on the 

species and its habitat, and on the 

availability of the species for 

subsistence uses. The regulations also 

must include requirements pertaining to 

the monitoring and reporting of such 

taking. Regulations governing the taking 

of marine mammals incidental to 

construction and operation of the 

offshore oil and gas facility at Northstar 

became effective on April 6, 2006 (71 FR 

11314, March 7, 2006), and remain in 

effect until April 6, 2011. For detailed 

information on this action, please refer 

to that document. These regulations 

include mitigation, monitoring, and 

reporting requirements. The six species 

of marine mammals that BP may take in 

small numbers during construction and 

operation of the Northstar facility are 

bowhead whales, gray whales, beluga 

whales, ringed seals, spotted seals, and 

bearded seals. 

Summary of Request 

On May 5, 2009, NMFS received a 

request from BPXA for a renewal of an 

LOA issued on July 1, 2008, for the 

taking of small numbers of marine 

mammals incidental to oil production 

operations at Northstar, under the 

regulations issued on March 7, 2006 (71 

FR 11314). This request (BPXA, 2009) 

contains information in compliance 

with 50 CFR 216.209, which updates 

information provided in BPXA’s 

original application for takings 

incidental to construction and 

operations at Northstar. BPXA also 

submitted the required activity and 

monitoring report under the 2008–2009 

LOA. 

Summary of Activity and Monitoring 

Under the 2008–2009 LOA 

One offshore ice road was built during 

the 2007–2008 ice-covered season. 

Helicopters made 222 round trips to 

Northstar during the 2007–2008 icecovered season to transport crew and 

materials to and from the facility and 

recommended flight corridors and 

altitude restrictions were maintained. 

Tucker tracked vehicles made a total of 

111.5 round trips between West Dock 

and Northstar Island, and the hovercraft 

made 426 round trips during the 2007– 

2008 ice-covered season. 

Drilling activities were conducted 

over two well sites on Northstar Island 

from January 18, 2008, to May 12, 2008. 

Vibratory pile driving occurred from 

February 15 to 19, 2008, and from July 

24 to August 10, 2008, to place 

thermosiphons as part of the new 

protections system. No impact pile 

driving activities took place during the 

present reporting period. The 2008 

repair activities consisted of placement 

of boulders along the northeast corner of 

the island during the ice-covered season 

from March 7 to April 24, 2008 and 

some minor repair activities during the 

open-water season in August 2008. 

Aerial overflights were conducted 

weekly to inspect the pipeline for leaks 

or spills. There were nine reportable 

Northstar-related spills during the 

2007–2008 ice-covered season and the 

2008 open-water season. Two of the 

nine reportable spills reach Beaufort Sea 

water or ice. The contaminated material 

was recovered completely. Materials 

that reached Beaufort Sea water or ice 

included power steering fluid and 

hydraulic fluid. Material from the seven 

remaining spills did not reach the 

Beaufort Sea or sea ice. Contaminated 

snow, ice, and gravel were removed 

with various types of equipment and 

sorbents. No clean-up activity was 

necessary after Northstar flare events 

during the reporting period. 

During the 2008 open-water period, 

there were 119 helicopter round trips, 

445.5 hovercraft round trips, 45 tug and 

barge trips, and 55 Alaska Clean Seas 

Bay-class boat round trips to Northstar. 

There were an additional six trips by 

Bay-class boats in association with 

acoustic monitoring of the bowhead 

whale migration. 

Seal observations in 2008 were 

conducted during 54 days from May 15– 

July 15. A total of 415 seals were 

observed (including presumed repeat 

sightings of the same animal on 

different days), which is more than in 

previous years over the same period. 

Results of seal counts conducted from 

Northstar Island during the reporting 

period did not provide evidence, or 

reason to suspect, that any seals were 

killed or injured by Northstar-related 

activities during 2008. No Northstar 

activity capable of reaching 180 or 190 

dB (rms) in the water occurred during 

the last year, and, therefore, no 

monitoring of these ‘‘safety radii’’ was 

implemented. 

An array of 10 Directional 

Autonomous Seafloor Acoustic 

Recorders (DASARs) were installed in 

August 2008. The array was deployed 

for approximately 29 days between 

August 27 and September 25, 2008. In 

2008, the scope of the bowhead whale 

acoustic monitoring study was 

augmented relative to that in 2005–2007 

and was generally similar to that in 

2001–2004, although the study design 

was somewhat modified from that in 

2001–2004. The geometry of the DASAR 

array was changed, and new emphasis 

was placed on understanding how far 

Northstar sounds propagate offshore. 

DASARs were deployed at locations 

8.5–38.5 km (5.3–24 mi) NNE of 

Northstar Island and recorded sounds 

continuously for approximately 29 days, 

until September 25, 2008. 

Simultaneously, near-island recordings 

were obtained from three DASARs 

placed approximately 450 m (1,476 ft) 

north of Northstar over the same period. 

In total, 85,669 bowhead whale calls 

were detected on the records of the 10 

array DASARs combined from a total of 

350,597 call detections. When expressed 

as a number of calls per day, the 2008 

number (1,337 calls/day) is the highest 

since the beginning of the study in 2001, 

exceeding the previous record of 989 

calls/day in 2004. The much higher call 

counts in 2008 compared to the lower 

counts in 2005 and 2006 are probably 

related to the absence of nearshore pack 

ice during the 2008 season, meaning 

there were probably more whales closer 

to shore. 

Post-field analyses of the near-island 

DASARs revealed the presence of a 

previously undetected pulsed sound. As 

soon as possible after ice break-up in 

2009, a hydrophone will be used to 

determine if this sound is still present. 

If present, attempts will be made to 

localize the source and to either remove 

it or reduce its sound output. 

Subsistence hunters from Nuiqsut 

who traveled to Cross Island for the 

annual bowhead whale hunt did not 

report any negative effects from 

Northstar activities on their ability to 

conduct the hunt. In 2008, Nuiqsut 

whalers landed their full quota of four 

whales. 

Authorization 

BPXA complied with the 

requirements of the 2008 LOA, and 

NMFS has determined that the marine 

mammal take resulting from the 2008 

construction and operation activities is 

within that analyzed in and anticipated 

by the associated regulations. 

Accordingly, NMFS has issued a 1-year 

LOA to BPXA, authorizing the taking of 

small numbers of marine mammals 

incidental to oil production 

construction and operations at the 

Northstar offshore facility in state and 

Federal waters in the U.S. Beaufort Sea. 

Issuance of this LOA is based on 

findings described in the preamble to 

the final rule (71 FR 11314, March 7, 

2006) and supported by information 

contained in BPXA’s 2008 annual report 


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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 123 / Monday, June 29, 2009 / Notices 31013 

that the activities described in the LOA 

will result in the taking of no more than 

small numbers of bowhead whales, 

beluga whales, ringed seals, and, 

possibly California gray whales, bearded 

seals, and spotted seals and that the 

total taking will have a negligible 

impact on these marine mammal stocks 

and would not have an unmitigable 

adverse impact on the availability of 

these species or stocks for taking for 

subsistence uses. This LOA will be 

renewed annually based on review of 

the annual monitoring report. 

Dated: June 18, 2009. 

James H. Lecky, 

Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–15188 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Navy 

Notice of Open Meeting of the Chief of 

Naval Operations (CNO) Executive 

Panel 

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Chief of Naval Operations 

(CNO) Executive Panel will deliberate 

on the findings and proposed 

recommendations of the Subcommittee 

on Diversity. The matters to be 

discussed include: Female and minority 

male officer accessions, retention, 

development, command climate, 

evaluation and mentoring programs, and 

accountability. 

DATES: The meeting will be held on 

Thursday, July 16, 2009, from 9:30 a.m. 

to 11:30 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in 

the Boardroom, CNA, 4825 Mark Center 

Drive, Alexandria, VA 22311–1846. 

Some members of the Executive Panel 

may participate via teleconference. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: CDR 

Catherine Masar, CNO Executive Panel, 

4825 Mark Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 

22311–1846, telephone: (703) 681–9633. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Individuals or interested groups may 

submit written statements for 

consideration by the CNO Executive 

Panel at any time or in response to the 

agenda of the scheduled meeting. All 

requests or statements must be 

submitted to the Designated Federal 

Officer at the address detailed below. 

Statements submitted in response to 

the agenda mentioned in this meeting 

notice must be received by the CNO 

Executive Panel at least five days prior 

to the respective meeting to allow 

adequate time for consideration. 

The Designated Federal Officer will 

review all timely submissions with the 

CNO Executive Panel Chairperson and 

will ensure they are provided to 

members of the CNO Executive Panel 

before the meeting that is the subject of 

this notice. 

Individuals desiring to participate via 

teleconference must submit their 

contact information (to include e-mail 

address) to CDR Catherine Masar at the 

below address. 

To contact the Designated Federal 

Officer, write to Executive Director, 

CNO Executive Panel (N00K), 4825 

Mark Center Drive, 2nd Floor, 

Alexandria, VA 22311–1846. 

Dated: June 23, 2009. 

A. M. Vallandingham, 

Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate 

General’s Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register 

Liaison Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–15243 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Navy 

Notice of Partially Closed Meeting of 

the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) 

Executive Panel 

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Chief of Naval Operations 

(CNO) Executive Panel will report on 

the findings and recommendations to 

the Chief of Naval Operations of the 

Subcommittee on the Navy’s Industrial 

Baseline in the Economic Downturn. 

The matters to be discussed during the 

meeting have been divided into Open 

and Closed matters. 

Open matters to be discussed are: 

Current U.S. Navy budgets; Navy budget 

drivers; Navy’s ability to plan, protect 

and optimize its future budgeting 

process; general anticipated effects on 

Navy’s industrial base caused by the 

current state of the economy; related 

challenges facing this Administration 

and the U.S. Navy. 

Closed matters to be discussed are: 

The current status of the U.S. Navy 

shipbuilding, aircraft, and science & 

technology industrial bases; near and 

far-term actions that the U.S. Navy can 

take to protect, provide visibility into 

the viability of second and third order 

suppliers, and optimize the Navy’s 

industrial bases (quality, reliability, 

visibility, affectivity, flexibility, 

diversity, capacity, on-time delivery, 

and cost); and a conclusion/summary of 

the classified discussions. The executive 

session of this meeting will be closed to 

the public. 

DATES: The open sessions of the meeting 

will be held on Monday, July 13, 2009, 

from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. The closed 

Executive session will be held from 2:15 

p.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in 

Conference Room 1A01, CNA, 4825 

Mark Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 

22311–1846. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Brian D. Shaw, CNO Executive Panel, 

4825 Mark Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 

22311–1846, (703) 681–4906. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

matters to be presented during the 

closed session of this meeting are of 

acquisition sensitive and/or business/ 

proprietary nature and as such cannot 

be released to the public. Pursuant to 

title 5 of the United States Code, section 

552b(c)(4), these matters are exempt 

from public disclosure. 

Individuals or interested groups may 

submit written statements for 

consideration by the CNO Executive 

Panel at any time or in response to the 

agenda of the scheduled meeting. All 

requests or statements must be 

submitted to the Designated Federal 

Officer at the address detailed below. 

Statements submitted in response to 

the agenda mentioned in this meeting 

notice must be received by the CNO 

Executive Panel at least five days prior 

to the respective meeting to allow 

adequate time for consideration. 

The Designated Federal Officer will 

review all timely submissions with the 

CNO Executive Panel Chairperson and 

will ensure they are provided to 

members of the CNO Executive Panel 

before the meeting that is the subject of 

this notice. 

To contact the Designated Federal 

Officer, write to Executive Director, 

CNO Executive Panel (N00K), 4825 

Mark Center Drive, 2nd Floor, 

Alexandria, VA 22311–1846. 

Dated: June 23, 2009. 

A.M. Vallandingham, 

Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge 

Advocate General, U.S. Navy, Federal 

Register Liaison Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–15244 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P 

DELAWARE RIVER BASIN 

COMMISSION 

Notice of Commission Meeting and 

Public Hearing 

Notice is hereby given that the 

Delaware River Basin Commission will 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES