888 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 6 / Friday, January 9, 2009 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology 

Advisory Committee on Earthquake 

Hazards Reduction Meeting 

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards 

and Technology, Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of open meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Advisory Committee on 

Earthquake Hazards Reduction (ACEHR 

or Committee), will hold a meeting on 

Friday, January 23, 2009 from 3 p.m. to 

5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). 

The primary purpose of this meeting is 

to review and approve the Committee’s 

draft NEHRP reauthorization letter to 

the Interagency Coordinating Committee 

(ICC). The draft letter will be posted on 

the NEHRP Web site at http://nehrp. 

gov/. Interested members of the public 

will be able to participate in the meeting 

from remote locations by calling into a 

central phone number. 

DATES: The ACEHR will hold a meeting 

on Friday, January 23, 2009, from 3 p.m. 

until 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time 

(EST). The meeting will be open to the 

public. Interested parties may 

participate in the meeting from their 

remote location. 

ADDRESSES: Questions regarding the 

meeting should be sent to National 

Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program 

Director, National Institute of Standards 

and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail 

Stop 8630, Gaithersburg, Maryland 

20899–8630. For instructions on how to 

participation in the meeting, please see 

the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 

of this notice. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Jack Hayes, National Earthquake 

Hazards Reduction Program Director, 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail 

Stop 8630, Gaithersburg, Maryland 

20899–8630. Dr. Hayes’ e-mail address 

is jack.hayes@nist.gov and his phone 

number is (301) 975–5640. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Committee was established in 

accordance with the requirements of 

Section 103 of the NEHRP 

Reauthorization Act of 2004 (Pub. L. 

108–360). The Committee is composed 

of 15 members appointed by the 

Director of NIST, who were selected for 

their technical expertise and experience, 

established records of distinguished 

professional service, and their 

knowledge of issues affecting the 

National Earthquake Hazards Reduction 

Program. In addition, the Chairperson of 

the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

Scientific Earthquake Studies Advisory 

Committee (SESAC) serves in an exofficio capacity on the Committee. The 

Committee assesses: 

• Trends and developments in the 

science and engineering of earthquake 

hazards reduction; 

• The effectiveness of NEHRP in 

performing its statutory activities 

(improved design and construction 

methods and practices; land use 

controls and redevelopment; prediction 

techniques and early-warning systems; 

coordinated emergency preparedness 

plans; and public education and 

involvement programs); 

• Any need to revise NEHRP; and 

• The management, coordination, 

implementation, and activities of 

NEHRP. 

Background information on NEHRP 

and the Advisory Committee is available 

at http://nehrp.gov/. 

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, notice 

is hereby given that the Advisory 

Committee on Earthquake Hazards 

Reduction (ACEHR) will hold a meeting 

on Friday, January 23, 2009, from 3 p.m. 

until 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time 

(EST). There will be no central meeting 

location. The public is invited to 

participate in the meeting by calling in 

from remote locations. The primary 

purpose of this meeting is to review and 

approve the Committee’s draft NEHRP 

reauthorization letter to the Interagency 

Coordinating Committee (ICC). The draft 

letter will be posted on the NEHRP Web 

site at http://nehrp.gov/. 

Individuals and representatives of 

organizations who would like to offer 

comments and suggestions related to the 

Committee’s affairs are invited to 

request detailed instructions on how to 

dial in from a remote location to 

participate in the meeting. 

Approximately fifteen minutes will be 

reserved from 4:45 p.m.–5 p.m. Eastern 

Standard Time (EST) for public 

comments, and speaking times will be 

assigned on a first-come, first-serve 

basis. 

The amount of time per speaker will 

be determined by the number of 

requests received, but is likely to be 

about 3 minutes each. Questions from 

the public will not be considered during 

this period. Speakers who wish to 

expand upon their oral statements, 

those who had wished to speak but 

could not be accommodated, and those 

who were unable to participate are 

invited to submit written statements to 

the ACEHR, National Institute of 

Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau 

Drive, MS 8630, Gaithersburg, Maryland 

20899–8630, via fax at (301) 975–5433, 

or electronically by e-mail to 

info@nehrp.gov. 

All participants of the meeting are 

required to pre-register to be admitted. 

Anyone wishing to participate must 

register by close of business Friday, 

January 16, 2009, in order to be 

admitted. Please submit your name, 

time of participation, e-mail address, 

and phone number to Tina Faecke. At 

the time of registration, participants will 

be provided with detailed instructions 

on how to dial in from a remote location 

in order to participate. Non-U.S. citizens 

must also submit their country of 

citizenship, title, employer/sponsor, and 

address with their registration. Ms. 

Faecke’s e-mail address is 

cookie@nist.gov, and her phone number 

is (301) 975–5911. 

Dated: January 6, 2009. 

Patrick Gallagher, 

Deputy Director. 

[FR Doc. E9–218 Filed 1–8–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Proposed Information Collection; 

Comment Request; Designation of 

Fishery Management Council Members 

and Application for Reinstatement of 

State Authority 

AGENCY: National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

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 March 10, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments 

to Diana Hynek, Departmental 

Paperwork Clearance Officer, 

Department of Commerce, Room 7845, 

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 William Chappell, (301) 

713–2337 or 

William.Chappell@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 6 / Friday, January 9, 2009 / Notices 889 

I. Abstract 

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act) provides for 

the nomination for members of Fishery 

Management Councils by state 

governors and Indian treaty tribes, for 

the designation of a principal state 

fishery official who will perform duties 

under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and 

for a request by a state for reinstatement 

of state authority over a managed 

fishery. Nominees must provide the 

governor or tribe with the background 

documentation which is then submitted 

to NOAA with the nomination. The 

information submitted with these 

actions will be used to ensure that the 

requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act are met. 

II. Method of Collection 

Information is submitted on paper 

documents. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0314. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission. 

Affected Public: State, local or tribal 

government. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

275. 

Estimated Time Per Response: 1 hour 

to designate a principal state fishery 

official(s); 80 hours for a nomination for 

a Council appointment; 16 hours for 

background documentation for 

nominees; and 1 hour for a request to 

reinstate state authority. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 4,607. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $800 (recordkeeping/reporting 

costs). 

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: January 6, 2008. 

Gwellnar Banks, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–161 Filed 1–8–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XM61 

Marine Mammals; File No. 1128–1922 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

Eduardo Mercado III, Ph.D., Department 

of Psychology, 350 Park Hall, University 

at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, 

14260, has been issued a permit to 

conduct research on humpback whales 

(Megaptera novaeangliae). 

ADDRESSES: The permit and related 

documents are available for review 

upon written request or by appointment 

in the following offices: 

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 and 

Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th 

Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, Florida 

33701; phone (727)824–5312; fax 

(727)824–5309. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amy Hapeman or Carrie Hubard, 

(301)713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 

21, 2007, notice was published in the 

Federal Register (72 FR 46610) that a 

request for a scientific research permit 

to take humpback whales, had been 

submitted by the above-named 

individual. The requested permit has 

been issued under the authority of the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, 

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

regulations governing the taking and 

importing of marine mammals (50 CFR 

part 216), the Endangered Species Act of 

1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 

et seq.), the regulations governing the 

taking, importing, and exporting of 

endangered and threatened species (50 

CFR parts 222–226). 

Dr. Mercado is authorized a five-year 

scientific research permit to conduct 

acoustic playback sessions in the 

presence of humpback whales and 

approach animals to record whale songs 

in the coastal waters of Puerto Rico. The 

purpose of this research is to develop 

methods for testing the hearing and 

auditory perceptual capabilities of 

humpback whales in order to better 

predict when anthropogenic sounds 

may interfere with social behaviors, 

particularly mating and group feeding. 

Up to 200 humpback whales may be 

harassed by playback experiments 

(active acoustics) three times per year 

and up to 30 additional humpbacks may 

be harassed by close approach during 

vessel surveys for passive acoustic 

recordings annually. In addition, up to 

5 humpback whales, 45 Stenellid 

dolphins (Stenella spp.), 45 common 

dolphins (Delphinus delphis), 45 

bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops 

truncatus), and 5 Cuvier’s beaked 

whales (Ziphius cavirostris) may be 

incidentally harassed up to three times 

annually during playback sessions. 

In compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an environmental 

assessment was prepared analyzing the 

effects of the permitted activities. After 

a Finding of No Significant Impact, the 

determination was made that it was not 

necessary to prepare an environmental 

impact statement. 

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. 

Dated: January 2, 2009. 

P. Michael Payne, 

Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–234 Filed 1–8–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN: 0648–XM57 

Pacific Fishery Management Council; 

Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Pacific Fishery 

Management Council’s (Council) 

Groundfish Allocation Committee 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES