Federal Register / Vol. 67, No. 1 / Wednesday, January 2, 2002 / Notices 61

Dated: December 21, 2001.

Madeleine Clayton,

Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, 

Office of the Chief Information Officer.

[FR Doc. 01–32239 Filed 12–31–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

[I.D. 072401A]

Small Takes of Marine Mammals 

Incidental to Specified Activities; 

Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental 

to Power Plant Operations

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of issuance of a renewal 

of a Letter of Authorization.

SUMMARY: In accordance with provisions 

of the Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA) as amended, notification is 

hereby given that a Letter of 

Authorization (LOA) to unintentionally 

take small numbers of pinnipeds 

incidental to routine operations of the 

Seabrook Station nuclear power plant, 

Seabrook, NH (Seabrook Station) has 

been issued to the North Atlantic Energy 

Service Corporation (North Atlantic).

DATES: Effective from October 19, 2001, 

until June 26, 2002.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the application, 

Environmental Assessment, LOA, and 

other materials used in this document 

are available by writing to Donna 

Wieting, Chief, Marine Mammal 

Conservation Division, Office of 

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

20910–3225, or by telephoning one of 

the contacts listed here.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Simona Perry Roberts, (301) 713–2322, 

ext 106; Jonathan Wendland, (978) 281–

9146.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Sections 101(a)(5)(A) 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 regulations are issued.

Permission may be granted for periods 

of 5 years or less if NMFS finds that the 

taking will have no more than 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, 

and if regulations are prescribed setting 

forth the permissible method of taking 

and the requirements pertaining to the 

monitoring and reporting of such taking.

Five-year regulations (effective from 

July 1, 1999 through June 30, 2004), 

including mitigation, monitoring, and 

reporting requirements, for the 

incidental taking of harbor seals (Phoca 

vitulina), gray seals (Halichoerus 

grypus), harp seals (Phoca 

groenlandica), and hooded seals 

(Cystophora cristata) by U.S. citizens 

engaged in power plant operations at 

the Seabrook Station nuclear power 

plant, Seabrook, NH are set out in 50 

CFR 216.130 through.137.

Summary of Request

NMFS received a request from North 

Atlantic in June 2001 for renewal of 

their LOA, which expired on July 2, 

2000, to lethally take 20 harbor seals 

and 4 of any combination of gray, harp, 

and hooded seals incidental to power 

plant operations at Seabrook Station.

Permissible Methods of Taking

According to 50 CFR 216.132, LOAs 

issued to North Atlantic for Seabrook 

Station authorize the incidental, but not 

intentional, take of harbor, gray, harp, 

and hooded seals in the course of 

operating the station’s intake cooling 

water system. For a more complete 

description of the intake systems 

utilized at Seabrook Station please refer 

to the final rule (64 FR 28114, May 25, 

1999).

Mitigation Requirements

NMFS, in the May 25, 1999, final rule 

(64 FR 28114), allowed North Atlantic 

to use the 5-year authorization period 

(July 1, 1999 through June 30, 2004) to 

fully explore any feasible mitigation 

methods, and if methods were not found 

to be suitable, to explore and undertake, 

in conjunction with NMFS, steps to 

promote the conservation of the 

population of Gulf of Maine seals as a 

whole.

Monitoring and Reporting 

Requirements

Monitoring under the renewed LOA 

must include: (1) twice daily visual 

inspection of the circulating water and 

service water forebays; (2) daily 

inspections of the intake transition 

structure from April 1 through 

December 1, unless weather conditions 

prevent safe access to the structure; (3) 

screen washings once per day during 

the peak months of seal takes and twice 

a week during non-peak months of seal 

takes; and, (4) examination of the screen 

wash debris to determine if any seal 

remains are present.

Seal takes must be reported to NMFS 

through both oral and written 

notification. NMFS must be notified via 

telephone by the close of business on 

the next day following the discovery of 

any marine mammal or marine mammal 

parts. Written notification to NMFS 

must be made within 30 days and must 

include the results of any examinations 

conducted by qualified members of the 

Marine Mammal Stranding Network as 

well as any other information relating to 

the take.

National Environmental Policy Act

NMFS issued an Environmental 

Assessment (EA) in 1998, in 

conjunction with the notice of proposed 

authorization. As a result of the findings 

made in the EA, NMFS concluded that 

implementation of either the preferred 

alternative or other identified 

alternatives would not have a significant 

impact on the human environment. 

Therefore, preparation of an 

environmental impact statement on 

these actions was not required by 

Section 102(2) of the National 

Environmental Policy Act or its 

implementing regulations. Copies of the 

1998 EA and the Finding of No 

Significant Impact are available upon 

request (see ADDRESSES).

Determinations

NMFS has determined (see 64 FR 

28114, May 25, 1999) that the taking of 

up to 20 harbor seals and 4 of any 

combination of gray, harp, and hooded 

seals, annually from July 1, 1999, 

through June 30, 2004, will have no 

more than a negligible impact (as 

defined in 50 CFR 216.3) on these stocks 

of marine mammals. The best scientific 

information available indicates that 

since 1981, the Western North Atlantic 

harbor seal stock has had an average 

annual rate of increase of 4.2 percent 

(Waring et al., 2000). In addition, the 

Western North Atlantic stocks of gray, 

harp, and hooded seals also appear to be 

increasing in abundance (Waring et al., 

1999, 2000). The small number of takes 

at Seabrook Station relative to current 

population estimates is unlikely to 

reduce the rate of population growth for 

any of these pinniped stocks.

According to North Atlantic reports 

received in NMFS’ Northeast Region, no 

seals have been entrapped since the 

installation of Seal Deterrent Barriers in 

August 1999.

62 Federal Register / Vol. 67, No. 1 / Wednesday, January 2, 2002 / Notices 

Authorization

In recognition of the timely receipt 

and acceptance of the reports required 

under 50 CFR 216.135 and a 

determination that the mitigation 

measures required pursuant to 50 CFR 

216.134 and the LOA have been 

undertaken, NMFS issued an LOA to the 

North Atlantic Energy Services 

Corporation on June 26, 2001, for the 

taking of harbor seals, gray seals, harp 

seals, and hooded seals incidental to 

routine operations of the Seabrook 

Station nuclear power plant, provided 

the mitigation, monitoring, and 

reporting requirements described in 50 

CFR 216.134 through 135 and in the 

LOA are undertaken.

Dated: December 20, 2001.

David Cottingham

Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–32238 Filed 12–31–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

[I.D. 121701C]

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Amendment of Permit # 1291

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of an amended 

application for a scientific research 

permit (1291); Request for comments.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

NMFS has received an amended 

application for an ESA section 

10(a)(1)(A) scientific research permit 

from the U.S. Geological Survey at 

Cook, WA (USGS).

DATES: Written comments on the 

amended permit application must be 

received no later than 5pm Pacific 

standard time on February 1, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the 

application should be sent to Protected 

Resources Division (PRD), F/NWO3, 525 

NE Oregon Street, Suite 500, Portland, 

OR 97232–2737. Comments may also be 

sent via fax to 503–230–5435. 

Comments will not be accepted if 

submitted via e-mail or the internet.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

permit 1291: Robert Koch, Portland, OR 

(ph: 503-230-5424, Fax: 503–230–5435, 

e-mail: robert.koch@noaa.gov).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Species Covered in This Notice

The following species and 

evolutionary significant units (ESU’s) 

are covered in this notice:

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus 

tshawytscha): threatened lower 

Columbia River (LCR).

Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened 

LCR.

Amended Application Received

Notice was published on February 21, 

2001 (66 FR 11002) that the Columbia 

River Research Laboratory, USGS 

applied for a 5–year scientific research 

permit (1291) for annual takes of ESAlisted salmon and steelhead juveniles 

associated with a scientific research 

project at John Day, The Dalles, and 

Bonneville Dams on the lower Columbia 

River in the Pacific Northwest. The 

purpose of the research is to monitor 

juvenile fish movement, distribution, 

behavior, and survival from John Day 

Dam downstream past Bonneville Dam 

using radiotelemetry technology. The 

research will benefit ESA-listed fish 

species by providing information on 

spill effectiveness, forebay residence 

times, and guidance efficiency under 

various flow regimes that will allow 

Federal resource managers to make 

adjustments to bypass/collection 

structures to optimize downriver 

migrant survival at the hydropower 

projects. NMFS has received an 

amended application from USGS to 

include annual takes of juvenile, 

threatened, LCR chinook salmon and 

juvenile, threatened, LCR steelhead 

associated with the fish sampling at 

Bonneville Dam. ESA-listed salmon and 

steelhead juveniles are proposed to be 

obtained by Smolt Monitoring Program 

personnel at Bonneville Dam, handled, 

and released or implanted with radio 

transmitters, transported, held for as 

long as 24 hours, released, and tracked 

electronically. Smolt Monitoring 

Program personnel are authorized to 

collect ESA-listed juvenile fish under a 

separate take authorization. Based on 

the above average spawning success this 

year, the estimates of total out-migrants 

for LCR chinook and LCR steelhead are 

expected to exceed 300,000 juveniles. 

The indirect mortalities of 162 ESAlisted juvenile salmon and 11 steelhead 

juveniles associated with the research 

will not impede recovery of the species. 

In fact, it should assist in recovery 

planning by providing information on 

how juveniles migrate through hydropower systems.

Dated: December 21, 2001.

Phil Williams,

Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, 

Office of Protected Resources, National 

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–32241 Filed 12–31–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

[I.D. 121701B]

Permits; Foreign Fishing

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of periodic need for 

break-bulk refrigerated cargo vessels.

SUMMARY: NMFS publishes for public 

review and comment information 

provided by U.S. joint venture (JV) 

partners regarding their need for breakbulk refrigerated cargo vessels to 

support approved foreign fishing 

operations in the U.S. Exclusive 

Economic Zone (EEZ).

ADDRESSES: Comments may be 

submitted to NMFS, Office of 

Sustainable Fisheries, International 

Fisheries Division, 1315 East-West 

Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert A. Dickinson, Office of 

Sustainable Fisheries, (301) 713–2276.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act (16 

U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) (Magnuson-Stevens 

Act), any person may submit an 

application requesting a permit 

authorizing a vessel other than a vessel 

of the United States to engage in fishing 

consisting solely of transporting fish or 

fish products at sea from a point within 

the EEZ or, with the concurrence of a 

State, within the boundaries of that 

State, to a point outside the United 

States.

This notice concerns the fact that 

potential U.S. JV partners have reported 

that they will need to have a number of 

break-bulk refrigerated cargo vessels 

permitted under section 204(d) of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act to support 

approved foreign fishing operations in 

the EEZ. The JV partners have reported 

that arrangements for such support 

vessels must generally be made on short 

notice immediately prior to the need for 

transport services. The U.S. JV partners 

have also reported that they are not 

aware of the availability of any U.S.-flag