[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 238 (Thursday, December 11, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69089-69090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-30682]


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MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION


Committee Management; Notice of Establishment; Advisory Committee 
on Acoustic Impacts on Marine Mammals

AGENCY: Marine Mammal Commission.

ACTION: Charter filed for the Advisory Committee on Acoustic Impacts on 
Marine Mammals.

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SUMMARY: The Chairman of the Marine Mammal Commission (Commission) has 
determined that the establishment of the Advisory Committee on Acoustic 
Impacts on Marine Mammals (Committee) is necessary and in the public 
interest in connection with fulfilling Commission mandates created 
under the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2003 (Pub. L. 108-7). This 
determination follows consultation with the Office of Management and 
Budget and with the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services 
Administration (GSA).

[[Page 69090]]

    In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the charter 
has been filed with the GSA, the chair of the Commission, the Senate 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the House of 
Representatives Committee on Resources. A copy of the charter has also 
been submitted to the Library of Congress.
    Name of Committee: Advisory Committee on Acoustic Impacts on Marine 
Mammals
    Purpose and Objective: Committee members will participate in a 
policy dialogue to review available information, identify research 
needs, and recommend management actions and strategies related to the 
impacts of antyhropogenic sound on marine mammals.
    Balanced Membership Plans: In an effort to assess the need for an 
advisory committee, over eighty individuals from a wide variety of 
interested stakeholder groups were interviewed. The Commission also 
solicited comments and nominations for the Committee in the Federal 
Register.
    The Committee will consist of approximately 26 members representing 
entities who activities introduce anthropogenic sounds into the marine 
environment, government regulatory and funding agencies, non-
governmental organizations including environmental groups, and 
scientists with pertinent expertise. Every effort has been made to 
select Committee members who have a high level of expertise and 
interest concerning the impacts of sound on marine mammals and other 
components of the marine environment, who have decision-making 
authority, and who have demonstrated their ability to represent a 
constituency and communicate effectively with constituents whose 
interests they represent.
    Duration: Continuing.
    Responsible Commission Official: David Cottingham, Executive 
Director, Marine Mammal Commission, 4340 East-West Hwy., Rm. 905, 
Bethesda, MD 20814.

DATES: The Commission intends to appoint Committee members in December 
2003 and convene the Committee's first meeting in early February 2004. 
A list of Committee members will be posted on the Commission's Web site 
(www.mmc.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Vos, Project Manager for Sound-
Related Meetings and Actions, Marine Mammal Commission, 4340 East-West 
Hwy., Rm. 905, Bethesda, MD 20814, e-mail: [email protected], tel.: (301) 
504-0087, fax: (301) 504-0099; or visit the Commission Web site at 
www.mmc.gov.

    Dated: December 4, 2003.
David Cottingham,
Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 03-30682 Filed 12-10-03; 8:45 am]
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