[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 66 (Friday, April 6, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17117-17118]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-6414]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 031507B]


Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement; Seismic 
Surveys in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, Alaska

AGENCY:  National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:  Notice of Availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement; notice of public hearings.

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SUMMARY:  NMFS and the Minerals Management Service (MMS) announce the 
availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement 
(Draft PEIS) for Seismic Surveys in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, 
Alaska and the times, dates, and locations for public hearings in order 
to receive comments from the public on the Draft PEIS.

DATES: Public hearings on the Draft PEIS are scheduled as follows:
    1. April 10, 2007, 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m., Anchorage, AK.
    2. April 17, 2007, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Nuiqsuk, AK
    3. April 18, 2007, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Barrow, AK
    4. April 23, 2007, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Point Hope, AK
    5. April 24, 2007, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Point Lay, AK
    6. April 25, 2007, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Wainwright, AK
    Written comments will be accepted at these hearings as well as 
during the comment period. Written comments must be postmarked no later 
than May 14, 2007.

ADDRESSES:  Written comments on the Draft PEIS should be addressed to 
Mr. P. Michael Payne, Chief of the Permits, Conservation and Education 
Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3225. The 
mailbox address for providing e-mail comments is 
[email protected]. Comments sent via e-mail, including all 
attachments, must not exceed a 10-megabyte file size.
    A copy of the Draft PEIS may be obtained by writing to this address 
or by telephoning the contact listed here and is also available at: 
http://www.mms.gov/alaska/.
    The public hearings will be held at the following locations:
    1. 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Anchorage, AK
    2. City Hall, Nuiqsut, AK
    3. Inupiat Heritage Center, Barrow, AK
    4. Qalgi Center (City Hall), Point Hope, AK
    5. High School Gymnasium, Point Lay, AK
    6. Robert James Community Center, Wainwright, AK

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth R. Hollingshead, (301) 713-
2289, ext 128.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Summary

    On March 30, 2007, notice was published in the Federal Register of 
the availability of the subject Draft PEIS for review and comments. 
NMFS and MMS will hold public hearings under the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) to inform interested parties of the alternatives 
analyzed by NMFS and MMS and to accept comments on all aspects of the 
Draft PEIS.

Background

    The NMFS and MMS have jointly prepared the subject Draft PEIS in 
order to fully describe and analyze the potential significant impacts 
on marine mammals, other Arctic marine life, and native subsistence 
lifestyles by reasonably foreseeable proposed offshore oil and gas 
seismic surveys off Alaska. This document also addresses a number of 
mitigation measures that have been identified as alternatives for 
potentially reducing impacts on identified affected environments, 
particularly marine mammals and the endangered bowhead whale. This PEIS 
will be used for issuing: (1) permits for oil and gas exploration in 
the Arctic Ocean by MMS, and (2) Incidental Harassment Authorizations 
(IHAs) to the seismic industry by NMFS to take marine mammals 
incidental to oil and gas seismic surveys in the Arctic Ocean. As 
sounds generated by seismic survey operations and related activities 
have the potential to adversely impact marine mammals and other marine 
resources, IHAs would be warranted, under the Marine Mammal Protection 
Act, in order to legally harass marine mammals (particularly bowhead 
whales), incidental to conducting seismic surveys.

Summary of Draft PEIS

Activity

    The Draft PEIS describes and analyzes the potential significant 
environmental impacts related to reasonably foreseeable proposed 
geophysical exploration using seismic surveys in waters of the Arctic 
Alaska Outer Continental Shelf. Specifically, the Draft PEIS assesses 
the environmental impacts of up to 6 consecutive surveys each in the 
Beaufort and Chukchi seas using deep-penetration 2D and 3D streamer and 
ocean bottom cable surveys, and high-resolution surveys and the 
issuance of IHAs to take marine mammals by these activities. As the 
sound generated by a seismic-survey operation and related activities 
has the potential to adversely impact marine mammals and other marine 
resources, IHAs would be warranted in order to incidentally harass 
marine mammals (particularly bowhead whales) while conducting seismic 
surveys.

Impacts

    The best available scientific information indicates that marine 
seismic surveys may adversely impact archaeological sites, marine 
invertebrates, coastal and marine birds, essential fish habitat, marine 
fish, commercial fisheries, marine mammals, the sociocultural 
environment, and subsistence-harvest activities. Therefore, the 
analysis contained in the Draft PEIS focused on these resource 
categories. Of critical importance to NMFS for the proposed action of 
issuing IHAs are the impacts on marine mammals

[[Page 17118]]

(particularly bowhead whales) and subsistence harvests from acoustic 
sounds. However, we expect these impacts can be mitigated through 
incorporation of specified mitigation measures.

Alternatives/Mitigations

    NMFS/MMS have identified 9 alternatives, including the no action 
alternative. Analyzed alternatives range from issuance of MMS permits 
with and without mitigation measures. Specifically, the alternatives 
include different combinations of safety and exclusion zones for 
preventing injury (180/190 dB), limiting behavioral harassment (160 dB) 
and limiting impacts on feeding and migrating bowhead cow calf pairs 
(160 dB/120 dB, respectively). An identified alternative to protecting 
feeding and migration areas through specific temporal/spatial/
operational restrictions to further reduce impacts to feeding/
socializing/ migrating aggregations of bowhead and gray whales and 
bowhead cow/calf pairs has also been analyzed. At this time, MMS and 
NMFS have not identified a preferred alternative.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are accessible to people with disabilities. Requests 
for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be 
directed to the person listed above (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT), at least five business days before the scheduled meeting 
date.

    Dated: March 27, 2007.
P. Michael Payne,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-6414 Filed 4-5-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S