[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 138 (Tuesday, July 20, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42118-42119]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-17631]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R7-FHC-2010-N145] [71490-1351-0000-L5]


Proposed Information Collection; OMB Control Number 1018-0070; 
Incidental Take of Marine Mammals During Specified Activities

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:  Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY:  We (Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) 
described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 
as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take 
this opportunity to comment on this IC. This IC is scheduled to expire 
on November 30, 2010. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not 
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.

DATES: To ensure that we are able to consider your comments on this IC, 
we must receive them by September 20, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the IC to Hope Grey, Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 
4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); or [email protected] (e-mail).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this IC, contact Hope Grey by mail or e-mail (see ADDRESSES) or 
by telephone at (703) 358-2482.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This revised IC combines the information collection requirements 
associated with specified marine mammal activities in the Beaufort Sea 
and Chukchi Sea and the adjacent coast of Alaska. The Office of 
Management and Budget approved the information collection requirements 
associated with

[[Page 42119]]

oil and gas exploration activities in the Chukchi Sea and assigned OMB 
Control No. 1018-0139, which expires June 30, 2011. If OMB approves 
this combined request, we will discontinue OMB Control No. 1018-0139.
    The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972, as amended (16 
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) imposed, with certain exceptions, a moratorium on 
the taking of marine mammals. Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA directs 
the Secretary of the Interior to allow, upon request by citizens of the 
United States, the taking of small numbers of marine mammals incidental 
to specified activities (other than commercial fishing) if the 
Secretary makes certain findings and prescribes specific regulations 
that, among other things, establish permissible methods of taking.
    Applicants seeking to conduct activities must request a Letter of 
Authorization (LOA) for the specific activity and submit onsite 
monitoring reports and a final report of the activity to the Secretary. 
This is a nonform collection. Regulations at 50 CFR 18.27 outline the 
procedures and requirements for submitting a request. Specific 
regulations governing authorized activities in the Beaufort Sea are in 
50 CFR 18, subpart J. Regulations governing authorized activities in 
the Chukchi Sea are in 50 CFR 18, subpart I. These regulations provide 
the applicant with a detailed description of information that we need 
to evaluate the proposed activity and determine whether or not to issue 
specific regulations and, subsequently, LOAs.
    We use the information to verify the finding required to issue 
incidental take regulations, to decide if we should issue an LOA, and, 
if issued, what conditions should be in the LOA. In addition, we will 
analyze the information to determine impacts to the marine mammals and 
the availability of those marine mammals for subsistence purposes of 
Alaska Natives.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1018-0070.
    Title: Incidental Take of Marine Mammals During Specified 
Activities, 50 CFR 18.27 and 50 CFR 18, Subparts I and J.
    Service Form Numbers: None.
    Type of Request: Revision of currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Oil and gas industry companies.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Number of Respondents: 25 or less.

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                                                            Number of annual   Completion time    Annual burden
                         Activity                               responses       per response          hours
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One-time application for procedural regulations...........                 2         300 hours               600
LOA requests..............................................                25          24 hours               600
Onsite monitoring and observation reports.................               150         1.5 hours               225
Final monitoring report...................................                25           8 hours               200
    Totals................................................               202  ................             1,625
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III. Request for Comments

     We invite comments concerning this IC on:
     Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, 
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
     The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this 
collection of information;
     Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this IC. Before including your address, phone number, 
e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your 
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your 
personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any 
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

    Dated: July 13, 2010.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-17631 Filed 7-19-10; 8:45am]
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