[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 223 (Friday, November 18, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81814-81815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-27789]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Notice of Permit Applications Received Under the Antarctic 
Conservation Act of 1978

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of permit applications received under the Antarctic 
Conservation Act of 1978, Public Law 95-541.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to publish a 
notice of permit applications received to conduct activities regulated 
under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. NSF has published 
regulations under the Antarctic Conservation Act at Title 45 Part 671 
of the Code of Federal Regulations. This is the required notice of 
permit applications received.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit written data, comments, 
or views with respect to this permit application by December 19, 2016. 
This application may be inspected by interested parties at the Permit 
Office, address below.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Permit Office, Room 755, 
Division of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson 
Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nature McGinn, ACA Permit Officer, at 
the above address or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation, as directed 
by the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-541), as amended 
by the Antarctic Science, Tourism and Conservation Act of 1996, has 
developed regulations for the establishment of a permit system for 
various activities in Antarctica and designation of certain animals and 
certain geographic areas a requiring special protection. The 
regulations establish such a permit system to designate Antarctic 
Specially Protected Areas.

[[Page 81815]]

Application Details

Permit Application: 2017-027

1. Applicant: Prash Karnik, Director Maritime Operations, Seabourn 
Quest, Seabourn Cruise Line Ltd., 300 Elliot Avenue West, WA 98119 
U.S.A.

    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Waste management. The 
applicant wishes to fly small, battery operated, remotely controlled 
copters equipped with a cameras to take scenic photos and film of the 
Antarctic. The UAVs would not be flown over concentrations of birds or 
mammals or over Antarctic Specially Protected Areas. The UAVs would 
only be flown by operators with extensive experience (>20 hours), who 
are pre-approved by the Expedition Leader. Several measures would be 
taken to prevent against loss of the UAV including painting the them a 
highly visible color; only flying when the wind is less than 25 knots; 
flying for only 15 minutes at a time to preserve battery life; having 
prop guards on propeller tips, a flotation device if operated over 
water, and a ``go home'' feature in case of loss of control link or low 
battery; having an observer on the lookout for wildlife, people, and 
other hazards; and ensuring that the separation between the operator 
and UAV does not exceed an operational range of 500 meters. The 
applicant is seeking a Waste Permit to cover any accidental releases 
that may result from flying a UAV.
    Location: Antarctic Peninsula region.
    Dates: November 1, 2016-March 31, 2017.

Permit Application: 2017-028

2. Applicant: James Drony, Vice President, Itinerary and Destination 
Planning, The World of Residensea II, Ltd., 1551 Sawgrass Corporate 
Parkway, Suite 200, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33323.

    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Waste management. The 
applicant wishes to fly small, battery operated, remotely controlled 
copters equipped with a cameras to take scenic photos and film of the 
Antarctic. The UAVs would not be flown over concentrations of birds or 
mammals or over Antarctic Specially Protected Areas. The UAVs would 
only be flown by operators with extensive experience (>20 hours), who 
are pre-approved by the Expedition Leader. Several measures would be 
taken to prevent against loss of the UAV including painting the them a 
highly visible color; only flying when the wind is less than 25 knots; 
flying for only 15 minutes at a time to preserve battery life; having 
prop guards on propeller tips, a flotation device if operated over 
water, and a ``go home'' feature in case of loss of control link or low 
battery; having an observer on the lookout for wildlife, people, and 
other hazards; and ensuring that the separation between the operator 
and UAV does not exceed an operational range of 500 meters. The 
applicant is seeking a Waste Permit to cover any accidental releases 
that may result from flying a UAV.
    Location: Balleny Islands; Cape Adare; Cape Hallett; Terra Nova 
Bay; Ross Sea; Bay of Whales; Possession Islands.
    Dates: January 15, 2017--March 31, 2017.

Permit Application: 2017-030

3. Applicant: John Durban, Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, NOAA, 
NMFS, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 8901 La Jolla Shores Dr., La 
Jolla CA USA 92037.

    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Waste management. Short <20 
minute flights will be conducted with a small (32'' across) unmanned 
hexacopter (APH-22) to collect photogrammetry images and blow samples 
from whales. Flights will only be conducted over open water off the 
coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, and all flights will be within line-
of-site (<1600', 500m) of the pilot who will operate the hexacopter 
using radio control from a Zodiac boat. The hexacopter will be hand 
deployed and caught by a ground station operator on the same boat. All 
flights will be in daylight hours, and only during good weather (winds 
and seas calm and visibility >1nm). The hexacopter is powered by a 4-
cell Lithium Polumner (LiPo) battery, so there will be no exhaust 
discharges. Additional measures to mitigate loss of the aircraft 
include: Firmware modifcations, ``come home'' feature, and high-
visibility buoyancy devices.
    Location: Antarctic Peninsula region.
    Dates: January 1, 2017-May 31, 2021.

Permit Application: 2017-031

4. Applicant: Ashley Perrin, Antarctic Ice Pilot, PO Box 623, Mill 
Valley, CA 94942.

    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Waste management. Applicant 
requests that the yacht M/Y CaryAli be allowed to operate in the 
Antarctic Treaty area, to cruise along the Antarctic Peninsula for 
tourism and sightseeing purposes. Applicant proposes to make select 
stops at non-protected area landings, for day-time sightseeing. 
Applicant intends to follow Appendix 2 for all food waste and garbage, 
and the boat has an onboard sewage treatment plant that meets MARPOL 6 
standards. Contingency plans are in place in case of accidental 
releases to the environment.
    Location: South Shetland Islands; Antarctic Peninsula region.
    Dates: February 4-March 4, 2017.

Permit Application: 2017-035

5. Applicant:
    Bob Simpson, Vice President, Expedition Cruising, Abercrombie & 
Kent USA LLC, 1411 Opus Place, Executive Towers West II, Suite #300, 
Downers Grove, Illinois 60515-1182.

    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Waste management. The 
applicant wishes to fly small, battery operated, remotely controlled 
copters equipped with a cameras to take scenic photos and film of the 
Antarctic. The UAVs would not be flown over concentrations of birds or 
mammals or over Antarctic Specially Protected Areas. The UAVs would 
only be flown by operators with extensive experience (>20 hours), who 
are pre-approved by the Expedition Leader. Several measures would be 
taken to prevent against loss of the UAV including painting the them a 
highly visible color; only flying when the wind is less than 25 knots; 
flying for only 15 minutes at a time to preserve battery life; having 
prop guards on propeller tips, a flotation device if operated over 
water, and a ``go home'' feature in case of loss of control link or low 
battery; having an observer on the lookout for wildlife, people, and 
other hazards; and ensuring that the separation between the operator 
and UAV does not exceed an operational range of 500 meters. The 
applicant is seeking a Waste Permit to cover any accidental releases 
that may result from flying a UAV.
    Location: Antarctic Peninsula region.
    Dates: December 23-30, 2016.

Nadene G. Kennedy,
Polar Coordination Specialist, Division of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2016-27789 Filed 11-17-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7555-01-P