[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 3, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46092-46093]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-21132]


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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.

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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 in 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 November 2, 2017. 
This application may be inspected by interested parties at the Permit 
Office, address below.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Permit Office, Office of 
Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Ave., 
Alexandria, Virginia 22331.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nature McGinn, ACA Permit Officer, at 
the above address, at 703-292-8030, or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation, as directed 
by the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-541, 45 CFR 671), 
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.

Application Details

Permit Application: 2018-007

1. Applicant: Robin West, Director of Expedition Operations, Onboard 
Revenue, Seabourn Quest, Seabourn Cruise Line Ltd., 450 Third Ave. W., 
Seattle, WA 98119.


[[Page 46093]]


    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Waste Management. The 
applicant proposes to operate a small, battery-operated remotely 
piloted aircraft system (RPAS) consisting, in part, of a quadcopter 
equipped with a camera to collect commercial and educational footage of 
the Antarctic, as well as for ice reconnaissance. The quadcopter would 
not be flown over concentrations of birds or mammals, or over Antarctic 
Specially Protected Areas. The RPAS would only be operated by pilots 
with extensive experience (<=20 hours), who are pre-approved by the 
Expedition Leader. Several Measures would be taken to prevent against 
loss of the quadcopter including a highly visible paint color; only 
operating when the wind is less than 25 knots; operating for only 15 
minutes at a time to preserve battery life; having prop guards on 
propeller tips; using a flotation device if operated over water; a 
``fail-safe and auto go home'' feature in the case of a 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 quadcopter 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 operating the RPAS.
    Location: Antarctic Peninsula Region.
    Dates: November 1, 2017-March 31, 2018.

Permit Application: 2018-014

2. Applicant: Dwayne Stevens, Marine Operations Manager, Lindblad 
Expeditions, 1415 Western Ave., Suite 700, Seattle, WA 98101.

    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Waste Management. The 
applicant proposes to operate small, battery-operated remotely piloted 
aircraft systems (RPAS) consisting, in part, of a quadcopter equipped 
with cameras to collect commercial and educational footage of the 
Antarctic. The quadcopters would not be flown over concentrations of 
birds or mammals, or over Antarctic Specially Protected Areas or 
Historic Sites and Monuments. The RPAS would only be operated by pilots 
with a minimum of 16 hours of flight experience, who are pre-approved 
by Lindblad Expeditions. Several Measures would be taken to prevent 
against loss of the quadcopters including only operating when the wind 
is less than 25 knots; only operating over water after launching from 
an inflatable Zodiac boat; and having an observer maintaining visual 
contact with the quadcopter at all times. The applicant is seeking a 
Waste Permit to cover any accidental releases that may result from 
operating the RPAS.
    Location: Antarctic Peninsula Region.
    Dates: November 1, 2017-March 31, 2021.

Permit Application: 2018-015

3. Applicant: Brandon Harvey, Direction Expedition Operations, Polar 
Latitudes, Inc., 2206 Jericho Street, White River Junction, VT 05001.

    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Waste Management. For 
Coastal Camping: The applicant seeks permission for no more than 30 
campers and two expedition staff to camp overnight at select locations 
for a maximum of 10 hours ashore. Camping would be away from vegetated 
sites and at least 150m from wildlife concentrations or lakes, 
protected areas, historical sites, and scientific stations. Tents would 
be pitched on snow, ice, or bare smooth rock, at least 15m from the 
high-water line. No food, other than emergency rations, would be 
brought onshore and all wastes, including human waste, would be 
collected and returned to the ship for proper disposal. The applicant 
is seeking a Waste Permit to cover any accidental releases that may 
result from camping. For remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) 
operation: The applicant proposes to operate small, battery-operated 
RPAS consisting, in part, of a quadcopter equipped with cameras to 
collect commercial and educational footage of the Antarctic. The 
quadcopter would not be flown over concentrations of birds or mammals, 
or over Antarctic Specially Protected Areas or Historic Sites and 
Monuments. The RPAS would only be operated by pilots with extensive 
experience, who are pre-approved by the Expedition Leader. Several 
measures would be taken to prevent against loss of the quadcopter 
including painting 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 an ``auto 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 quadcopter 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 
operating the RPAS.
    Location: Camping: Possible locations include Damoy Point/Dorian 
Bay, Danco Island, Rong[eacute] Island, the Errera Channel, Paradise 
Bay (including Almirante Brown/Base Brown or Skontorp Cove), the 
Argentine Islands, Andvord Bay, Pleneau Island, Hovgaard Island, Orne 
Harbour, Leith Cove, Prospect Point and Portal Point. RPAS operations: 
Western Antarctic Peninsula region.
    Dates: October 30, 2017-March 30, 2022.

Permit Application: 2018-017

4. Applicant: Conrad Combrink, Vice President, Expedition Planning & 
Strategic Development, Silversea Cruises, Ltd., Wells Fargo Center, 333 
Southeast 2nd Avenue, Suite 2600, Miami, Florida 33131.

    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Waste Management. The 
applicant proposes to operate small, battery-operated remotely piloted 
aircraft systems (RPAS) consisting, in part, of a quadcopter equipped 
with cameras to collect commercial and educational footage of the 
Antarctic. The quadcopter would not be flown over concentrations of 
birds or mammals, or over Antarctic Specially Protected Areas or 
Historic Sites and Monuments. The RPAS would only be operated by pilots 
with extensive experience, who are pre-approved by the Expedition 
Leader. Several measures would be taken to prevent against loss of the 
quadcopter including painting 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 an ``auto 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 quadcopter 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 
operating the RPAS.
    Location: Antarctic Peninsula Region.
    Dates: November 15, 2017-March 30, 2018.

Nadene G. Kennedy,
Polar Coordination Specialist, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2017-21132 Filed 10-2-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7555-01-P