[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 66 (Friday, April 5, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13603-13604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-06677]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 18

[Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2019-0012; FXES111607MRG01-190-FF07CAMM00]
RIN 1018-BD63


Marine Mammals; Incidental Take During Specified Activities: Cook 
Inlet, Alaska

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of the comment period.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in response to a 
request from Hilcorp Alaska, LLC, Harvest Alaska, LLC, and the Alaska 
Gasline Development Corporation, have proposed to issue regulations 
authorizing the nonlethal, incidental take by harassment of small 
numbers of northern sea otters in State and Federal waters (Alaska and 
the Outer Continental Shelf) within Cook Inlet, Alaska, as well as all 
adjacent rivers, estuaries, and coastal lands. Take may result from oil 
and gas exploration, development, production, and transportation 
activities occurring for a period of 5 years. We previously published 
these proposed regulations and requested comments and now, in response 
to requests, extend the deadline for comment submission.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule that published March 
19, 2019 (84 FR 10224), is extended. We will accept comments on the 
proposed incidental take regulations and the accompanying draft 
environmental assessment that are received or postmarked on or before 
April 18, 2019. If you comment using the Federal eRulemaking Portal 
(see ADDRESSES), you must submit your comments by 11:59 p.m. Eastern 
Time on the closing date.

ADDRESSES: 
    Document availability: You may view the proposed rule, the 
application package, supporting information, draft environmental 
assessment, and other information at http://www.regulations.gov under 
Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2019-0012, or these documents may be requested as 
described under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Comment submission: You may submit comments on the proposed rule by 
one of the following methods:
    U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: 
Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2019-0012, Division of Policy, Performance, and 
Management Programs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 5275 Leesburg 
Pike, MS: BPHC, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
    Electronic submission: Federal eRulemaking Portal at: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments to 
Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2019-0012.
    We will post all comments at http://www.regulations.gov. You may 
request that we withhold personal identifying information from public 
review; however, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. See 
Request for Public Comments, below, for more information.
    Information collection requirements: Send your comments on the 
requested revision of the information collection request (ICR) to the 
Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior at OMB-OIRA at 202-395-
5806 (fax) or [email protected] (email). Please provide a 
copy of your comments to the Service Information Collection Clearance 
Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, 
Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or [email protected] (email). 
Please include ``1018-0070'' in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Christopher Putnam, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, MS 341, 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska 
99503, by email at [email protected], or by telephone at 907-
786-3844. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf may 
call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339, 24 hours a day, 7 
days a week.
    Questions regarding the Service's request to revise the Information 
Collection control number 1018-0070 may be submitted to the Service 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, MS: BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 
(mail); 703-358-2503 (telephone), or [email protected] (email). Please 
include ``1018-0070'' in the subject line of your email request.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 19, 2019, we, the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service (Service), published a proposed rule under section 
101(a)(5)(A) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 
1361(a)(5)(A)) (MMPA), which gives the Secretary of the Interior 
(Secretary) the authority to allow the incidental, but not intentional, 
taking of small numbers of marine mammals in response to requests by 
U.S. citizens engaged in a specified activity in a specified region. 
The Secretary has delegated authority for implementation of the MMPA to 
the Service.

Background

    On May 3, 2018, Hilcorp Alaska, LLC (Hilcorp), Harvest Alaska, LLC, 
and the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, hereinafter referred to 
as the ``applicant,'' petitioned the Service to promulgate regulations 
pursuant to section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA for the nonlethal, 
unintentional taking of small numbers of northern sea otters (Enhydra 
lutris kenyoni) incidental to oil and gas exploration, development, 
production, and transportation activities in Cook Inlet, Alaska, for a 
period of 5 years. On June 28, 2018, the applicant submitted an amended 
request providing additional project details.
    As described in the proposed rule of March 19, 2019 (84 FR 10224), 
the proposed incidental take regulations (ITR), if finalized, will not 
authorize the proposed activities. Rather, they will authorize the 
nonlethal incidental, unintentional take of small numbers of sea otters 
associated with those activities based on standards set forth in the 
MMPA. The proposed ITR includes: Permissible amounts and methods of 
nonlethal taking; measures to ensure the least practicable adverse 
impact on sea otters and their habitat; measures to avoid and reduce 
impacts to subsistence uses; and requirements for monitoring and 
reporting. For further information, please see the proposed rule.
    In comments received thus far on the proposed rule, the Service 
received requests from the Marine Mammal Commission, the Center for 
Biological Diversity, and the Cook Inlet Keepers to extend the comment 
period deadline. Accordingly, we will now accept comments until the 
date specified above in DATES.

Request for Public Comments

    If you wish to comment on the proposed regulations, the associated 
draft environmental assessment, or the information collection, you may 
submit your comments by any of the methods described in ADDRESSES. 
Please identify if you are commenting on the proposed regulations, 
draft environmental assessment, or the information

[[Page 13604]]

collection, make your comments as specific as possible, confine them to 
issues pertinent to the proposed regulations, and explain the reason 
for any changes you recommend. Where possible, your comments should 
reference the specific section or paragraph that you are addressing. 
The Service will consider all comments that are received by the close 
of the comment period (see DATES).
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
become part of the administrative record. Before including your 
address, telephone number, email address, or other personal identifying 
information in your comment, be advised that your entire comment, 
including your personal identifying information, may be made publicly 
available at any time. While you can ask us in your comments to 
withhold from public review your personal identifying information, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

    Dated: March 27, 2019.
Karen Clark,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2019-06677 Filed 4-2-19; 11:15 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P