[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 33 (Wednesday, February 19, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9483-9484]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-03165]


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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 March 20, 2020. 
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 Avenue, 
Alexandria, Virginia 22314.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nature McGinn, ACA Permit Officer, at 
the above address, 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: 2020-027

1. Applicant: Michael Hjorth, Head of Production, Albatros Expeditions 
US Ltd., 4770 Biscayne Boulevard PHR, Miami, FL 33137.

    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Waste Management. The 
applicant proposes to conduct waste management activities associated 
with the support of a marathon, conducted by Marathon Tours and Travel, 
on King George Island. Support of the marathon would include the 
operation of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and Remotely Piloted Aircraft 
Systems (RPAS). Refueling of ATVs would be according to best practices 
by experienced staff. Any fuel spilled would be cleaned up immediately 
and reported to the station should there be any concern for residual. 
The 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. Several measures would be taken to prevent against loss of 
the quadcopter 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

[[Page 9484]]

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 and ATVs. All waste materials 
produced during the marathon activity would be collected and mitigation 
measures would be in place to reduce the possibility of waste release. 
The applicant would provide temporary, portable toilet facilities to 
marathon participants. All human waste generated would be returned to 
the ship for disposal.
    Location: King George Island, Antarctica.
    Dates of Permitted Activities: March 23-April 10, 2020.

Erika N. Davis,
Program Specialist, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2020-03165 Filed 2-18-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7555-01-P