[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 108 (Monday, June 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34287-34288]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-11999]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0033; FXIA16710900000-223-FF09A30000]


Marine Mammal Protection Act; Receipt of Permit Applications

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the 
public to comment on applications to conduct certain activities with 
foreign species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA) and foreign or native species for which the Service 
has jurisdiction under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). With 
some exceptions, the ESA and the MMPA prohibit activities with listed 
species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such 
activities. These Acts also require that we invite public comment 
before issuing permits for any activity they otherwise prohibit with 
respect to any species.

DATES: We must receive comments by July 6, 2022.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: The application, application supporting 
materials, and any comments and other materials that we receive will be 
available for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in 
Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0033.
    Submitting Comments: When submitting comments, please specify the 
name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your 
comment. You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
     Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and 
submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0033.
     U.S. Mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0033; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: 
PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
    For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenda Tapia, by phone at 703-358-
2185, or via email at [email protected]. Individuals in the United States 
who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability 
may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications 
relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the 
relay services offered within their country to make international calls 
to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Comment Procedures

A. How do I comment on submitted applications?

    We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies 
to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested 
permits, we will take into consideration any information that we 
receive during the public comment period.
    You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in 
ADDRESSES. We will not consider comments sent by email or fax, or to an 
address not in ADDRESSES. We will not consider or include in our 
administrative record comments we receive after the close of the 
comment period (see DATES).

[[Page 34288]]

    When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant 
and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. Provide 
sufficient information to allow us to authenticate any scientific or 
commercial data you include. The comments and recommendations that will 
be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those 
supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) those that 
include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and 
regulations.

B. May I review comments submitted by others?

    You may view and comment on others' public comments at https://www.regulations.gov, unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy 
Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

C. Who will see my comments?

    If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire 
comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted 
on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal 
identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email 
address, you may request at the top of your document that we withhold 
this information from public review. However, we cannot guarantee that 
we will be able to do so. Moreover, all submissions from organizations 
or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
made available for public disclosure in their entirety.

II. Background

    To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected 
species, and in consideration of section 10(c) of the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and 
section 104(c) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended 
(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), we invite public comments on permit 
applications before final action is taken. With some exceptions, the 
Acts prohibit certain activities with listed species unless Federal 
authorization is issued that allows such activities. Permits issued 
under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA allow otherwise prohibited 
activities for scientific purposes or to enhance the propagation or 
survival of the affected species. Service regulations regarding 
prohibited activities with endangered species, captive-bred wildlife 
registrations, and permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the 
ESA with respect to any endangered species are available in title 50 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations in part 17. Service regulations 
regarding permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the MMPA 
with respect to any marine mammals are available in title 50 of the 
Code of Federal Regulations in part 18.
    Concurrent with publishing this notice in the Federal Register, we 
are forwarding copies of the marine mammal applications to the Marine 
Mammal Commission and the Committee of Scientific Advisors for their 
review.

III. Marine Mammal Protection Act Permit Applications

    We invite comments on the following applications.

Permit No. PER0033795

Applicant: Dorothy N. Baker, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA

    The applicant requests a permit to import 81 dugong (Dugong dugon) 
DNA extracts, from New Caledonia, for the purpose of scientific 
research. This notification is for a single import.

Permit No. PER0040980 (Legacy PRT #84799B)

Applicant: Randall Davis, Texas A&M University Galveston Campus, 
Galveston, TX

    The applicant requests a renewal of their permit to observe and 
film northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in Prince William 
Sound, Alaska, for the purpose of scientific research. This 
notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 
5-year period.

IV. Next Steps

    After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding 
permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed in 
this notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register. You may 
locate the notice announcing the permit issuance by searching https://www.regulations.gov for the permit number listed above in this 
document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance 
of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to regulations.gov and search for 
``12345A''.

V. Authority

    We issue this notice under the authority of the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and its implementing 
regulations, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended 
(16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and its implementing regulations.

Brenda Tapia,
Supervisory Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits, 
Division of Management Authority.
[FR Doc. 2022-11999 Filed 6-3-22; 8:45 am]
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