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Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Ice Roads

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Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Ice Roads Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 22, 2020 / Rules and Regulations 83451 • Business Mail Entry Unit—Hard- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE for the authorization of take of marine copy Postage Statement entry (only for mammals incidental to Hilcorp and contingency)—Mailing Agent CRID National Oceanic and Atmospheric Eni’s ice roads and ice trails must be populated on the Postage Administration construction and maintenance activities Statement. on Alaska’s North Slope. 50 CFR Part 217 We received an application from • Shipping Services File (SSF) [Docket No. 20119–0307] Hilcorp and Eni requesting 5-year Changes: No impact. regulations and authorization to take • Indicium Creation Record (ICR) RIN 0648–BJ24 marine mammals. Take would occur by File: No impact. Level B harassment, Level A harassment Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to • Price Change Type/Product Type: and serious injury and/or mortality Specified Activities; Taking Marine incidental to ice roads and ice trails Market Dominant Comments on Mammals Incidental to Ice Roads and Proposed Changes and USPS Responses. construction and maintenance. Please Ice Trails Construction and see Background below for definitions of The Postal Service did not receive any Maintenance Activities on Alaska’s harassment. formal comments on the October 15, North Slope 2020 proposed rule (85 FR 65311). Legal Authority for the Action AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries * * * * * Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1371(a)(5)(A)) directs the List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 111 Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. Secretary of Commerce to allow, upon request, the incidental, but not Administrative practice and ACTION: Final rule; notification of intentional taking of small numbers of issuance of Letters of Authorization. procedure, Postal Service. marine mammals by U.S. citizens who The Postal Service adopts the SUMMARY: Upon application from engage in a specified activity (other than following changes to Mailing Standards Hilcorp Alaska, LLC (Hilcorp) and Eni commercial fishing) within a specified of the United States Postal Service, US Operating Co. Inc. (Eni), NMFS is geographical region for up to 5 years if, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), issuing regulations under the Marine after notice and public comment, the incorporated by reference in the Code of Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) for the agency makes certain findings and Federal Regulations. See 39 CFR 111.1. taking of small numbers of marine issues regulations that set forth mammals incidental to ice road and ice permissible methods of taking pursuant Accordingly, 39 CFR part 111 is trail construction, maintenance, and to that activity and other means of amended as follows: operation in Alaska’s North Slope, over effecting the ‘‘least practicable adverse impact’’ on the affected species or PART 111—[AMENDED] the course of 5 years (2020–2025). These regulations allow NMFS to issue Letters stocks and their habitat (see the of Authorization (LOA) for the discussion below in the Mitigation ■ 1. The authority citation for 39 CFR incidental take of marine mammals section), as well as monitoring and part 111 continues to read as follows: during the specified construction and reporting requirements. Section Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 13 U.S.C. 301– maintenance activities carried out 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA and the 307; 18 U.S.C. 1692–1737; 39 U.S.C. 101, during the rule’s period of effectiveness, implementing regulations at 50 CFR part 401, 403, 404, 414, 416, 3001–3011, 3201– set forth the permissible methods of 216, subpart I provide the legal basis for 3219, 3403–3406, 3621, 3622, 3626, 3632, taking, set forth other means of effecting issuing this rule containing 5-year 3633, and 5001. the least practicable adverse impact on regulations and for any subsequent LOAs. As directed by this legal ■ marine mammal species or stocks and 2. Revise the Mailing Standards of the their habitat, and set forth requirements authority, this rule contains mitigation, United States Postal Service, Domestic pertaining to the monitoring and monitoring, and reporting requirements. Mail Manual (DMM) as follows: reporting of the incidental take. Summary of Major Provisions Within Mailing Standards of the United States DATES: Effective December 22, 2020 the Rule through November 30, 2025. Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual Following is a summary of the major ADDRESSES: (DMM) To obtain an electronic provisions of this rule regarding Hilcorp copy of the Hilcorp-Eni’s LOA * * * * * and Eni’s construction activities. These application or other referenced measures include: Notice 123 (Price List) documents, visit the internet at: https:// • No initiation of ice road or trail www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/ construction if a ringed seal is observed [Revise prices as applicable.] incidental-take-authorizations-under- within approximately 46 meters (m) * * * * * marine-mammal-protection-act. In case (150 feet (ft)) of the action area after of problems accessing these documents, We will publish an appropriate March 1 through May 30 of each year. please call the contact listed below (see • amendment to 39 CFR part 111 to reflect Requiring monitoring of the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). these changes. construction areas to detect the presence FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: of marine mammals before beginning Joshua J. Hofer, Shane Guan, Office of Protected construction activities. Attorney, Federal Compliance. Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401. Background [FR Doc. 2020–27020 Filed 12–21–20; 8:45 am] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MMPA prohibits the ‘‘take’’ of BILLING CODE 7710–12–P Purpose and Need for Regulatory marine mammals with certain Action exceptions. Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and This final rule establishes a (D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et framework under the authority of the seq.) direct the Secretary of Commerce MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) to allow (as delegated to NMFS) to allow, upon VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:23 Dec 21, 2020 Jkt 253001 PO 00000 Frm 00047 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 E:\FR\FM\22DER1.SGM 22DER1 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with RULES 83452 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 22, 2020 / Rules and Regulations request, the incidental, but not 2020 through November 30, 2025. Dates and Duration intentional, taking of small numbers of Hilcorp and Eni plan to conduct marine mammals by U.S. citizens who necessary work, including use of heavy Both Hilcorp and Eni generally begin engage in a specified activity (other than machinery on ice, to facilitate access to constructing sea ice roads and ice trails commercial fishing) within a specified North Slope offshore oil and gas as early as possible, usually by late geographical region if certain findings facilities. The action may incidentally December depending on weather. are made and either regulations are expose marine mammals occurring in Maintenance and use of the ice roads issued or, if the taking is limited to the vicinity to elevated levels of sound, and trails continue generally through harassment, a notice of a proposed human presence on ice habitat, and mid-May when the ice becomes too incidental take authorization (ITA) may interactions with heavy machinery, unstable to access. Depending on the be provided to the public for review. thereby resulting in incidental take, by weather, from the initial surveying until Authorization for incidental takings Level A and Level B harassment and the ice is thick enough to allow travel shall be granted if NMFS finds that the serious injury or mortality. Since by wheeled vehicles, ice road taking will have a negligible impact on Hilcorp and Eni’s ice roads and trails construction takes about six weeks. the species or stock(s) and will not have construction and maintenance activities Specific Geographic Region an unmitigable adverse impact on the have the potential to cause serious availability of the species or stock(s) for injury or mortality to a few ringed seals, Northstar, an artificial gravel island, is taking for subsistence uses (where an LOA is appropriate. On January 17, located in State of Alaska coastal waters relevant). Further, NMFS must prescribe 2020, NMFS published a proposed rule about 9.7 kilometers (km) (6 miles (mi)) the permissible methods of taking and (85 FR 2988) and proposed regulations offshore from Point Storkersen in the other ‘‘means of effecting the least to govern takes of marine mammals Beaufort Sea (Figure 1). Water depth at practicable adverse impact’’ on the incidental to Hilcorp and Eni’s ice roads the island is about 12 m (39 ft). This affected species or stocks and their and trails construction and maintenance region is covered by landfast ice in habitat, paying particular attention to activities, and requested comments on winter and with water depths greater rookeries, mating grounds, and areas of the proposed regulations. than 3 m (10 ft). similar significance, and on the 2 Description of Activity The 0.05 square kilometer (km ) (11- availability of such species or stocks for acre) SID is also an artificial, gravel taking for certain subsistence uses Overview island constructed in shallow (1.8–2.4 (referred to in shorthand as m, 6–8 ft), State of Alaska coastal waters ‘‘mitigation’’); and requirements Hilcorp and Eni conduct oil and gas approximately 4.8 km (3 mi) north of pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring operations at Northstar Production Oliktok Point and just south of the Spy and reporting of such takings are set Facility (Northstar) and Spy Island Island barrier island (Figure 2). While forth. Drillsite (SID), respectively, in coastal SID is situated in water depths The definitions of all applicable Beaufort Sea, Alaska. During the ice- considered unsuitable for ringed seals, MMPA statutory terms cited above are covered season, Hilcorp constructs each year a crack or lead has developed included in the relevant sections below.
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