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Federal Register/Vol. 85, No. 67/Tuesday, April 7, 2020/Notices 19580 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 67 / Tuesday, April 7, 2020 / Notices DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE and will generally be posted online at (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/ NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) National Oceanic and Atmospheric incidental-take-authorizations-under- 216–6A, NMFS must review our Administration marine-mammal-protection-act without proposed action (i.e., the issuance of an change. All personal identifying incidental harassment authorization) [RTID 0648–XR074] information (e.g., name, address) with respect to potential impacts on the Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to voluntarily submitted by the commenter human environment. Specified Activities; Taking Marine may be publicly accessible. Do not Accordingly, NMFS plans to adopt Mammals Incidental to a Marine submit confidential business the National Science Foundation’s Geophysical Survey in the Northeast information or otherwise sensitive or (NSF’s) Environmental Assessment Pacific Ocean protected information. (EA), as we have preliminarily FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: determined that it includes adequate AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Amy Fowler, Office of Protected information analyzing the effects on the Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401. human environment of issuing the IHA. Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Electronic copies of the application and NSF’s EA is available at https:// Commerce. supporting documents, as well as a list www.nsf.gov/geo/oce/envcomp/. ACTION: Notice; proposed incidental of the references cited in this document, We will review all comments harassment authorization; request for may be obtained online at: https:// submitted in response to this notice comments on proposed authorization www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/ prior to concluding our NEPA process and possible renewal. incidental-take-authorizations-under- or making a final decision on the IHA marine-mammal-protection-act. In case request. SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request of problems accessing these documents, Summary of Request from the Lamont-Doherty Earth please call the contact listed above. Observatory of Columbia University (L– On November 8, 2019, NMFS received SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DEO) for authorization to take marine a request from L–DEO for an IHA to take mammals incidental to a marine Background marine mammals incidental to a marine geophysical survey in the northeast geophysical survey of the Cascadia The MMPA prohibits the ‘‘take’’ of Pacific Ocean. Pursuant to the Marine Subduction Zone off the coasts of marine mammals, with certain Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS Washington, Oregon, and British exceptions. Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and is requesting comments on its proposal Columbia, Canada. The application was (D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et to issue an incidental harassment deemed adequate and complete on seq.) direct the Secretary of Commerce authorization (IHA) to incidentally take March 6, 2020. L–DEO’s request is for (as delegated to NMFS) to allow, upon marine mammals during the specified take of small numbers of 31 species of request, the incidental, but not activities. NMFS is also requesting marine mammals by Level A and Level intentional, taking of small numbers of comments on a possible one-year B harassment. Neither L–DEO nor marine mammals by U.S. citizens who renewal that could be issued under NMFS expects serious injury or engage in a specified activity (other than certain circumstances and if all mortality to result from this activity commercial fishing) within a specified requirements are met, as described in and, therefore, an IHA is appropriate. geographical region if certain findings Request for Public Comments at the end NMFS has previously issued IHAs to are made and either regulations are of this notice. NMFS will consider L–DEO for similar surveys in the issued or, if the taking is limited to public comments prior to making any northeast Pacific (e.g., 84 FR 35073, July harassment, a notice of a proposed final decision on the issuance of the 22, 2019; 77 FR 41755, July 16, 2012). incidental take authorization may be requested MMPA authorizations and L–DEO complied with all the provided to the public for review. agency responses will be summarized in requirements (e.g., mitigation, Authorization for incidental takings the final notice of our decision. monitoring, and reporting) of the shall be granted if NMFS finds that the previous IHAs and information DATES: Comments and information must taking will have a negligible impact on regarding their monitoring results may be received no later than May 7, 2020. the species or stock(s) and will not have be found in the Description of Marine ADDRESSES: Comments should be an unmitigable adverse impact on the Mammals in the Area of Specified addressed to Jolie Harrison, Chief, availability of the species or stock(s) for Activities section. Permits and Conservation Division, taking for subsistence uses (where Office of Protected Resources, National relevant). Further, NMFS must prescribe Description of Proposed Activity Marine Fisheries Service. Physical the permissible methods of taking and Overview comments should be sent to 1315 East- other ‘‘means of effecting the least West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 practicable adverse impact’’ on the Researchers from L–DEO, Woods Hole and electronic comments should be sent affected species or stocks and their Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and to [email protected]. habitat, paying particular attention to the University of Texas at Austin Instructions: NMFS is not responsible rookeries, mating grounds, and areas of Institute of Geophysics (UTIG), with for comments sent by any other method, similar significance, and on the funding from the NSF, and in to any other address or individual, or availability of the species or stocks for collaboration with researchers from received after the end of the comment taking for certain subsistence uses Dalhousie University and Simon Fraser period. Comments received (referred to in shorthand as University (SFU) propose to conduct a electronically, including all ‘‘mitigation’’); and requirements high-energy seismic survey from the attachments, must not exceed a 25- pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring Research Vessel (R/V) Marcus G megabyte file size. Attachments to and reporting of the takings are set forth. Langseth (Langseth) in the northeast electronic comments will be accepted in Pacific Ocean beginning in June 2020. Microsoft Word or Excel or Adobe PDF National Environmental Policy Act The seismic survey would be conducted file formats only. All comments To comply with the National at the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the received are a part of the public record Environmental Policy Act of 1969 coasts of Oregon, Washington, and VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:28 Apr 06, 2020 Jkt 250001 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\07APN2.SGM 07APN2 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES2 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 67 / Tuesday, April 7, 2020 / Notices 19581 British Columbia, Canada. The proposed The deformation and topography of the mechanical issues with the research two-dimensional (2–D) seismic survey incoming plate; (2) the depth, vessel and/or equipment. The survey is would occur within the Exclusive topography, and reflectivity of the proposed to occur within the EEZs of Economic Zones (EEZs) of Canada and megathrust; (3) sediment properties and the United States and Canada, as well as the United States, including U.S. state amount of sediment subduction; and (4) in U.S. state waters and Canadian waters and Canadian territorial waters. the structure and evolution of the territorial waters, ranging in depth 60– The survey would use a 36-airgun accretionary wedge, including geometry 4400 meters (m). A maximum of 6,890 towed array with a total discharge and reflectivity of fault networks, and km of transect lines would be surveyed. volume of ∼6,600 cubic inches (in3) as how these properties vary along strike, Most of the survey (63.2 percent) would an acoustic source, acquiring return spanning the full length of the margin occur in deep water (>1,000 m), 26.4 signals using both a towed streamer as and down dip across what may be the percent would occur in intermediate well ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs) full width of the Cascadia Subduction water (100–1,000 m deep), and 10.4 and ocean bottom nodes (OBNs). Zone. percent would take place in shallow The proposed study would use 2–D Dates and Duration water <100 m deep. Approximately 4 percent of the transect lines (295 km) seismic surveying and OBSs and OBNs The proposed survey is expected to to investigate the Cascadia Subduction last for 40 days, with 37 days of seismic would be undertaken in Canadian Zone and provide data necessary to operations, 2 days of equipment territorial waters (from 0–12 nautical illuminate the depth, geometry, and deployment, and 1 day of transit. R/V miles (22.2 km) from shore), with most physical properties of the seismogenic Langseth would likely leave out of and effort in intermediate waters. NMFS portion and updip extent of the return to port in Astoria, Oregon, during cannot authorize the incidental take of megathrust zone between the June–July 2020. marine mammals in the territorial seas subducting Juan de Fuca plate and the of foreign nations, as the MMPA does overlying accretionary wedge/North Specific Geographic Region not apply in those waters. However, American plate. These data would The proposed survey would
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