60-day FRN

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 99 / Tuesday, May 25, 2021 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Permits for Incidental Taking
of Endangered or Threatened Species
National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection,
request for comment.
AGENCY:

The Department of
Commerce, in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to comment on
proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. The purpose of this
notice is to allow for 60 days of public
comment preceding submission of the
collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before July 26, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at [email protected]. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–
0230 in the subject line of your
comments. Do not submit Confidential
Business Information or otherwise
sensitive or protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection
activities should be directed to Celeste
Stout, Fisheries Management Specialist,
NMFS, Office of Protected Resources,
(301) 427–8436, and Celeste.Stout@
noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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SUMMARY:

I. Abstract
This request is for an extension of a
currently approved information
collection.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973
(ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) imposed
prohibitions against the taking of
endangered species. In 1982, Congress
revised the ESA to allow permits
authorizing the taking of endangered
species incidental to otherwise lawful
activities. The corresponding
regulations (50 CFR part 222.222)
established procedures for persons to
apply for such a permit. In addition, the

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regulations set forth specific reporting
requirements for such permit holders.
The regulations contain three sets of
information collections: (l) Applications
for incidental take permits, (2)
applications for certificates of inclusion,
and (3) reporting requirements for
permits issued. Certificates of inclusion
are only required if a general permit is
issued to a representative of a group of
potential permit applicants, rather than
requiring each entity to apply for and
receive a permit.
The required information is used to
evaluate the impacts of the proposed
activity on endangered species, to make
the determinations required by the ESA
prior to issuing a permit, and to
establish appropriate permit conditions.
When a species is listed as threatened,
section 4(d) of the ESA requires the
Secretary to issue whatever regulations
are deemed necessary or advisable to
provide for conservation of the species.
In many cases, those regulations reflect
blanket application of the section 9 take
prohibition. However, the National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
recognizes certain exceptions to that
prohibition, including habitat
restoration actions taken in accord with
approved state watershed action plans.
While watershed plans are prepared for
other purposes in coordination with or
fulfillment of various state programs, a
watershed group wishing to take
advantage of the exception for
restoration activities (rather than
obtaining a section 10 permit) would
have to submit the plan for NMFS
review.
II. Method of Collection
Currently, most information is
collected through email, but in some
instances, paper applications are mailed
in.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0230.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(extension of a currently approved
information collection).
Affected Public: Individuals or
households, business or other for-profit,
not-for-profit institutions, and state,
local, or tribal government.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
37.
Estimated Time per Response: 80
hours for a permit application
(including Habitat Conservation Plans),
40 minutes for transfer of an incidental
take permit; 8 hours for a permit report,
30 minutes for a Certificate of Inclusion
and 10 hours for a watershed plan.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 408.

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Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $1,000 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
Obtain or Retain Benefits.
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to
permit the Department/Bureau to: (a)
Evaluate whether the proposed
information collection is necessary for
the proper functions of the Department,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the
accuracy of our estimate of the time and
cost burden for this proposed collection,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
Evaluate ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and (d) Minimize the
reporting burden on those who are to
respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or
summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before
including your address, phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you may ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Chief Information Officer, Commerce
Department.
[FR Doc. 2021–10987 Filed 5–24–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA967]

Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to
Specified Activities; Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to Marine Site
Characterization Surveys, Virginia and
North Carolina
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; proposed incidental
harassment authorization; request for
AGENCY:

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