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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 80 / Tuesday, April 26, 2022 / Notices
hauled-out at the PGL are the same
individuals that move between Punta
Gorda and other nearby haulouts.
Therefore, many individuals that may
be taken by Level B harassment are
likely to be the same across consecutive
days, but PSOs would count them as
separate takes across days.
Based on the analysis contained
herein of the prop20osed activity
(including the proposed mitigation and
monitoring measures) and the
anticipated take of marine mammals,
NMFS preliminarily finds that small
numbers of marine mammals would be
taken relative to the population size of
the affected species or stocks.
Unmitigable Adverse Impact Analysis
and Determination
There are no relevant subsistence uses
of the affected marine mammal stocks or
species implicated by this action.
Therefore, NMFS has determined that
the total taking of affected species or
stocks would not have an unmitigable
adverse impact on the availability of
such species or stocks for taking for
subsistence purposes.

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Endangered Species Act
Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (ESA: 16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.) requires that each Federal
agency insure that any action it
authorizes, funds, or carries out is not
likely to jeopardize the continued
existence of any endangered or
threatened species or result in the
destruction or adverse modification of
designated critical habitat. To ensure
ESA compliance for the issuance of
IHAs, NMFS consults internally
whenever we propose to authorize take
for endangered or threatened species, in
this case with the West Coast Regional
Office.
No incidental take of ESA-listed
species is proposed for authorization or
expected to result from this activity.
Therefore, NMFS has determined that
formal consultation under section 7 of
the ESA is not required for this action.
Proposed Authorization
As a result of these preliminary
determinations, NMFS proposes to issue
an IHA to the BLM for conducting the
PGL stabilization project in Humboldt
County, California between June 1 and
October 1, 2022, provided the
previously mentioned mitigation,
monitoring, and reporting requirements
are incorporated. A draft of the
proposed IHA can be found at: https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/
marine-mammal-protection/incidentaltake-authorizations-constructionactivities.

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Request for Public Comments
We request comment on our analyses,
the proposed authorization, and any
other aspect of this notice of proposed
IHA for the proposed PGL stabilization
project. We also request comment on the
potential renewal of this proposed IHA
as described in the paragraph below.
Please include with your comments any
supporting data or literature citations to
help inform decisions on the request for
this IHA or a subsequent renewal IHA.
On a case-by-case basis, NMFS may
issue a one-time, one-year renewal IHA
following notice to the public providing
an additional 15 days for public
comments when (1) up to another year
of identical or nearly identical activities
as described in the Description of
Proposed Activities section of this
notice is planned or (2) the activities as
described in the Description of
Proposed Activities section of this
notice would not be completed by the
time the IHA expires and a renewal
would allow for completion of the
activities beyond that described in the
Dates and Duration section of this
notice, provided all of the following
conditions are met:
• A request for renewal is received no
later than 60 days prior to the needed
renewal IHA effective date (recognizing
that the renewal IHA expiration date
cannot extend beyond one year from
expiration of the initial IHA).
• The request for renewal must
include the following:
(1) An explanation that the activities
to be conducted under the requested
renewal IHA are identical to the
activities analyzed under the initial
IHA, are a subset of the activities, or
include changes so minor (e.g.,
reduction in pile size) that the changes
do not affect the previous analyses,
mitigation and monitoring
requirements, or take estimates (with
the exception of reducing the type or
amount of take).
(2) A preliminary monitoring report
showing the results of the required
monitoring to date and an explanation
showing that the monitoring results do
not indicate impacts of a scale or nature
not previously analyzed or authorized.
Upon review of the request for
renewal, the status of the affected
species or stocks, and any other
pertinent information, NMFS
determines that there are no more than
minor changes in the activities, the
mitigation and monitoring measures
will remain the same and appropriate,
and the findings in the initial IHA
remain valid.

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Dated: April 21, 2022.
Catherine Marzin,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022–08873 Filed 4–25–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

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; Greater Atlantic Region
Logbook Family of Forms
The Department of Commerce will
submit the following information
collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication
of this notice. We invite 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. Public
comments were previously requested
via the Federal Register on February 16,
2022, during a 60-day comment period.
This notice allows for an additional 30
days for public comments.
Agency: National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
Title: Greater Atlantic Region Logbook
Family of Forms.
OMB Control Number: 0648–0212.
Form Number(s): 80–30, 80–140.
Type of Request: Regular (extension of
a currently approved collection).
Number of Respondents: 2,036.
Average Hours per Response: Fishing
Vessel Trip reports, 5 minutes; Shellfish
Log, 12.5 minutes; Spawning Blocks,
DAS, EFP, Herring, RSA, and Tilefish, 3
minutes each.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 9,141.
Needs and Uses: This request is for
revision and extension of a current
information collection. This information
collection, 0648–0212, is sponsored by
the Data Processing & Quality Branch,
which falls under the Analysis &
Program Support Division located at the
Greater Atlantic Regional Office. Under
the provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’s (NOAA) National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is

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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 80 / Tuesday, April 26, 2022 / Notices

responsible for management of the
nation’s marine fisheries. Fishing
vessels permitted to participate in
Federally permitted fisheries in the
Northeast are required to submit
logbooks containing catch and effort
information about their fishing trips.
The information submitted is needed for
the management of the fisheries. The
only change to this collection is that all
information collected is required to be
submitted via electronic means.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households; Business or other for-profit
organizations.
Frequency: Per trip.
Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.).
This information collection request
may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to view the
Department of Commerce collections
currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be
submitted within 30 days of the
publication of this notice on the
following website www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain. Find this
particular information collection by
selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day
Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or
by using the search function and
entering either the title of the collection
or the OMB Control Number 0648–0212.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Chief Information Officer, Commerce
Department.
[FR Doc. 2022–08836 Filed 4–25–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XB976]

Taking and Importing Marine
Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals
Incidental to Geophysical Surveys
Related to Oil and Gas Activities in the
Gulf of Mexico
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of issuance of letter of
authorization.

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AGENCY:

In accordance with the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), as amended, its implementing
regulations, and NMFS’ MMPA

SUMMARY:

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Regulations for Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to Geophysical
Surveys Related to Oil and Gas
Activities in the Gulf of Mexico,
notification is hereby given that a Letter
of Authorization (LOA) has been issued
to Shell Offshore Inc. (Shell) for the take
of marine mammals incidental to
geophysical survey activity in the Gulf
of Mexico.
DATES: The LOA is effective from April
21, 2022, through December 31, 2022.
ADDRESSES: The LOA, LOA request, and
supporting documentation are available
online at: www.fisheries.noaa.gov/
action/incidental-take-authorization-oiland-gas-industry-geophysical-surveyactivity-gulf-mexico. In case of problems
accessing these documents, please call
the contact listed below (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben
Laws, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, (301) 427–8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the
MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct
the Secretary of Commerce to allow,
upon request, the incidental, but not
intentional, taking of small numbers of
marine mammals by U.S. citizens who
engage in a specified activity (other than
commercial fishing) within a specified
geographical region if certain findings
are made and either regulations are
issued or, if the taking is limited to
harassment, a notice of a proposed
authorization is provided to the public
for review.
An authorization for incidental
takings shall be granted if NMFS finds
that the taking will have a negligible
impact on the species or stock(s), will
not have an unmitigable adverse impact
on the availability of the species or
stock(s) for subsistence uses (where
relevant), and if the permissible
methods of taking and requirements
pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring
and reporting of such takings are set
forth. NMFS has defined ‘‘negligible
impact’’ in 50 CFR 216.103 as an impact
resulting from the specified activity that
cannot be reasonably expected to, and is
not reasonably likely to, adversely affect
the species or stock through effects on
annual rates of recruitment or survival.
Except with respect to certain
activities not pertinent here, the MMPA
defines ‘‘harassment’’ as: Any act of
pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (i)
has the potential to injure a marine
mammal or marine mammal stock in the
wild (Level A harassment); or (ii) has
the potential to disturb a marine
mammal or marine mammal stock in the

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wild by causing disruption of behavioral
patterns, including, but not limited to,
migration, breathing, nursing, breeding,
feeding, or sheltering (Level B
harassment).
On January 19, 2021, we issued a final
rule with regulations to govern the
unintentional taking of marine
mammals incidental to geophysical
survey activities conducted by oil and
gas industry operators, and those
persons authorized to conduct activities
on their behalf (collectively ‘‘industry
operators’’), in Federal waters of the
U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) over the
course of 5 years (86 FR 5322; January
19, 2021). The rule was based on our
findings that the total taking from the
specified activities over the 5-year
period will have a negligible impact on
the affected species or stock(s) of marine
mammals and will not have an
unmitigable adverse impact on the
availability of those species or stocks for
subsistence uses. The rule became
effective on April 19, 2021.
Our regulations at 50 CFR 217.180 et
seq. allow for the issuance of LOAs to
industry operators for the incidental
take of marine mammals during
geophysical survey activities and
prescribe the permissible methods of
taking and other means of effecting the
least practicable adverse impact on
marine mammal species or stocks and
their habitat (often referred to as
mitigation), as well as requirements
pertaining to the monitoring and
reporting of such taking. Under 50 CFR
217.186(e), issuance of an LOA shall be
based on a determination that the level
of taking will be consistent with the
findings made for the total taking
allowable under these regulations and a
determination that the amount of take
authorized under the LOA is of no more
than small numbers.
Summary of Request and Analysis
Shell plans to conduct a 3D ocean
bottom node (OBN) survey of
approximately 62 lease blocks in
Mississippi and De Soto Canyons, with
approximate water depths ranging from
1,700 to 2,400 meters (m). See Section
F of the LOA application for a map of
the area.
Shell anticipates using a single source
vessel, towing an airgun array consisting
of 32 elements, with a total volume of
5,110 cubic inches (in3). Please see
Shell’s application for additional detail.
Consistent with the preamble to the
final rule, the survey effort proposed by
Shell in its LOA request was used to
develop LOA-specific take estimates
based on the acoustic exposure
modeling results described in the
preamble (86 FR 5322, 5398; January 19,

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