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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2024 / Notices

(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
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 U.S. waters of the 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 5year 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.
NMFS issued an LOA to LLOG on
January 20, 2022, for the take of marine
mammals incidental to the following
vertical seismic profile (VSP) survey
types: Zero Offset, Offset, Walk Away,
Salt Proximity and/or Check Shots after
reaching total depth of any of the
proposed wells operated by LLOG
within the Keathley Canyon Area,
effective March 1, 2022 through
December 31, 2022. Please see the
Federal Register notice of issuance (87
FR 3084, January 20, 2022) for
additional detail regarding the LOA and
the survey activity.
LLOG subsequently requested
modification of the December 31, 2022,
expiration date to December 31, 2023,

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due to survey delays and NMFS
modified the LOA accordingly (87 FR
41670, July 13, 2022). More recently,
LLOG informed NMFS that the survey
would be further delayed, and requested
a second modification to the expiration
date of the LOA (from December 31,
2023, to December 31, 2026) to
accommodate the delays. There are no
other changes to LLOG’s planned
activity. Since issuance of the LOA, no
survey work has occurred.
Authorization
NMFS has changed the expiration
date of the LOA from December 31,
2023, to December 31, 2026. There are
no other changes to the LOA as
described in the January 20, 2022,
Federal Register notice of issuance (87
FR 3084): the specified survey activity;
estimated take by incidental
harassment; and small numbers analysis
and determination remain unchanged
and are incorporated here by reference.
Dated: December 27, 2023.
Kimberly Damon-Randall,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–00007 Filed 1–4–24; 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; Socioeconomics of Coral
Reef Conservation
National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.

AGENCY:

Notice of information collection,
request for comment.

ACTION:

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. This notice pertains to
a revision and extension of the
approved collection of information for
Socioeconomics of Coral Reef
Conservation. The purpose of this notice
is to allow for 60 days of public
comment preceding submission of the
collection to OMB.

SUMMARY:

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To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before March 5, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at [email protected]. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–
0646 in the subject line of your
comments. Written comments NOAA
receives are considered part of the
public record, and the entirety of the
comment, including the name of the
commenter, email address, attachments,
and other supporting materials, will be
publicly accessible. Sensitive personally
identifiable information, such as
account numbers and Social Security
numbers or Confidential Business
Information, should not be included
with the comment.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection
activities should be directed to Mary
Allen, NOAA Office for Coastal
Management, Coral Reef Conservation
Program, 1305 East-West Highway,
Silver Spring, MD 20910, Telephone
(240) 528–8151 or Mary.Allen@
noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
DATES:

I. Abstract
This request is for revision and
extension to an approved collection of
information, OMB Control Number
0648–0646, under the Paperwork
Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.,
and implementing regulations at 5 CFR
part 1320. This previously-approved
information collection assists NOAA in
the administration of the National Coral
Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP),
which was established by the NOAA
Coral Reef Conservation Program
(CRCP) under the authority of the Coral
Reef Conservation Act of 2000, 16
U.S.C. 6401 et seq. This act authorizes
CRCP to, among other things, conserve
and restore the condition of United
States coral reef ecosystems and
enhance public awareness,
understanding, and appreciation of
coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems
and their ecological and socioeconomic
value. In accordance with its mission
goals, NOAA developed a survey to
track relevant information regarding
each jurisdiction’s population, social
and economic structure, the benefits of
coral reefs and related habitats, the
impacts of society on coral reefs, and
the impacts of coral management on
communities. The survey is repeated in
each jurisdiction every five to seven
years in order to provide longitudinal

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data and information for managers to
effectively conserve coral reefs for
current and future generations.
The purpose of this information
collection is to obtain human
dimensions information from residents
in the seven United States (U.S.)
jurisdictions containing coral reefs:
Florida, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI),
Puerto Rico, Hawai’i, American Samoa,
Guam, and the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).
Specifically, NOAA is seeking
information on the behaviors and
activities related to coral reefs, as well
as information on perceptions of coral
reef conditions and attitudes toward
specific reef conservation activities.
Each survey has a core set of questions
that are asked across all jurisdictions to
allow for information to be tracked over
time and across jurisdictions. To
account for geographical, cultural and
linguistic differences between
jurisdictions, the survey questions
include items that are specific to the
local context and developed based on
jurisdictional partner feedback.
We intend to use the information
collected through this instrument for
research purposes, as well as for
measuring and improving the results of
our reef protection programs. Because
many of our efforts to protect reefs rely
on education and changing attitudes
toward reef protection, the information
collected will allow CRCP to ensure that
programs are designed appropriately at
the start, future program evaluation
efforts are as successful as possible, and
outreach efforts are targeting the
intended recipients with useful
information.
Pursuant to a request from the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB), this
collection of information was
restructured in 2021 as a hybrid-generic
collection. That structure is maintained
herein.
II. Method of Collection
Information will be collected using
the most efficient and effective
methodology that is feasible in the
individual jurisdiction. Dependent upon
the jurisdiction, data will be collected
via in-person or mail recruitment, inperson interviews, and/or push-to-web
online survey platforms. For the three
years covered by this clearance, data
collection will target the USVI, Florida,
and Hawai’i and will be collected as
such: in-person interviews with an
online option in the USVI and via mail
push-to-web in Florida and Hawai’i.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0646.
Form Number(s): None.

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Type of Review: Regular submission.
Revision and extension to a currently
approved information collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
9,840.
Estimated Time per Response: 20
minutes per response.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 469 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $0 in recordkeeping/reporting
costs.
Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Coral Reef
Conservation Act of 2000, 16 U.S.C.
6401 et seq.
IV. Request for Comments

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XD557]

Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to
Specified Activities; Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to Marine Site
Characterization Surveys Off New
York, New Jersey, Delaware, and
Maryland
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.

AGENCY:

Notice; proposed incidental
harassment authorization; request for
comments on proposed authorization
and possible renewal.

ACTION:

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 information
collection request. 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. If you
would rather make an anonymous
comment, please submit comments
through regulations.gov.

SUMMARY:

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.

ADDRESSES:

[FR Doc. 2024–00040 Filed 1–4–24; 8:45 am]
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NMFS has received a request
from Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind,
LLC (Atlantic Shores) for authorization
to take marine mammals incidental to
marine site characterization surveys in
waters off of New York, New Jersey,
Delaware, and Maryland, including in
the Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management (BOEM) Commercial Lease
of Submerged Lands for Renewable
Energy Development on the Outer
Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Areas
OCS–A 0499, OCS–A 0541, OCS–A
0549, and associated export cable
corridor (ECC) areas. Pursuant to the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments
on its proposal to issue an incidental
harassment authorization (IHA) to
incidentally take marine mammals
during the specified activities. NMFS is
also requesting comments on a possible
one-time, 1-year renewal that could be
issued under certain circumstances and
if all requirements are met, as described
in Request for Public Comments at the
end of this notice. NMFS will consider
public comments prior to making any
final decision on the issuance of the
requested MMPA authorization and
agency responses will be summarized in
the final notice of our decision.

Comments and information must
be received no later than February 5,
2024.

DATES:

Comments should be
addressed to Jolie Harrison, Chief,
Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service and should be
submitted via email to ITP.clevenstine@
noaa.gov. Electronic copies of the
application and supporting documents,
as well as a list of the references cited

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