[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 179 (Thursday, September 17, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47779-47780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-22414]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-AV15
Public Meetings on Protective Regulations for Killer Whales in
the Northwest Region Under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal
Protection Act
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; notification of additional public meeting.
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SUMMARY: We, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are issuing
this notice to advise the public that NMFS is adding an additional
public meeting regarding proposed regulations under the Endangered
Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act to prohibit vessels from
approaching killer whales within 200 yards and from parking in the path
of whales for vessels in inland waters of Washington State. The
proposed regulations would also prohibit vessels from entering a
conservation area during a defined season. The proposed rule was
published July 29, 2009, and includes information on two public
meetings. We are issuing this notice to announce a third public meeting
in Anacortes, WA that has been added in response to requests for
additional public meetings to allow for greater public participation.
DATES: Three public meetings will be held as follows:
(1) September 24, 2009, 7-9 p.m., Pier One Main Warehouse, 100
Commercial Avenue, Anacortes, WA;
(2) September 30, 2009, 7-9 p.m., Seattle Aquarium, Pier 59,
Seattle, WA; and
(3) October 5, 2009, 7-9 p.m., The Grange Hall, First Street,
Friday Harbor, WA.
Written or electronic comments on the proposed rule and draft
Environmental Assessment (EA) from all interested parties are
encouraged and must be received no later than October 27, 2009. All
comments and material received, including names and addresses, will
become part of the administrative record and may be released to the
public.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the proposed rule, draft EA and any of the
supporting documents can be submitted by any of the following methods:
Email: [email protected].
Federal e-rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Mail: Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected
Resources Division, Northwest Regional Office, National Marine
Fisheries Service, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115.
The draft EA and other supporting documents are available on
Regulations.gov and the NMFS Northwest Region Web site at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/.
You may submit information and comments concerning this Proposed
Rule, the draft EA, or any of the supporting documents by any one of
several methods identified above. We will consider all comments and
information received during the comment period in preparing a final
[[Page 47780]]
rule. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail 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 can
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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynne Barre, Northwest Regional
Office, 206-526-4745; or Trevor Spradlin, Office of Protected
Resources, 301-713-2322.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On July 29, 2009, NMFS proposed regulations under the Endangered
Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act to prohibit vessels from
approaching killer whales within 200 yards and from parking in the path
of whales for vessels in inland waters of Washington State (74 FR
37674). The proposed regulations would also prohibit vessels from
entering a conservation area during a defined season. Certain vessels
would be exempt from the prohibitions. The purpose of the action is to
protect killer whales from interference and noise associated with
vessels. In the final rule announcing the endangered listing of
Southern Resident killer whales NMFS identified disturbance and sound
associated with vessels as a potential contributing factor in the
recent decline of this population. The Recovery Plan for Southern
Resident killer whales calls for evaluating current guidelines and
assessing the need for regulations and/or protected areas. We developed
the proposed rule after considering comments submitted in response to
an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (72 FR 13464; March 22, 2007)
and preparing a draft environmental assessment (EA).
Reasonable Accommodation
Persons needing reasonable accommodations to attend and participate
in the public meetings should contact Lynne Barre (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT). To allow sufficient time to process requests,
please call at least 5 business days prior to the relevant meeting(s).
Dated: September 11, 2009.
James H. Lecky,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. E9-22414 Filed 9-16-09; 8:45 am]
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