[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 76 (Wednesday, April 22, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 18355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9256]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-X027
International Whaling Commission; 61\st\ Annual Meeting;
Announcement of Public Meetings
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of meetings.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the date, time, and location of the
public meetings being held prior to the 61\st\ annual International
Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting.
DATES: The public meetings will be held May 27 and May 29, 2009, at 1
p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting on May 27\th\ will be held in the Chesapeake
Room of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 8777 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD
20910. The meeting on May 29\th\ will be held in the NOAA Western
Regional Center Auditorium, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, WA
98115.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ryan Wulff, 301-713-9090, Extension
196.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Secretary of Commerce is charged with
the responsibility of discharging the domestic obligations of the
United States under the International Convention for the Regulation of
Whaling, 1946. The U.S. Commissioner has responsibility for the
preparation and negotiation of U.S. positions on international issues
concerning whaling and for all matters involving the IWC. He is staffed
by the Department of Commerce and assisted by the Department of State,
the Department of the Interior, the Marine Mammal Commission, and by
other agencies.
Once the draft agenda for the annual IWC meeting is completed, it
will be posted on the IWC Secretariat's website at http://www.iwcoffice.org.
NOAA will hold meetings prior to the annual IWC meeting to discuss
the tentative U.S. positions for the upcoming IWC meeting, including
the upcoming report of the Small Working Group. Because the meeting
discusses U.S. positions, the substance of the meeting must be kept
confidential. Any U.S. citizen with an identifiable interest in U.S.
whale conservation policy may participate, but NOAA reserves the
authority to inquire about the interests of any person who appears at a
meeting and to determine the appropriateness of that person's
participation.
Persons who represent foreign interests may not attend. These
stringent measures are necessary to protect the confidentiality of U.S.
negotiating positions and are a necessary basis for the relatively open
process of preparing for IWC meetings.
The May 27\th\ meeting will be held at 1 p.m. in the Chesapeake
Room of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 8777 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD
20910. The meeting on May 29\th\ will be held at 1 p.m. in the NOAA
Western Regional Center Auditorium, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle,
WA 98115. WA. Photo identification is required to enter the building.
Special Accommodations
Both meetings are physically accessible to people with
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to Ryan Wulff, 301-713-9090 by May 4,
2009.
Dated: April 16, 2009.
Rebecca J. Lent,
Director, Office of International Affairs, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. E9-9256 Filed 4-21-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S