[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 177 (Tuesday, September 14, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55738-55739]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-22897]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XY93
Marine Mammals; File No. 15654
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that George Church, Ph.D. (Applicant),
Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur,
Boston MA 02115, has applied in due form for a permit to receive
bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) cells for scientific research.
DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or
before October 14, 2010.
ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for
review by selecting ``Records Open for Public Comment'' from the
Features box on the Applications and Permits for Protected Species
(APPS) home page, https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting File
No. 15654 from the list of available applications.
These documents are also available upon written request or by
appointment in the following office(s):
Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD
20910; phone (301)713-2289; fax (301)713-0376;
Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone
(907)586-7221; fax (907)586-7249; and
Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA
01930; phone (978)281-9328; fax (978) 281-9394.
Written comments on this application should be submitted to the
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, at the address
listed above. Comments may also be submitted by facsimile to (301)713-
0376, or by email to [email protected]. Please include the File
No. in the subject line of the email comment.
Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a
written request to the Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education
Division at the address listed above. The request should set forth the
specific reasons why a hearing on this application would be
appropriate.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Sloan or Laura Morse, (301)713-
2289.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested under the
authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended
(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the regulations governing the taking
and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216), the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the
regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of
endangered and threatened species (50 CFR 222-226).
The applicant proposes to receive and maintain tissues of bowhead
whales to sequence the DNA (genome) and RNA (transcriptome) of the
cells. Tissues would be received from a permitted laboratory (Permit
No. 1008-1637-02 issued to John Wise, Ph.D.) and maintained at Harvard
University for the proposed study. No live animals
[[Page 55739]]
would be affected by the proposed permit. The requested duration of the
permit is five years.
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial determination has been made that
the activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of the application to the Marine
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.
Dated: September 8, 2010.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-22897 Filed 9-13-10; 8:45 am]
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