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MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION

Committee Management; Notice of Establishment; Advisory Committee
on Acoustic Impacts on Marine Mammals

AGENCY: Marine Mammal Commission.

ACTION: Charter filed for the Advisory Committee on Acoustic Impacts on
Marine Mammals.

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SUMMARY: The Chairman of the Marine Mammal Commission (Commission) has
determined that the establishment of the Advisory Committee on Acoustic
Impacts on Marine Mammals (Committee) is necessary and in the public
interest in connection with fulfilling Commission mandates created
under the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2003 (Pub. L. 108-7). This
determination follows consultation with the Office of Management and
Budget and with the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services
Administration (GSA).

[[Page 69090]]

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the charter
has been filed with the GSA, the chair of the Commission, the Senate
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the House of
Representatives Committee on Resources. A copy of the charter has also
been submitted to the Library of Congress.
Name of Committee: Advisory Committee on Acoustic Impacts on Marine
Mammals
Purpose and Objective: Committee members will participate in a
policy dialogue to review available information, identify research
needs, and recommend management actions and strategies related to the
impacts of antyhropogenic sound on marine mammals.
Balanced Membership Plans: In an effort to assess the need for an
advisory committee, over eighty individuals from a wide variety of
interested stakeholder groups were interviewed. The Commission also
solicited comments and nominations for the Committee in the Federal
Register.
The Committee will consist of approximately 26 members representing
entities who activities introduce anthropogenic sounds into the marine
environment, government regulatory and funding agencies, non-
governmental organizations including environmental groups, and
scientists with pertinent expertise. Every effort has been made to
select Committee members who have a high level of expertise and
interest concerning the impacts of sound on marine mammals and other
components of the marine environment, who have decision-making
authority, and who have demonstrated their ability to represent a
constituency and communicate effectively with constituents whose
interests they represent.
Duration: Continuing.
Responsible Commission Official: David Cottingham, Executive
Director, Marine Mammal Commission, 4340 East-West Hwy., Rm. 905,
Bethesda, MD 20814.

DATES: The Commission intends to appoint Committee members in December
2003 and convene the Committee's first meeting in early February 2004.
A list of Committee members will be posted on the Commission's Web site
(http://www.mmc.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Vos, Project Manager for Sound-
Related Meetings and Actions, Marine Mammal Commission, 4340 East-West Hwy., Rm. 905, Bethesda, MD 20814, e-mail: evos@mmc.gov, tel.: (301)
504-0087, fax: (301) 504-0099; or visit the Commission Web site at
http://www.mmc.gov.

Dated: December 4, 2003.
David Cottingham,
Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 03-30682 Filed 12-10-03; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6820-31-M