Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road,Mail Stop 285, Menlo Park, CA 94025-3591

99 -- MARINE SOL 8-7440-3486 POC Maribel Torres, Purchasing Agent (650) 329-4171 E-MAIL: Maribel Torres, Contracting Officer, mtorres@wr.usgs.gov. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Menlo Park, California, intends to place on a sole-source basis a purchase order with Cascadia Research Collective/John Calambokidis in Olympia, WA. The Seismic Hazards Investigations in Puget Sound has an experiment planned for March, 1998. During this experiment the USGS and it US Canadian partners will survey in and around Puget Sound, using airguns to investigate potential earthquake faults and the properties of deep rocks. Since the Marine Mannal Protection Act was amended by Congress, it has been illegal to harass marine mammals without a permit from the National Marine Fisheries Service. The USGS's planned use of airguns in Puget Sound and elsewhere is considered by NMFS to be potentially harassing to marine mammals if they were to venture too close. Accordingly, the USGS must hire marine mammal observers to comply with permit requirements. The observers will also use an airplane and advantageoous onshore locations to monitor the behavior of marine mammals. ThisCBD Notice will not post for 15 days due to urgent requirements. No RFQ will be issued for this solicitation. (0026)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0244 19980129\99-0001.SOL)