[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 27, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 59228-59229]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-29497]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[I.D. 053001D]


Groundfish Fisheries of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area 
and the Gulf of Alaska

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of intent to revise the Alaska Groundfish Fisheries 
Draft Programmatic Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS).

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces its intent to revise the Alaska Groundfish 
Fisheries

[[Page 59229]]

draft Programmatic SEIS. After reviewing more than 21,000 comment 
letters received on the draft Programmatic SEIS, NMFS has determined 
that revisions to the draft Programmatic SEIS are appropriate and 
necessary. NMFS has also determined that these revisions will require 
the release of a revised draft Programmatic SEIS. Based on these 
decisions, NMFS announces a new date for the completion of the 
Programmatic SEIS and issuance of the Record of Decision based thereon.

DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for the dates concerning 
completion of the Alaska Groundfish Fisheries Programmatic SEIS. The 
December 2001 North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) 
meeting will be held December 5 through 10, 2001. Additional 
information concerning the agenda for the Council's December 2001 
meeting can be found at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc.

ADDRESSES: The December 2001 North Pacific Fishery Management Council 
meeting will be held at the Hilton Hotel, Anchorage, AK.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven K. Davis, Programmatic SEIS 
Coordinator, Anchorage, Alaska, (907) 271-3523.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 26, 2001, NMFS released a draft 
of the Alaska Groundfish Fisheries Programmatic SEIS for a 90-day 
public review and comment period. As a result of NMFS granting requests 
by the interested public for two extensions of the public comment 
period, the comment period for the draft Programmatic SEIS ran for a 
total of 180 days and ended on July 25, 2001. As a result of this 
extended public comment period and the voluminous public comments 
received therein, NMFS determined that it would issue a final 
Programmatic SEIS for the Alaska groundfish fisheries during the summer 
of 2002 and a Record of Decision shortly thereafter.
    NMFS received 21,361 letters commenting on the draft Programmatic 
SEIS during the comment period. Comments on the draft Programmatic SEIS 
were received from all 50 States, as well as the District of Columbia 
and Puerto Rico. Citizens from 28 foreign countries also provided 
comments. Within these 21,361 letters, NMFS identified 4,044 
substantive comments.
    Based on its review and preliminary analysis of the comments 
received on the draft Programmatic SEIS, NMFS has made several 
decisions concerning the draft Programmatic SEIS. First, NMFS has 
determined that the draft Programmatic SEIS should be revised to 
include additional analyses concerning environmental, economic and 
cumulative impacts. Second, NMFS has determined that the alternatives 
contained in the draft Programmatic SEIS should be restructured, 
shifting from single-focus alternatives to more comprehensive, 
multiple-component alternatives. Third, NMFS has determined that the 
draft Programmatic SEIS should be edited to evaluate more concisely the 
proposed action. The revisions to the Programmatic SEIS will build from 
the information and analyses contained in the January 26, 2001, draft 
Programmatic SEIS. Given its decisions, NMFS has determined that it 
will release a revised draft Programmatic SEIS for public review and 
comment before issuing the final Programmatic SEIS.

General Process and Dates for Completion of the Programmatic SEIS

    Given the determinations described above, NMFS has decided that a 
modification to the current schedule for completion of the Programmatic 
SEIS is appropriate and necessary. The following dates reflect the 
amount of time that NMFS has determined will be needed to complete the 
additional analyses and editing of the draft Programmatic SEIS, and to 
allow for adequate public review and comment on the revised draft 
Programmatic SEIS, including the restructured alternatives. NMFS will 
seek assistance and input from the Council and the public in developing 
the restructured alternatives. It will consider, among other things, 
several restructured alternatives in the revised draft Programmatic 
SEIS, including alternatives that were suggested or proposed in 
comments received on the January 2001 draft Programmatic SEIS and that 
are developed in conjunction and cooperation with the Council and/or 
the public.

December 2001 North Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting

    NMFS will present the Council and the public with a preliminary 
template that describes the framework within which restructured 
alternatives will be developed.

January Through August 2002

    From January through August 2002, NMFS will prepare the revised 
draft Programmatic SEIS. NMFS will prepare additional analyses 
concerning environmental, economic and cumulative impacts, restructure 
the alternatives and prepare an analysis of the effects of those 
alternatives on the human environment, and edit the Programmatic SEIS 
to evaluate more concisely the proposed action. As noted above, NMFS 
will seek assistance and input from the Council and the public in 
developing the restructured alternatives.

September Through December 2002

    From September through December 2002, NMFS will issue a revised 
draft Programmatic SEIS for a public review and comment period.

January Through August 2003

    From January through August 2003, NMFS will prepare the final 
Programmatic SEIS. NMFS will review and consider public comments 
received on the revised draft Programmatic SEIS and will present a 
summary of those comments to the Council and the public.

September 2003

    NMFS will issue a final Programmatic SEIS and allow a 30-day public 
comment period on the final Programmatic SEIS.

No later than December 31, 2003

    NMFS will issue a Record of Decision on the Programmatic SEIS.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: November 20, 2001.
Jon Kurland,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-29497 Filed 11-26-01; 8:45 am]
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