[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 205 (Thursday, October 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 60644]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-26783]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Expansion of the New Hampshire Coastal Management Program 
Boundary; Availability of an Environmental Assessment and Proposed 
Finding of No Significant Impact

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft environmental assessment and 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the availability of the Draft 
Environmental Assessment (EA) and proposed Finding of No Significant 
Impact for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) 
approval of the State of New Hampshire request to expand its coastal 
management program boundary. The EA was prepared pursuant to the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) U.S.C. 4321 et seq. to assess 
the environmental impacts associated with the approval and 
implementation of an expanded coastal boundary for the New Hampshire 
Coastal Program (NHCP) submitted to NOAA by the State of New Hampshire. 
Pursuant to Section 306(g) of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, 
as amended (CZMA) and NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource 
Management (OCRM) regulations (15 CFR part 923, subpart H), OCRM is 
required to approve any amendment, modification, or other change to a 
State's federally-approved coastal management program. This includes 
changes in a State's coastal boundary. See 15 CFR part 923, subpart D.
    For the purposes of this EA, the proposed action is approval of the 
proposed expanded NHCP coastal boundary to include the full geographic 
jurisdiction of the State's 17 coastal municipalities. The NHCP's 
boundary revision will expand the State's coastal management boundary 
from its current, narrower delineation by a two-tier geographical 
system related to distance from coastal waste body features, to 
encompassing the entire jurisdiction of all coastal municipalities. The 
practical effect will be to increase the State's ability to review 
State and federal activities in a larger area of the coast for their 
consistency with the State's federally-approved coastal policies, and 
to provide CZMA funds for additional activities in the expanded coastal 
area.
    NOAA finds that the NHCP has met the requirements for submitting an 
amendment to OCRM and proposes to approve the program change. Based 
upon the EA, NOAA proposes to conclude that a Finding of No Significant 
Impact is appropriate, and therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement 
is unnecessary. The Council on Environmental Quality's regulations to 
implement NEPA requires agencies to provide public notice of the 
availability of environmental documents. 40 CFR section 1506.6. This 
notice is part of NOAA's action to comply with this requirement.
    A copy of the Draft EA and proposed Finding of No Significant 
Impact may be found on the NOAA Web site at
http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov.czm or may be obtained upon request from: 
Helen Farr, Coastal Programs Division (N/ORM3), Office of Ocean and 
Coastal Resource Management, NOS, NOAA, 1305 East-West Highway, Silver 
Spring, Maryland, 20910, phone: (301) 713-3155, x150, e-mail: 
[email protected].

DATES: Individuals or organizations wishing to submit comments on the 
Draft EA or proposed Finding of No Significant Impact should do so by 
November 24, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be made to: John King, Acting Chief, Coastal 
Programs Division (N/ORM3), Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource 
Management, NOS, NOAA, 1305 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland, 
20910, phone: (301) 713-3155, x188, e-mail: [email protected].


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Helen Farr, Coastal Programs Division 
(N/ORM3), Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, NOS, NOAA, 
1305 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland, 20910, phone: (301) 
713-3155, x150, e-mail: [email protected].
(Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog 11.419 Coastal Zone Management 
Program Administration)

Richard W. Spinrad,
Assistant Administrator, Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 03-26783 Filed 10-22-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-M