[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 121 (Friday, June 24, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 36565]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-12630]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Proposed Approval of 
Amendments to the Alaska Coastal Management Program

AGENCY: National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an EIS; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NOAA announces its intention to prepare an EIS in accordance 
with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for the proposed 
approval of amendments submitted by the State of Alaska to its Coastal 
Management Program. The State has adopted regulatory changes to its 
Process for Consistency Review (11 AAC 150), Standards for the Alaska 
Coastal Management Program (11 AAC 180), and Guidelines of the Alaska 
Coastal Management Program (11 AAC 185).

DATES: Written comments on the intent to prepare an EIS will be 
accepted on or before August 5, 2005. Scoping meetings are scheduled as 
follows:
    1. July 25, 2005; 1 p.m.-5 p.m., Inupiat Heritage Center, Barrow, 
AK.
    2. July 27, 2005; 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Egan Convention Center, Anchorage, 
AK.
    3. July 28, 2005; 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Centennial Hall Convention Center, 
Juneau, AK.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on suggested alternatives and potential 
impacts should be sent to John R. King, Responsible Program Officer, 
Coastal Programs Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource 
Management, National Ocean Service, SSMC4, Room 11305, 1305 East-West 
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3281, (e-mail: [email protected]) or 
to Helen Bass, Environmental Protection Specialist, Coastal Programs 
Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National 
Ocean Service, SSMC4, N/ORM3, Room 11207, 1305 East-West Highway, 
Silver Spring, MD 20910 (e-mail [email protected].)
    Scoping meetings will be held as follows:
    1. Open to public--Monday, July 25, 2005, Inupiat Heritage Center, 
5421 North Star Street, Barrow, Alaska, 1-5 p.m.
    2. Open to the public--Wednesday, July 27, 2005, Egan Room, Egan 
Convention Center, 555 W 5th Street, Anchorage, AK, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    3. Open to the public--Thursday, July 28, 2005, Centennial Hall 
Convention Center, 101 Egan Drive, Juneau, AK, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2004, the State of Alaska adopted 
legislation that made substantial revisions to its federally-approved 
Coastal Management Program. As required under the Coastal Zone 
Management Act of 1972, as amended (CZMA) and OCRM regulations on 
amendments to approved state coastal zone management programs (15 CFR 
part 923, subpart H), states must submit changes to their program and 
its enforceable policies to OCRM for approval in order to allow 
continued Federal funding for program implementation and application of 
Federal consistency under the new enforceable policies. Consequently, 
Alaska worked with OCRM to submit the program changes. The proposed 
Federal action under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 
amended (NEPA), 42 USC 4321 et seq., is OCRM's approval of the 
incorporation of the revised program and its enforceable policies into 
the Alaska Coastal Management Program (ACMP)
    The program changes that Alaska has adopted are substantial. The 
purposes behind adopting the amendments were to improve the State's 
consistency review process both in timing and predictability, reduce 
duplication of permit review with uneven application of vague 
standards, and provide certainty for capital commitments.
    This environment impact statement evaluates alternatives and 
environmental consequences for only two actions that are available to 
OCRM: (1) Approve the program amendments as part of the State's 
Federally-approved coastal management program, and (2) do not approved 
the program amendments, or status quo. The State has already adopted 
these revised regulations, thus, the status quo would mean that the new 
statutes and regulations would not be part of the State's federally-
approved coastal management program.
    The purpose of the scoping meetings is to identify the scope of 
issues that will be addressed in the EIS and to identify potential 
impacts on the quality of the human environment and potential 
alternatives. Public participation is invited by providing written 
comments to NOS and attending the scoping meetings.

Special Accommodations

    The meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Helen Bass at least 5 days prior to the meeting 
date.

    Dated: June 21, 2005.
Mitchell Luxenberg,
Acting Director, Management and Budget, National Ocean Service, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 05-12630 Filed 6-23-05; 8:45 am]
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