[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 46 (Friday, March 9, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10752-10753]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-4294]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2007-0019; FRL-8285-7]


Draft National Coastal Condition Report III

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice of availability is hereby given for a 60-day public 
comment period on the draft National Coastal Condition Report III 
describing the condition of the Nation's coastal waters. Coastal waters 
are valuable from both an environmental and economic perspective. These 
waters are vulnerable to pollution from diverse sources. EPA expects 
this report will increase public awareness of the extent and 
seriousness of pollution and advance efforts to protect and restore 
coastal waters. EPA seeks public input concerning the information in 
the report, the availability of additional data, and the 
appropriateness of conclusions drawn from the information presented.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 8, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2007-0019, by one of the following methods:
    www.regulations.gov: Follow on-line instructions for submitting 
comments.
    E-mail: [email protected],
    Mail: EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Environmental Protection Agency, 
Water Docket,
    Mailcode: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    Hand Delivery: EPA/DC, Water Docket, Environmental Protection 
Agency, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, 
DC 20004. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal 
hours of operation, and special arrangements should be made for 
deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2007-
0019. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in 
the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, 
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to 
be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov or e-mail. 
The www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, 
which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information 
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-
mail comment directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov 
your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part 
of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available 
on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends 
that you include your name and other contact information in the body of 
your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read 
your

[[Page 10753]]

comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for 
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic 
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of 
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center 
homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the 
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such 
as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy. 
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically 
in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Water Docket, EPA/DC, EPA 
West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The 
Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public 
Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Water 
Docket is (202) 566-2426.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barry Burgan, Ocean and Coastal 
Protection Division, Office of Water, 4504T, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460, telephone 
number: 202-566-1242; fax number: 202-566-1336; e-mail address: 
[email protected] or Virginia Engle, Gulf Ecology Division, Office 
of Research and Development, Environmental Protection Agency, 1 Sabine 
Island Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561; telephone number: (850) 934-
9354; fax number: (850) 934-9201; e-mail address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

General Information

    In 2001, the first National Coastal Condition Report was released, 
characterizing about 70% of the estuarine resources of the United 
States. Using available data from 1990-1996, EPA, the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and U.S. Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) determined that the Nation's estuarine resources 
were in fair condition and presented this information in the first 
Report. The second National Coastal Condition Report, released in 2005, 
described the condition of 100% of the Nation's estuaries in the 
contiguous 48 states and Puerto Rico. This third edition of the 
National Coastal Condition Report serves as a continuing foundation for 
the Nation's efforts to protect, manage, and restore coastal 
ecosystems. Four Federal agencies (EPA, NOAA, USGS and the USFWS) and 
several state and regional/local organizations have come together to 
report on the current condition of the Nation's coasts.
    The draft National Coastal Condition Report III describes the 
condition of coastal waters based on several available data sets from 
different agencies and areas of the country and summarizes them to 
present a continuing picture of the condition of coastal waters. 
Although the data sets presented do not cover all coastal areas (e.g., 
no data were collected in Alaska other than south central Alaska and 
the Trust Territories), they do provide a multi-regional assessment of 
coastal condition in the conterminous United States and Puerto Rico. 
For example, EPA's National Coastal Assessment is conducting estuarine 
monitoring in all 23 coastal states and Puerto Rico, accounting for 
99.8% of estuarine acreage in the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico. 
Data from several regional and national programs conducted by NOAA, 
USGS and the USFWS are included in this assessment of coastal 
condition. This report serves as a useful tool for analyzing the 
progress of coastal programs implemented since the first Report and as 
a benchmark for the future and provides trends in condition over time. 
This report will be followed in subsequent years by reports focusing on 
continuing assessments of ecological condition, examinations of the 
trends in coastal condition, and assessments of more specialized 
coastal issues.
    The draft National Coastal Condition Report III will undergo an 
external peer review conducted by EPA's Office of Research and 
Development. The peer review plan, including peer review charge 
questions, is available on EPA's Science Inventory Web site (http://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_record_view.cfm?dirEntryID=161923). You may view 
and download the draft Report on EPA's Internet site at the Office of 
Water homepage at http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/nccr3/index.html under 
Recent Additions.

    Dated: March 2, 2007.
Benjamin H. Grumbles,
Assistant Administrator for Water.
[FR Doc. E7-4294 Filed 3-8-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P