[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 21, 2007)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 65483]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-22710]



[[Page 65483]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

15 CFR Part 922


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement for a Proposed Rule Limiting Discharges From Vessels 
in Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, and Monterey Bay National 
Marine Sanctuaries

AGENCY: National Marine Sanctuary Program, National Ocean Service, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Sanctuary Program 
(NMSP) is preparing a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(SDEIS) to supplement and/or replace information contained in the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Joint Management Plan 
Review, the management plan review for the Cordell Bank, Gulf of the 
Farallones, and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries. The SDEIS 
will analyze revisions to the proposed action that would in effect 
prohibit the following discharges within the sanctuaries: All sewage 
from vessels 300 gross registered tons (GRT) or more with the capacity 
to hold sewage while within the sanctuary; and, in the Monterey Bay 
National Marine Sanctuary, all graywater from vessels 300 GRT or more 
with the capacity to hold graywater while within the sanctuary.

DATES: Because the NMSP has previously requested (64 FR 31528 and 71 FR 
29096) and received extensive information from the public on issues to 
be addressed in the SDEIS, and because the Council on Environmental 
Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) do not require additional scoping for this SDEIS 
process (40 CFR 1502.9(c)(4)), the NMSP is not asking for further 
public scoping information and comment at this time. Upon release of 
the SDEIS the NMSP will provide a 45-day public review/comment period.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the 2006 DEIS are available at NOAA offices 
located at 1 Bear Valley Rd., Point Reyes Station, CA; West Crissy 
Field on the Presidio, 991 Marine Drive, San Francisco, CA, 299 Foam 
Street, Monterey, California, and on the Web at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/jointplan/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sean Morton at (301) 713-7264 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA) has proposed draft revised management plans, 
revised designation documents, and revised regulations for the Cordell 
Bank National Marine Sanctuary (CBNMS), Gulf of the Farallones National 
Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS), and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary 
(MBNMS). The proposed regulations would revise and provide greater 
clarity to existing regulations. In particular, NOAA proposed changes 
to prohibitions regarding ``discharge and deposit'' in the MBNMS, and 
prohibiting discharging or depositing most matter from cruise ships.
    On May 11, 2007 NOAA received a request from the California State 
Water Resources Control Board to prohibit discharges from certain 
vessels in national marine sanctuaries offshore California. In 
addition, on August 10, 2007, the California Coastal Commission voted 
to concur with the consistency finding the JMPR actions are consistent 
with the policies of the California Coastal Management Program, on the 
condition that NOAA revise the proposed discharge and deposit 
regulation to prohibit vessels of 300 gross registered tons (GRT) or 
more from discharging sewage or graywater into the waters of the 
sanctuaries. After reviewing public comments on the proposed 
regulations, considering the California Coastal Commission's federal 
consistency review (per the Coastal Zone Management Act; 16 U.S.C. 1451 
et seq.), and further analyzing vessel discharge issues, NOAA decided 
to revise the CBNMS, GFNMS, and MBNMS proposed discharge regulations to 
prohibit discharges of all sewage from vessels 300 gross registered 
tons (GRT) or more with the capacity to hold sewage while within the 
sanctuary; and in the MBNMS limit the exception for graywater 
discharges to vessels less than 300 GRT and vessels 300 GRT or more 
without the capacity to hold graywater while within the MBNMS. The 
revised proposed regulations will include prohibitions satisfying the 
request from the State of California for the CBNMS, GFNMS, and MBNMS.
    The SDEIS, in conjunction with the concomitant supplemental 
proposed rule, will evaluate the revised proposed action and provide 
the public with an opportunity for additional review and comment.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.

    Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number 11.429 Marine 
Sanctuary Program.

    Dated: November 15, 2007.
Elizabeth R. Scheffler,
Associate Assistant Administrator for Management, Ocean Services and 
Coastal Zone Management.
 [FR Doc. E7-22710 Filed 11-20-07; 8:45 am]
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