[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 47 (Monday, March 10, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12706-12707]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-4711]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(DEIS), Notice of Public Comment Period for the DEIS and Schedule of 
Public Hearings for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management's 
Review of Amendments to the Washington Coastal Management Program

AGENCY: Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA), Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management 
(OCRM).

ACTION: Notice of Availability of DEIS, Notice of Public Comment Period 
for the DEIS and Schedule of Public Hearings.

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SUMMARY: NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management is 
issuing this notice to advise the public that a DEIS for OCRM's review 
of amendments to the Washington Coastal Management Program has been 
prepared and is available for public review and comment. Written 
requests for the DEIS and written comments on the DEIS can be submitted 
to the individual listed in the section FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT. Public Hearings will be held on April 10, 2008 and April 11, 
2008. The public comment period commenced on February 29, 2008 as 
noticed in the Federal Register at http://frwebgate4.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=5668694961+0+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve and 
will close on April 14, 2008.
    Public Comment Hearings: The start of the public comment period on 
the DEIS commenced February 29, 2008 and will close on April 14, 2008. 
Two public hearings will be held; one on April 10, 2008 and one on 
April 11, 2008 in Lacey, Washington and Seattle, Washington, 
respectively. The public hearing on April 10th will be held in Lacey, 
Washington at the Washington State Department of Ecology Headquarters, 
(300 Desmond Drive) and will begin at 3:30 p.m. and last until 6:30 
p.m. The public hearing on April 11th will be held in Seattle 
Washington at the Mountaineers Building, Tahoma 2 Room (300 Third 
Avenue West) and will begin at 3:30 p.m. and last until 6:30 p.m.

DEIS Availability and Review

    Copies of the DEIS are available either on CD or hard copy by 
contacting Helen Farr at the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section 
below. In addition, the DEIS has been posted on OCRM's Web site at 
http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/assessments/welcome.html and the 
Washington State Department of Ecology's Web site at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/czm.
    Comments from interested parties on the DEIS are encouraged and may 
be presented orally at the public hearings. Written comments may be 
submitted to OCRM during the public hearings and at the address 
(including e-mail address) in the section entitled FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.
    OCRM encourages all interested parties to provide comments 
concerning the scope and content of the DEIS. Comments should be as 
specific as possible and address the analysis of potential 
alternatives. This commenting procedure is intended to ensure that 
substantive comments and concerns are made available to OCRM in a 
timely

[[Page 12707]]

manner so that OCRM has an opportunity to address them.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS discloses the environmental 
consequences associated with OCRM's review of amendments to the State 
of Washington's federally-approved coastal management program (CMP). 
OCRM's approval of Washington's request to incorporate changes into the 
Washington CMP would allow the State to continue its certification as a 
federally-approved CMP, receive Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) 
funds to implement the revised program, and conduct State and federal 
consistency reviews based on the revised program policy. Incorporation 
of the revised Washington Shoreline Management Act Guidelines (SMA) 
will result in the following changes:
     Revise state guidelines requiring local governments 
located in the designated coastal zone to revise their Shoreline Master 
Programs to be consistent with the standards contained in the new 
Washington SMA;
     Achieve improved water quality, scenic beauty, safer 
development and a number of other new objectives consistent with the 
policies of the SMA;
     Make improvements to the existing shoreline environments 
as part of mitigation and restoration requirements;
     Give designated ``critical'' areas special attention where 
future development may result in negative impacts; and
     Ensure that activities that do not normally require a 
shoreline development permit still help achieve SMA policy goals.
    The purpose and need for OCRM's review of the amendments is 
reviewed in the DEIS. All reasonable and prudent alternatives are being 
considered, including the no-action alternative.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Helen Farr, Environmental Protection 
Specialist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, OCRM/CPD, 
N/ORM3, Station 11209, 1305 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 
or [email protected]. Ms. Farr may be contacted during business hours 
at (301) 713-3155, extension 175 (telephone) and 301-713-4367 (fax).
    The comments period will close on April 14, 2008.

    Dated: March 4, 2008.
David M. Kennedy,
Director, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National 
Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Federal 
Domestic Assistance Catalog 11.419 Coastal Zone, Management Program 
Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-4711 Filed 3-7-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-P