[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 69 (Wednesday, April 9, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19193-19194]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-7399]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Notice of Proposed Revision to Guidelines for Coastal and 
Estuarine Land Conservation Program

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

ACTION: Request for comments for proposed revision to program 
guidelines.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NOAA is planning to update and 
revise its Guidelines for the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation 
Program (CELCP) after five years implementing the program under these 
guidelines. This notice invites interested parties to provide comments 
or suggestions to NOAA for consideration in updating the CELCP 
guidelines.

DATES: Comments on the CELCP guidelines are requested by June 9, 2008, 
2008 for consideration.

ADDRESSES: Please address comments to Roxanne Thomas, by mail at: 
Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, NOAA, 1305 East-West 
Hwy., N/ORM7, Silver Spring, MD 20910; or by e-mail to 
[email protected], Subject: CELCP Guidelines.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roxanne Thomas or Elaine Vaudreuil, 
NOAA's Ocean Service, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management 
at [email protected], 301-713-3155 ext. 119 or 
[email protected], 301-713-3155 ext. 103.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: The CELCP was established in 
2002 to fund acquisition of land to protect important coastal and 
estuarine areas that have significant conservation, recreation, 
ecological, historical or aesthetic values, or that are threatened by 
conversion from their natural or recreational state to other uses. 
Priority is given to lands that can be effectively managed and 
protected

[[Page 19194]]

and that have significant ecological value. Conservation projects 
should advance the goals, objectives or implementation of federal, 
regional, state or local coastal management plans.
    The CELCP was created by Public Law 107-77 and codified at 16 
U.S.C. 1456d. NOAA issued final guidelines for the program in June 
2003. Since the program's creation, CELCP has administered more than 
150 grants for land conservation projects in 26 out of 34 eligible 
coastal states and territories and has run two national funding 
competitions under the guidelines.
    Based on its experience implementing this program, NOAA plans to 
update the CELCP program guidelines to clarify certain provisions and 
consider other changes. The revisions will not change the CELCP 
process, but will clarify certain provisions and consider other 
improvements. The current Final Guidelines for the CELCP can be found 
on the Internet at http://www.coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/land/media/CELCPfinalo2Guidelines.pdf or can be requested either by phone at 301-
713-3155 ext. 119, or by e-mail to [email protected]. Any 
proposed changes to the CELCP guidelines would be published in the 
Federal Register, with an opportunity for public comment, following 
compliance with any relevant statutes and executive orders.

    Dated: April 2, 2008.
John H. Dunnigan,
Assistant Administrator, Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
 [FR Doc. E8-7399 Filed 4-8-08; 8:45 am]
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