[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 118 (Monday, June 21, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 34975]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-14976]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XX00


Notice of Estuary Habitat Restoration Council's Intent to Revise 
its Estuary Habitat Restoration Strategy; Request for Public Comment

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NOAA, on behalf of the interagency Estuary Habitat Restoration 
Council, is providing notice of the Council's intent to revise the 
''Estuary Habitat Restoration Strategy'' and requesting public comments 
to guide its revision.

DATES: Comments and information must be received by July 21, 2010.

ADDRESSES:  Send comments to Estuary Habitat Restoration Strategy, NOAA 
Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 14730, Silver Spring, 
MD 20910. Electronic comments may be submitted to 
[email protected]. NOAA is not responsible for e-mail 
comments sent to addresses other than the one provided here. Comments 
should be in one of the following formats: Word or Word Perfect. The 
subject line for submission of comments should begin with ``Estuary 
Habitat Restoration Strategy comments from [insert name of agency, 
organization, or individual].'' Comments sent via e-mail, including all 
attachments, must not exceed a 10-megabyte file size.
    All comments received are a part of the public record and may be 
posted to http://era.noaa.gov without change. All Personal Identifying 
Information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by 
the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential 
Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
    A copy of the strategy and other documents related to the proposed 
revision may be obtained by writing to the address specified above, 
telephoning the contact listed below (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT), or visiting http://era.noaa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jenni Wallace, NOAA Fisheries Service, 
Silver Spring, MD, 301-713-0174.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Estuary Restoration Act of 2000, title I 
of Pub. L. 106-457, as amended by Section 5017 of the Water Resources 
Development Act of 2007, Pub. L. 110-114, has four purposes: (1) 
promotion of estuary habitat restoration; (2) development of a national 
strategy for creating and maintaining effective estuary habitat 
restoration partnerships; (3) provision of Federal assistance for 
estuary habitat restoration projects; and (4) development and 
enhancement of monitoring and research capabilities to ensure that 
estuary habitat restoration efforts are based on sound scientific 
understanding and innovative technologies.
    The Estuary Habitat Restoration Council, consisting of 
representatives from Department of the Army, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of Agriculture, 
was established to oversee implementation of the Act.
    The Council was charged with developing an estuary habitat 
restoration strategy designed to ensure a comprehensive approach to 
maximize benefits and foster coordination of Federal and non-Federal 
activities. Elements of the strategy are discussed in section 106(d) of 
the Act.
    In December 2002, the Estuary Habitat Restoration Council published 
the Final Estuary Habitat Restoration Strategy (67 FR 71942). Section 
106(f) of the Act authorizes the Council to periodically review and 
update the estuary habitat restoration strategy. The Council is 
initiating the process for revising the strategy. The intent of this 
notice is to notify the public of the Council's intent to revise the 
strategy and obtain comments to guide that revision. Consistent with 
Section 106(e) of the Estuary Restoration Act, the Council will provide 
additional opportunity for the public to review and comment on a draft 
revised strategy once it is prepared.
    Although the Estuary Restoration Act lists a number of issues that 
must be addressed in the strategy, the Council is interested in 
aligning the strategy with the Ocean Policy task force goals and in 
identifying focus areas for the estuary habitat restoration strategy, 
such as: climate adaptation restoration, socio-economic benefits of 
estuary habitat restoration, and geographic restoration prioritization.
    The Council is not seeking comments on a revised estuary habitat 
restoration strategy at this time. The intent of this notice is to 
solicit ideas that may be incorporated into a revised estuary habitat 
restoration strategy. The Council will use comments obtained in 
response to this notice to guide its development of a draft revised 
strategy. It intends to prepare a draft revised estuary habitat 
restoration strategy in the fall of 2010 and, in accordance with 
Section 106(e) of the Estuary Restoration Act of 2000, make it 
available for public review and comment. After reviewing public 
comments on the draft, the Council intends to draft and release a final 
revised estuary habitat restoration strategy in early 2011.

    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 2905(e)

    Dated: June 15, 2010.
Patricia A. Montanio,
Director, Office of Habitat Conservation, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-14976 Filed 6-18-10; 8:45 am]
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