[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 114 (Monday, June 15, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 34047-34048]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-14639]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

15 CFR Part 922

[Docket No 150306233-5233-01]
RIN 0648-BE95


Expansion of Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National 
Marine Sanctuaries, and Regulatory Changes; Name Change

AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean 
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Notice of effective date; final rule, technical amendment.

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SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is 
providing notice that the final rule published on March 12, 2015 (80 FR 
13078) became effective on June 9, 2015. NOAA is also changing the name 
of Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary to Greater 
Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

DATES: Effective Date: The regulations published on March 12, 2015 (80 
FR 13078) became effective on June 9, 2015. The technical amendment 
changing the name of Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary 
becomes effective upon publication of this final rule on June 15, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria Brown, Superintendent, Greater 
Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, (415) 561-6622 ext. 301 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine 
Sanctuary (GFNMS) was designated in 1981 and was originally named the 
Point Reyes/Farallon Islands National Marine Sanctuary. The name was 
changed to Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary on January 
27, 1997 (62 FR 3788). In March 2015, NOAA expanded the sanctuary from 
approximately 1,282 square miles (968 square nautical miles) to 
approximately 3,295 square miles (2,488 square nautical miles)(80 FR 
13078).
    This document provides notice that pursuant to Section 304(b) of 
the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 1434(b)), the final 
regulations for GFNMS and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary 
published on March 12, 2015 (80 FR 13078) took effect after 45 days of 
continuous session of Congress beginning on March 12, 2015. Through 
this notice, NOAA is announcing the regulations became effective on 
June 9, 2015. The final rule published on March 12, 2015 postponed for 
6 months the effective date for the discharge requirements in both 
expansion areas with regard to U.S. Coast Guard activities, starting on 
the day when the rest of the final rule became effective. Therefore the 
effective date for the discharge requirements in both expansion areas 
with regard to U.S. Coast Guard activities is December 9, 2015.
    With this expansion, which extends the scope of the sanctuary well 
beyond the Farralon Islands, the existing name ``Gulf of the 
Farallones'' no longer adequately reflects the area's bioregion. The 
need to change the sanctuary's name was raised during the public 
hearings on the GFNMS expansion. Consequently, the GFNMS Sanctuary 
Advisory Council established a subcommittee to explore a potential new 
name for the expanded sanctuary. GFNMS staff, working with a team of 
marketing experts, then developed a list of 30 potential names and 
presented them to the subcommittee, which narrowed the list to three 
names for consideration by the full Advisory Council on November 19, 
2014. On February 25, 2015, the Advisory Council recommended two 
options to the GFNMS Superintendent: (1) Keeping the name ``Gulf of the 
Farallones National Marine Sanctuary'' because the name is familiar and 
still represents one of the core elements of the sanctuary ecosystem; 
and (2) changing the name to the Greater Farallones National Marine 
Sanctuary to better capture the added features of the expanded 
sanctuary. After reviewing both of these recommendations carefully, 
NOAA decided on ``Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary'' to be 
more inclusive and representative of the expanded sanctuary.

Classification

A. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory Impact

    This final rule has been determined to be not significant for 
purposes of the meaning of Executive Order 12866.

B. Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Assistant Administrator of the National Ocean Service (NOS) 
finds good cause pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) to waive the notice and 
comment requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act because this 
amendment is technical in nature, having no substantive impact, and no 
useful purpose would be served by

[[Page 34048]]

providing notice and opportunity for comment under the Administrative 
Procedure Act. Nor is a 30-day delay in effective date required under 5 
U.S.C. 553(d) due to the non-substantive nature of this technical 
amendment. NOAA has decided to make this document effective upon 
publication because public comment and delayed effectiveness are 
unnecessary.

C. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Because notice and opportunity for comment are not required 
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical requirements 
of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are 
inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis is not 
required and has not been prepared.

(Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number 11.429 Marine Sanctuary 
Program)

    Dated: June 9, 2015.
W. Russell Callender,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone 
Management.

    Accordingly, for the reasons discussed in the preamble, the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration amends 15 CFR part 922 
as follows:

PART 922--NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY PROGRAM REGULATIONS

0
1. The authority citation for part 922 continues to read as follows:

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

Subpart H--[Amended]

0
2. Amend Subpart H of Part 922 by removing ``Farallones National Marine 
Sanctuary'' wherever it appears and adding in its place ``Greater 
Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.''


Sec.  922.110  [Amended]

0
3. Amend Sec.  922.110 by removing ``Farallones National Marine 
Sanctuary'' and adding in its place ``Greater Farallones National 
Marine Sanctuary'' and removing ``FNMS'' and adding in its place 
``GFNMS.''


Sec.  922.130  [Amended]

0
4. Amend Sec.  922.130 by removing ``Gulf of the Farallones National 
Marine Sanctuary'' and adding in its place ``Greater Farallones 
National Marine Sanctuary.''

[FR Doc. 2015-14639 Filed 6-12-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-NK-P