[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 171 (Friday, September 2, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 60676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-21059]


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 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Notice of Public Hearing and Availability of the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Management Plan for the 
Proposed Designation of the He`eia National Estuarine Research Reserve 
in Hawai`i

AGENCY: Office for Coastal Management (OCM), National Ocean Service 
(NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Notice of Public Hearing and Availability of Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Management Plan for the 
proposed designation of the He`eia National Estuarine Research Reserve 
in Hawai`i.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Coastal Zone 
Management Act, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(NOAA), Office for Coastal Management (OCM) is announcing a forty-five 
day public comment period and will hold a public hearing for the 
purpose of receiving comments on the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement and Draft Management Plan (DEIS/DMP) prepared for the 
proposed designation of the He`eia National Estuarine Research Reserve 
in Hawai`i. The DMP addresses research, monitoring, education, and 
stewardship/cultural resource needs for the proposed reserve, and the 
DEIS analyzes alternatives to the proposed action along with their 
potential environmental impacts. The National Estuarine Research 
Reserve System (NERRS) is a federal-state partnership administered by 
NOAA. The system protects more than 1.3 million acres of estuarine 
habitat for long-term research, monitoring, education and stewardship 
throughout the coastal United States. Established by the Coastal Zone 
Management Act of 1972, as amended, each reserve is managed by a lead 
state agency or university, with input from local partners. NOAA 
provides funding and national programmatic guidance.

DATES: NOAA is accepting public comments through 5:00 p.m. (HST), 
October 17, 2016. In addition, NOAA will also accept public comments, 
conveyed orally or through submitted written statements, during a 
public hearing held from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on October 6, 2016, at 
He`eia State Park, 46-465 Kamehameha Highway, K[amacr]ne`ohe, HI 96744. 
NOAA is soliciting the views of interested persons and organizations on 
the adequacy of the DEIS/DMP. All relevant comments received at the 
hearing and during the 45-day public comment period ending 5:00 p.m. 
(HST), October 17, 2016, will be considered in the preparation of the 
Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Final Management Plan 
(FMP).

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by any one of the following 
methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NOS-2016-0114, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields and enter or attach 
your comments.
     Mail: Joelle Gore, Stewardship Division, Office for 
Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, NOAA, 1305 East West 
Highway, N/ORM2, Room 10622 Silver Spring, MD 20910. Instructions: 
Comments sent by any other method, to any other address or individual, 
or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered 
by NOAA. All comments received are a part of the public record and will 
generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov without 
change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, 
etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive 
information submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly 
accessible.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jean Tanimoto, Coastal Management 
Specialist, Policy, Planning, and Communications Division, Office for 
Coastal Management at (808) 725-5253 or via email at 
[email protected].
    Electronic copies of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and 
Draft Management Plan may be found on the OCM Web site at http://coast.noaa.gov/czm/compliance/ or may be obtained upon request from 
coastal.info@noaa.gov">coastal.info@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The requirements of 40 CFR parts 1500-1508 
(Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations to implement the 
National Environmental Policy Act) apply to the preparation of 
Environmental Impact Statements. Specifically, 40 CFR 1506.6 requires 
agencies to provide public notice of the availability of environmental 
documents. Likewise, the NERRS implementing regulations at 15 CFR 
921.13(d) require NOAA to provide notice, in the Federal Register, of 
the DEIS availability and the public hearing. This notice is part of 
NOAA's action to comply with these requirements.

    Dated: August 23, 2016.
John R. King,
Deputy Director, Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2016-21059 Filed 9-1-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-08-P