[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 167 (Wednesday, August 30, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41214-41215]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-18415]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)


Notice of Availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental; 
Assessment for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric, Administration 
National Data Buoy Center

AGENCY: National Weather Service (NWS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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DATES: The Draft PEA is available for public review and comment for 30 
days after posting. It can be accessed at http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/pea/ndbc_draft_pea.pdf.

[[Page 41215]]


ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment on the Draft PEA, please send 
comments via email to Joe Swaykos, NDBC Chief Scientist, at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Swaykos, National Data Buoy 
Center, Bldg 3205, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529; phone (228) 688-
4766; fax (228)688-1364; email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA) National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), a part of the 
National Weather Service (NWS), designs, develops, operates, and 
maintains a network of moored buoys and coastal stations throughout the 
world's oceans, seas, and lakes for the purpose of civil earth marine 
observations. NDBC has prepared a Programmatic Environmental Assessment 
(PEA) to analyze the continued operational activities of its network of 
moored buoys and coastal stations.
    NDBC provides high quality ocean and coastal observations for 
public safety use in direct support of short range and extended range 
NWS forecasts, warnings, and watches. NDBC provides essential real-time 
oceanographic and meteorological observation data to stakeholders in 
key U.S. Economic Sectors, such as, Trade and Retail (i.e., maritime 
transportation) and Commercial sectors (i.e., energy, fishing, and 
agriculture). This valuable data provides users with up to the minute 
decision-making observations needed for safe commercial and marine 
recreation activities.
    NDBC operates a network composed of four formal NOAA Observing 
Systems of Record: (1) Coastal Weather Buoys (CWB); (2) the land-based 
Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN); (3) Tropical Atmosphere Ocean 
Array (TAO) and (4) Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis 
(DART). Currently, NDBC's network consists of 200 buoys and 46 C-MAN 
stations that transmit observations and data (i.e., wind speed and 
direction, barometric pressure, air temperature; sea surface 
temperatures, wave height and period, water currents, and conductivity) 
via satellite that are processed and quality-controlled, and then 
disseminated for public release in near real-time.
    In-situ real-time oceanographic and meteorological observations are 
critical to a wide variety of users such as federal, state, academic, 
and private industry stakeholders. These observations add value to a 
diverse spectrum of civil use applications including severe and routine 
weather forecasting; improved coastal ocean circulation models; 
commercial and recreational marine transportation and fishing; and 
environmental monitoring and research. The societal benefits of ocean 
observations are interconnected at local, regional, national, and 
international scales. The National Plan for Civil Earth Observations 
and the National Strategy for Sustained Network of Coastal Moorings 
identify the Societal Benefit Areas (SBAs) supported by NDBC ocean 
observations. These SBAs include scientific research, economic 
activities, and environmental and social domains. Many involve critical 
government functions, such as the protection of life and property (NSTC 
2014). The nine SBAs that are applicable to NDBC are: Climate; Coastal 
and Marine Hazards and Disasters; Ocean and Coastal Energy and Mineral 
Resources; Human Health; Ocean and Coastal Resources and Ecosystems; 
Marine Transportation; Water Resources; Coastal and Marine Weather; and 
Reference Measurements.
    Ocean observations are an indispensable component to measure and 
monitor our progress towards addressing societal challenges. Among the 
diverse sources of ocean observations, data buoys provide unique and 
invaluable information to support critical government functions, such 
as the protection of life and property. NDBC data are accessed on a 
daily basis, by millions of national and international stakeholders and 
assimilated into a myriad products and services.

    Dated: August 22, 2017.
David Holst,
Acting Chief Financial Officer/CAO, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-18415 Filed 8-29-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-KD-P