[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 7, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38684-38685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-16812]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Notice of Availability of Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Assessments for Field Operations at Thirteen National Marine 
Sanctuaries and Two Marine National Monuments

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

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has 
prepared four draft programmatic environmental assessments for the 
proposed continuation of field operations for each region of sites 
managed by the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. The field 
operations support resource protection, research and education 
objectives as mandated by the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and as 
described in site-specific management plans. In each PEA, NOAA analyzes 
the potential effects on the human environment of two alternatives to 
implement field operations in the subject region. NOAA is soliciting 
public comment on the four regional draft programmatic environmental 
assessments.

DATES: Comments on these draft programmatic environmental assessments 
will be considered if received by September 21, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on these documents, identified by 
NOAA-NOS-2018-XXXX, by any of the following methods:

--Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via the 
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NOS-2018-XXXX, click the ``Comment Now!'' icon, 
complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
--Mail: Helene Scalliet, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 1305 
East West Highway, R/ORM6, 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), confidential business information, 
or

[[Page 38685]]

otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender 
will be publicly accessible. NOAA will accept anonymous comments (enter 
``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Helene Scalliet, Policy and Planning 
Division, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries at 240-533-0648 or via 
email at [email protected]. Copies of the draft programmatic 
environmental assessments can be downloaded or viewed on the internet 
at www.regulations.gov (search for docket #NOAA-NOS-2018-XXXX). Copies 
can also be obtained by contacting the person identified under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) serves as the 
trustee for a network of underwater parks encompassing more than 
600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters. The network 
includes a system of 13 national marine sanctuaries and 
Papah[amacr]naumoku[amacr]kea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments. 
The National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA; 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) is 
the statute governing the National Marine Sanctuary System. The NMSA 
authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to designate as national marine 
sanctuaries areas of the marine environment or Great Lakes with special 
national significance due to their conservation, recreational, 
ecological, historical, scientific, cultural, archeological, 
educational or aesthetic qualities. The primary objective of the NMSA 
is to protect sanctuary resources, which span diverse geographic and 
administrative boundaries. Accordingly, ONMS subscribes to a broad and 
comprehensive management approach to meet the NMSA's primary objective 
of resource protection. Comprehensive sanctuary and monument 
management, described in detail in each site's management plan, serves 
as a framework for addressing long-term protection of a wide range of 
living and non-living marine resources, while allowing multiple uses of 
the site to the extent that they are compatible with the primary goal 
of resource protection. These plans are site-specific documents used by 
all national marine sanctuaries and the monuments for which ONMS has 
management responsibilities. The NMSA requires that ONMS develop and 
periodically review the management plans for each national marine 
sanctuary (Sec. 304(a)(2)(A) and (e)). Since revision of a management 
plan often constitutes a Federal action, ONMS typically analyzes 
changes to the management plan under NEPA. In many cases, this analysis 
does not analyze in-depth consequences of routine field operations, 
such as vessel operations and ongoing research programs. The draft PEAs 
announced through this notice are designed to analyze these routine 
field operations not previously adequately analyzed under the National 
Environmental Policy Act during the management plan review process.
    Within the context of the ONMS management plans, field operations 
are an important component of implementing many of the actions 
necessary to support resource protection, research and education 
activities. The management plans also contain information relevant to 
these draft regional programmatic environmental assessments (PEAs) such 
as background about each sanctuary environment and its resources.

II. NOAA's Proposed Action

    NOAA has prepared four draft PEAs for the proposed continuation of 
field operations described in management plans for each site managed by 
the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. There is a draft PEA for 
each of the following regions: West Coast, Pacific Islands, Northeast/
Great Lakes, and Southeast/Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of the 
underlying field operations analyzed in the draft PEAs is to support 
resource protection, research and education objectives as mandated by 
the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and as described in site-specific 
management plans. Field operations in ONMS-managed sites fall under 10 
categories: vessel operations; vessel maintenance; aircraft operations; 
non-motorized craft operations; SCUBA or snorkel operations; onshore 
field work; deployment of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs)/
remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)/gliders/drifters; deployment of 
remote sensing equipment; deployment of equipment on the seafloor; and 
other sampling activities. The four regional draft PEAs describe in 
detail the field operations taking place at each site in the next five 
years as well as their environmental impacts on the physical, 
biological, socioeconomic, maritime heritage and cultural environment.
    In these documents, NOAA analyzes the potential effects of two 
alternatives to implement the proposed action. NOAA also intends to use 
these four draft PEAs as the basis for compliance under the Marine 
Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, Magnuson-Stevens Act, 
National Historic Preservation Act, and Coastal Zone Management Act. 
NOAA intends to finalize any necessary compliance requirements for 
these statutes prior to finalizing this action.

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

Thomas Culliton,
Acting Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
[FR Doc. 2018-16812 Filed 8-6-18; 8:45 am]
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