[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 135 (Monday, July 15, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 33712-33713]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-14922]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

15 CFR Part 922


Findings on the Active Candidate Status of the Proposed 
Designation of Wisconsin-Lake Michigan National Marine Sanctuary

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

ACTION: Findings on Active Candidate Status.

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SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is 
publishing findings concerning the status of its proposal to designate 
the Wisconsin-Lake Michigan National Marine Sanctuary (WLMNMS) in order 
to fulfill the procedural requirements of the National Marine 
Sanctuaries Act (NMSA).

DATES: The designation deadline was July 9, 2019.

[[Page 33713]]


ADDRESSES: Russ Green, Regional Coordinator, Northeast and Great Lakes 
Region, University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan, One University Drive, 
Sheboygan, WI 53081.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Russ Green, Regional Coordinator, 
Northeast and Great Lakes Region at (920) 459-4425 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA; 
16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) authorizes NOAA (by delegation from the 
Secretary of Commerce) to designate and protect as national marine 
sanctuaries areas of the marine environment that are of special 
national significance due to their conservation, recreational, 
ecological, historical, scientific, cultural, archeological, 
educational, or esthetic qualities. Section 304 of the NMSA establishes 
the sanctuary designation procedures and timelines (16 U.S.C. 1434).
    Section 304(b)(1) of the NMSA reads, ``The Secretary shall issue a 
notice of designation with respect to a proposed national marine 
sanctuary site not later than 30 months after the date a notice 
declaring the site to be an active candidate for sanctuary designation 
is published in the Federal Register under regulations issued under 
this Act, or shall publish not later than such date in the Federal 
Register findings regarding why such notice has not been published.'' 
Although the term is not defined in the Act or regulations, NOAA 
considers a site an active candidate on the day the notice of proposed 
rulemaking for the designation is published in the Federal Register.
    In 2014, the former Governor of the State of Wisconsin and several 
lakeshore communities submitted to NOAA a successful nomination of the 
Wisconsin-Lake Michigan National Marine Sanctuary (WLMNMS). The 1,075 
square mile area of waters and bottomlands located adjacent to 
Manitowoc, Sheboygan, and Ozaukee Counties would protect a collection 
of nationally significant maritime heritage resources. On February 5, 
2015, NOAA added the site to the inventory of nominations that are 
eligible for sanctuary designation. The nomination package and related 
information may be found at https://nominate.noaa.gov/nominations/.
    NOAA began the formal sanctuary designation process on October 7, 
2015 with the publication in the Federal Register of a notice of intent 
to prepare a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) and initiate 
the public process under the National Environmental Policy Act and the 
NMSA (80 FR 60631). On January 9, 2017, WLMNMS became an active 
candidate when notice of the proposed rule and the draft designation 
documents were published in the Federal Register (82 FR 2254). 
Therefore, the deadline for either designating the sanctuary or 
providing a public update as to its status is July 9, 2019. 
Accordingly, NOAA has determined that the sanctuary is still an active 
candidate for sanctuary designation.

    Dated: July 10, 2019.
John Armor,
Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
[FR Doc. 2019-14922 Filed 7-12-19; 8:45 am]
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