[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 11, 2020)] [Notices] [Pages 14187-14188] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2020-04932] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Nomination Process for National Marine Sanctuaries AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This proposed information collection is for national marine sanctuary nominations received pursuant to NOAA regulations that provide that the public may nominate special places of the marine environment through the sanctuary nomination process. DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before May 11, 2020. ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Adrienne Thomas, PRA Officer, NOAA, 151 Patton Avenue, Room 159, Asheville, NC 28801 (or via the internet at [email protected]). All comments received are part of the public record. Comments will generally be posted without change. All Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should be directed to Jessica Kondel, (240) 533-0647, or [email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Abstract This is a request for extension, without change, of a currently approved collection. The National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to designate and protect areas of the marine environment with special national significance due to their conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, scientific, cultural, archeological, educational or esthetic qualities as national marine sanctuaries. Day-to-day management of national marine sanctuaries has been delegated by the Secretary of Commerce to NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, which 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 14 national marine sanctuaries and Papah[amacr]naumoku[amacr]kea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments. The primary objective of the NMSA is to protect marine resources, such as coral reefs, sunken historical vessels or unique habitats. National marine sanctuary regulations provide that the public may nominate special places of the marine environment to become a national marine sanctuary through the sanctuary nomination process (15 CFR part 922). Through this nomination process, NOAA is seeking to give communities an opportunity to identify special marine and Great Lakes areas they believe would benefit from designation as a national marine sanctuary. There is no requirement for who may nominate an area for consideration; however, nominations should demonstrate broad support from a variety of stakeholders and interested parties. Persons wanting to submit nominations for consideration should submit information on the qualifying criteria and management considerations for the site to be nominated. The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries reviews the submissions, which could result in the nomination being added to an inventory of areas that NOAA may consider for sanctuary designation at some point in the future. Sanctuary designation is a separate public process that would be conducted pursuant to the requirements of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, and all other applicable laws. II. Method of Collection Electronic applications submitted via email and paper nominations submitted via regular mail. III. Data OMB Control Number: 0648-0682. [[Page 14188]] Form Number(s): None. Type of Review: Regular submission, extension of a current information collection. Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for- profit organizations; Not-for-profit institutions; State, Local, or Tribal government; Federal government. Estimated Number of Respondents: 5. Estimated Time per Response: 84 hours. Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 591. Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $120. IV. Request for Comments Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter of public record. Sheleen Dumas, Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Commerce Department. [FR Doc. 2020-04932 Filed 3-10-20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-NK-P