[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]


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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.

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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