[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 83 (Wednesday, April 29, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23764-23766]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-09112]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Solicitation for Applications for Advisory Councils Established 
Pursuant to the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and Executive Order

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

ACTION: Notice of solicitation.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that ONMS will solicit applications to 
fill non-governmental seats on its 14 established national marine 
sanctuary advisory councils and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral 
Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council (advisory councils), under the 
National Marine Sanctuaries Act and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands 
Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Executive Order, respectively. Note, the 
list of 15 established advisory councils in the Contact Information for 
Each Site section includes the advisory council established for the 
Proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary and excludes an 
advisory council for the recently designated Mallows Bay-Potomac River 
National Marine Sanctuary since an advisory has not yet been 
established. Vacant seats, including positions (i.e., primary and 
alternate), for each of the advisory councils will be advertised 
differently at each site in accordance with the information provided in 
this notice. This notice contains web page links and contact 
information for each site, as well as additional resources on advisory 
council vacancies and the application process.

DATES: Please visit individual site web pages, or reach out to a site 
as identified in this notice's SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section on 
Contact Information for Each Site, regarding the timing and 
advertisement of vacant seats, including positions (i.e., primary or 
alternate), for each of the advisory councils. Applications will only 
be accepted in response to current, open vacancies and in accordance 
with the deadlines and instructions included on each site's website.

ADDRESSES: Vacancies and applications are specific to each site's 
advisory council. As such, questions about a specific council or 
vacancy, including questions about advisory council applications, 
should be directed to a site. Contact Information for Each Site is 
contained in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on a 
particular advisory council or available seats, please contact the site 
as identified in this notice's SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section on 
Contact Information for Each Site, below. For general inquiries related 
to this notice or ONMS advisory councils established pursuant to the 
National Marine Sanctuaries Act or Executive Order 13178, contact Katie 
Denman, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Policy and Planning 
Division ([email protected]; 240-533-0702).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Section 315 of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) (16 
U.S.C. 1445A) allows the Secretary of Commerce to establish advisory 
councils to advise and make recommendations regarding the designation 
and management of national marine sanctuaries. Executive Order 13178 
similarly established a Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Council pursuant 
to the NMSA for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem 
Reserve. In this Supplementary Information section, NOAA provides 
details regarding the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the role 
of advisory councils, and contact information for each site.

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS)

    ONMS serves as the trustee for a network of underwater parks 
encompassing more than 600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes 
waters from Washington state to the Florida

[[Page 23765]]

Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa. The network includes a 
system of 14 national marine sanctuaries and Papahanaumokuakea and Rose 
Atoll marine national monuments. National marine sanctuaries protect 
our nation's most vital coastal and marine natural and cultural 
resources, and through active research, management, and public 
engagement, sustain healthy environments that are the foundation for 
thriving communities and stable economies.
    One of the many ways ONMS ensures public participation in the 
designation and management of national marine sanctuaries is through 
the formation of advisory councils. Advisory councils are community-
based advisory groups established to provide advice and recommendations 
to ONMS on issues including management, science, service, and 
stewardship; and to serve as liaisons between their constituents in the 
community and the site. Pursuant to Section 315(a) of the National 
Marine Sanctuaries Act, 16 U.S.C. 1445A(a), advisory councils are 
exempt from the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. 
Additional information on ONMS and its advisory councils can be found 
at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov.

Advisory Council Membership

    Under Section 315 of the NMSA, advisory council members may be 
appointed from among: (1) Persons employed by federal or state agencies 
with expertise in management of natural resources; (2) members of 
relevant regional fishery management councils; and (3) representatives 
of local user groups, conservation and other public interest 
organizations, scientific organizations, educational organizations, or 
others interested in the protection and multiple use management of 
sanctuary resources. For the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef 
Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council, Section 5(f) of Executive Order 
13178 (as amended by Executive Order 13196) specifically identifies 
member and representative categories.
    The charter for each advisory council defines the number and type 
of seats and positions on the council; however, as a general matter, 
available seats could include: Conservation, education, research, 
fishing, whale watching, diving and other recreational activities, 
boating and shipping, tourism, harbors and ports, maritime business, 
agriculture, maritime heritage, and citizen-at-large.
    For each of the advisory councils, applicants are chosen based upon 
their particular expertise and experience in relation to the seat for 
which they are applying; community and professional affiliations; views 
regarding the protection and management of marine or Great Lakes 
resources; and possibly the length of residence in the area affected by 
the site. Applicants chosen as members or alternates should expect to 
serve two- or three-year terms, pursuant to the charter of the specific 
national marine sanctuary advisory council or Northwestern Hawaiian 
Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council. More information 
on advisory council membership and processes, and materials related to 
the purpose, policies, and operational requirements for advisory 
councils can be found in the charter for a particular advisory council 
(http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/management/ac/council_charters.html) and 
the National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Implementation Handbook 
(http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/management/ac/acref.html).

Contact Information for Each Site

     Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory 
Council: Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, University of 
California, Santa Barbara, Ocean Science Education Building 514, MC 
6155, Santa Barbara, CA 93106; 805-893-6437; https://channelislands.noaa.gov/sac/council_news.html.
     Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: 
Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, P.O. Box 159, Olema, CA 94950; 
415-464-5260; http://cordellbank.noaa.gov/council/applicants.html.
     Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: 
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, 33 East Quay Road, Key West, FL 
33040; 305-809-4700; http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/sac/apps.html.
     Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Advisory 
Council: Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 4700 Avenue U, 
Building 216, Galveston, TX 77551; 409-621-5151; http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/advisorycouncil/recruitment.html.
     Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: 
Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, 10 Ocean Science Circle, 
Savannah, GA 31411; 912-598-2345; http://graysreef.noaa.gov/management/sac/council_news.html.
     Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory 
Council: Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, 991 Marine 
Drive, The Presidio, San Francisco, CA 94129; 415-561-6622; https://farallones.noaa.gov/manage/sac_recruitment.html.
     Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary 
Advisory Council: Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine 
Sanctuary, NOAA Inouye Regional Center, NOS/ONMS/HIHWNMS, 1845 Wasp 
Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818; 808-879-2818; https://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/council/council_app_accepting.html.
     Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: 
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 
23606; 757-599-3122; https://monitor.noaa.gov/advisory/news.html.
     Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: 
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 99 Pacific Street, Building 
455A, Monterey, CA 93940; 831-647-4201; http://montereybay.noaa.gov/sac/recruit.html.
     National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa Advisory 
Council: National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, Tauese P.F. Sunia 
Ocean Center, P.O. Box 4318, Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799; 684-633-
6500; https://americansamoa.noaa.gov/council/recruitment/.
     Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve 
Advisory Council: NOAA Inouye Regional Center, NOS/ONMS/PMNM, 1845 Wasp 
Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818; 808-725-5800; http://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/new-about/council/apply/.
     Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: 
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, 115 East Railroad Avenue, 
Suite 301, Port Angeles, WA 98362; 360-457-6622; http://olympiccoast.noaa.gov/involved/sac/recruitment.html.
     Proposed Lake Ontario Sanctuary Advisory Council; NOAA 
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 4840 South State Road, Ann 
Arbor, MI 48108; 734-741-2270; https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario/advisory/members.html.
     Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory 
Council: Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, 175 Edward Foster 
Road, Scituate, MA 02066; 781-545-8026; http://stellwagen.noaa.gov/management/sac/recruitment.html.
     Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: 
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 500 West Fletcher Street, 
Alpena, MI 49707; 989-356-8805; http://thunderbay.noaa.gov/management/advisory_council_recruitment.html.

[[Page 23766]]

Paperwork Reduction Act:

    ONMS has a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control 
number (0648-0397) for the collection of public information related to 
the processing of ONMS national marine sanctuary advisory council 
applications across the National Marine Sanctuary System. Soliciting 
applications for sanctuary advisory councils fits within the estimated 
reporting burden under that control number. See https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRASearch (Enter Control Number 0648-0397). 
Therefore, ONMS will not request an update to the reporting burden 
certified for OMB control number 0648-0397
    Send comments regarding this burden estimate, or any other aspect 
of this data collection, including suggestions for reducing the burden, 
to: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 1305 East West Highway, N/
NMS, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.
    Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is 
required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty 
for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the 
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et 
seq., unless that collection of information displays a currently valid 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OMB control 
number is #0648-0397.

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

John Armor,
Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Ocean 
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .
[FR Doc. 2020-09112 Filed 4-28-20; 8:45 am]
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