[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 138 (Friday, July 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 43543]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15428]



[[Page 43543]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Public Scoping Meeting To Solicit Input for a Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Proposed Connecticut National Estuarine 
Research Reserve National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

AGENCY: Office for Coastal Management (OCM), National Ocean Service 
(NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public scoping meeting.

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SUMMARY: NOAA and the State of Connecticut (State) announce a public 
scoping meeting to solicit comments on significant issues related to 
the development of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for 
the proposed Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). 
The public scoping meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. 
Meeting details are provided below.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, from 7 p.m. 
to 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Written comments provided 
electronically must be submitted no later than Tuesday, August 18, 
2020; written comments submitted by mail must be postmarked by Tuesday, 
August 18, 2020.

ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting will be conducted online via 
WebEx and by phone. Online participants should go to the following 
University of Connecticut website to get instructions for participating 
and attend the public scoping meeting: https://uconn-cmr.webex.com/uconn-cmr/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=1200263550. Meeting documents will be 
available on the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental 
Protection's NERR website: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Coastal-Resources/NERR/NERR-Home-Page as well as on the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal: www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NOS-2020-0089. You may also 
participate in the meeting by phone, by using the toll-free number +1 
415-655-0002 and the attendee access code 120 026 3550. =-0(?. zritten 
comments may be submitted by:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NOS-2020-0089, click the ``Comment Now!'' button, 
complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments. 
Written comments must be submitted no later than Tuesday, August 18, 
2020.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Erica Seiden, Stewardship 
Division (N/OCM6), Office for Coastal Management, NOS, NOAA, 1305 East-
West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910; ATTN: CT NERR. Comments 
must be postmarked no later than Tuesday, August 18, 2020.
    Instructions: All comments received are part of the public record 
and will generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NOS-2020-0089 with no changes. All personally 
identifiable information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential 
business information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted 
voluntarily by the commenter will be publicly accessible and maintained 
by NOAA as part of the public record. NOAA will accept anonymous 
comments; on the eRulemaking Portal, enter ``N/A'' in the required 
fields if you wish to remain anonymous. If you would like to provide an 
anonymous comment during the public scoping meeting, type your comment 
into the question box, and state that you would like to remain 
anonymous when your comment is read. Multimedia submissions (i.e., 
audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The 
written comment is considered the official comment and should include 
discussion of all points you wish to make. NOAA will generally not 
consider comments, or comment contents, located outside of the primary 
submission sites or addresses (i.e., those posted on the web, cloud, or 
other file-sharing system). Please note, no public comments will be 
audio or video recorded.
    Closed captioning will be provided for those who attend the public 
meeting online via WebEx: https://uconn-cmr.webex.com/uconn-cmr/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=1200263550.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erica Seiden, Office for Coastal 
Management, National Ocean Service, NOAA, 1305 East West Highway, N/
OCM, Silver Spring, MD 20910; Phone: 240-533-0781; or Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with Section 315 of the 
Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, and its implementing 
regulations (15 CFR part 921), and the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321), NOAA and the State intend to 
prepare a DEIS for the proposed Connecticut NERR. Early in the 
development of the DEIS, NOAA and the State are required to hold a 
scoping meeting to solicit public and government comments on 
significant issues related to this proposed action. (See 15 CFR 
921.13(c).)
    NOAA received the State's nomination of the proposed site on 
January 3, 2019. NOAA evaluated the nomination package and found that 
the proposed site met the NERR System requirements. (See 16 U.S.C. 
1461(b).) NOAA informed the State on September 27, 2019, that it was 
accepting the nomination and that the next step would be to prepare a 
DEIS and Draft Management Plan (DMP). The DEIS will consider the human 
and environmental consequences of designating the State's recommended 
site and alternatives, as well as identify a final boundary. The DMP 
will set a course for operating the Connecticut NERR once approved and 
will include plans for administration, research, education, and 
facilities of the proposed site. (See 15 CFR 921.13.)
    The proposed site consists of the following State-owned properties: 
Lord Cove Wildlife Management Area; Great Island Wildlife Management 
Area; Bluff Point State Park and Coastal Reserve and Natural Area 
Preserve; Haley Farm State Park; and public trust waters including 
portions of Long Island Sound, the lower Thames River, and the lower 
Connecticut River.
    The proposed site resulted from a comprehensive evaluation process 
that sought the views of the public, affected landowners, and other 
interested parties. The State and NOAA held a public meeting on 
November 13, 2018, to solicit comments on the preferred site. (See 83 
FR 54572.) A Federal Register notice was published on June 1, 2020, to 
announce the ``Intent to Prepare a DEIS and DMP for the Proposed CT 
NERR.'' (See 85 FR 33123.) For more detailed information on the site 
selection process and the proposed site, see the Connecticut Department 
of Energy and Environmental Protection's NERR website: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Coastal-Resources/NERR/NERR-Home-Page.

Jeffrey L. Payne,
Director, Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

[FR Doc. 2020-15428 Filed 7-16-20; 8:45 am]
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