[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 226 (Monday, November 23, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 74630]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25838]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

15 CFR Part 922

[Docket No. 201118-0306]


Reopening of Public Comment Period for the Regulatory Impact 
Review on the Proposed Expansion of Flower Garden Banks 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: Proposed rule; reopening of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is providing the public with an 
opportunity to comment on NOAA's Regulatory Impact Review (RIR), a 
supporting document to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the 
expansion of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary 
(FGBNMS). While NOAA summarized the RIR in the proposed rule for this 
action, due to an oversight, the RIR was not included as a supporting 
document when the NPRM was published. The comment period for the NPRM 
that was published on May 1, 2020 closed on July 3, 2020. With this 
notice, NOAA will only accept comments on the RIR, and any other 
comments on the proposed expansion will not be considered.

DATES: Send comments on or before December 8, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NOS-2019-0033, by:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NOS-2019-0033, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered by NOAA. Comments received electronically, 
including all attachments, must not exceed a 25-megabyte file size. 
Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word 
or Excel or Adobe PDF file formats only. All comments received are part 
of the public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address), confidential business information, 
or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender 
will be publicly accessible.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George P. Schmahl, Superintendent, 
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 4700 Avenue U, Building 
216, Galveston, Texas, at 409-356-0383, or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On May 1, 2020, NOAA published a notice of proposed rulemaking to 
expand Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (85 FR 25359). The 
purpose of the proposed action is to expand the sanctuary to include 
portions of 14 additional reefs and banks in the northwestern Gulf of 
Mexico, representing a 104 square mile increase in area. The existing 
FGBNMS regulations would be applied to the expanded locations. The 
proposed rule allowed for a 60-day public comment period, which ended 
on July 3, 2020.
    On November 13, 2020, NOAA discovered that, due to an oversight, 
the Regulatory Impact Review (RIR) for the proposed rule was not posted 
for public comment with the rule. The RIR was subsequently posted on 
regulations.gov on November 16, 2020. The RIR, which was prepared by 
BOEM in consultation with NOAA in accordance with Executive Order 
13795--Implementing an America First Offshore Energy Strategy, analyzed 
the impact of the proposed sanctuary expansion on offshore energy 
resources in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The RIR clarifies the 
extent of oil and gas development potential within the proposed 
sanctuary boundaries and supports the assessment that NOAA's proposed 
action would not have a significant negative economic impact on Outer 
Continental Shelf oil and gas development in the Gulf of Mexico.
    To allow the public the opportunity to meaningfully comment on the 
RIR, NOAA is reopening the comment period for 15 days. Any new comments 
should be limited to the RIR's content, and any new comments not 
related to the RIR will not be considered.

John Armor
Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Ocean 
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2020-25838 Filed 11-20-20; 8:45 am]
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