[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 87 (Friday, May 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24593-24594]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09727]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Solicitation for Applications for Advisory Councils Established 
Pursuant to the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and the Northwestern 
Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve 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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that ONMS will solicit applications to 
fill non-governmental seats on its 15 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 16 established advisory councils in the Contact Information for 
Each Site section includes the advisory council established for the 
Proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary. 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 the individual site web pages, or reach out to a 
site as identified in this notice's SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section, 
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 
listed 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. 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 620,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes 
waters from Washington State to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron 
to American Samoa. The network includes a system of 14 national marine 
sanctuaries and Papah[amacr]naumoku[amacr]kea 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://

[[Page 24594]]

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; https://floridakeys.noaa.gov/sac/recruitment.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/management/advisory/recruitment.html.
     Mallows Bay--Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary 
Advisory Council: Mallows Bay--Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary, 
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, 200 Harry S Truman Parkway, Room 460, 
Annapolis, MD 21401; (240) 460-1978; https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/mallows-potomac/involved/recruitment.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; https://thunderbay.noaa.gov/involved/recruitment.html.

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. 2021-09727 Filed 5-6-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-NK-P