[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 120 (Friday, June 25, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33663-33664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-13361]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Notice of Availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement for Surveying and Mapping Projects in U.S. Waters for 
Coastal and Marine Data Acquisition

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft programmatic environmental 
impact statement; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
National Ocean Service (NOS) has prepared a draft programmatic 
environmental impact statement (PEIS) in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), to analyze the 
potential environmental impacts associated with NOS's recurring data 
collection projects to characterize submerged features (e.g., habitat, 
bathymetry, marine debris). The ``action area'' for these projects 
encompasses United States (U.S.) rivers, states' offshore waters, the 
U.S. territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the U.S. Exclusive Economic 
Zone (U.S. EEZ), and coastal and riparian lands. As a part of the 
Proposed Action, NOS may use active acoustic equipment such as sub-
bottom profilers, single beam and multibeam echo sounders, side-scan 
sonars, and Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers. The Draft PEIS analyzes 
NOS data collection projects for a time period of 6 years. Publication 
of this document begins the 60-day public comment period for the Draft 
PEIS.

DATES: Written comments on the Draft PEIS will be accepted on or before 
August 24, 2021.

ADDRESSES: The Draft PEIS can be viewed or downloaded from the NOS 
website at https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/about/environmental-compliance/surveying-mapping.html. You may submit comments on this 
document, identified by NOAA-NOS-2021-0055, by any of the following 
methods:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NOS-2021-0055 in the Search box. 
Click on the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter 
or attach your comments.
     Mail: Please direct written comments to DOC/NOAA/NOS 
Environmental Compliance Coordinator, SSMC4-Station 13612, 1305 East 
West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
     Email: [email protected].
    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. All comments received are a 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, etc.), confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily 
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NOAA will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Giannina DiMaio, DOC/NOAA/NOS, 
Environmental Compliance Coordinator, SSMC4-Station 13612, 1305 East 
West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, [email protected], 240-533-0918.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Proposed Action analyzed in the Draft 
PEIS is to continue NOS's surveying and mapping projects throughout the 
action area. The Draft PEIS has been prepared to: (1) Inform NOS and 
the public on the physical, biological, economic, and social impacts of 
NOS mapping and surveying projects; and (2) assist NOS in deciding how 
to execute its mapping and surveying program over the next 6 years.
    The Draft PEIS assesses the direct, indirect, and cumulative 
environmental impacts of a suite of surveying and mapping data 
collection activities. NOS initially planned to address the 
environmental impacts of the Proposed Action through a Programmatic 
Environmental Assessment (PEA) and published a Notice of Intent to 
prepare a PEA in the Federal Register on December 19, 2016 (81 FR 
91921). However, during preparation of the PEA, NOS determined that NOS 
and the public would be better served through the Environmental Impact 
Statement process due to the geographic scope of the mapping program 
and the complexities of the analysis.
    The purpose of the Proposed Action is to gather accurate and timely 
data on the marine and coastal environment. The need for the Proposed 
Action is to ensure safety at sea, economic well-being, and the 
efficient stewardship of public trust resources. NOS projects would 
include surveys performed from crewed vessels and remotely-operated or 
autonomous vehicles, operated by NOS field crews, contractors, 
grantees, or permit/authorization holders. NOS may use echo sounders 
and other active acoustic equipment and employ other equipment, 
including bottom samplers and conductivity, temperature, and depth 
instruments to collect the needed data. A project could also involve 
supporting activities, such as the use of divers and the installation 
of tide buoys.
    The Draft PEIS evaluates three alternatives:
     Alternative A--No Action: Under Alternative A, NOS would 
continue to operate a variety of equipment and technologies to gather 
accurate and timely data on the nature and condition of the marine and 
coastal environment. This alternative reflects the technology, 
equipment, scope, and methods currently in use by NOS, at the level of 
effort reflecting NOS fiscal year 2019 funding levels. (NOS operations 
were widely disrupted during the 2020 field season due to the COVID-19 
pandemic. Therefore, the PEIS relies on 2019 as the baseline year for 
Alternative A, as it is the most recent example of typical field 
operations that would be enacted if NOS chose to continue historical 
levels of project effort.)
     Alternative B: This alternative consists of Alternative A 
plus the more

[[Page 33664]]

widespread adoption of new techniques and technologies (such as 
remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), microwave water level (MWWL) radar 
sensors, etc.) to more efficiently perform surveying, mapping, charting 
and related data gathering. Specific examples of adaptive methods and 
equipment that NOS programs are likely to adopt under Alternative B in 
the next 6 years include:
    [cir] Greater use of ROVs with echo sounder technologies;
    [cir] Greater use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and 
autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) with echo sounder technologies;
    [cir] Conversion of one or more existing 10-m (33 feet) crewed 
survey boats into ASVs;
    [cir] Greater use of more efficient, wide-beam sonar systems 
(phase-differencing bathymetric systems) for nearshore hydrographic 
surveys;
    [cir] Increased field operations in the National Marine Sanctuary 
system with associated requirements for hydroacoustic charting, 
surveying, mapping and associated activities; and
    [cir] Installation, operation, and maintenance of additional water 
level stations including transitioning to mostly MWWL radar sensors and 
upgraded storm strengthening to make stations more climate resilient.
    Under Alternative B, all of the activities and equipment operation 
described in Alternative A would continue, many at a higher level of 
effort. The nature of these actions would not change, but the overall 
level of activity would be increased.
     Alternative C: Like Alternative B, Alternative C adopts 
new techniques and technologies to encourage greater program 
efficiencies regarding surveying, mapping, charting, and related data 
gathering activities. In addition, Alternative C would consist of NOS 
program implementation with an overall funding increase of 20 percent 
relative to Alternative B. Under Alternative C, all of the activities 
and equipment operation described in Alternative B would continue, many 
at a higher level of effort. The nature of these actions would not 
change, but the overall level of activity would be augmented.
    NOS will initiate consultations under the Endangered Species Act 
(ESA), the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and the National Marine 
Sanctuaries Act following publication of the Draft PEIS. NOS will also 
complete the required analysis and documentation to comply with Section 
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and Section 307 of the 
Coastal Zone Management Act.
    The purpose of this NOA is to invite affected government agencies, 
non-governmental organizations, tribes and tribal organizations, and 
interested members of the public to participate in the Draft PEIS 
process and provide comments on the structure, contents, and analysis 
in the Draft PEIS. The official public review and comment period ends 
on August 24, 2021. Please visit the project web page for additional 
information regarding the program: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/about/environmental-compliance/surveying-mapping.html.

    Authority:  The preparation of the Draft PEIS was conducted in 
accordance with the requirements of NEPA, the Council on 
Environmental Quality's Regulations (40 CFR 1500 et seq. (1978)), 
other applicable regulations, and NOAA's policies and procedures for 
compliance with those regulations. While the CEQ regulations 
implementing NEPA were revised as of September 14, 2020 (85 FR 
43304, Jul. 16, 2020), NOS prepared this Draft PEIS using the 1978 
CEQ regulations because this environmental review began on December 
19, 2016, when NOS published a Notice of Intent to conduct scoping 
and prepare a Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment. Written 
comments must be received on or before August 24, 2021.

Paul M. Scholz,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal 
Zone Management, National Ocean Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-13361 Filed 6-24-21; 8:45 am]
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