[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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