[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 142 (Tuesday, July 26, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 44364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-15897]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Draft Environmental Assessment for the Installation of a High 
Frequency Radar at Hightower Park in Satellite Beach, Florida

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Availability; Request for Comments.

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SUMMARY: NOAA has prepared a draft environmental assessment (EA) for 
the installation of a high frequency radar at Hightower Park in 
Satellite Beach, Florida. We are making the environmental assessment 
available to the public for review and comment.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before August 25, 2022.

ADDRESSES: The Draft EA is available online at https://ioos.noaa.gov/hightower-beach-park.
    If you wish to comment on the Draft EA, please send comments via 
email to U.S. IOOS Office at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mequela Moreno, U.S. Integrated Ocean 
Observing System (IOOS), Regions Budget & Policy Division, by email 
[email protected], by phone 240-533-9433, or by mail at 1315 East 
West-Highway, SSMC3, 2nd Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NOAA's U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing 
System (IOOS) Program Office has prepared a draft environmental 
assessment of potential impacts for the installation of a high 
frequency radar (HFR) at Hightower Beach Park, in the City of Satellite 
Beach, Florida.
    The HFR would be installed south and shoreward of the parking lot 
at Hightower Beach Park, approximately 100 ft. (30 meters) away. 
Coordinates: Latitude: 28.194372[deg] N; Longitude: 80.594403[deg] W 
(WGS 84 datum).
    The proposed action at Hightower Beach Park HFR installation is 
part of a large, on-going initiative to fill HFR coverage gaps along 
the southeast coastline. HFR systems measure the speed and direction of 
ocean surface currents in near real time. The HFR systems are managed 
by Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA) and 
the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS[supreg]), which is a 
national-regional partnership working to provide new tools and 
forecasts to improve safety, enhance the economy, and protect our 
environment. IOOS was created by the Integrated Coastal and Ocean 
Observation System Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-11), and amended by the 
Coordinated Ocean Observation and Research Act of 2020 (Pub. L. 116-
271, Title I), codified at (33 U.S.C. 3601-3610).
    Surface current mapping is integral to research, supporting 
oceanographic, fisheries, and meteorological forecasting activities. 
Surface current mapping is also vital for U.S. Coast Guard search and 
rescue activities, monitoring and tracking hazardous materials, 
monitoring water quality, including tracking harmful algal blooms, and 
supporting marine navigation.
    IOOS proposes that the installation and operation of the HFR would 
have no significant impact on the environment. The EA has been prepared 
in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and Council on 
Environmental Quality implementing regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-
1508), as well as the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System 
Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-11), as amended by the Coordinated Ocean 
Observation and Research Act of 2020 (Pub. L. 116-271, Title I), 
codified at (33 U.S.C. 3601-3610).

Carl C. Gouldman,
Director, U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System Office, National Ocean 
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-15897 Filed 7-25-22; 8:45 am]
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