[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 177 (Wednesday, September 14, 2022)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 56268-56269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-19877]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

15 CFR Part 922

[Docket No. 220908-0186]
RIN 0648-AV85


Amendments to National Marine Sanctuary Regulations; Delay of 
Effective Date

AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Interim final rule; delay of effective date.

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SUMMARY: On May 13, 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA) published an interim final rule that appeared in 
the Federal Register and that amended the Office of National Marine 
Sanctuaries (ONMS) regulations. That rule was published with a 30-day 
comment period, which ended on June 13, 2022, and a 45-day delayed 
effective date (June 27, 2022). A subsequent notice delaying the 
effective date until September 26, 2022, was published on June 24, 
2022. This action further delays the effective date of the interim 
final rule by an additional 120 days, until January 24, 2023.

DATES: As of September 14, 2022, the effective date for the interim 
final rule published at 87 FR 29606, May 13, 2022, and delayed at 87 FR 
37728, June 24, 2022, is further delayed until January 24, 2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vicki Wedell, NOAA Office of National 
Marine Sanctuaries, (240) 533-0650, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In response to the interim final rule 
published on May 13, 2022 (87 FR 29606), which updated and streamlined 
ONMS regulations, NOAA received eight comments before the end of the 
comment period on June 13, 2022. The submitted comments are posted at 
regulations.gov under docket NOAA-NOS-2011-0120. Based on issues raised 
by some of the public comments, NOAA is preparing technical corrections 
and responses to those comments for the final rule. A subsequent notice 
delaying

[[Page 56269]]

the effective date until September 26, 2022, was published on June 24, 
2022 (87 FR 37228). In this action, NOAA is delaying the effective date 
of the interim final rule by an additional 120 days, to January 24, 
2023. This action does not extend or reopen the comment period for 
NOAA's previous request for comments on the interim final rule.

National Marine Sanctuaries Act

    The National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) authorizes the Secretary 
of Commerce to designate, manage, and protect, as a national marine 
sanctuary, any area of the marine environment that is of special 
national significance due to its conservation, recreational, 
ecological, historical, scientific, cultural, archeological, 
educational, or esthetic qualities (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.). NMSA 
provides the legal basis and serves as the authority under which NOAA 
issues this action.

Nicole R. LeBoeuf,
Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management, 
National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-19877 Filed 9-13-22; 8:45 am]
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