[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 201 (Wednesday, October 19, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 63480]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-22689]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XC460]


Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the NMFS 
Saltonstall-Kennedy Research and Development Program

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: NOAA announces the availability of its Final Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) which analyzes the potential 
environmental impacts of the implementation of projects that foster the 
promotion, marketing, research, and development of U.S. Fisheries and 
their associated fishing sectors, as consistent with NOAA's 
Saltonstall-Kennedy Research and Development Program (S-K Program). The 
focus of this action is on activities and projects under the S-K 
Program, which interfaces with numerous programs within NOAA, and it is 
NOAA's intention that this PEIS may also cover those activities and 
projects implemented by other NOAA programs and offices that are 
consistent with the scope of the S-K Program. In preparing the Final 
PEIS, NOAA has considered public comments received on the Draft PEIS, 
which was published in April 2022.

DATES: NOAA will publish a Record of Decision no sooner than 30 days 
after publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Notice 
of Availability for this Final PEIS on the S-K website.

ADDRESSES: The Final PEIS is available at the NOAA website at the 
following link: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/content/saltonstall-kennedy-research-and-development-program.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cliff Cosgrove, Saltonstall-Kennedy 
Program Manager, telephone: (301-427-8736); [email protected]; or 
visit the S-K Program website: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/content/saltonstall-kennedy-research-and-development-program.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final PEIS was developed to identify and 
evaluate the general impacts, issues and concerns related to the 
implementation of the types of projects that are consistent with the 
scope of the S-K Program. The S-K Program funds projects that address 
the needs of fishing communities, optimize economic benefits by 
building and maintaining sustainable fisheries (where the term 
``fisheries'' includes commercial wild capture, recreational fishing, 
cultural and subsistence fishing, and marine aquaculture), and increase 
other opportunities to keep working waterfronts viable. The PEIS will 
be used to support site- and project-specific National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) reviews, as necessary. The PEIS addresses all of the 
priorities and their associated project types that the S-K Program has 
funded since 2010, which cover the range of priorities and project 
types that fall under the S-K Program. The affected environment 
associated with the proposed action includes all marine, estuarine, and 
coastal habitats in the United States and territories. It also includes 
freshwater interior habitats that influence or affect rivers, streams, 
and creeks affecting marine or estuarine waters, or that support 
migratory fish populations. It may also include adjacent or continuous 
habitats in Canada or Mexico that support living coastal and marine 
resources under NOAA trusteeship.
    The Final PEIS considers comments made on the Draft PEIS that 
officially began on May 13, 2022 and ended on June 27, 2022. Based on 
the information provided in the Final PEIS, NOAA has identified the 
continued operation and active management for Promotion, Marketing, 
Research, and Development of the S-K Program as the preferred 
alternative.
    This notice initiates a public review period for the Final PEIS. 
For more information about the S-K Program, please use the link 
provided in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section above.
    Authority: This PEIS was prepared under the authority of, and in 
accordance with, the requirements of NEPA, implementing regulations 
published by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1500-1508), 
other applicable regulations, and NOAA's policies and procedures for 
compliance with those regulations.

    Dated: October 13, 2022.
Daniel A. Namur,
Director of the NMFS Financial Assistance Division, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-22689 Filed 10-18-22; 8:45 am]
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