[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 219 (Tuesday, November 15, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 68441]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24742]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Notice of Availability for Public Comments of the National Sea 
Grant Office

AGENCY: Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce 
(DOC).

ACTION: Notice of availability for public comments.

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SUMMARY: NOAA has prepared a draft programmatic environmental 
assessment (PEA) for NOAA's proposal to fund aquaculture research and 
development projects through existing federal financial assistance 
award programs. We are making the programmatic environmental assessment 
available to the public for review and comment.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before December 18, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: The Draft PEA may be downloaded or viewed at: https://seagrant.noaa.gov/Our-Work/Aquaculture. You are encouraged to use the 
comment form spreadsheet provided on the same website to submit your 
comments. However, comments will also be accepted in word, pdf, or 
email body. Please submit public comments via email to [email protected] with the subject line ``Public Comment on Draft PEA 
Aquaculture Research and Development.'' No business proprietary 
information, copyrighted information, or personally identifiable 
information should be submitted in response to this request. Please be 
aware that comments submitted may be posted on a federal website or 
otherwise released publicly. Clearly indicate which section, page 
number, and line number, if applicable, submitted comments pertain to. 
All comments must be provided in English. Please note that the U.S. 
Government will not pay for response preparation, or for the use of any 
information contained in the response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Rebecca Briggs, Scientific Program 
Manager, National Sea Grant Office (Phone Number: (302) 927-2351) 
(Email:[email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Programmatic Environmental Assessment 
(PEA) serves as a framework to analyze the potential impacts on the 
natural and human environment from aquaculture research and development 
projects funded by federal financial assistance award programs in the 
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) and the National 
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The overall goal of NOAA's aquaculture 
research and development federal financial assistance award programs is 
to provide opportunities to public, private, and tribal entities to 
obtain scientific knowledge that will inform NOAA's regulatory and 
resource management decisions and foster innovative and sustainable 
approaches to aquaculture that will benefit NOAA's trust resources. 
NOAA proposes to further these efforts in domestic marine and 
freshwater aquaculture research and development in accordance with the 
statutory authorities described in this PEA. Existing federal financial 
assistance award programs for aquaculture research and development 
projects that are discussed in this PEA include: The National Sea Grant 
College Program (Sea Grant), the Small Business Innovation Research 
Program (SBIR) and programs administered by the Office of Aquaculture 
(OAQ).
    Projects analyzed as part of this PEA are broadly described as 
falling under one of the following five main research and development 
categories: outreach, education, and planning; data analysis and social 
science research; laboratory and rearing science and research on 
finfish and shellfish; field research and assessments; and, shellfish 
aquaculture restoration. Aquaculture research and development federal 
awards are needed to gain scientific knowledge and develop a trained 
workforce to address critical issues including: supporting a healthy 
coastal economy; addressing the demand for domestic seafood products; 
and enhancing wild stock populations (for commercial purposes). The 
federal financial assistance award programs described provide a unique 
opportunity within NOAA to partner with external researchers and 
institutions, engage in private sector, tribal, and public 
collaborations, and facilitate aquaculture research and development to 
meet these needs. NOAA intends for this PEA to create efficiencies by 
establishing a framework that can be used for ``tiering'' when 
appropriately applied to future aquaculture research and development 
awards. As financial assistance awards are proposed, to the extent 
additional NEPA analysis is required, environmental review will rely on 
the analysis set forth in this PEA.
    This document has been prepared in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the 1978 Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations 
[CFR] 1500-1508), and NOAA policy and procedures (NOAA Administrative 
Order 216-6A (NAO 216-6A and its Companion Manual (CM)).

David Holst,
Chief Financial Officer and Administrative Officer, Office of Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-24742 Filed 11-14-22; 8:45 am]
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