[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9872-9873]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03222]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Draft Environmental Assessment for the Funding, Procurement, and 
Operation of NOAA Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems

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

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NOAA's Uncrewed Systems Research Transition Office (UxSRTO) in 
OAR has prepared a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Funding, 
Procurement, and Operation of NOAA Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems 
(UAS). We are making the draft EA available for public review and 
comment.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before March 17, 2023.

ADDRESSES: The Draft EA is available online at https://orta.research.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Draft-PEA-for-NOAA-Small-Unmanned-Aircraft-Systems.pdf. Please submit public comments via 
email to [email protected] with the subject line ``Public Comment on 
Draft EA for UAS.'' Please be aware that comments submitted may be 
posted on a Federal website or otherwise released publicly. Clearly 
indicate the section, page number, and line number, if applicable, to 
which submitted comments pertain. All comments must be provided in 
English. No business proprietary information, copyrighted information, 
or personally identifiable information should be submitted. 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: Bryan Cole, Director, NOAA Uncrewed 
Systems Research Transition Office (email: [email protected] or phone 
number: 831-601-2107).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The UxSRTO is often directly or indirectly 
involved in the funding, procurement, and operation of small UAS during 
the course of its normal office functions. The UxSRTO, and its 
predecessor, the NOAA UAS Program Office in OAR, were formally 
established to provide guidance and expertise in support of NOAA's 
efforts in the testing and development of UAS and to help expand UAS 
research, development, and transitions to operations and 
commercialization. The draft EA evaluates the potential impacts on the 
environment from the types of small UAS platforms and operations 
commonly supported by the UxSRTO across NOAA, in any environment for 
which NOAA has a mission and potential need for UAS resources to help 
meet related mission objectives.
    For purposes of the assessment, the use of the term ``small UAS'' 
follows suit with the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) 
definition of ``small unmanned aircraft'' (14 CFR 107.3), which weigh 
``less than 55 pounds on takeoff, including everything that is on board 
or otherwise attached to the aircraft.'' The geographic scope of the 
action area includes the airspace ranging from just above the surface 
(for launch and recovery), extending upward to an operational altitude 
of approximately 400 ft. above ground level (AGL) for a majority of 
applications, but may also include operational altitudes up to as high 
as 100,000 ft. mean sea level (MSL) for a few others.
    UxSRTO proposes that the support for small UAS operations at NOAA, 
as described in the proposed action, would have no significant impact 
on the environment. The Draft EA has been prepared in accordance with 
the National Environmental Policy Act of

[[Page 9873]]

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 NOAA's procedures for compliance with NEPA as 
specified in the Companion Manual to NOAA Administrative Order 216-6A.

David Holst,
Chief Financial Officer/Administrative Officer, Office of Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2023-03222 Filed 2-14-23; 8:45 am]
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