[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 58 (Monday, March 25, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20638-20639]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06232]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Request for Information; Data for Marine Spatial Studies in
Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina
AGENCY: National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Department of Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice; request for information.
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SUMMARY: NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) National Centers for
Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), hereafter NOAA, in partnership with the
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is working to build spatial
planning capacity in the Southeast United States Region (Southeast
U.S.). Through this notice, NOAA is seeking public input to identify
coastal and marine spatial data or other critical information to inform
marine spatial analyses in Virginia, North Carolina, and South
Carolina. The input we receive from the data development workshop
meeting, as well as the responses to the items listed in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document, will be used to
inform potential coastal and ocean development activities in the
Southeast U.S., such as renewable energy development.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to provide input in response to
this notice through April 30, 2024. Late-filed input will be considered
to the extent practicable. Oral input will be accepted during a public
meeting to be held in Beaufort, North Carolina on April 9-10, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to provide input using one of
the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit electronic written public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NOS-2024-0090908 in the Search box.
Click on the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments. All comments received are a part of the public
record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NOAA will accept anonymous
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous).
Oral submission: NOAA will accept oral input at a data
development workshop. The meeting will be held at the NOAA Beaufort
Laboratory in Beaufort, North Carolina on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 from
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern time (ET) and Wednesday, April 10, 2024
from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET. There will be a registration window from
8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET each day before the start of the meeting.
Advanced registration is required for the meeting by completing the
registration form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc5Z5zv0jmM-g5AF-WOAxga6lt0Mc2fmK9aYAvnuwI79EktlQ/viewform?usp=sf_link or by providing an RSVP to Michelle Hobgood at
[email protected]. The registration deadline is Friday, April
5, 2024.
Reports of meeting results will also be published and made
available to the public in the weeks following the meeting. If you are
unable to provide electronic written comments or participate in the
meeting, please contact Michelle Hobgood at [email protected]
or 980-622-7642 for alternative submission methods.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Morris, NOAA NCCOS, at
[email protected] or 252-666-7433.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
NOAA is an agency of the United States Federal Government that
works to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and
resources. NOAA works to make fisheries sustainable and productive,
provide safe seafood to consumers, conserve threatened and endangered
species and other protected resources, and maintain healthy ecosystems.
NOAA has jurisdiction and responsibility for its trust marine resources
in the Southeast U.S. as well as significant interest in supporting the
resilience of coastal and marine-dependent communities and promoting
equity and environmental justice. For these reasons, it is important
for NOAA to invest in research that informs marine spatial studies in
the Southeast U.S. region, including socioeconomic research that
ensures meaningful participation of local communities and supports
equitable processes for planning and siting of new and existing marine
industries and conservation areas.
NOAA has been engaged with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to
support siting and environmental review for offshore wind energy areas
in U.S. Federal waters (https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy) to
ensure protection of trust resources in any offshore development
activities.
II. Purpose of This Request for Information
The purpose of this notice is to promote data development to inform
marine spatial studies in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina,
with an emphasis on data needs for offshore wind energy. In addition to
input received from the public through the electronic and oral
submissions, NOAA aims to inform the public about its coastal and ocean
planning processes and capabilities, discuss the current data available
for each ocean sector (e.g., national security, fisheries, industry,
natural resources, cultural resources),
[[Page 20639]]
and gather ideas for other data sources. NOAA hopes to come out of the
meetings with a strengthened relationship with the public and a list of
best available data and data gaps.
III. Specific Information Requested To Inform Marine Spatial Studies in
Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina
NOAA seeks written public input to inform marine spatial studies in
the Southeast U.S. NOAA is particularly interested in receiving input
concerning the items listed below. Responses to this notice are
voluntary, and respondents need not reply to items listed. When
providing input, please specify if you are providing general feedback
on marine spatial studies and/or if you are responding to one of the
specific item number(s) below:
1. Specific datasets related to ocean sectors, natural resources,
and/or human activities you recommend NOAA use in marine spatial
studies.
2. Major concerns you have related to use of any specific datasets
that may be used in marine spatial studies.
3. Major concerns you have related to gaps in scientific knowledge
or data that could impact marine spatial planning efforts.
4. Specific data or information you recommend NOAA or other
partners collect, if it is not currently available or has not been
previously collected.
5. Ways in which NOAA can better engage and collaborate with the
public and local communities to promote economic, social, and
ecological resilience as well as protect trust resources.
Sean Corson,
Director, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-06232 Filed 3-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-JE-P