[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59717-59718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16028]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Establishing an Advisory Council Pursuant to the National Marine 
Sanctuaries Act and Solicitation for Applications for the Lake Ontario 
National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council

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

ACTION: Notice of solicitation.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NOAA is establishing a national 
marine sanctuary advisory council for the Lake Ontario National Marine 
Sanctuary (LONMS). The new advisory council (council) will replace the 
pre-designation advisory council which was established September 17, 
2019 and which expired upon the designation of LONMS. The council will 
provide advice and recommendations to ONMS regarding the sanctuary 
management plan and will serve as liaisons between the sanctuary and 
constituents and community groups. As a result, ONMS is adding the 
council to the list of established national marine sanctuary advisory 
councils. ONMS solicits applications to fill council seats on an as 
needed basis and is currently seeking applicants for seats on the LONMS 
Advisory Council. This notice contains web page links and contact 
information for LONMS and application materials to apply for the 
council.

DATES: Applications for membership on the LONMS Advisory Council must 
be postmarked or received by September 17, 2024.

ADDRESSES: For further information contact: Ellen Brody, Regional 
Coordinator, Eastern Region, Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary, 
4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48108; 734-276-6387; 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Section 315 of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) (16 
U.S.C. 1445a) authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to establish 
advisory councils to advise and make recommendations regarding the 
designation and management of national marine sanctuaries. ONMS is 
establishing a sanctuary advisory council for the LONMS to serve as a 
liaison with the local community and to provide guidance and advice to 
ONMS regarding the sanctuary management plan. The new advisory council 
will replace the pre-designation advisory council, which was 
established September 17, 2019. The pre-designation sanctuary advisory 
council expired, and the new advisory council took effect, when the 
designation of LONMS became effective on July 22, 2024. The advisory 
council for LONMS was not established on May 24, 2024 when ONMS 
published its annual announcement advertising to fill vacant seats on 
the other 17 sanctuary advisory councils (89 FR 45854). Therefore, ONMS 
is adding the LONMS Advisory Council to the list of sites with open 
council vacancies and announcing that it is soliciting applications to 
fill the seats of the LONMS Advisory Council. Applications are due 
September 17, 2024.
    In the following Supplementary Information section, NOAA provides 
details regarding ONMS, the role of advisory councils, and contact 
information for LONMS.

II. Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS)

    ONMS serves as the trustee for a network of underwater parks 
encompassing more than 625,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes 
waters from Washington state to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron 
to American Samoa. The network includes a system of 16 national marine 
sanctuaries and the Papah[amacr]naumoku[amacr]kea and Rose Atoll marine 
national monuments. National marine sanctuaries protect our nation's 
most vital coastal and marine natural and cultural resources, and 
through active research, management, and public engagement, sustain 
healthy environments that are the foundation for thriving communities 
and stable economies.
    One of the many ways ONMS ensures public participation in the 
designation and management of national marine sanctuaries is through 
the formation of advisory councils. Advisory councils are community-
based groups established to provide advice and recommendations to ONMS 
on issues including management, science, service, and stewardship, as 
well as to serve as liaisons between their constituents in the 
community and the site. Pursuant to Section 315(a) of the NMSA, 
advisory councils are exempt from the requirements of the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act. Additional information on ONMS and its advisory 
councils can be found at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov.

III. Advisory Council Membership

    Under section 315 of the NMSA, advisory council members may be 
appointed from among: (1) Persons employed by federal or state agencies 
with expertise in natural resources management; (2) members of relevant 
regional fishery management councils; and (3) representatives of local 
user groups, conservation and other public interest organizations, 
scientific organizations, educational organizations, or others 
interested in the protection and multiple use management of sanctuary 
resources (16 U.S.C. 1445a(b)).
    The charter for each advisory council defines the number and type 
of seats and positions on the council. The advisory council charter for 
LONMS identifies the following non-governmental voting seat types: 
Citizen-at-Large; Business, Marketing and Economic Development; Divers, 
Dive Clubs and Archaeology; Education (K-12); Higher Education; 
Fishing; History, Heritage and Public Interpretation; Recreation; 
Research, Science and Technology; and Tourism. The council will also 
have non-voting seats for: New York Department of State; New York 
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; United States 
Coast Guard; Port of Oswego Authority; City of Oswego; Oswego County; 
Cayuga County; Jefferson County; Wayne County; and New York Sea Grant. 
Additionally, the council will have two Youth (14-17) non-voting seats.
    Recognizing the cultural significance of this area to federally-
recognized Indigenous Nations and Tribes, NOAA welcomes the 
participation of such interested Nations and Tribes on the council. 
This could involve multiple Nations and Tribes. This process can be 
initiated by contacting the sanctuary superintendent. Participation on 
the council does not take the place of government-to-government 
consultation nor does it serve as the only opportunity for engagement 
between NOAA and federally-recognized Indigenous Nations and Tribes.
    For the LONMS Advisory Council, applicants will be chosen based 
upon their particular expertise and experience in relation to the seat 
for which they are applying; community and professional affiliations; 
views regarding the protection and management of marine or Great Lakes 
resources; and possibly

[[Page 59718]]

(though not required) the length of residence in the area affected by 
the site. Council members and alternates for the LONMS Advisory Council 
serve two or three-year terms, as reflected in the signed charter.
    More information on advisory council membership and processes and 
materials related to the purpose, policies, and operational 
requirements for advisory councils can be found in the charter for each 
specific advisory council (https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/management/ac/council_charters.html) and in the National Marine Sanctuary Advisory 
Council Implementation Handbook (https://nmssanctuaries.blob.core.windows.net/sanctuaries-prod/media/docs/2022-sanctuary-advisory-council-handbook.pdf). For more information about 
the LONMS Advisory Council, including seat descriptions and application 
materials, please visit https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario/advisory/.

Privacy Act Statement

    Authority. The collection of information concerning the 
solicitation for applications for sanctuary advisory councils is 
authorized under the NMSA, 16 U.S.C. 1445a, and Executive Order 13178, 
and in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, (Privacy 
Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a).
    Purposes. The collection of names, contact information, 
professional information, qualifications, and answers to the 
application questions is required in order for ONMS to evaluate and 
appoint members to the sanctuary advisory councils. The information 
collected will be reviewed by NOAA employees, and may also be reviewed 
by current sanctuary advisory council members as part of the evaluation 
process.
    Routine Uses. NOAA will use the application information for the 
purposes set forth above. The Privacy Act authorizes disclosure of the 
collected information for the following purposes: to NOAA staff for 
work-related purposes; for other purposes as set forth in the Privacy 
Act; and for routine uses published in one or more of the following 
Privacy Act System of Records Notices, as applicable: COMMERCE/DEPT-11, 
Candidates for Membership, Members, and Former Members of Department of 
Commerce Advisory Committees, available at https://www.commerce.gov/opog/privacy/SORN/SORN-DEPT-11; COMMERCE/DEPT-18, Employees Personnel 
Files Not Covered by Notices of Other Agencies, available at https://www.commerce.gov/opog/privacy/SORN/SORN-DEPT-18; and OPM/GOVT-1, 
General Personnel Records, available at https://www.opm.gov/information-management/privacy-policy/sorn/opm-sorn-govt-1-general-personnel-records.pdf, which cover certain records regarding Federal 
employees and may also cover records of individuals who are not Federal 
employees who, through their service on a sanctuary advisory council, 
may be considered as volunteers providing gratuitous services to the 
agency without compensation; and, for individuals who are also members 
of a Regional Fishery Management Council, COMMERCE/NOAA-13, Personnel, 
Payroll, Travel, and Attendance Records of the Regional Fishery 
Management Councils.
    Effects of Not Providing Information. Providing the application 
information is voluntary; however, if the information is not provided, 
the individual will not be considered for appointment as a member of a 
sanctuary advisory council.
    Consent. By submitting an application to ONMS for appointment to a 
sanctuary advisory council, you are consenting to the use and 
disclosure of the information for the purposes and routine uses 
described above. However, if you prefer that your application be 
reviewed by NOAA employees only and not disclosed to current council 
members as part of the evaluation process, please contact the sanctuary 
advisory council coordinator to request internal review only, which 
will not result in any disadvantage or impact regarding your candidacy, 
or for any questions regarding this Privacy Act Statement.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    ONMS has a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control 
number (0648-0397) for the collection of public information related to 
the processing of ONMS national marine sanctuary advisory council 
applications across the National Marine Sanctuary System. Establishing 
a sanctuary advisory council for LONMS fits within the estimated 
reporting burden under that control number. See https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRASearch (Enter Control Number 0648-0397). 
Therefore, ONMS will not request an update to the reporting burden 
certified for OMB control number 0648-0397.
    Send comments regarding this burden estimate, or any other aspect 
of this data collection, including suggestions for reducing the burden, 
to: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 1305 East West Highway, N/
NMS, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.
    Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is 
required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty 
for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the 
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et 
seq., unless that collection of information displays a currently valid 
OMB control number. The OMB control number is #0648-0397.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.

John Armor,
Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Ocean 
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-16028 Filed 7-22-24; 8:45 am]
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