[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 174 (Monday, September 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73075-73076]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20196]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID NOAA-NOS-2024-0104]


Request for Information; Data for Marine Spatial Studies in Guam

AGENCY: National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), National 
Ocean Service (NOS), 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 Guam. Through this Request for Information, NOAA 
is seeking public input to identify coastal and marine spatial data or 
other critical information to inform marine spatial analyses in Guam. 
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 Guam, such as renewable 
energy development.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to provide input in response to 
this Request for Information through September 30, 2024. Late-filed 
input will be considered to the extent practicable.
    Verbal input will be accepted during a public meeting to be held in 
Guam on September 12-13, 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-2024-0104 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).
     Verbal submission: NOAA will accept verbal input at a data 
development workshop. The meeting will be held at The Guam Museum on 
Thursday September 12, 2024 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Chamorro Standard 
Time (ChST) and Friday, September 13, 2024 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
(ChST. There will be a registration window from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. 
(ChST) each day before the start of the meeting. Advanced registration 
is required for the meeting by completing the registration form at 
https://forms.gle/rRSUervCfyZXkyeG7 or by providing an RSVP to Jessica 
Carlton at [email protected]. The registration deadline is 
Friday, August 30, 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 Jessica Carlton at [email protected] or 
(919) 219-5960 for alternative submission methods.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Morris ([email protected]), 
(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 marine trust resources 
in the Pacific 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 Pacific region, including socioeconomic research that ensures 
meaningful participation of local communities and supports equitable 
processes for planning and

[[Page 73076]]

siting of new and existing marine industries and conservation areas.
    NOAA has been engaged with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 
(BOEM) 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 Request for Information is to promote data 
development to inform marine spatial studies in Guam, with an emphasis 
on data needs for offshore wind energy. In addition to input received 
from the public through the electronic and verbal 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 and historical resources), 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 
Guam

    Through this Request for Information, NOAA seeks written public 
input to inform marine spatial studies in Guam. NOAA is particularly 
interested in receiving input concerning the items listed below. 
Responses to this Request for Information 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.

    Dated: September 3, 2024.
Sean Corson,
Director, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean 
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-20196 Filed 9-6-24; 8:45 am]
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