Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in Alaska State Waters and Conduct Public Scoping Meetings

United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States National Archives and Records Administration Office of the Federal Register author aut Government Organization text government publication eng FR Regulatory Information 2026_register executive 2026-04-11 article Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in Alaska State Waters and Conduct Public Scoping Meetings Notices D09002ee1e0724771 D09002ee1e0724829 United States Department of Commerce originator org United States Government Agency or Subagency United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration originator org United States Government Agency or Subagency In compliance with Section 7 of the Executive Order, "Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth" (May 7, 2020), NMFS intends to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) to evaluate alternatives for identifying Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in state waters within the Gulf of Alaska. The PEIS will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), NOAA Administrative Order 216-6A, and NOAA's Companion Manual. NMFS is the lead agency for this PEIS and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will act as cooperating agencies. The PEIS will evaluate the potential impacts of identifying one or more AOAs in state waters of the Gulf of Alaska and will discuss the potential impacts of siting aquaculture facilities in those locations. The proposed action is a planning initiative and does not propose any aquaculture facilities or authorize any permits. This notice initiates the public scoping process for the PEIS. 91 FR 18832 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2026-04-13/2026-07063 2026-07063 fr13ap26-28 3510-22-P RTID 0648-XF420 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2026-04-13/2026-07063 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-04-13/html/2026-07063.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-04-13/pdf/2026-07063.pdf 4 p. 18832 18835 91 FR 18832 Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in Alaska State Waters and Conduct Public Scoping Meetings; Federal Register Vol. 91, Issue NOTICE 2026-07063 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2026-05-28 RTID 0648-XF420 3510-22-P 2026-07063 Notice of intent (NOI) to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement; request for comments.

In compliance with Section 7 of the Executive Order, "Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth" (May 7, 2020), NMFS intends to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) to evaluate alternatives for identifying Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in state waters within the Gulf of Alaska. The PEIS will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), NOAA Administrative Order 216-6A, and NOAA's Companion Manual. NMFS is the lead agency for this PEIS and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will act as cooperating agencies. The PEIS will evaluate the potential impacts of identifying one or more AOAs in state waters of the Gulf of Alaska and will discuss the potential impacts of siting aquaculture facilities in those locations. The proposed action is a planning initiative and does not propose any aquaculture facilities or authorize any permits. This notice initiates the public scoping process for the PEIS.

The 45-day public scoping period begins on April 13, 2026, and finishes on May 28, 2026. NMFS will consider all written comments received by May 28, 2026. Alicia Bishop, Alaska Regional Aquaculture Coordinator, telephone: 323-366-5659; or email: alicia.bishop@noaa.gov. Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc. Identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in Alaska State Waters, alicia.bishop@noaa.gov http://www.regulations.gov https://cdn.coastalscience.noaa.gov/page-attachments/MSP/Report-for-Notice-for-Comment-for-Alaska-Draft-Final.pdf https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/72440 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/aquaculture/identifying-aquaculture-opportunity-areas-alaska https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3/2024-08/Alaska-AOA-Spatial-Planning-Workshops-Report.pdf https://www.regulations.gov Federal Register Vol. 91, no. 70 Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration 2026-04-13 continuing daily deposited born digital 298 p. Table of Contents: AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106: KF70.A2 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2026-04-13 P0b002ee1e0704d2d 0097-6326 0042-1219 0364-1406 769-004-00000-9 000582072 f:fr13ap26 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2026-04-13 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-04-13/pdf/FR-2026-04-13.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-04-13/xml/FR-2026-04-13.xml fdlp 18767 19056 DGPO 2026-04-11 2026-04-11 FR-2026-04-13 machine generated eng FR FR-2026-04-13 91 70