Notice2021-18207
Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Surveying and Mapping Projects in U.S. Waters for Coastal and Marine Data Acquisition, Extension of Public Comment Period
Primary source
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Published
August 24, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS) is extending the public comment period by 90 days for the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for Surveying and Mapping Projects in U.S. Waters for Coastal and Marine Data Acquisition. The end of the public comment period is extended from August 24, 2021 to November 22, 2021.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 161 (Tuesday, August 24, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 161 (Tuesday, August 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47299-47300]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-18207]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Surveying
and Mapping Projects in U.S. Waters for Coastal and Marine Data
Acquisition, Extension of Public Comment Period
AGENCY: National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice; extension of comment period.
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SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
National Ocean Service (NOS) is extending the public comment period by
90 days for the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
(PEIS) for Surveying and Mapping Projects in U.S. Waters for Coastal
and Marine Data Acquisition. The end of the public comment period is
extended from August 24, 2021 to November 22, 2021.
DATES: The public comment period is extended by 90 days to November 22,
2021. Comments must be received by November 22, 2021, as specified
under ADDRESSES. Comments received after this date may not be accepted.
ADDRESSES: The Draft PEIS can be viewed or downloaded from the NOS
website at <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/about/environmental-compliance/surveying-mapping.html">https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/about/environmental-compliance/surveying-mapping.html</a>. Written comments on NOS's Draft PEIS
may be submitted by one of the following methods:
<bullet> Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and enter NOAA-NOS-2021-0055 in the Search box.
Click on the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
<bullet> Mail: Please direct written comments to DOC/NOAA/NOS
Environmental Compliance Coordinator, SSMC4-Station 13612, 1305 East
West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c6a8a9b5a7a7e8a3a586a8a9a7a7e8a1a9b0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8de3e2feececa3e8eecde3e2ececa3eae2fb">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any
other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment
period, may not be considered by NOAA. All comments received are a part
of the public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> 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).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Giannina DiMaio, DOC/NOAA/NOS,
Environmental Compliance Coordinator, SSMC4-Station 13612, 1305 East
West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910; Phone: 240-533-0918; or Email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4826273b2929662d2b0826272929662f273e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="533d3c2032327d3630133d3c32327d343c25">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 25, 2021, NOS published a Notice of
Availability of a Draft PEIS for Surveying and Mapping Projects in U.S.
Waters for Coastal and Marine Data Acquisition. 86 FR 33663 (June 25,
2021). The Draft PEIS was prepared in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), to analyze the
potential environmental impacts associated with NOS's recurring data
collection projects to characterize submerged features (e.g., habitat,
bathymetry, marine debris). The ``action area'' for these projects
encompasses United States (U.S.) rivers, states' offshore waters, the
U.S. territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the U.S. Exclusive Economic
Zone (U.S. EEZ), and coastal and riparian lands. As a part of the
Proposed Action, NOS may use active acoustic equipment such as sub-
bottom profilers, single beam and multibeam echo sounders, side-scan
sonars, and Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers. The Draft PEIS analyzes
NOS data collection projects for a time period of six years. Please
refer to the original Notice of Availability for additional summary
information.
[[Page 47300]]
The original public comment period for the Draft PEIS was scheduled
to close on August 24, 2021. In response to written and verbal requests
from members of the public including representatives of the Alaska
whaling community, NOS is extending the public comment period by 90
days to November 22, 2021. The comment period extension will ensure
adequate time for review of the Draft PEIS by all interested parties
and will accommodate the Alaskan subsistence hunting and fishing
community which is particularly busy during the start of the fall
whaling season from August to October. NOS recognizes that Alaskan
communities have valuable regional expertise in oceanography, marine
mammals and other resources, and the subsistence patterns and needs of
their community.
NOS invites affected government agencies, non-governmental
organizations, tribes and tribal organizations, and interested members
of the public to participate in the Draft PEIS process and provide
comments on the structure, contents, and analysis in the Draft PEIS.
Please visit the project web page for additional information regarding
the program: <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/about/environmental-compliance/surveying-mapping.html">https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/about/environmental-compliance/surveying-mapping.html</a>.
Authority: The preparation of the Draft PEIS was conducted in
accordance with the requirements of NEPA, the Council on Environmental
Quality's Regulations (40 CFR 1500 et seq. (1978)), other applicable
regulations, and NOAA's policies and procedures for compliance with
those regulations. While the CEQ regulations implementing NEPA were
revised as of November 14, 2020 (85 FR 43304, Jul. 16, 2020), NOS
prepared this Draft PEIS using the 1978 CEQ regulations because this
environmental review began on December 19, 2016, when NOS published a
Notice of Intent to conduct scoping and prepare a Draft Programmatic
Environmental Assessment. Written comments must be received on or
before November 22, 2021.
Nicole R. LeBoeuf,
Assistant Administrator, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2021-18207 Filed 8-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-JE-P
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