Notice2021-18874
Notice of Public Hearings and Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Management Plan for the Proposed Designation of the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 3, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act, as amended (CZMA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management is announcing a 45- day public comment period and will hold public hearings for the purpose of receiving comments on the draft management plan (DMP) and draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the proposed designation of the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve (CT NERR). The DMP addresses research, monitoring, education, and stewardship, as well as cultural resource needs for the proposed CT NERR, and the DEIS analyzes alternatives to the proposed action along with their potential environmental impacts.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 169 (Friday, September 3, 2021)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 169 (Friday, September 3, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49519-49520]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-18874]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Notice of Public Hearings and Availability of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Management Plan for the
Proposed Designation of the Connecticut National Estuarine Research
Reserve
AGENCY: Office for Coastal Management (OCM), National Ocean Service
(NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S.
Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability; public hearings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Coastal Zone
Management Act, as amended (CZMA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management is announcing a 45-
day public comment period and will hold public hearings for the purpose
of receiving comments on the draft management plan (DMP) and draft
environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the proposed designation of
the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve (CT NERR). The DMP
addresses research, monitoring, education, and stewardship, as well as
cultural resource needs for the proposed CT NERR, and the DEIS analyzes
alternatives to the proposed action along with their potential
environmental impacts.
DATES: NOAA is accepting written public comments on the adequacy of the
DMP and DEIS for the proposed designation of the CT NERR through 5 p.m.
(EST), October 18, 2021. In addition, NOAA will accept oral or written
public comments on the adequacy of the DMP and DEIS for the proposed
designation of the CT NERR during public hearings held from 2:30 to 4
p.m. and 7:30 to 9 p.m. (EST) on October 7, 2021, online via WebEx and
by phone. For more information about the public hearings, please visit:
<a href="https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Coastal-Resources/NERR/NERR-Home-Page">https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Coastal-Resources/NERR/NERR-Home-Page</a>. All
relevant comments received at the October 7, 2021, public hearings and
during the 45-day public comment period ending at 5 p.m. (EST), October
18, 2021, will be considered in the preparation of the Final Management
Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed
designation of the CT NERR.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted by any one of the
following methods:
<bullet> Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>
and enter NOAA-NOS-2020-0089 in the search box. Click on the
``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach
your comments. Written comments provided electronically must be
submitted no later than 5 p.m. (EST) October 18, 2021.
<bullet> Mail: Submit written comments to Erica Seiden, Stewardship
Division (N/OCM6), Office for Coastal Management, NOS, NOAA, 1305 East-
West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910; ATTN: CT NERR. Written
comments submitted by mail must be postmarked by October 18, 2021.
The October 7, 2021, public hearings will be conducted online via
WebEx and by phone. Online participants should go to the following
University of Connecticut website to get instructions for participating
in and attending the public hearings: <a href="https://uconnvtc.webex.com/meet/ctnerr">https://uconnvtc.webex.com/meet/ctnerr</a>. Hearing documents will be available on the Connecticut
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's CT NERR website:
<a href="https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Coastal-Resources/NERR/NERR-Home-Page">https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Coastal-Resources/NERR/NERR-Home-Page</a>, as
well as on the Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> (enter
NOAA-NOS-2020-0089 in the search box). You may also participate in the
hearings by phone, by using the toll-free number +1 415-655-0002 and
the attendee access code 120 996 1055.
Instructions: All relevant comments received are part of the public
record and will be posted for public viewing on <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>
with no changes. All personally identifiable information (e.g., name,
address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise
sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the commenter will be
publicly accessible and maintained by NOAA as part of the public
record. NOAA will accept anonymous comments. To submit an anonymous
comment, on the eRulemaking portal, enter ``N/A'' in the required
fields if you wish to remain anonymous. If you would like to provide an
anonymous comment during the public hearings, type your comment into
the question box and (1) direct your message only to the moderator by
selecting that person's name; and (2) state at the top of your comment
that you would like to remain anonymous. Multimedia submissions (e.g.,
audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The
written comment is considered the official comment and should include
discussion of all points you wish to
[[Page 49520]]
make. NOAA will generally not consider comments, or comment contents,
located outside of the primary submission sites or addresses (i.e.,
those posted on the web, cloud, or other file-sharing system). Please
note, the public hearings will not be audio or video recorded.
Closed captioning will be provided for those who attend the public
hearings online via WebEx: <a href="https://uconnvtc.webex.com/meet/ctnerr">https://uconnvtc.webex.com/meet/ctnerr</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erica Seiden, Stewardship Division (N/
OCM6), Office for Coastal Management, NOS, NOAA, 1305 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910; ATTN: CT NERR; phone: (240)
533-0781; or email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4421362d27256a37212d20212a042a2b25256a232b32"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b4d1c6ddd7d59ac7d1ddd0d1daf4dadbd5d59ad3dbc2">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Estuarine Research Reserve
System (NERRS) is a federal-state partnership administered by NOAA. The
NERRS protects more than 1.3 million acres of estuarine habitat for
long-term research, monitoring, education, and stewardship throughout
the coastal United States. Established by the CZMA, as amended (16
U.S.C. 1451 et seq.), each reserve is managed by a lead state agency or
university, with input from local partners. NOAA provides funding and
national programmatic guidance to the NERRS.
NOAA received the State of Connecticut's nomination of the proposed
Connecticut NERR site on January 3, 2019. NOAA evaluated the nomination
package and found that the proposed site met the reserve system
requirements for designation. (See 16 U.S.C. 1461(b).) Accordingly,
NOAA informed the State of Connecticut on September 27, 2019, that it
was accepting the nomination and that the next step would be to prepare
a DEIS and DMP. (See 15 CFR 921.13.)
The National Environmental Policy Act's (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.)
implementing regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) require agencies to
provide public notice of the availability of environmental documents,
including environmental impact statements (40 CFR 1506.6). Similarly,
the CZMA's implementing regulations for the NERRS require NOAA to
provide notice in the Federal Register of the availability of the DEIS
and the associated public hearing(s) (15 CFR 921.13). This notice is
part of NOAA's action to comply with these requirements.
The CT NERR DEIS considers the human and environmental consequences
of designating the nominated site, plus four alternative sites: (1) The
Connecticut River site; (2) the Lower Connecticut River site; (3) the
revised nominated site; and (4) the no action alternative. The DMP sets
a course for operating the proposed CT NERR should it be designated,
and includes plans for administration, research, education, facilities,
and management of the proposed site. (See 15 CFR 921.13.)
For more detailed information on the site selection process and the
proposed site, see the Connecticut Department of Energy and
Environmental Protection's Connecticut National Estuarine Research
Reserve website: <a href="https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Coastal-Resources/NERR/NERR-Home-Page">https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Coastal-Resources/NERR/NERR-Home-Page</a>.
Keelin Kuipers,
Deputy Director, Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2021-18874 Filed 9-2-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-JE-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 3, 2021.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.