Notice2022-04076
Determination Regarding Review of Nomination for Hudson Canyon National Marine Sanctuary
Primary source
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Published
February 28, 2022
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
In January 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) requested written comments to facilitate the five-year review of the nomination for Hudson Canyon National Marine Sanctuary (NMS). NOAA requested relevant and new information pertaining to its 11 sanctuary nomination evaluation criteria. In particular, NOAA sought any additional details about the area's natural or cultural resources, emerging threats to these resources, and evolving management efforts or human uses in the proposed area (e.g., wind energy proposals). After reviewing the information gathered through the public process and completing an internal analysis of readily-available and relevant information on the proposed area, NOAA has determined the Hudson Canyon NMS nomination will remain on the inventory until at least February 23, 2027.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 39 (Monday, February 28, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 39 (Monday, February 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11049-11050]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-04076]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Determination Regarding Review of Nomination for Hudson Canyon
National Marine Sanctuary
AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Department of Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In January 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) requested written comments to facilitate the
five-year review of the nomination for Hudson Canyon National Marine
Sanctuary (NMS). NOAA requested relevant and new information pertaining
to its 11 sanctuary nomination evaluation criteria. In particular, NOAA
sought any additional details about the area's natural or cultural
resources, emerging threats to these resources, and evolving management
efforts or human uses in the proposed area (e.g., wind energy
proposals). After reviewing the information gathered through the public
process and completing an internal analysis of readily-available and
relevant information on the proposed area, NOAA has determined the
Hudson Canyon NMS nomination will remain on the inventory until at
least February 23, 2027.
DATES: This determination is applicable on February 23, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Matt Brookhart, Eastern Regional Director, NOAA Sanctuaries
Eastern Region, 1305 East West Highway, N/NMS, Silver Spring, MD 20910,
or at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#df92beababf19dadb0b0b4b7beadab9fb1b0bebef1b8b0a9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5815392c2c761a2a37373330392a2c1836373939763f372e">[email protected]</span></a>, and at <a href="https://nominate.noaa.gov/nominations/">https://nominate.noaa.gov/nominations/</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LeAnn Hogan, Regional Operations
Coordinator, NOAA Sanctuaries Eastern Region, 1305 East-West Highway,
N/NMS, Silver Spring, MD 20910, or at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d498b195babafa9cbbb3b5ba94babbb5b5fab3bba2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c08ca581aeaeee88afa7a1ae80aeafa1a1eea7afb6">[email protected]</span></a>, or at 202-
731-0678.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background Information
In June 2014, NOAA issued a final rule establishing the sanctuary
[[Page 11050]]
nomination process (SNP), which details how communities may submit
nominations to NOAA for consideration of national marine sanctuary
designation (79 FR 33851). NOAA moves successful nominations to an
inventory of areas that could be considered for national marine
sanctuary designation. The final rule establishing the SNP included a
five-year limit on any nomination added to the inventory that NOAA does
not advance for designation.
In November 2019, NOAA issued a notice (84 FR 61546) to clarify
procedures for evaluating and updating a nomination as it approaches
the five-year mark on the inventory of areas that could be considered
for national marine sanctuary designation. The clarified procedure is
intended to ensure the inventory contains nominations that remain
relevant and responsive to the 11 national significance criteria and
management considerations. The 11 criteria can be found at <a href="https://nominate.noaa.gov">https://nominate.noaa.gov</a>. The process to update a nomination that is about to
expire includes the following steps:
1. ONMS notifies the nominating party prior to the five-year mark
of the nominated area's time on the inventory to give the nominator an
opportunity to provide updates on the nominated area's relevance to the
11 sanctuary nomination evaluation criteria.
2. ONMS works with partners and the public to gather information on
the nominated area's relevance to the 11 sanctuary nomination
evaluation criteria.
3. ONMS reviews the information received from the original
nominating party, partners, the public, Indigenous communities, and
other relevant sources to update any information on the 11 criteria,
assess the level of community-based support for the nomination from a
broad range of interests, and determine if that support has increased
or decreased since the time of nomination. Based on this information,
ONMS assesses if the nomination is still accurate and relevant.
4. ONMS produces a report for the ONMS Director that presents an
analysis of the information that has been collected, and recommends
whether to maintain the nomination on the inventory, or remove it once
the five-year mark is reached.
On January 21, 2022, NOAA issued a request for public comments on
the Hudson Canyon NMS nomination (87 FR 3283). NOAA requested relevant
information pertaining to the 11 sanctuary nomination evaluation
criteria for inclusion in the national inventory. Five public comment
letters were submitted during this public comment process. The public
comment letters can be found at <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> (search for docket
number NOAA-NOS-2022-0010). In analyzing these public comment letters,
particular attention was given to new scientific information about the
national significance of natural and cultural resources, increases or
decreases in the threats to resources originally proposed for
protection, and evolving management efforts or human uses in the
proposed area.
NOAA reviewed the information contained in the public comment
letters and has determined that the new information shows that there
are changes to the threats to the resources in Hudson Canyon, Hudson
Canyon remains an area of national significance, the area has special
cultural significance to the Indigenous people of the region, and the
natural resources and ecological qualities continue to contribute to
the biological productivity of the area. Therefore, this notice serves
to inform the public of NOAA's decision to extend the nomination of the
Hudson Canyon NMS on the inventory for another five-year period. With
this action, NOAA is not proposing to designate Hudson Canyon as a
national marine sanctuary.
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. 2022-04076 Filed 2-25-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-NK-P
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