Notice2023-09827
Notice of Availability of a Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Funding Aquaculture Research and Development Projects and Finding of No Significant Impact
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
May 9, 2023
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) is issuing this notice to inform the public of the availability of the final programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) to fund aquaculture research and development projects and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 89 (Tuesday, May 9, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 9, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 29891]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09827]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Notice of Availability of a Final Programmatic Environmental
Assessment for Funding Aquaculture Research and Development Projects
and Finding of No Significant Impact
AGENCY: Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce
(DOC).
ACTION: Notice of availability of a final programmatic environmental
assessment for funding aquaculture research and development projects
and finding of no significant impact.
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SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) is issuing this notice to inform
the public of the availability of the final programmatic environmental
assessment (PEA) to fund aquaculture research and development projects
and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).
ADDRESSES: The Final PEA and FONSI may be viewed or downloaded from the
NOAA Sea Grant NEPA and Environmental Compliance web page: <a href="https://seagrant.noaa.gov/NEPA">https://seagrant.noaa.gov/NEPA</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca Briggs, Scientific Program
Manager, National Sea Grant Office (Phone Number: (302) 927-2351)
(Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#10627572757373713e726279777763507e7f71713e777f66"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="40322522252323216e223229272733002e2f21216e272f36">[email protected]</span></a>).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In preparing the Final PEA, OAR has
considered 18 public comments received on the Draft PEA, which was
published in the Federal Register (87 FR 68441) for a 30-day comment
period, from November 15, 2022 to December 15, 2022.
The Proposed Action analyzed in the Final PEA is to issue Federal
financial assistance awards through existing programs within the OAR
(Sea Grant, SBIR) and NMFS Office of Aquaculture (OAQ) for aquaculture
research and development projects involving farmed and wild populations
of aquatic organisms in permitted aquaculture facilities and sites,
research laboratories, the Great Lakes and associated freshwater areas,
and ocean and coastal environments within the Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZ) of the United States and its territories.
The Final PEA incorporates, where appropriate, agency and public
comments received on the Draft PEA, which was available for public
review from November 15, 2022, to December 15, 2022. During the public
comment period of the Draft PEA, NOAA received 18 comments. NOAA
responses to the public comments are provided in appendix A of the
Final PEA. All recommended changes incorporated as a result of comments
received were to provide further clarification.
The analysis in the Final PEA and FONSI concludes that none of the
project types of the Proposed Action alternative have the potential for
significant impacts. The Final PEA assesses the direct, indirect, and
cumulative environmental impacts of issuing Federal financial
assistance awards for aquaculture research and development projects
that fall within the five project types: Outreach, Education, and
Planning; Data Analysis and Social Science Research; Laboratory and
Rearing Science and Research on Finfish and Shellfish; Field Research
and Assessments; and Shellfish Aquaculture Restoration. However, the
Final PEA does not predict the impacts of specific projects. Each
financial award proposal would be evaluated using this Final PEA on a
project-specific basis to determine if it falls within its scope of
analysis and impacts. If a project does not fall within the scope of
this Final PEA, a separate NEPA review will be conducted.
This document has been prepared in compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the 1978 Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations
[CFR] 1500-1508), and NOAA policy and procedures (NOAA Administrative
Order 216-6A (NAO 216-6A) and its Companion Manual (CM)).
David Holst,
Chief Financial Officer/Administrative Officer, Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2023-09827 Filed 5-8-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KD-P
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