Notice2024-19417
Request for Comment; Strategic Priorities for Ocean Exploration and Characterization in the Pacific Islands Within the United States Exclusive Economic Zone and Outer Continental Shelf (Pacific Islands Priorities Report)
Primary source
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Published
August 29, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
On behalf of the Ocean Science and Technology Subcommittee of the Ocean Policy Committee co-chaired by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization (NOMEC) Council and the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Exploration and Characterization (IWG-OEC) request public input from all interested parties on the development of the "Strategic Priorities for Ocean Exploration and Characterization in the Pacific Islands within the United States Exclusive Economic Zone and Outer Continental Shelf" (Pacific Islands Priorities Report). The public input provided in response to this notice will inform the IWG-OEC and federal subject matter experts in identifying strategic priorities and data needs for ocean exploration and characterization in the U.S. Pacific Islands (State of Hawai'i and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Possessions) as they develop the Pacific Islands Priorities Report and ensure that this report is informed by and responsive to all sectors through sustained engagement and effective partnerships.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 168 (Thursday, August 29, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 168 (Thursday, August 29, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70171-70172]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19417]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Request for Comment; Strategic Priorities for Ocean Exploration
and Characterization in the Pacific Islands Within the United States
Exclusive Economic Zone and Outer Continental Shelf (Pacific Islands
Priorities Report)
AGENCY: Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public comment.
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SUMMARY: On behalf of the Ocean Science and Technology Subcommittee of
the Ocean Policy Committee co-chaired by the Office of Science and
Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Council on Environmental Quality
(CEQ), the National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization
(NOMEC) Council and the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Exploration
and Characterization (IWG-OEC) request public input from all interested
parties on the development of the ``Strategic Priorities for Ocean
Exploration and Characterization in the Pacific Islands within the
United States Exclusive Economic Zone and Outer Continental Shelf''
(Pacific Islands Priorities Report). The public input provided in
response to this notice will inform the IWG-OEC and federal subject
matter experts in identifying strategic priorities and data needs for
ocean exploration and characterization in the U.S. Pacific Islands
(State of Hawai'i and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Possessions) as
they develop the Pacific Islands Priorities Report and ensure that this
report is informed by and responsive to all sectors through sustained
engagement and effective partnerships.
DATES: Comments must be received by November 4, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Responses should be submitted via email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4c222321292f623f382d2a2a0c22232d2d622b233a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="046a6b6961672a7770656262446a6b65652a636b72">[email protected]</span></a>.
Instructions: Response to this notice is voluntary. Include
``Public Comment on Pacific Islands Priorities Report'' in the subject
line of the message. All submissions must be in English. Email
attachments will only be accepted in plain text, Microsoft Word, or
Adobe PDF formats. Each individual or institution is requested to
submit only one response.
Responses to this notice may be posted without change on a Federal
website. All personal identifying information (e.g., name, address,
etc.),
[[Page 70172]]
confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will become publicly accessible.
NOAA, therefore, requests that no business proprietary information,
copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information be
submitted in response to this notice. Anonymous comments will be
accepted. Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay for
response preparation or the use of any information contained in the
response.
Documents referenced:
A copy of the previous Strategic Priorities for Ocean Exploration
and Characterization of the United States Exclusive Economic Zone
published in October 2022 may be downloaded or viewed at: <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/NOMEC_OEC_Priorities_Report.pdf">https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/NOMEC_OEC_Priorities_Report.pdf</a>.
A copy of the Report on the Workshop to Identify National Ocean
Exploration Priorities in the Pacific may be downloaded or viewed at:
<a href="https://col.ucar.edu/sites/default/files/2022-09/OceanExploration_PacificPriorities_WorkshopReport_NOV2020.pdf">https://col.ucar.edu/sites/default/files/2022-09/OceanExploration_PacificPriorities_WorkshopReport_NOV2020.pdf</a>.
A copy of the NOMEC National Strategy may be downloaded or viewed
at: <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/NOMECStrategy.pdf">https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/NOMECStrategy.pdf</a>.
A copy of the current NOMEC Implementation Plan may be downloaded
or viewed at: <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/210107-FINALNOMECImplementationPlan-Clean.pdf">https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/210107-FINALNOMECImplementationPlan-Clean.pdf</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: IWG-OEC Co-chairs: Rachel Medley,
NOAA, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1062717378757c3e7d75747c7569507e7f71713e777f66"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="433122202b262f6d2e26272f263a032d2c22226d242c35">[email protected]</span></a>, 301-789-3075; Dr. Amanda Demopoulos, U.S.
Geological Survey, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#620306070f0d120d170e0d1122171105114c050d14"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="600104050d0f100f150c0f1320151307134e070f16">[email protected]</span></a>, 352-264-3490; Mark Mueller,
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2e434f5c4500435b4b42424b5c6e4c414b4300494158"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="660b07140d480b13030a0a0314260409030b48010910">[email protected]</span></a>, 703-787-1089.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NOMEC Council and IWG-OEC issue this
notice on behalf of the Ocean Science and Technology Subcommittee of
the Ocean Policy Committee co-chaired by the OSTP and the CEQ and in
coordination with the Administrator of NOAA. Public input in response
to this notice will inform development of the Pacific Islands
Priorities Report, which aims to expand on the prior national-scale
U.S. interagency Strategic Priorities for Ocean Exploration and
Characterization of the United States Exclusive Economic Zone
(Priorities Report) released in October 2022 (<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/NOMEC_OEC_Priorities_Report.pdf">https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/NOMEC_OEC_Priorities_Report.pdf</a>) along with a non-federal Consortium
for Ocean Leadership Report on the Workshop to Identify National Ocean
Exploration Priorities in the Pacific released in 2020 (<a href="https://col.ucar.edu/sites/default/files/2022-09/OceanExploration_PacificPriorities_WorkshopReport_NOV2020.pdf">https://col.ucar.edu/sites/default/files/2022-09/OceanExploration_PacificPriorities_WorkshopReport_NOV2020.pdf</a>).
Information gathered in the interagency Priorities Report was generated
from public response to a Federal Register notice (87 FR 16169; March
22, 2022) and from federal subject matter experts working across five
thematic groups. The geographic and thematic priorities identified in
the 2022 Priorities Report have directly guided interagency projects
collecting information in identified priority areas including
expeditions in the Aleutian Arc, Blake Plateau, and Hawai'i, and this
new information-gathering effort in the Pacific Islands will do the
same.
The IWG-OEC sees value in re-initiating the ad hoc thematic federal
working groups and seeking public comments to further refine thematic
priorities and data needs specific to the Pacific Islands (State of
Hawai'i and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Possessions) within the
United States Exclusive Economic Zone (U.S. EEZ) and Outer Continental
Shelf (OCS) since there have been changes to relevant federal statutes
and an expansion of federal interests in Western and Central Pacific
Islands and Nations following the compilation and release of the prior
Priorities Report. Additionally, a new federally led regional campaign,
``Beyond the Blue: Illuminating the Pacific,'' was recently launched.
This new prioritization exercise builds upon the prior Priorities
Report and supports the objectives of the Beyond the Blue campaign, the
NOMEC Strategy and other national strategies.
This notice solicits comments from Native Hawaiians, Pacific
Islanders, and stakeholders, including academia, private industry, and
other relevant institutions, to inform the development and finalization
of the Pacific Islands Priorities Report. Specifically, the IWG-OEC is
looking for information addressing the following aspects relevant to
ocean exploration and characterization within the Pacific Islands
(State of Hawai'i and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Possessions).
The IWG-OEC will consider relevant priorities and data needs outside
U.S. waters if the connection and relevance to U.S. federal interests
is explicitly made.
<bullet> Provide a description of high-priority interests,
disciplines, topics, and/or themes in the region.
<bullet> What types of additional data need to be acquired related
to these priorities?
<bullet> What types of data standards, protocols, and best
<bullet> practices are best suited for data collection related to
these priorities?
<bullet> What types of products or analyses need to be produced
related to these priorities?
<bullet> Can you provide information about data sovereignty best
practices and principles that can enhance the incorporation of cultural
and indigenous knowledge?
<bullet> What challenges exist when gathering or accessing data?
Can you propose specific solutions to these challenges?
<bullet> What technologies or methods (e.g., instrumentation or
sensors) exist to address these priorities?
<bullet> What specific technology gaps or limitations need to be
developed or improved to better advance data collection, planning, and
processing techniques?
David Holst,
Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-19417 Filed 8-28-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KA-P
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