Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper-Grouper Fishery off the South Atlantic States; Amendment 22, 46923-46925 [2013-18676]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 149 / Friday, August 2, 2013 / Notices
total for all three vessels would increase
the total number of traps in the fishery
by 240 traps, a negligible number when
compared to the current number of
lobster traps deployed in the fishery.
Modifications to a conventional
lobster trap would include a closed
escape vent, a smaller mesh size, and a
smaller entrance head. All lobsters
retrieved from standard and modified
traps would remain onboard for a short
period of time to allow for sampling,
after which they would be returned to
the water.
Biological information would be
collected on all lobsters, including:
Carapace length; sexual determination;
cull status; and presence of eggs, vnotches, and shell disease. Bycatch
species would also be kept onboard for
enumeration, weight collection, and
measurement.
If approved, the applicant may
request minor modifications and
extensions to the EFP throughout the
year. EFP modifications and extensions
may be granted without further notice if
they are deemed essential to facilitate
completion of the proposed research
and have minimal impacts that do not
change the scope or impact of the
initially approved EFP request. Any
fishing activity conducted outside the
scope of the exempted fishing activity
would be prohibited.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 30, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
filing of the charter with the appropriate
U.S. Senate and House of
Representatives oversight committees,
which ever date is earlier. The NCADAC
is a federal advisory committee under
the Federal Advisory Committee Act
(Pub. L. 92–463).
DATES: The NCADAC Charter is
renewed for a period of time that is
either 90 days after the government’s
Third National Climate Assessment is
released to the public or two years from
the date of the filing of the charter with
the appropriate U.S. Senate and House
of Representatives oversight
committees, which ever date is earlier.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Cynthia J. Decker, Designated Federal
Officer, National Climate Assessment
and Development Advisory Committee,
NOAA, Rm. 11230, R/SAB, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland
20910. (Phone: 301–734–1156, Email:
Cynthia.decker@noaa.gov); or visit the
NOAA NCADAC Web site at https://
www.ncadac.noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
renewal of the charter for this time
period is critical to the success of the
National Climate Assessment.
No amendments were made to the
Charter.
Dated: July 29, 2013.
Jason Donaldson,
Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative
Officer, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2013–18652 Filed 8–1–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–KD–P
[FR Doc. 2013–18656 Filed 8–1–13; 8:45 am]
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Climate Assessment and
Development Advisory Committee
Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research (OAR), National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Charter Renewal.
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
BILLING CODE 3510–KD–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research (OAR), National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Charter Renewal.
RIN 0648–BA53
AGENCY:
AGENCY:
The Department of
Commerce’s Chief Financial Officer and
Assistant Secretary for Administration
has renewed the charter for the National
Climate Assessment and Development
Advisory Committee (NCADAC) for a
period of time that is either 90 days after
the government’s Third National
Climate Assessment is released to the
public or two years from the date of the
Jkt 229001
Dated: _July 29, 2013.
Jason Donaldson,
Chief Financial Officer/Chief Financial
Officer, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
National Climate Assessment and
Development Advisory Committee
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
18:55 Aug 01, 2013
The
renewal of the charter for this time
period is critical to the success of
NOAA.
Only one amendment was made to the
charter.
Under Section 9, Estimated Number
and Frequency of Meetings, language
has been revised to state ‘‘The SAB will
meet approximately three times each
year in person if possible.’’ This reflects
the need for the Board members to
regularly gather together for their
meetings but also allows room for those
meetings to be fewer than three per year
and virtual, if necessary. The SAB will
continue to have ad hoc virtual
meetings in between the in-person
meetings as necessary.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
VerDate Mar<15>2010
The SAB Charter is renewed for
two years from the date of the filing of
the charter with the appropriate U.S.
Senate and House of Representatives
oversight committees.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Cynthia J. Decker, Executive Director
and Designated Federal Officer, NOAA
Science Advisory Board, NOAA, Rm.
11230, R/SAB, 1315 East-West Highway,
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. (Phone:
301–734–1156, Email:
Cynthia.decker@noaa.gov); or visit the
NOAA SAB Web site at https://
www.sab.noaa.gov.
DATES:
[FR Doc. 2013–18653 Filed 8–1–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
SUMMARY:
46923
The Department of
Commerce’s Chief Financial Officer and
Assistant Secretary for Administration
has renewed the charter for the NOAA
Science Advisory Board (SAB) for a
period of two years from the date of the
filing of the charter with the appropriate
U.S. Senate and House of
Representatives oversight committees.
The NOAA SAB is a federal advisory
committee under the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–463).
SUMMARY:
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Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic; SnapperGrouper Fishery off the South Atlantic
States; Amendment 22
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Supplemental Notice of Intent
(NOI) to prepare a draft environmental
impact statement (DEIS); request for
comments.
AGENCY:
NMFS, Southeast Region, in
collaboration with the South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council (Council),
is publishing this supplemental NOI to
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\02AUN1.SGM
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46924
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 149 / Friday, August 2, 2013 / Notices
provide notice to the public of the
broadened scope of Amendment 22 to
the Fishery Management Plan for the
Snapper-Grouper Fishery in the South
Atlantic Region (Amendment 22) and to
solicit public comments on the scope of
issues to be addressed in the DEIS. The
Council modified Amendment 22 to
include all snapper-grouper species
with low annual catch limits (ACLs),
not just red snapper, in a harvest tag
program. The intent of Amendment 22
is to closely control recreational harvest
of snapper-grouper species with low
ACLs.
Written comments on the scope
of issues to be addressed in the DEIS
will be accepted until September 3,
2013.
DATES:
You may submit comments
on this document, identified by
‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2010–0264’’, by any of
the following methods:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA–NMFS–2013–
0264, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Submit written comments to
Kate Michie, Southeast Regional Office,
NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St.
Petersburg, FL 33701.
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 NMFS. All comments
received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted for public
viewing on www.regulations.gov
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. NMFS will
accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/
A’’ in the required fields if you wish to
remain anonymous).
Attachments to electronic comments
will be accepted in Microsoft Word,
Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate
Michie, Southeast Regional Office,
telephone: 727–824–5305, or email:
kate.michie@noaa.gov.
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
ADDRESSES:
management for red snapper, including
trip limits, bag limits, a catch share
program, temporal and spatial closures
including those to protect spawning
stocks, a tag program, and gear
prohibitions. Subsequent to the
publication of the 2011 NOI, the
Council modified the amendment to
remove all species-specific options and
create a harvest tag program that could
be applied to any snapper-grouper
species with small recreational ACLs.
Based on these modifications, NMFS is
publishing this supplemental NOI to
provide notice to the public of the
broadened scope of Amendment 22 and
to solicit public comments on the scope
of issues to be addressed in the DEIS.
In Amendment 22, the Council is
considering actions to establish a
framework for a recreational harvest tag
program that could be applied to any
snapper-grouper species that have low
ACLs, for example snowy grouper,
golden tilefish, and wreckfish. The
Council is also considering
development of a recreational data
collection program that would be linked
to the use of harvest tags.
Background
Recreational Harvest Tag Program
Framework
Under the Council’s purview are
several snapper-grouper species with
very low recreational ACLs, which are
difficult to monitor to prevent the ACLs
from being exceeded and triggering
accountability measures (AMs). AMs
that would reduce the following
season’s ACL, or shorten the length of
the recreational season following an
ACL overage, could have adverse
economic and social impacts on fishery
participants. Additionally, exceeding
recreational ACLs could have negative
biological effects for the affected
species, because the ACLs implemented
are intended to prevent overfishing.
Therefore, the Council is considering
establishing a framework for a
recreational harvest tag program that
could be applied to any snapper-grouper
species with low recreational ACLs. The
intent of such a program is to control
recreational harvest by issuing a specific
number of harvest tags to individuals or
entities that wish to fish for those
snapper-grouper species. Each tag
would allow its holder to harvest a predetermined number of a particular
species. Only tag holders would be
allowed to harvest species included in
the tag program.
An NOI to prepare a DEIS for
Amendment 22 was published on
January 3, 2011 (76 FR 101). The NOI
listed several options the Council could
consider when addressing long-term
Harvest Tag Issuance Criteria
The Council is also considering how
tags should be distributed and what the
process of tag issuance would entail.
Amendment 22 contains several options
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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18:55 Aug 01, 2013
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that could be applied to a tag issuance
process.
Data Collection
In addition to the use of harvest tags,
the Council is considering adding a data
collection component that could be tied
to the tag program. Amendment 22
contains options for voluntary and
required data collection methods that
would apply to tag holders.
NMFS, in collaboration with the
Council, will develop a DEIS to describe
and analyze alternatives to address the
management needs described above.
Those alternatives will include a ‘‘no
action’’ alternative for each action. In
accordance with NOAA’s
Administrative Order 216–6, Section
5.02(c), Scoping Process, NMFS, in
collaboration with the Council, has
identified preliminary environmental
issues as a means to initiate discussion
for scoping purposes only. These
preliminary issues may not represent
the full range of issues that eventually
will be evaluated in the DEIS.
After the DEIS associated with
Amendment 22 is completed, it will be
filed with the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). After filing, the EPA will
publish a notice of availability of the
DEIS for public comment in the Federal
Register. The DEIS will have a 45-day
comment period. This procedure is
pursuant to regulations issued by the
Council on Environmental Quality
(CEQ) for implementing the procedural
provisions of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 40
CFR parts 1500–1508) and to NOAA’s
Administrative Order 216–6 regarding
NOAA’s compliance with NEPA and the
CEQ regulations.
The Council and NMFS will consider
public comments received on the DEIS
in developing the final environmental
impact statement (FEIS), and before
voting to submit the final amendment to
NMFS for Secretarial review, approval,
and implementation. NMFS will
announce in the Federal Register the
availability of the final amendment and
FEIS for public review during the
Secretarial review period, and will
consider all public comments prior to
final agency action to approve,
disapprove, or partially approve the
final amendment.
NMFS will announce, through a
document published in the Federal
Register, all public comment periods on
the final amendment, its proposed
implementing regulations, and the
availability of its associated FEIS. NMFS
will consider all public comments
received during the Secretarial review
period, whether they are on the final
E:\FR\FM\02AUN1.SGM
02AUN1
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 149 / Friday, August 2, 2013 / Notices
amendment, the proposed regulations,
or the FEIS, prior to final agency action.
Public Hearings, Times, and Locations
The Council will hold public hearings
to discuss the actions included in
Amendment 22. Exact dates, times, and
locations will be announced by the
Council. The public will be informed,
via a notification in the Federal
Register, of the exact times, dates, and
locations of future scoping meetings and
public hearings for Amendment 22.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 29, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–18676 Filed 8–1–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–BD07
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic; SnapperGrouper Fishery off the South Atlantic
States; Regulatory Amendment 14
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice announcing the
preparation of an environmental
assessment (EA).
AGENCY:
NMFS, in cooperation with
the South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council (Council), is preparing an EA in
accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for
Regulatory Amendment 14 to the
Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the
Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South
Atlantic Region (Regulatory
Amendment 14). This notice is intended
to inform the public of the change from
the preparation of a draft environmental
impact statement (EIS) to an EA for
Regulatory Amendment 14.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nikhil Mehta, Southeast Regional
Office, telephone: 727–824–5305, or
email: nikhil.mehta@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April
17, 2013, NMFS and the Council
published a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the
Federal Register (78 FR 22846), to
prepare a draft EIS for Regulatory
Amendment 14. Regulatory Amendment
14 was being developed to address
management measures to modify the
fishing year for greater amberjack; revise
the minimum size limit measurement
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SUMMARY:
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18:55 Aug 01, 2013
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for gray triggerfish; increase the
minimum size limit for hogfish; adjust
the commercial fishing season for
vermilion snapper; modify the aggregate
grouper bag limit; and revise the
accountability measures (AMs) for gag
and vermilion snapper. Regulatory
Amendment 14 was also being
developed to modify the commercial
and recreational fishing years for black
sea bass, and the alternatives considered
could have resulted in black sea bass
pots being fished during large whale
migration and the right whale calving
season.
Subsequent to the publication of the
NOI, the Council modified the
amendment by removing actions
regarding gray triggerfish, hogfish, and
grouper aggregate recreational bag
limits, due to on-going and anticipated
stock assessments for these species.
Furthermore, on May 13, 2013, the
Council approved Regulatory
Amendment 19 to the FMP. In this
amendment, the Council approved an
action to implement a seasonal closure
(November 1 through April 30) for the
commercial black sea bass pot
component of the snapper-grouper
fishery. The seasonal closure would
address potential gear interactions with
large whale migration and right whales
during calving season. If NMFS decides
to publish a final rule to implement
Regulatory Amendment 19, that final
rule would likely become effective in
2013. It is anticipated that rulemaking to
implement Regulatory Amendment 14
would occur in 2014, and therefore,
alternatives in Regulatory Amendment
14 that would modify the commercial
fishing year for black sea bass would no
longer be a concern for protected
species.
Actions in the EA for Regulatory
Amendment 14 would now modify the
commercial and recreational fishing
year for greater amberjack; modify the
commercial and recreational fishing
years for black sea bass; change the
commercial fishing season for vermilion
snapper; modify trip limits for gag; and
revise the recreational AMs for black sea
bass and vermilion snapper. These
actions would ensure fishing
opportunities are extended during
optimal times of the year, while
ensuring that overfishing does not
occur, in accordance with the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act.
Consequently, NMFS and the Council
are initially preparing an EA rather than
proceeding with the development of a
draft EIS. If the EA results in a Finding
of No Significant Impact (FONSI), the
EA and FONSI will be the final
environmental documents required by
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46925
NEPA. If the EA reveals that significant
environmental impacts may be
reasonably expected to result from the
proposed actions, NMFS and the
Council will develop a draft EIS to
further evaluate those impacts.
The Council will hold public hearings
to discuss the actions included in
Regulatory Amendment 14. Exact dates,
times, and locations will be announced
by the Council. The public will be
informed, via a notification in the
Federal Register, of the exact times,
dates, and locations of future public
hearings for Regulatory Amendment 14.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 29, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–18673 Filed 8–1–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XC790
Western Pacific Fishery Management
Council; Public Meetings
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meetings.
AGENCY:
This notice advises the public
that the Western Pacific Fishery
Management Council (Council) will
convene meetings of the Northern
Mariana Islands Regional Ecosystem
Advisory Committee (REAC) in Saipan,
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands.
DATES: The REAC meeting will be held
Thursday, August 22, 2013. For the
specific dates, times, and agendas for
the meetings see SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
SUMMARY:
The meetings of the CNMI
REAC will be held at the Multipurpose
Center, Susupe, CNMI.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director;
telephone: (808)522–8220.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ADDRESSES:
Schedule and Agenda for CNMI REAC
Meeting
9 a.m.–3 p.m. Thursday, August 22,
2013
1. Welcome and Introduction
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 149 (Friday, August 2, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46923-46925]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-18676]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-BA53
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Snapper-Grouper Fishery off the South Atlantic States; Amendment 22
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Supplemental Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a draft
environmental impact statement (DEIS); request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS, Southeast Region, in collaboration with the South
Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council), is publishing this
supplemental NOI to
[[Page 46924]]
provide notice to the public of the broadened scope of Amendment 22 to
the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery in the
South Atlantic Region (Amendment 22) and to solicit public comments on
the scope of issues to be addressed in the DEIS. The Council modified
Amendment 22 to include all snapper-grouper species with low annual
catch limits (ACLs), not just red snapper, in a harvest tag program.
The intent of Amendment 22 is to closely control recreational harvest
of snapper-grouper species with low ACLs.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the
DEIS will be accepted until September 3, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
``NOAA-NMFS-2010-0264'', by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013-0264, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Kate Michie, Southeast
Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
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 NMFS. All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
www.regulations.gov 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. NMFS will accept anonymous
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous).
Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft
Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate Michie, Southeast Regional
Office, telephone: 727-824-5305, or email: kate.michie@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
An NOI to prepare a DEIS for Amendment 22 was published on January
3, 2011 (76 FR 101). The NOI listed several options the Council could
consider when addressing long-term management for red snapper,
including trip limits, bag limits, a catch share program, temporal and
spatial closures including those to protect spawning stocks, a tag
program, and gear prohibitions. Subsequent to the publication of the
2011 NOI, the Council modified the amendment to remove all species-
specific options and create a harvest tag program that could be applied
to any snapper-grouper species with small recreational ACLs. Based on
these modifications, NMFS is publishing this supplemental NOI to
provide notice to the public of the broadened scope of Amendment 22 and
to solicit public comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in
the DEIS.
In Amendment 22, the Council is considering actions to establish a
framework for a recreational harvest tag program that could be applied
to any snapper-grouper species that have low ACLs, for example snowy
grouper, golden tilefish, and wreckfish. The Council is also
considering development of a recreational data collection program that
would be linked to the use of harvest tags.
Recreational Harvest Tag Program Framework
Under the Council's purview are several snapper-grouper species
with very low recreational ACLs, which are difficult to monitor to
prevent the ACLs from being exceeded and triggering accountability
measures (AMs). AMs that would reduce the following season's ACL, or
shorten the length of the recreational season following an ACL overage,
could have adverse economic and social impacts on fishery participants.
Additionally, exceeding recreational ACLs could have negative
biological effects for the affected species, because the ACLs
implemented are intended to prevent overfishing.
Therefore, the Council is considering establishing a framework for
a recreational harvest tag program that could be applied to any
snapper-grouper species with low recreational ACLs. The intent of such
a program is to control recreational harvest by issuing a specific
number of harvest tags to individuals or entities that wish to fish for
those snapper-grouper species. Each tag would allow its holder to
harvest a pre-determined number of a particular species. Only tag
holders would be allowed to harvest species included in the tag
program.
Harvest Tag Issuance Criteria
The Council is also considering how tags should be distributed and
what the process of tag issuance would entail. Amendment 22 contains
several options that could be applied to a tag issuance process.
Data Collection
In addition to the use of harvest tags, the Council is considering
adding a data collection component that could be tied to the tag
program. Amendment 22 contains options for voluntary and required data
collection methods that would apply to tag holders.
NMFS, in collaboration with the Council, will develop a DEIS to
describe and analyze alternatives to address the management needs
described above. Those alternatives will include a ``no action''
alternative for each action. In accordance with NOAA's Administrative
Order 216-6, Section 5.02(c), Scoping Process, NMFS, in collaboration
with the Council, has identified preliminary environmental issues as a
means to initiate discussion for scoping purposes only. These
preliminary issues may not represent the full range of issues that
eventually will be evaluated in the DEIS.
After the DEIS associated with Amendment 22 is completed, it will
be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). After filing,
the EPA will publish a notice of availability of the DEIS for public
comment in the Federal Register. The DEIS will have a 45-day comment
period. This procedure is pursuant to regulations issued by the Council
on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for implementing the procedural
provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 40 CFR parts
1500-1508) and to NOAA's Administrative Order 216-6 regarding NOAA's
compliance with NEPA and the CEQ regulations.
The Council and NMFS will consider public comments received on the
DEIS in developing the final environmental impact statement (FEIS), and
before voting to submit the final amendment to NMFS for Secretarial
review, approval, and implementation. NMFS will announce in the Federal
Register the availability of the final amendment and FEIS for public
review during the Secretarial review period, and will consider all
public comments prior to final agency action to approve, disapprove, or
partially approve the final amendment.
NMFS will announce, through a document published in the Federal
Register, all public comment periods on the final amendment, its
proposed implementing regulations, and the availability of its
associated FEIS. NMFS will consider all public comments received during
the Secretarial review period, whether they are on the final
[[Page 46925]]
amendment, the proposed regulations, or the FEIS, prior to final agency
action.
Public Hearings, Times, and Locations
The Council will hold public hearings to discuss the actions
included in Amendment 22. Exact dates, times, and locations will be
announced by the Council. The public will be informed, via a
notification in the Federal Register, of the exact times, dates, and
locations of future scoping meetings and public hearings for Amendment
22.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 29, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-18676 Filed 8-1-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
