Northeast Ocean Plan for National Ocean Council Certification, 72622-72624 [2016-25372]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 203 / Thursday, October 20, 2016 / Notices
POSTAL SERVICE
www.prc.gov, Docket Nos. MC2017–5,
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Product Change—Priority Mail Express
and Priority Mail Negotiated Service
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Stanley F. Mires,
Attorney, Federal Compliance.
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Mail Express & Priority Mail Contract 37
to Competitive Product List. Documents
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Stanley F. Mires,
Attorney, Federal Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2016–25357 Filed 10–19–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710–12–P
POSTAL SERVICE
Product Change—Priority Mail
Negotiated Service Agreement
AGENCY:
ACTION:
Postal ServiceTM.
Notice.
SUMMARY:
The Postal Service gives
notice of filing a request with the Postal
Regulatory Commission to add a
domestic shipping services contract to
the list of Negotiated Service
Agreements in the Mail Classification
Schedule’s Competitive Products List.
DATES:
Effective date: October 20, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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[FR Doc. 2016–25358 Filed 10–19–16; 8:45 am]
The
United States Postal Service® hereby
gives notice that, pursuant to 39 U.S.C.
3642 and 3632(b)(3), on October 14,
2016, it filed with the Postal Regulatory
Commission a Request of the United
States Postal Service to Add Priority
Mail Contract 248 to Competitive
Product List. Documents are available at
VerDate Sep<11>2014
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OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Northeast Ocean Plan for National
Ocean Council Certification
AGENCY:
National Ocean Council, Office
of Science and Technology Policy;
Council on Environmental Quality;
Department of Agriculture; Department
of Commerce; Department of Defense;
Department of Energy; Environmental
Protection Agency; Department of
Homeland Security; Department of the
Interior; Department of Transportation;
and Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY:
The National Ocean Council
notifies the public that the Northeast
Ocean Plan was approved for submittal
to the National Ocean Council by the
Northeast Regional Planning Body and
submitted to the National Ocean
Council for certification on October 14,
2016, as required by Executive Order
13547. The National Ocean Council will
certify, or not certify, the Northeast
Ocean Plan as consistent with the
National Ocean Policy, Final
Recommendations of the Interagency
Ocean Policy Task Force, and the
Marine Planning Handbook no sooner
than 30 days from the publication of
this Notice. The Northeast Ocean Plan
can be found on the National Ocean
Council’s Web site at: https://
www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/
microsites/ostp/NortheastOceanPlan_
October2016.pdf.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Deerin S. Babb-Brott, Director, National
Ocean Council, 202–456–4444.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
National Ocean Policy
Executive Order 13547, Stewardship
of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great
Lakes, signed July 19, 2010, established
the National Ocean Policy to protect,
maintain, and restore the health and
biodiversity of the ocean, coastal, and
Great Lakes ecosystems and resources;
enhance the sustainability of the ocean
and coastal economies and provide for
adaptive management; increase our
scientific understanding and awareness
of changing environmental conditions;
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and support preservation of navigational
rights and freedoms, in accordance with
customary international law, which are
essential for conservation of marine
resources, sustaining the global
economy and promoting national
security. The National Ocean Policy
encourages a comprehensive,
ecosystem-based, and transparent ocean
planning process for analyzing current
and anticipated uses of ocean and
coastal areas and resources. This
includes the voluntary development of
regional marine plans by
intergovernmental regional planning
bodies such as the Northeast Regional
Planning Board (NERPB). These regional
plans build on existing Federal, State,
and Tribal planning and decisionmaking processes to enable a more
comprehensive and proactive approach
to managing marine resources,
sustaining coastal uses and improving
the conservation of the ocean, our
coasts, and the Great Lakes.
Northeast Regional Planning Body
The NERPB includes six States
(Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and
Vermont) and six federally recognized
Indian Tribes (Aroostook Band of
Micmacs, Houlton Band of Maliseet
Indians, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal
Council, Mohegan Indian Tribe of
Connecticut, Narragansett Indian Tribe
of Rhode Island, and Wampanoag Tribe
of Gay Head [Aquinnah]). Ten Federal
Agencies serve on the NERPB:
Department of Agriculture represented
by the Natural Resource Conservation
Service; Department of Commerce
represented by the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration;
Department of Defense represented by
the U.S. Navy; Department of Energy;
Department of Homeland Security
represented by the U.S. Coast Guard;
Department of the Interior represented
by the Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management in coordination with Fish
and Wildlife Service, National Park
Service, and U.S. Geological Survey;
Department of Transportation
represented by the Maritime
Administration; Environmental
Protection Agency; Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff represented by the
U.S. Navy; and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers in an ex officio status. The
New England Fishery Management
Council also serves on the NERPB. The
NERPB is not a regulatory body and has
no independent legal authority to
regulate or direct Federal, State, or
Tribal entities, nor does the Northeast
Ocean Plan (NE Ocean Plan or Plan)
augment or subtract from any agency’s
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 203 / Thursday, October 20, 2016 / Notices
existing statutory or regulatory
authorities.
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National Ocean Council
Executive Order 13547 established the
National Ocean Council (NOC) to direct
implementation of the National Ocean
Policy. The NOC is comprised of: The
Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce,
Defense, Energy, Health and Human
Services, Homeland Security, Interior,
Labor, State, and Transportation; the
Attorney General; the Administrators of
the Environmental Protection Agency,
the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, and National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration; the
Directors of the Office of Management
and Budget, National Intelligence, the
Office of Science and Technology Policy
(OSTP), and National Science
Foundation; the Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff; the Chairs of the Council
on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and
the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission; the Assistants to the
President for National Security Affairs,
Homeland Security and
Counterterrorism, Domestic Policy,
Energy and Climate Change, and
Economic Policy; and an employee of
the Federal Government designated by
the Vice President. The Chair of CEQ
and the Director of OSTP co-chair the
NOC.
NOC Certification of Regional Marine
Plans
Executive Order 13547 adopts the
Final Recommendations of the
Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force
(Final Recommendations). The Final
Recommendations set forth the process
for the NOC to review and certify each
regional marine plan to ensure it is
consistent with the National Ocean
Policy and includes the essential
elements described in the Final
Recommendations as further
characterized by the NOC’s subsequent
Marine Planning Handbook (Handbook;
2013). Consistent with the Final
Recommendations and the Handbook,
the NOC will determine whether to
certify, or not certify, the Northeast
Ocean Plan no sooner than 30 days from
the publication of this Notice. Pursuant
to Executive Order 13547, if the NOC
certifies the NE Ocean Plan, Federal
Agencies shall comply with the Plan in
the conduct of their missions and
programs to the fullest extent consistent
with applicable law.
II. The Northeast Ocean Plan
The NE Ocean Plan is a
comprehensive, ecosystem-based, and
proactive approach to managing uses
and resources in the marine
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environment of the Northeast United
States. The Plan is intended to
strengthen interagency coordination,
enhance public participation, and
improve planning and policy
implementation. The Plan has three
main goals: (1) Healthy ocean and
coastal ecosystems; (2) effective
decision-making; and (3) compatibility
among past, current, and future ocean
uses. The Plan also describes best
practices for coordination among
Federal Agencies, Tribes, States,
stakeholders, and the public.
The NE Ocean Plan is informed by
extensive stakeholder data and input.
Throughout the planning process,
stakeholders were involved in
developing data products for human
activities (such as shipping, fishing,
recreation, energy, and aquaculture) and
marine life and habitat (through review
of the methods, analyses, and draft
products for spatial data characterizing
species and their habitat). These data
products reside on the Northeast Ocean
Data Portal (Data Portal or Portal). The
NERPB developed the Portal, in
collaboration with an associated
working group, to serve as a userfriendly source of maps, data, and tools
that can serve as one source of
information to inform ocean planning
from the Gulf of Maine to Long Island
Sound. A range of government entities,
non-government organizations, and
stakeholders in the Northeast region are
already using the Portal. It is available
to the public online at
www.northeastoceandata.org.
As described in a Notice by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, published in the
Federal Register on May 25, (2016 81
FR 33213), the NERPB previously
released a draft NE Ocean Plan for a
sixty-day public comment period. The
NERPB prepared a summary and
response to the comments received from
the public and stakeholders that can be
found at
www.NOAA.oceanplanning.org.
III. Implementation of the NE Ocean
Plan
The Federal members of the NERPB
administer a wide range of statutes and
programs that involve or affect the
marine environment in the Northeast
regional ocean planning area. These
Federal departments and agencies carry
out actions under Federal laws
involving a wide range of regulatory
responsibilities and non-regulatory
missions and management activities
throughout the Nation’s waterways and
the ocean. Activities of Federal NERPB
members include managing and
developing marine transportation
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infrastructure, national security and
homeland defense activities; regulating
ocean discharges; siting energy
facilities; permitting sand removal and
beach re-nourishment; managing
national parks, national wildlife refuges,
and national marine sanctuaries;
regulating commercial and recreational
fishing; and managing activities
affecting threatened and endangered
species and migratory birds.
The specific manner and mechanism
each Federal agency will use to
implement the NE Ocean Plan will
depend on that agency’s mission,
authorities, and activities. If the NOC
certifies that the NE Ocean Plan is
consistent with the National Ocean
Policy, the Final Recommendations, and
the Handbook, each Federal NERPB
member will use the NE Ocean Plan to
inform and guide its planning activities
and decision-making actions, including
permitting, authorizing, and leasing
decisions that involve or affect the
Northeast regional ocean planning area.
Specifically, consistent and within
existing statutory authorities, Executive
Order 13547 and the Final
Recommendations, the Federal Agencies
represented on the NERPB, and their
relevant components, expressly
including the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers in its ex officio status for
responsibilities beyond those in Title
10, U.S. Code, will: (1) Identify,
develop, and make publicly available
implementing instructions, such as
internal agency guidance, directives, or
similar organizational or administrative
documents, that describe the way the
agency will use the Plan to inform and
guide its actions and decisions in or
affecting the Northeast regional ocean
planning area; (2) ensure that the
agency, through such internal
administrative instructions, will
consider the data products available
from the Data Portal in its decision
making and as it carries out its actions
in or affecting the Northeast regional
ocean planning area; and (3) explain its
use of the Plan and Data Portal in its
decisions, activities, or planning
processes that involve or affect the
Northeast regional ocean planning area.
IV. Conclusion
The National Ocean Policy provides a
path for Federal Agencies, States and
Tribes to work collaboratively and
proactively to manage the many existing
and future uses of the Nation’s oceans,
coasts and Great Lakes. If the NOC
certifies the plan, NERPB members
intend to use the NE Ocean Plan to align
their priorities and share data and
technical information to minimize
conflicts among uses, take actions to
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 203 / Thursday, October 20, 2016 / Notices
promote the productivity of marine
resources, sustain healthy ecosystems,
and promote the prosperity and security
of the Nation’s ocean and coastal
communities and their economies for
the benefit of present and future
generations. The NOC will review the
NE Ocean Plan for consistency with the
National Ocean Policy, Final
Recommendations of the Interagency
Ocean Policy Task Force, and the
Marine Planning Handbook and make
its determination no sooner than 30
days from the publication of this Notice.
Authority: Executive Order 13547,
‘‘Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts and
the Great Lakes’’ (July 19, 2010).
Ted Wackler,
Deputy Chief of Staff and Assistant Director.
[FR Doc. 2016–25372 Filed 10–19–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3270–F7–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–79103; File No. SRBatsBZX–2016–60]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; Bats
BZX Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing of
a Proposed Rule Change to Bats BZX
Rule 14.13, Company Listing Fees, and
to the Bats BZX Fee Schedule;
Suspension of and Order Instituting
Proceedings To Determine Whether To
Approve or Disapprove the Proposed
Rule Change
October 14, 2016.
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
‘‘Act’’),1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2
notice is hereby given that on
September 29, 2016, Bats BZX
Exchange, Inc. (the ‘‘Exchange’’ or
‘‘BZX’’) filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (‘‘Commission’’)
the proposed rule change as described
in Items I and II below, which Items
have been prepared by the Exchange.
The Commission is publishing this
notice to solicit comments on the
proposed rule change from interested
persons and is, pursuant to Section
19(b)(3)(C) of the Act, hereby: (1)
Temporarily suspending the proposed
rule change; and (2) instituting
proceedings to determine whether to
approve or disapprove the proposal.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange filed a proposal to
amend the fees applicable to securities
1 15
2 17
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
CFR 240.19b–4.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:40 Oct 19, 2016
Jkt 241001
listed on the Exchange, which are set
forth in BZX Rule 14.13 as well as to
amend the fee schedule applicable to
Members 3 and non-Members of the
Exchange pursuant to Exchange Rules
15.1(a) and (c). Changes to the
Exchange’s fees pursuant to this
proposal are effective upon filing.
The text of the proposed rule change
is available at the Exchange’s Web site
at www.batstrading.com, at the
principal office of the Exchange, and at
the Commission’s Public Reference
Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission, the
Exchange included statements
concerning the purpose of and basis for
the proposed rule change and discussed
any comments it received on the
proposed rule change. The text of these
statements may be examined at the
places specified in Item IV below. The
Exchange has prepared summaries, set
forth in Sections A, B, and C below, of
the most significant parts of such
statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
1. Purpose
On August 30, 2011, the Exchange
received approval of rules applicable to
the qualification, listing, and delisting
of companies on the Exchange,4 which
it modified on February 8, 2012 in order
to adopt pricing for the listing of
exchange traded products (‘‘ETPs’’) 5 on
the Exchange,6 which it subsequently
modified again on June 4, 2014.7 On
October 16, 2014, the Exchange
modified Rule 14.13, entitled ‘‘Company
Listing Fees’’ to eliminate the annual
fees for ETPs not participating in the
Exchange’s Competitive Liquidity
Provider Program pursuant to Rule 11.8,
Interpretation and Policy .02 (the ‘‘CLP
3 A Member is defined as ‘‘any registered broker
or dealer that has been admitted to membership in
the Exchange.’’ See Exchange Rule 1.5(n).
4 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 65225
(August 30, 2011), 76 FR 55148 (September 6, 2011)
(SR–BATS–2011–018).
5 As defined in BZX Rule 11.8(e)(1)(A), the term
‘‘ETP’’ means any security listed pursuant to
Exchange Rule 14.11.
6 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 66422
(February 17, 2012), 77 FR 11179 (February 24,
2012) (SR–BATS–2012–010).
7 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 72377
(June 12, 2014), 79 FR 34822 (June 18, 2014) (SR–
BATS–2014–024).
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Program’’).8 On May 22, 2015, the
Exchange further modified Rule 14.13 to
eliminate the $5,000 application fee for
ETPs, effectively eliminating any
compulsory fees for both new ETP
issues and transfer listings in ETPs on
the Exchange.9 On October 1, 2015, the
Exchange started offering an incentive
payment to ETPs listed on the Exchange
based on the consolidated average daily
volume (‘‘CADV’’) of the ETP (the
‘‘Issuer Incentive Program’’) 10 and
subsequently made an administrative
change to the Issuer Incentive Program
that required an issuer to enroll in order
to receive payment.11 The Exchange is
now proposing to amend the Issuer
Incentive Program such that series of
Portfolio Depository Receipts, Index
Fund Shares, Trust Issued Receipts, and
Managed Fund Shares (‘‘Funds’’) listed
on the Exchange will no longer be
eligible to receive payments under the
Issuer Incentive Program. The Exchange
is also proposing that the LMM 12 in a
Fund 13 would receive a payment from
the Exchange based on the CADV of the
Fund, as described below (the ‘‘LMM
Partnership Program’’).
Specifically, the Exchange is
proposing that the Exchange would
provide payments to the LMM in a Fund
on a quarterly basis as follows: 14
CADV range
1,000,000–3,000,000 shares ......
3,000,001–5,000,000 shares ......
5,000,001–10,000,000 shares ....
10,000,001–20,000,000 shares ..
Annualized
payment
$3,000
10,000
50,000
100,000
8 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 73414
(October 23, 2014), 79 FR 64434 (October 29, 2014)
(SR–BATS–2014–050).
9 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 75085
(June 1, 2015), 80 FR 32190 (June 5, 2015) (SR–
BATS–2015–39).
10 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 76113
(October 8, 2015), 80 FR 62142 (October 15, 2015)
(SR–BATS–2015–80) (the ‘‘Issuer Incentive Program
Filing’’).
11 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 77960
(June 1, 2016), 81 FR 36632 (June 7, 2016) (SR–
BatsBZX–2016–20).
12 As defined in Rule 11.8(e)(1)(B), the term LMM
means a Market Maker registered with the Exchange
for a particular LMM Security that has committed
to maintain Minimum Performance Standards in
the LMM Security.
13 As noted above, the term ‘‘Fund’’ includes
Portfolio Depository Receipts, Index Fund Shares,
Trust Issued Receipts, and Managed Fund Shares,
which are defined in Rule 14.11(b), 14.11(c),
14.11(f), and 14.11(i), respectively, which the
Exchange may propose to expand in the future as
it adds products which may be listed on the
Exchange. Any such expansion would require the
Exchange to file a proposal with the Commission
under Rule 19b–4 of the Act.
14 The Exchange notes that the CADV standards
and proposed payments applicable to the LMM
Partnership Program are identical to the standards
and payments currently applicable under the Issuer
Incentive Program.
E:\FR\FM\20OCN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 203 (Thursday, October 20, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72622-72624]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-25372]
=======================================================================
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OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Northeast Ocean Plan for National Ocean Council Certification
AGENCY: National Ocean Council, Office of Science and Technology
Policy; Council on Environmental Quality; Department of Agriculture;
Department of Commerce; Department of Defense; Department of Energy;
Environmental Protection Agency; Department of Homeland Security;
Department of the Interior; Department of Transportation; and Chairman,
Joint Chiefs of Staff.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Ocean Council notifies the public that the
Northeast Ocean Plan was approved for submittal to the National Ocean
Council by the Northeast Regional Planning Body and submitted to the
National Ocean Council for certification on October 14, 2016, as
required by Executive Order 13547. The National Ocean Council will
certify, or not certify, the Northeast Ocean Plan as consistent with
the National Ocean Policy, Final Recommendations of the Interagency
Ocean Policy Task Force, and the Marine Planning Handbook no sooner
than 30 days from the publication of this Notice. The Northeast Ocean
Plan can be found on the National Ocean Council's Web site at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/NortheastOceanPlan_October2016.pdf.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deerin S. Babb-Brott, Director,
National Ocean Council, 202-456-4444.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
National Ocean Policy
Executive Order 13547, Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and
the Great Lakes, signed July 19, 2010, established the National Ocean
Policy to protect, maintain, and restore the health and biodiversity of
the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems and resources; enhance
the sustainability of the ocean and coastal economies and provide for
adaptive management; increase our scientific understanding and
awareness of changing environmental conditions; and support
preservation of navigational rights and freedoms, in accordance with
customary international law, which are essential for conservation of
marine resources, sustaining the global economy and promoting national
security. The National Ocean Policy encourages a comprehensive,
ecosystem-based, and transparent ocean planning process for analyzing
current and anticipated uses of ocean and coastal areas and resources.
This includes the voluntary development of regional marine plans by
intergovernmental regional planning bodies such as the Northeast
Regional Planning Board (NERPB). These regional plans build on existing
Federal, State, and Tribal planning and decision-making processes to
enable a more comprehensive and proactive approach to managing marine
resources, sustaining coastal uses and improving the conservation of
the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes.
Northeast Regional Planning Body
The NERPB includes six States (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) and six federally recognized
Indian Tribes (Aroostook Band of Micmacs, Houlton Band of Maliseet
Indians, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council, Mohegan Indian Tribe of
Connecticut, Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island, and Wampanoag
Tribe of Gay Head [Aquinnah]). Ten Federal Agencies serve on the NERPB:
Department of Agriculture represented by the Natural Resource
Conservation Service; Department of Commerce represented by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Department of Defense
represented by the U.S. Navy; Department of Energy; Department of
Homeland Security represented by the U.S. Coast Guard; Department of
the Interior represented by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in
coordination with Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and
U.S. Geological Survey; Department of Transportation represented by the
Maritime Administration; Environmental Protection Agency; Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff represented by the U.S. Navy; and the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers in an ex officio status. The New England
Fishery Management Council also serves on the NERPB. The NERPB is not a
regulatory body and has no independent legal authority to regulate or
direct Federal, State, or Tribal entities, nor does the Northeast Ocean
Plan (NE Ocean Plan or Plan) augment or subtract from any agency's
[[Page 72623]]
existing statutory or regulatory authorities.
National Ocean Council
Executive Order 13547 established the National Ocean Council (NOC)
to direct implementation of the National Ocean Policy. The NOC is
comprised of: The Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense,
Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Labor,
State, and Transportation; the Attorney General; the Administrators of
the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
the Directors of the Office of Management and Budget, National
Intelligence, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and
National Science Foundation; the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;
the Chairs of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; the Assistants to the President
for National Security Affairs, Homeland Security and Counterterrorism,
Domestic Policy, Energy and Climate Change, and Economic Policy; and an
employee of the Federal Government designated by the Vice President.
The Chair of CEQ and the Director of OSTP co-chair the NOC.
NOC Certification of Regional Marine Plans
Executive Order 13547 adopts the Final Recommendations of the
Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force (Final Recommendations). The Final
Recommendations set forth the process for the NOC to review and certify
each regional marine plan to ensure it is consistent with the National
Ocean Policy and includes the essential elements described in the Final
Recommendations as further characterized by the NOC's subsequent Marine
Planning Handbook (Handbook; 2013). Consistent with the Final
Recommendations and the Handbook, the NOC will determine whether to
certify, or not certify, the Northeast Ocean Plan no sooner than 30
days from the publication of this Notice. Pursuant to Executive Order
13547, if the NOC certifies the NE Ocean Plan, Federal Agencies shall
comply with the Plan in the conduct of their missions and programs to
the fullest extent consistent with applicable law.
II. The Northeast Ocean Plan
The NE Ocean Plan is a comprehensive, ecosystem-based, and
proactive approach to managing uses and resources in the marine
environment of the Northeast United States. The Plan is intended to
strengthen interagency coordination, enhance public participation, and
improve planning and policy implementation. The Plan has three main
goals: (1) Healthy ocean and coastal ecosystems; (2) effective
decision-making; and (3) compatibility among past, current, and future
ocean uses. The Plan also describes best practices for coordination
among Federal Agencies, Tribes, States, stakeholders, and the public.
The NE Ocean Plan is informed by extensive stakeholder data and
input. Throughout the planning process, stakeholders were involved in
developing data products for human activities (such as shipping,
fishing, recreation, energy, and aquaculture) and marine life and
habitat (through review of the methods, analyses, and draft products
for spatial data characterizing species and their habitat). These data
products reside on the Northeast Ocean Data Portal (Data Portal or
Portal). The NERPB developed the Portal, in collaboration with an
associated working group, to serve as a user-friendly source of maps,
data, and tools that can serve as one source of information to inform
ocean planning from the Gulf of Maine to Long Island Sound. A range of
government entities, non-government organizations, and stakeholders in
the Northeast region are already using the Portal. It is available to
the public online at www.northeastoceandata.org.
As described in a Notice by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, published in the Federal Register on May 25, (2016 81
FR 33213), the NERPB previously released a draft NE Ocean Plan for a
sixty-day public comment period. The NERPB prepared a summary and
response to the comments received from the public and stakeholders that
can be found at www.NOAA.oceanplanning.org.
III. Implementation of the NE Ocean Plan
The Federal members of the NERPB administer a wide range of
statutes and programs that involve or affect the marine environment in
the Northeast regional ocean planning area. These Federal departments
and agencies carry out actions under Federal laws involving a wide
range of regulatory responsibilities and non-regulatory missions and
management activities throughout the Nation's waterways and the ocean.
Activities of Federal NERPB members include managing and developing
marine transportation infrastructure, national security and homeland
defense activities; regulating ocean discharges; siting energy
facilities; permitting sand removal and beach re-nourishment; managing
national parks, national wildlife refuges, and national marine
sanctuaries; regulating commercial and recreational fishing; and
managing activities affecting threatened and endangered species and
migratory birds.
The specific manner and mechanism each Federal agency will use to
implement the NE Ocean Plan will depend on that agency's mission,
authorities, and activities. If the NOC certifies that the NE Ocean
Plan is consistent with the National Ocean Policy, the Final
Recommendations, and the Handbook, each Federal NERPB member will use
the NE Ocean Plan to inform and guide its planning activities and
decision-making actions, including permitting, authorizing, and leasing
decisions that involve or affect the Northeast regional ocean planning
area.
Specifically, consistent and within existing statutory authorities,
Executive Order 13547 and the Final Recommendations, the Federal
Agencies represented on the NERPB, and their relevant components,
expressly including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in its ex officio
status for responsibilities beyond those in Title 10, U.S. Code, will:
(1) Identify, develop, and make publicly available implementing
instructions, such as internal agency guidance, directives, or similar
organizational or administrative documents, that describe the way the
agency will use the Plan to inform and guide its actions and decisions
in or affecting the Northeast regional ocean planning area; (2) ensure
that the agency, through such internal administrative instructions,
will consider the data products available from the Data Portal in its
decision making and as it carries out its actions in or affecting the
Northeast regional ocean planning area; and (3) explain its use of the
Plan and Data Portal in its decisions, activities, or planning
processes that involve or affect the Northeast regional ocean planning
area.
IV. Conclusion
The National Ocean Policy provides a path for Federal Agencies,
States and Tribes to work collaboratively and proactively to manage the
many existing and future uses of the Nation's oceans, coasts and Great
Lakes. If the NOC certifies the plan, NERPB members intend to use the
NE Ocean Plan to align their priorities and share data and technical
information to minimize conflicts among uses, take actions to
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promote the productivity of marine resources, sustain healthy
ecosystems, and promote the prosperity and security of the Nation's
ocean and coastal communities and their economies for the benefit of
present and future generations. The NOC will review the NE Ocean Plan
for consistency with the National Ocean Policy, Final Recommendations
of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, and the Marine Planning
Handbook and make its determination no sooner than 30 days from the
publication of this Notice.
Authority: Executive Order 13547, ``Stewardship of the Ocean,
Our Coasts and the Great Lakes'' (July 19, 2010).
Ted Wackler,
Deputy Chief of Staff and Assistant Director.
[FR Doc. 2016-25372 Filed 10-19-16; 8:45 am]
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