Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Coral Reef Conservation Program; Notice of Intent; Scoping Period Announcement, 32099-32100 [2018-14750]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 133 / Wednesday, July 11, 2018 / Notices
false killer whale group size, a factor
that will significantly impact the
resulting abundance estimates. A robust
assessment of population trend will
require additional data and inclusion of
environmental variables that influence
false killer whale distribution and the
proportion of the population
represented within the survey area
during each survey period.
Comment 21: The HLA notes that the
draft false killer whale SAR updates the
Insular Stock population estimate to 167
based upon an unpublished paper by
Bradford et al., which concludes that
the population size of the Insular Stock
of false killer whales in certain study
areas has consistently ranged between
144 and 187 animals over a 16-year
period. However, in reporting 167 as the
population size for the Insular Stock,
the Draft SAR states that the Bradford et
al. annual estimate ‘‘represents only the
animals present in the study area within
that year.’’ HLA suggests that, if the
reported 2015 abundance estimate of
167 applies only to a study area that is
smaller than the range of the Insular
Stock of false killer whales, then the
actual abundance of the entire Insular
Stock must be some amount higher than
167. HLA states that they are unable to
sufficiently comment on this issue
because the Bradford et al. paper is
unpublished and not available for
public review.
Response: NMFS notes that although
the abundance estimates provided in
Bradford et al. are limited to the number
of animals in the survey area in each
survey year, they are still the best
available estimates of population size.
The new estimates account for many
sources of potential bias, and although
we expect that limiting estimates to the
surveyed area for a given year does
likely result in an under estimation of
abundance in years when the surveyed
area is smaller than the stock area, we
do not have sufficient information to
correct annual estimates for the extent
of the survey area. NMFS feels the use
of estimates derived from the best
available data spanning 15 years of
surveys is far better than use of catalog
size, the previous metric for the
minimum population estimate (Nmin)
in the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI)
insular false killer whale SAR. Further,
the Nmin derived from the new markrecapture estimates meets the definition
of Nmin provided within the GAMMS
(NMFS 2016). Although cited as ‘‘in
review,’’ the Bradford et al. paper was
reviewed by the Pacific SRG at its 2017
meeting and is currently in review for
journal publication.
Comment 22: The HLA incorporates
by reference its more specific comments
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16:26 Jul 10, 2018
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on previous draft SARs related to: (1)
The assignment of a recovery factor to
the pelagic stock of false killer whales,
and continues to maintain that NMFS
should apply a recovery factor to the
pelagic stock that is greater than 0.5; (2)
the 2010 Hawaiian Islands Cetacean
Ecosystem and Assessment Survey
(HICEAS) and the assumptions made by
NMFS based upon the data from that
survey, and assert that NMFS has
inappropriately withheld acoustic data
that should be publicly disclosed and
reported; and (3) NMFS’ assumption
that the insular stock of false killer
whales has declined is speculative.
Response: NMFS reiterates its
responses to these comments from
previous SARs. Specifically: (1)
Reanalysis of existing datasets to derive
more precise estimates does not
constitute an increase in population
size. There are only two EEZ-wide
estimates of abundance (484 from a
2002 survey and 1,540 from a 2010
survey). These estimates may not be
directly compared due to changes in
group size enumeration methods
between those surveys. For this reason,
the current status of pelagic false killer
whales is unknown. (2) NMFS has not
made any attempt to withhold the
acoustic data from the HICEAS 2010
survey. It can be made available by
request. NMFS has used the HICEAS
2010 data for a variety of analyses,
including the development of
automated routines to detect and
classify false killer whale and other
species’ sounds, to assess false killer
whale sub-group spatial arrangements,
and other projects. There were many
changes in array hardware during the
survey, complicating streamlined
analyses of these data, such that a fullscale analysis of this dataset for
abundance is not appropriate, efficient,
or cost-effective at this time. (3) NMFS
makes no assumption that MHI insular
stock abundance has declined in recent
years. The minimum estimate reflects
the number of individuals enumerated
during the stated period and may reflect
not only changes in actual population
abundance, but also changes in
encounter rates due to survey location
or animal distribution.
Dated: July 6, 2018.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–14811 Filed 7–10–18; 8:45 am]
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32099
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement for the Coral Reef
Conservation Program; Notice of
Intent; Scoping Period Announcement
Office for Coastal Management
(OCM), National Ocean Service (NOS),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of
Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice of intent; announcement
of public scoping period and request for
written comments.
AGENCY:
The National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Office for Coastal Management
announces its intention to prepare a
programmatic environmental impact
statement (PEIS) in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA) for its Coral Reef
Conservation Program (CRCP), which is
managed out of NOAA’s National Ocean
Service in Silver Spring, MD, and
implemented in coastal areas and
marine waters of Florida, Puerto Rico,
U.S. Virgin Islands, Gulf of Mexico,
Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands, American
Samoa, the U.S. Pacific Remote Island
Area, and targeted international regions
including the wider Caribbean, the
Coral Triangle, the South Pacific, and
Micronesia. Publication of this
document begins the official scoping
period that will help identify issues and
alternatives to be considered in the
PEIS.
DATES: Written comments on the intent
to prepare a PEIS will be accepted on or
before Wednesday, August 15, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit scoping
comments for the CRCP PEIS by any of
the following methods:
• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov/NOAANOS-2018-0077. Click the ‘‘Comment
Now!’’ icon, complete the required
fields, and enter or attach your
comments.
• Mail: Please direct written
comments to Harriet Nash, Deputy
Director, NOAA’s Coral Reef
Conservation Program, Office for Coastal
Management, 1305 East-West Highway,
N/OCM6, Room 10404, Silver Spring,
MD 20910.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Background
NOAA is preparing a Draft
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement (DPEIS) for coral reef
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daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
32100
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 133 / Wednesday, July 11, 2018 / Notices
conservation and restoration activities
implementing NOAA’s CRCP
throughout the United States, South
Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and
Pacific Island Regions, and priority
international areas (i.e., wider
Caribbean, Coral Triangle, South Pacific,
and Micronesia). It will assess the
direct, indirect, and cumulative
environmental impacts of NOAA’s
proposed action to continue funding
and otherwise implementing coral reef
conservation and restoration activities.
This will be achieved through its
existing programmatic framework and
related procedures for implementing the
CRCP. The CRCP is implemented
consistently with the requirements of
the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000
(CRCA) and Executive Order 13089.
Projects implemented or funded by
NOAA vary in terms of their size,
complexity, geographic location, and
NOAA involvement. They often benefit
diverse coral species, habitats, and
ecosystem types. The CRCP conducts
research and monitoring to gather data
on the existence and condition of coral
reef ecosystems to support conservation
and restoration efforts. NOAA
implements the CRCP across four of its
line offices (i.e., National Ocean Service,
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research,
National Marine Fisheries Service,
National Environmental Satellite Data
Information Service) and in
coordination with other federal
agencies, state and local agencies,
private conservation organizations, and
research and academic institutions. A
significant amount of this support is
administered through grants and
cooperative agreements. CRCP activities
are prioritized based on available
funding and the responsiveness to the
priorities in its strategic plan, including
jurisdictional needs.
The purpose of this DPEIS is to
identify and evaluate the general
environmental impacts, issues, and
concerns related to the comprehensive
management and implementation of the
CRCP, including potential mitigation.
NOAA anticipates that actual
environmental effects will be caused by
site-specific, project-level activities
implementing the CRCP; therefore, this
DPEIS will be used to support tiered,
site-specific NEPA reviews by
narrowing the scope of environmental
impacts and facilitating focused,
project-level reviews. NOAA also
intends for this DPEIS to establish a
tiered environmental decision making
framework that will support efficient
compliance with other statutes
protecting natural resources such as the
Endangered Species Act and Marine
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:26 Jul 10, 2018
Jkt 244001
Mammal Protection Act. Since the CRCP
will use this DPEIS to conduct tiered
analyses, this document does not
evaluate the environmental impacts of
any project-level activities.
Alternatives
NOAA is preliminarily proposing to
analyze three program-level alternatives:
• No Action Alternative reflecting the
‘‘status quo’’ management of the CRCP
based on minimizing threats.
• Alternative 1: Continued Operation
of the CRCP based on minimizing
threats with the addition of a framework
to further research, test, and potentially
implement novel coral restoration
intervention techniques to respond
rapidly to imminent threats to corals
and coral ecosystems.
• Alternative 2: Continued Operation
of the CRCP plus implementation of
discretionary, standardized
conservation and mitigation measures
with or without the addition of a
framework for novel intervention
techniques.
The fundamental distinction between
Alternative 1 and the No Action
Alternative is that Alternative 1 would
adopt a framework that would add
novel intervention techniques as tools to
respond to imminent threats to corals.
The DPEIS will consider the
environmental effects of a suite of these
intervention strategies, but will not
commit to implement any.
Implementation would occur through a
separate decision making process. The
primary distinction between Alternative
2 and the No Action Alternative is that
Alternative 2 would call for
implementation of not only mitigation
measures imposed through statutory
and regulatory compliance but also
discretionary, standardized
conservation and mitigation measures
designed to further protect and conserve
marine and other environmental
resources. Alternative 2 could be
adopted with or without a framework
for novel intervention strategies.
Preliminary major issues to be
addressed in this DPEIS may include:
the impact of the CRCP’s activities and
operations on coral ecosystems; coral
species listed as threatened or
endangered under the Federal
Endangered Species Act; other marine
and terrestrial resources; and the
cumulative effects of the action when
considered along with environmental
conditions and past, present, and future
actions potentially affecting coral and
coastal ecosystems and coastal marine
resources. The CRCP is also seeking to
identify mitigation measures that would
be effective at avoiding, minimizing,
and mitigating adverse effects of project-
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level activities and specifically requests
public comment on this issue.
Public Comment
OCM begins this NEPA process by
soliciting input from the public and
interested parties on the type of impacts
to be considered in the DPEIS, the range
of alternatives to be assessed, and any
other pertinent information.
Specifically, this scoping process is
intended to accomplish the following
objectives:
1. Invite affected federal, state, and
local agencies, and interested persons to
participate in the DPEIS process.
2. Determine the potential significant
environmental issues to be analyzed in
the DPEIS.
3. Identify and eliminate issues
determined to be insignificant or
addressed in other documents.
4. Identify related environmental
documents being prepared.
5. Identify other environmental
review and consultation requirements.
The official scoping period ends on
August 15, 2018. Please visit the CRCP
web page for additional information
regarding the program: https://
coralreef.noaa.gov/.
Authority
The preparation of the DPEIS for the
CRCP will be conducted under the
authority and in accordance with the
requirements of NEPA, Council on
Environmental Quality Regulations (40
CFR parts 1500–1508), other applicable
regulations, and NOAA’s policies and
procedures for compliance with those
regulations.
Written comments must be received
on or before August 15, 2018.
Dated: June 29, 2018.
W. Russell Callender,
Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services
and Coastal Zone Management, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2018–14750 Filed 7–10–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–08–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
Army Education Advisory Committee;
Notice of Federal Advisory Committee
Meeting
Department of the Army, DoD.
Notice of Federal Advisory
Committee Meeting.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Department of Defense
(DoD) is publishing this notice to
announce that the following Federal
Advisory Committee meeting of the
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 133 (Wednesday, July 11, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32099-32100]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-14750]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Coral Reef
Conservation Program; Notice of Intent; Scoping Period Announcement
AGENCY: Office for Coastal Management (OCM), National Ocean Service
(NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Department of Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice of intent; announcement of public scoping period and
request for written comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Office for Coastal Management announces its intention to prepare a
programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) in accordance with
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for its Coral Reef
Conservation Program (CRCP), which is managed out of NOAA's National
Ocean Service in Silver Spring, MD, and implemented in coastal areas
and marine waters of Florida, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Gulf of
Mexico, Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,
American Samoa, the U.S. Pacific Remote Island Area, and targeted
international regions including the wider Caribbean, the Coral
Triangle, the South Pacific, and Micronesia. Publication of this
document begins the official scoping period that will help identify
issues and alternatives to be considered in the PEIS.
DATES: Written comments on the intent to prepare a PEIS will be
accepted on or before Wednesday, August 15, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit scoping comments for the CRCP PEIS by any of
the following methods:
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/NOAA-NOS-2018-0077. Click the ``Comment Now!''
icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
Mail: Please direct written comments to Harriet Nash,
Deputy Director, NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program, Office for
Coastal Management, 1305 East-West Highway, N/OCM6, Room 10404, Silver
Spring, MD 20910.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
NOAA is preparing a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement (DPEIS) for coral reef
[[Page 32100]]
conservation and restoration activities implementing NOAA's CRCP
throughout the United States, South Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and
Pacific Island Regions, and priority international areas (i.e., wider
Caribbean, Coral Triangle, South Pacific, and Micronesia). It will
assess the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of
NOAA's proposed action to continue funding and otherwise implementing
coral reef conservation and restoration activities. This will be
achieved through its existing programmatic framework and related
procedures for implementing the CRCP. The CRCP is implemented
consistently with the requirements of the Coral Reef Conservation Act
of 2000 (CRCA) and Executive Order 13089. Projects implemented or
funded by NOAA vary in terms of their size, complexity, geographic
location, and NOAA involvement. They often benefit diverse coral
species, habitats, and ecosystem types. The CRCP conducts research and
monitoring to gather data on the existence and condition of coral reef
ecosystems to support conservation and restoration efforts. NOAA
implements the CRCP across four of its line offices (i.e., National
Ocean Service, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Marine
Fisheries Service, National Environmental Satellite Data Information
Service) and in coordination with other federal agencies, state and
local agencies, private conservation organizations, and research and
academic institutions. A significant amount of this support is
administered through grants and cooperative agreements. CRCP activities
are prioritized based on available funding and the responsiveness to
the priorities in its strategic plan, including jurisdictional needs.
The purpose of this DPEIS is to identify and evaluate the general
environmental impacts, issues, and concerns related to the
comprehensive management and implementation of the CRCP, including
potential mitigation. NOAA anticipates that actual environmental
effects will be caused by site-specific, project-level activities
implementing the CRCP; therefore, this DPEIS will be used to support
tiered, site-specific NEPA reviews by narrowing the scope of
environmental impacts and facilitating focused, project-level reviews.
NOAA also intends for this DPEIS to establish a tiered environmental
decision making framework that will support efficient compliance with
other statutes protecting natural resources such as the Endangered
Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. Since the CRCP will use
this DPEIS to conduct tiered analyses, this document does not evaluate
the environmental impacts of any project-level activities.
Alternatives
NOAA is preliminarily proposing to analyze three program-level
alternatives:
No Action Alternative reflecting the ``status quo''
management of the CRCP based on minimizing threats.
Alternative 1: Continued Operation of the CRCP based on
minimizing threats with the addition of a framework to further
research, test, and potentially implement novel coral restoration
intervention techniques to respond rapidly to imminent threats to
corals and coral ecosystems.
Alternative 2: Continued Operation of the CRCP plus
implementation of discretionary, standardized conservation and
mitigation measures with or without the addition of a framework for
novel intervention techniques.
The fundamental distinction between Alternative 1 and the No Action
Alternative is that Alternative 1 would adopt a framework that would
add novel intervention techniques as tools to respond to imminent
threats to corals. The DPEIS will consider the environmental effects of
a suite of these intervention strategies, but will not commit to
implement any. Implementation would occur through a separate decision
making process. The primary distinction between Alternative 2 and the
No Action Alternative is that Alternative 2 would call for
implementation of not only mitigation measures imposed through
statutory and regulatory compliance but also discretionary,
standardized conservation and mitigation measures designed to further
protect and conserve marine and other environmental resources.
Alternative 2 could be adopted with or without a framework for novel
intervention strategies.
Preliminary major issues to be addressed in this DPEIS may include:
the impact of the CRCP's activities and operations on coral ecosystems;
coral species listed as threatened or endangered under the Federal
Endangered Species Act; other marine and terrestrial resources; and the
cumulative effects of the action when considered along with
environmental conditions and past, present, and future actions
potentially affecting coral and coastal ecosystems and coastal marine
resources. The CRCP is also seeking to identify mitigation measures
that would be effective at avoiding, minimizing, and mitigating adverse
effects of project-level activities and specifically requests public
comment on this issue.
Public Comment
OCM begins this NEPA process by soliciting input from the public
and interested parties on the type of impacts to be considered in the
DPEIS, the range of alternatives to be assessed, and any other
pertinent information. Specifically, this scoping process is intended
to accomplish the following objectives:
1. Invite affected federal, state, and local agencies, and
interested persons to participate in the DPEIS process.
2. Determine the potential significant environmental issues to be
analyzed in the DPEIS.
3. Identify and eliminate issues determined to be insignificant or
addressed in other documents.
4. Identify related environmental documents being prepared.
5. Identify other environmental review and consultation
requirements.
The official scoping period ends on August 15, 2018. Please visit
the CRCP web page for additional information regarding the program:
https://coralreef.noaa.gov/.
Authority
The preparation of the DPEIS for the CRCP will be conducted under
the authority and in accordance with the requirements of NEPA, Council
on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), other
applicable regulations, and NOAA's policies and procedures for
compliance with those regulations.
Written comments must be received on or before August 15, 2018.
Dated: June 29, 2018.
W. Russell Callender,
Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2018-14750 Filed 7-10-18; 8:45 am]
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