Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment of a Proposed Boundary Expansion of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, 32880-32881 [2019-14713]

Download as PDF jspears on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES 32880 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 132 / Wednesday, July 10, 2019 / Notices to evaluate by any of the following methods: Public Meeting and Oral Comments: A public meeting will be held in Brunswick, Georgia. For the specific location, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. Written Comments: Please direct written comments to Carrie Hall, Evaluator, Planning and Performance Measurement Program, Office for Coastal Management, NOS/NOAA, 1305 East-West Highway, 11th Floor, N/ OCM1, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, or email comments Carrie.Hall@ noaa.gov. Comments that the Office for Coastal Management receives are considered part of the public record and may be publicly accessible. Any personal identifying information (e.g., name, address) submitted voluntarily by the sender may also be publicly accessible. NOAA will accept anonymous comments. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ralph Cantral, Evaluator, Planning and Performance Measurement Program, Office for Coastal Management, NOS/ NOAA, 2234 South Hobson Avenue, Charleston, SC 29405, by phone at (843) 740–1143 or email comments Ralph.Cantral@noaa.gov. Copies of the previous evaluation findings and 2016– 2020 Assessment and Strategy may be viewed and downloaded on the internet at https://coast.noaa.gov/czm/ evaluations. A copy of the evaluation notification letter and most recent progress report may be obtained upon request by contacting the person identified under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 312 of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) requires NOAA to conduct periodic evaluations of federally approved state and territorial coastal programs. The process includes one or more public meetings, consideration of written public comments, and consultations with interested Federal, state, and local agencies and members of the public. During the evaluation, NOAA will consider the extent to which the state has met the national objectives, adhered to the management program approved by the Secretary of Commerce, and adhered to the terms of financial assistance under the CZMA. When the evaluation is completed, NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management will place a notice in the Federal Register announcing the availability of the Final Evaluation Findings. You may participate or submit oral comments at the public meeting scheduled as follows: Date: August 28, 2019. VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:32 Jul 09, 2019 Jkt 247001 Time: 5:30–6:30 p.m., local time. Location: Susan Shipman Environmental Learning Center, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, 1 Conservation Way, Brunswick, GA 31520. Written public comments must be received on or before September 6, 2019. Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog 11.419, Coastal Zone Management Program Administration. Dated: July 5, 2019. Nkolika Ndubisi, Management and Program Analyst, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [FR Doc. 2019–14710 Filed 7–9–19; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–08–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment of a Proposed Boundary Expansion of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft environmental assessment; request for comments. AGENCY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is soliciting comments from the public on a draft environmental assessment for a proposed boundary expansion of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTM) National Estuarine Research Reserve. DATES: Comments must be received no later than 30 days after publication of this notice. ADDRESSES: The draft environmental assessment can be downloaded or viewed at https://coast.noaa.gov/czm/ compliance/. You may submit comments via email to steph.robinson@ noaa.gov. You may also submit comments or request a copy of the draft environmental assessment by mail addressed to Stephanie Robinson, Office for Coastal Management, 2234 South Hobson Ave., Charleston, SC 29405. Comments submitted by any other method or after the comment period may not be considered. All comments are a part of the public record and may be publicly accessible. Any personal identifying information (e.g., name, address) submitted voluntarily by the SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 sender may also be accessible. NOAA will accept anonymous comments. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Robinson at (843) 740–1174 and steph.robinson@noaa.gov, or Erica Seiden at (240) 533–0781 and erica.seiden@noaa.gov of NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, as lead agency for managing the GTM Reserve, has requested to modify the approved management boundary of the Reserve by adding three new parcels. Pursuant to 15 CFR 921.33(a), NOAA may require public notice, including notice in the Federal Register and an opportunity for public comment before approving a boundary or management plan change. In addition, changes in the boundary of a Reserve involving the acquisition of properties not listed in the management plan or final environmental impact statement (EIS) require public notice and the opportunity for comment. The Marsh View Preserve parcel was not evaluated in the Reserve’s original EIS. Therefore, NOAA has developed an environmental assessment (EA) to analyze the effects of requested change to the Reserve boundary, which would result in a net increase in acreage of 3,346.44 acres, and is publishing notice of the EA’s availability for public review and comment. II. NOAA Proposed Action and Alternatives NOAA is releasing a draft EA prepared in accordance with section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(c), and the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 1500–1508). NOAA’s proposed action would be to approve a change in the management boundary of the GTM Reserve to add three parcels to the approved boundary. The draft EA identifies and assesses potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed project, and identifies a preferred alternative and a no action alternative. The preferred alternative would add three parcels to the Reserve’s boundary. Although the preferred alternative would add three parcels outside the boundary originally designated for the Reserve, the addition of these three parcels would allow and enhance the Reserve’s ability to: (1) Educate the community; (2) protect and manage the estuaries and their watersheds; (3) E:\FR\FM\10JYN1.SGM 10JYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 132 / Wednesday, July 10, 2019 / Notices Marine Fisheries Service. Physical comments should be sent to 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 and electronic comments should be sent to ITP.Fowler@noaa.gov. Instructions: NMFS is not responsible Dated: July 5, 2019. for comments sent by any other method, Nkolika Ndubisi, to any other address or individual, or Management and Program Analyst, National received after the end of the comment Ocean Service, National Oceanic and period. Comments received Atmospheric Administration. electronically, including all [FR Doc. 2019–14713 Filed 7–9–19; 8:45 am] attachments, must not exceed a 25BILLING CODE 3510–08–P megabyte file size. Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word or Excel or Adobe PDF DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE file formats only. All comments received are a part of the public record National Oceanic and Atmospheric and will generally be posted online at Administration https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/ RIN 0648–XR014 incidental-take-authorizations-underTakes of Marine Mammals Incidental to marine-mammal-protection-act without change. All personal identifying Specified Activities; Taking Marine information (e.g., name, address) Mammals Incidental to Bremerton voluntarily submitted by the commenter Ferry Terminal Dolphin Relocation may be publicly accessible. Do not Project in Washington State submit confidential business AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries information or otherwise sensitive or Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and protected information. Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Commerce. Amy Fowler, Office of Protected ACTION: Notice; incidental harassment Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401. authorization; request for comments on Electronic copies of the original proposed renewal. application, Renewal request, and supporting documents (including NMFS SUMMARY: NMFS received a request from Federal Register notices of the original the Washington State Department of proposed and final authorizations, and Transportation (WSDOT) for the the previous IHA), as well as a list of the Renewal of their currently active references cited in this document, may incidental harassment authorization be obtained online at: https:// (IHA) to take marine mammals www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/ incidental to the dolphin (a man-made incidental-take-authorizations-understructure that protects other structures marine-mammal-protection-act. In case from being struck by boats) relocation of problems accessing these documents, project at the Bremerton Ferry Terminal please call the contact listed above. in Washington State. These activities SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: consist of activities that are covered by the current authorization but will not be Background completed prior to its expiration. The MMPA prohibits the ‘‘take’’ of Pursuant to the Marine Mammal marine mammals, with certain Protection Act (MMPA), prior to issuing exceptions. Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and the currently active IHA, NMFS (D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et requested comments on both the seq.) direct the Secretary of Commerce proposed IHA and the potential for (as delegated to NMFS) to allow, upon renewing the initial authorization if request, the incidental, but not certain requirements were satisfied. The intentional, taking of small numbers of Renewal requirements have been marine mammals by U.S. citizens who satisfied, and NMFS is now providing engage in a specified activity (other than an additional 15-day comment period to commercial fishing) within a specified allow for any additional comments on geographical region if certain findings the requested Renewal not previously are made and either regulations are provided during the initial 30-day issued or, if the taking is limited to comment period. harassment, a notice of a proposed DATES: Comments and information must incidental take authorization is be received no later than July 25, 2019. provided to the public for review. Authorization for incidental takings ADDRESSES: Comments should be shall be granted if NMFS finds that the addressed to Jolie Harrison, Chief, taking will have a negligible impact on Permits and Conservation Division, the species or stock(s) and will not have Office of Protected Resources, National jspears on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES provide aquatic/upland management; and (4) research and monitor the area. The proposed boundary expansion is therefore preferred over the no action alternative. VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:32 Jul 09, 2019 Jkt 247001 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 32881 an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of the species or stock(s) for taking for subsistence uses (where relevant). Further, NMFS must prescribe the permissible methods of taking and other ‘‘means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact’’ on the affected species or stocks and their habitat, paying particular attention to rookeries, mating grounds, and areas of similar significance, and on the availability of such species or stocks for taking for certain subsistence uses (referred to here as ‘‘mitigation measures’’). Monitoring and reporting of such takings are also required. The meaning of key terms such as ‘‘take,’’ ‘‘harassment,’’ and ‘‘negligible impact’’ can be found in section 3 of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1362) and the agency’s regulations at 50 CFR 216.103. NMFS’ regulations implementing the MMPA at 50 CFR 216.107(e) indicate that IHAs may be renewed for additional periods of time not to exceed one year for each reauthorization. In the notice of proposed IHA for the initial authorization, NMFS described the circumstances under which we would consider issuing a Renewal for this activity, and requested public comment on a potential Renewal under those circumstances. Specifically, on a caseby-case basis, NMFS may issue a oneyear IHA Renewal when (1) another year of identical or nearly identical activities as described in the Specified Activities section is planned or (2) the activities would not be completed by the time the IHA expires and a second IHA would allow for completion of the activities beyond that described in the Dates and Duration section of the initial IHA. All of the following conditions must be met in order to issue a Renewal: • A request for Renewal is received no later than 60 days prior to expiration of the current IHA; • The request for Renewal must include the following: (1) An explanation that the activities to be conducted beyond the initial dates either are identical to the previously analyzed activities or include changes so minor (e.g., reduction in pile size) that the changes do not affect the previous analyses, take estimates, or mitigation and monitoring requirements; and (2) A preliminary monitoring report showing the results of the required monitoring to date and an explanation showing that the monitoring results do not indicate impacts of a scale or nature not previously analyzed or authorized. • Upon review of the request for Renewal, the status of the affected species or stocks, and any other pertinent information, NMFS E:\FR\FM\10JYN1.SGM 10JYN1

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[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 10, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32880-32881]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-14713]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment of a 
Proposed Boundary Expansion of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National 
Estuarine Research Reserve

AGENCY: Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft environmental assessment; 
request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is 
soliciting comments from the public on a draft environmental assessment 
for a proposed boundary expansion of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTM) 
National Estuarine Research Reserve.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than 30 days after 
publication of this notice.

ADDRESSES: The draft environmental assessment can be downloaded or 
viewed at https://coast.noaa.gov/czm/compliance/. You may submit 
comments via email to [email protected]. You may also submit 
comments or request a copy of the draft environmental assessment by 
mail addressed to Stephanie Robinson, Office for Coastal Management, 
2234 South Hobson Ave., Charleston, SC 29405. Comments submitted by any 
other method or after the comment period may not be considered. All 
comments are a part of the public record and may be publicly 
accessible. Any personal identifying information (e.g., name, address) 
submitted voluntarily by the sender may also be accessible. NOAA will 
accept anonymous comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Robinson at (843) 740-1174 
and [email protected], or Erica Seiden at (240) 533-0781 and 
[email protected] of NOAA's Office for Coastal Management.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, as lead agency 
for managing the GTM Reserve, has requested to modify the approved 
management boundary of the Reserve by adding three new parcels. 
Pursuant to 15 CFR 921.33(a), NOAA may require public notice, including 
notice in the Federal Register and an opportunity for public comment 
before approving a boundary or management plan change. In addition, 
changes in the boundary of a Reserve involving the acquisition of 
properties not listed in the management plan or final environmental 
impact statement (EIS) require public notice and the opportunity for 
comment. The Marsh View Preserve parcel was not evaluated in the 
Reserve's original EIS. Therefore, NOAA has developed an environmental 
assessment (EA) to analyze the effects of requested change to the 
Reserve boundary, which would result in a net increase in acreage of 
3,346.44 acres, and is publishing notice of the EA's availability for 
public review and comment.

II. NOAA Proposed Action and Alternatives

    NOAA is releasing a draft EA prepared in accordance with section 
102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as 
amended, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(c), and the Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 
1500-1508). NOAA's proposed action would be to approve a change in the 
management boundary of the GTM Reserve to add three parcels to the 
approved boundary.
    The draft EA identifies and assesses potential environmental 
impacts associated with the proposed project, and identifies a 
preferred alternative and a no action alternative. The preferred 
alternative would add three parcels to the Reserve's boundary. Although 
the preferred alternative would add three parcels outside the boundary 
originally designated for the Reserve, the addition of these three 
parcels would allow and enhance the Reserve's ability to: (1) Educate 
the community; (2) protect and manage the estuaries and their 
watersheds; (3)

[[Page 32881]]

provide aquatic/upland management; and (4) research and monitor the 
area. The proposed boundary expansion is therefore preferred over the 
no action alternative.

    Dated: July 5, 2019.
Nkolika Ndubisi,
Management and Program Analyst, National Ocean Service, National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019-14713 Filed 7-9-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-P


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