Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the NMFS Saltonstall-Kennedy Research and Development Program, 10941-10942 [2021-03626]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 23, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10941-10942]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03626]



[[Page 10941]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA866]


Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the NMFS 
Saltonstall-Kennedy Research and Development Program

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of intent; announcement of public scoping meetings; 
request for written comments.

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SUMMARY: NOAA announces its intent to prepare a Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the implementation of 
projects that foster the promotion, marketing, research, and 
development of U.S. Fisheries and their associated fishing sectors, as 
consistent with NOAA's Saltonstall-Kennedy Research and Development 
Program (S-K Program). The focus of this action will be activities and 
projects under the S-K Program, which interfaces with numerous programs 
within NOAA, and it is NOAA's intention that this PEIS may also cover 
those activities and projects implemented by other NOAA programs and 
offices that are consistent with the scope of the S-K Program. The S-K 
Program funds projects that address the needs of fishing communities, 
optimize economic benefits by building and maintaining sustainable 
fisheries (where the term ``fisheries'' includes commercial wild 
capture, recreational fishing, cultural and subsistence fishing, and 
marine aquaculture), and increase other opportunities to keep working 
waterfronts viable. This notice of intent (NOI) to prepare a PEIS 
initiates the public scoping process and invites interested parties to 
provide comments on the proposed project, its potential to affect the 
human environment, means for avoiding, minimizing, or mitigating those 
effects, the preliminary range of alternatives, and any additional 
reasonable alternatives that should be considered.

DATES: Written comments on this scoping process must be received no 
later than March 25, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments on this scoping notice by Federal e-
Rulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NMFS-2021-0012. Click the ``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required 
fields, and enter or attach your comments.
    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 NOAA. 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. NOAA will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous).
    Comments will also be accepted at public scoping meetings. The 
webinar and telephone information for the public scoping meetings is 
provided below in the Scoping Process section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Cliff Cosgrove, Saltonstall-Kennedy 
Program Manager, telephone: (301-427-8736); [email protected]; or 
visit the S-K Program website: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/content/saltonstall-kennedy-research-and-development-program.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As required by the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA), the PEIS will analyze the environmental impacts of 
implementing each of the alternatives, if carried forward for full 
review following public scoping, by assessing the effects of each 
alternative on the human environment.

Project Scope

    The purpose of this PEIS is to identify and evaluate the general 
impacts, issues and concerns related to the implementation of the types 
of projects that are consistent with the scope of the S-K Program. The 
PEIS will be used to support site- and project-specific NEPA reviews, 
as necessary. The PEIS will address all of the priorities, and their 
associated project types, that the S-K Program has funded to date, 
which cover the range of priorities and project types that fall under 
the S-K Program. The affected environment associated with the proposed 
action includes all coastal, estuarine, and marine habitats in the 
United States and its territories. It also includes inland habitats 
that influence or affect rivers, streams, and creeks affecting marine 
or estuarine waters, or that support migratory fish populations. It may 
also include adjacent or continuous habitats in Canada or Mexico that 
support living coastal and marine resources under NOAA trusteeship.
    To ensure consideration of input from interested parties in each 
region, NOAA will conduct three public scoping meetings. Each meeting 
will be focused on a region or combination of regions based on time 
zone proximity. More information about each meeting, including meeting 
dates and times, can be found in the Scoping Process section below.

Background

    In 1954, the Saltonstall-Kennedy Act (15 U.S.C. 713c-3) was passed 
to address the needs of U.S. fisheries and their associated fishing 
sectors, and thereby established the S-K Program. The Saltonstall-
Kennedy Act states that The Secretary shall make grants to assist 
persons in carrying out research and development projects addressed to 
any aspect of United States fisheries, including, but not limited to, 
harvesting, processing, marketing, and associated infrastructures.
    The S-K Program provides funding to projects that benefit fishing 
communities through the promotion, marketing, research, and 
development, of U.S. fisheries and their associated fishing sectors. 
Since its inception, grants have been provided to fishers, individuals, 
private businesses, fishing organizations, universities, states, 
research institutes, non-governmental organizations, and others.
    The S-K Program is composed of a competitive grant program and a 
national program. Grants and cooperative agreements are provided under 
both programs and can occur in any of NMFS's five fisheries regions. 
The national program is designed to fund needed fishery industry 
projects that are not addressed through the competitive grants program. 
Funding for the S-K Program is determined through annual congressional 
appropriations. Historically, the S-K Program has had a diverse set of 
priorities, selecting between two and seven projects each year for 
funding. The primary priority has been projects that meet the purpose 
of promotion, development, and marketing (PDM) of U.S. fisheries and 
their associated fishing sectors, and NMFS anticipates that will 
continue to be the primary priority, but priorities can change annually 
and additional priorities can be chosen.
    For more information about the S-K Program, please use the link 
provided in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section above.

Proposed Action, Purpose, and Need

    The proposed Federal action is to fund projects that are consistent 
with the scope of the S-K Program. The

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purpose of the proposed action is threefold: (1) Address the needs of 
fishing communities, consistent with NOAA's mandate through the 
Saltonstall-Kennedy Act; (2) ensure NOAA continues to meet the 
requirements of the Saltonstall-Kennedy Act; and (3) assist NOAA in 
meeting its mission, ``To understand and predict changes in climate, 
weather, oceans, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information 
with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems 
and resources''. The Proposed Action is needed to address the needs of 
fishing communities by building and maintaining sustainable fisheries, 
optimizing economic benefits, and increasing other opportunities to 
keep working waterfronts viable.
    Types of projects funded by the S-K Program include, but are not 
limited to, promotion and marketing; aquaculture; gear testing; bycatch 
reduction engineering; research and monitoring; stock assessments; data 
collection; socioeconomic research; climate change; and workshops and 
conferences.

Alternatives

    NOAA is preliminarily preparing to analyze two program-level 
alternatives: (1) A No Action Alternative, and (2) the proposed action, 
which NOAA is referring to as the Promotion, Marketing, Research and 
Development Alternative. Under the No Action Alternative, the S-K 
Program would not fund projects that address the needs of fishing 
communities, optimize economic benefits by building and maintaining 
sustainable fisheries, and increase other opportunities to keep working 
waterfronts viable. Although the No Action Alternative would not meet 
the purpose and need, it serves as a baseline against which the impacts 
of the Promotion, Marketing, Research and Development Alternative will 
be compared and contrasted. Implementation of the Promotion, Marketing, 
Research and Development Alternative, will allow for funding actions 
through federal financial assistance for all possible types of projects 
that meet the needs of U.S. fishing communities, consistent with the 
scope of the S-K Program. This alternative would provide the S-K 
Program with flexibility in choosing priorities each year while also 
considering the funding environment. We invite public comments on the 
proposed scope of the alternatives and are particularly interested in 
comments regarding potential additional alternatives.

Scoping Process

    This notice initiates a public scoping period for the PEIS. Please 
review the information in this notice and additional information about 
the S-K Program, located on the NOAA S-K Program website (see the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section above). NOAA is particularly 
interested in receiving comments regarding biological, cultural, or 
ecological issues that the analysis should address. We also encourage 
comments that assist us in further delineating the proposed project, 
its potential to affect the human environment, means for avoiding, 
minimizing, or mitigating those effects, the preliminary range of 
alternatives, any additional reasonable alternatives that should be 
considered, and other issues of public concern. To promote informed 
decision-making, we especially encourage commenters to submit any 
scientific data, studies, or research that you feel is relevant to the 
analysis.
    To facilitate the public and agency involvement in the PEIS 
process, NOAA will hold three public-scoping meetings during the 
scoping period. The meetings will be virtual in format. The scoping 
meetings will solicit input from the public and interested public 
agencies regarding the scope of environmental impacts to be addressed 
in the draft PEIS. Three virtual public scoping meetings (in webinar 
format only) will be held in each of three regions, as follows:

 Eastern and Gulf of Mexico Region (includes Atlantic States, 
Gulf of Mexico States, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico)--March 9, 
2021
    [cir] 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST)
    [cir] 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
 Western Region (includes Pacific States, Idaho, Alaska)--March 
10, 2021
    [cir] 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST)
    [cir] 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time (AKST)
 Western Pacific Region (includes Hawaii and Pacific 
Territories)--March 11, 2021, March 12, 2021
    [cir] March 11, 2021, 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Standard 
Time (HST)
    [cir] March 12, 2021, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Chamorro Standard Time 
(CHST)

    Use the webinar link and dial-in information below to join one of 
the public scoping meetings:

Webinar Link: https://kearnsandwest.webex.com/meet/webexalias3
Access Code: 146 622 5582
Dial-in Information: 1-844-621-3956 (U.S. Toll Free) [bond] +1-415-655-
0001 (U.S. Toll)

    Participants are encouraged to download the Webex Meetings app 
ahead of the meetings, using this link: https://www.webex.com/downloads.html. Then use the meeting link above to join a public 
scoping meeting at the appropriate time. You may also participate by 
phone toll-free by calling 1-844-621-3956, then entering the Access 
Code above when prompted.
    After the comment period closes, NOAA will review and consider all 
comments received during the comment period and any other relevant 
information when developing the draft PEIS. Upon completion of the 
draft PEIS, a document announcing its availability and an opportunity 
to comment will be published in the Federal Register.

    Authority: This PEIS will be prepared under the authority of, 
and in accordance with, the requirements of NEPA, implementing 
regulations published by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 
CFR 1500-1508), other applicable regulations, and NOAA's policies 
and procedures for compliance with those regulations.

    Dated: February 16, 2021.
Daniel A. Namur,
Director of the NMFS Financial Assistance Division, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-03626 Filed 2-22-21; 8:45 am]
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