Notice of Availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Surveying and Mapping Projects in U.S. Waters for Coastal and Marine Data Acquisition, 33663-33664 [2021-13361]
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 120 / Friday, June 25, 2021 / Notices
availability of the Final Evaluation
Findings.
Submitting Comments
Timely comments received by the
Office for Coastal Management are
considered part of the public record and
may be publicly accessible. Any
personal information (e.g., name,
address) submitted voluntarily by the
sender may also be publicly accessible.
NOAA will accept anonymous
comments. You may also provide public
comments during the virtual public
meeting. You may participate online or
by phone. If you would like to provide
comment during the public meeting,
please select ‘‘yes’’ during the online
registration. The line-up of speakers will
be based on the date and time of
registration. Once you register, you will
receive a confirmation of your
registration. One hour prior to the start
of the meeting on August 4, 2021, you
will be emailed a link to the public
meeting and information about
participating.
Keelin Kuipers,
Deputy Director, Office for Coastal
Management, National Ocean Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2021–13583 Filed 6–24–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–JE–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Notice of Availability of a Draft
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement for Surveying and Mapping
Projects in U.S. Waters for Coastal and
Marine Data Acquisition
National Ocean Service (NOS),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of
Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft
programmatic environmental impact
statement; request for comments.
AGENCY:
The National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
National Ocean Service (NOS) has
prepared a draft programmatic
environmental impact statement (PEIS)
in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended (NEPA), to analyze the
potential environmental impacts
associated with NOS’s recurring data
collection projects to characterize
submerged features (e.g., habitat,
bathymetry, marine debris). The ‘‘action
area’’ for these projects encompasses
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
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18:38 Jun 24, 2021
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United States (U.S.) rivers, states’
offshore waters, the U.S. territorial sea,
the contiguous zone, the U.S. Exclusive
Economic Zone (U.S. EEZ), and coastal
and riparian lands. As a part of the
Proposed Action, NOS may use active
acoustic equipment such as sub-bottom
profilers, single beam and multibeam
echo sounders, side-scan sonars, and
Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers. The
Draft PEIS analyzes NOS data collection
projects for a time period of 6 years.
Publication of this document begins the
60-day public comment period for the
Draft PEIS.
DATES: Written comments on the Draft
PEIS will be accepted on or before
August 24, 2021.
ADDRESSES: The Draft PEIS can be
viewed or downloaded from the NOS
website at https://
oceanservice.noaa.gov/about/
environmental-compliance/surveyingmapping.html. You may submit
comments on this document, identified
by NOAA–NOS–2021–0055, by any of
the following methods:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and enter
NOAA–NOS–2021–0055 in the Search
box. Click on the ‘‘Comment’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Please direct written
comments to DOC/NOAA/NOS
Environmental Compliance Coordinator,
SSMC4-Station 13612, 1305 East West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
• Email: nosaa.ec@noaa.gov.
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).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Giannina DiMaio, DOC/NOAA/NOS,
Environmental Compliance Coordinator,
SSMC4-Station 13612, 1305 East West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910,
nosaa.ec@noaa.gov, 240–533–0918.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Proposed Action analyzed in the Draft
PEIS is to continue NOS’s surveying and
mapping projects throughout the action
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
33663
area. The Draft PEIS has been prepared
to: (1) Inform NOS and the public on the
physical, biological, economic, and
social impacts of NOS mapping and
surveying projects; and (2) assist NOS in
deciding how to execute its mapping
and surveying program over the next 6
years.
The Draft PEIS assesses the direct,
indirect, and cumulative environmental
impacts of a suite of surveying and
mapping data collection activities. NOS
initially planned to address the
environmental impacts of the Proposed
Action through a Programmatic
Environmental Assessment (PEA) and
published a Notice of Intent to prepare
a PEA in the Federal Register on
December 19, 2016 (81 FR 91921).
However, during preparation of the
PEA, NOS determined that NOS and the
public would be better served through
the Environmental Impact Statement
process due to the geographic scope of
the mapping program and the
complexities of the analysis.
The purpose of the Proposed Action
is to gather accurate and timely data on
the marine and coastal environment.
The need for the Proposed Action is to
ensure safety at sea, economic wellbeing, and the efficient stewardship of
public trust resources. NOS projects
would include surveys performed from
crewed vessels and remotely-operated
or autonomous vehicles, operated by
NOS field crews, contractors, grantees,
or permit/authorization holders. NOS
may use echo sounders and other active
acoustic equipment and employ other
equipment, including bottom samplers
and conductivity, temperature, and
depth instruments to collect the needed
data. A project could also involve
supporting activities, such as the use of
divers and the installation of tide buoys.
The Draft PEIS evaluates three
alternatives:
• Alternative A—No Action: Under
Alternative A, NOS would continue to
operate a variety of equipment and
technologies to gather accurate and
timely data on the nature and condition
of the marine and coastal environment.
This alternative reflects the technology,
equipment, scope, and methods
currently in use by NOS, at the level of
effort reflecting NOS fiscal year 2019
funding levels. (NOS operations were
widely disrupted during the 2020 field
season due to the COVID–19 pandemic.
Therefore, the PEIS relies on 2019 as the
baseline year for Alternative A, as it is
the most recent example of typical field
operations that would be enacted if NOS
chose to continue historical levels of
project effort.)
• Alternative B: This alternative
consists of Alternative A plus the more
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33664
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 120 / Friday, June 25, 2021 / Notices
widespread adoption of new techniques
and technologies (such as remotely
operated vehicles (ROVs), microwave
water level (MWWL) radar sensors, etc.)
to more efficiently perform surveying,
mapping, charting and related data
gathering. Specific examples of adaptive
methods and equipment that NOS
programs are likely to adopt under
Alternative B in the next 6 years
include:
Æ Greater use of ROVs with echo
sounder technologies;
Æ Greater use of autonomous
underwater vehicles (AUVs) and
autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs)
with echo sounder technologies;
Æ Conversion of one or more existing
10-m (33 feet) crewed survey boats into
ASVs;
Æ Greater use of more efficient, widebeam sonar systems (phase-differencing
bathymetric systems) for nearshore
hydrographic surveys;
Æ Increased field operations in the
National Marine Sanctuary system with
associated requirements for
hydroacoustic charting, surveying,
mapping and associated activities; and
Æ Installation, operation, and
maintenance of additional water level
stations including transitioning to
mostly MWWL radar sensors and
upgraded storm strengthening to make
stations more climate resilient.
Under Alternative B, all of the
activities and equipment operation
described in Alternative A would
continue, many at a higher level of
effort. The nature of these actions would
not change, but the overall level of
activity would be increased.
• Alternative C: Like Alternative B,
Alternative C adopts new techniques
and technologies to encourage greater
program efficiencies regarding
surveying, mapping, charting, and
related data gathering activities. In
addition, Alternative C would consist of
NOS program implementation with an
overall funding increase of 20 percent
relative to Alternative B. Under
Alternative C, all of the activities and
equipment operation described in
Alternative B would continue, many at
a higher level of effort. The nature of
these actions would not change, but the
overall level of activity would be
augmented.
NOS will initiate consultations under
the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), the Magnuson–Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act, and the National Marine
Sanctuaries Act following publication of
the Draft PEIS. NOS will also complete
the required analysis and
documentation to comply with Section
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18:38 Jun 24, 2021
Jkt 253001
106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act and Section 307 of the
Coastal Zone Management Act.
The purpose of this NOA is to invite
affected government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, tribes and
tribal organizations, and interested
members of the public to participate in
the Draft PEIS process and provide
comments on the structure, contents,
and analysis in the Draft PEIS. The
official public review and comment
period ends on August 24, 2021. Please
visit the project web page for additional
information regarding the program:
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/about/
environmental-compliance/surveyingmapping.html.
Authority: The preparation of the Draft
PEIS was conducted in accordance with the
requirements of NEPA, the Council on
Environmental Quality’s Regulations (40 CFR
1500 et seq. (1978)), other applicable
regulations, and NOAA’s policies and
procedures for compliance with those
regulations. While the CEQ regulations
implementing NEPA were revised as of
September 14, 2020 (85 FR 43304, Jul. 16,
2020), NOS prepared this Draft PEIS using
the 1978 CEQ regulations because this
environmental review began on December 19,
2016, when NOS published a Notice of Intent
to conduct scoping and prepare a Draft
Programmatic Environmental Assessment.
Written comments must be received on or
before August 24, 2021.
Paul M. Scholz,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Ocean Services and Coastal Zone
Management, National Ocean Service.
[FR Doc. 2021–13361 Filed 6–24–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–JE–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XB162]
Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to
Specified Activities; Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to Marine Site
Characterization Surveys Off of
Delaware and New Jersey
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of incidental
harassment authorization.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
regulations implementing the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as
amended, notification is hereby given
that NMFS has issued an IHA to Garden
State Offshore Energy, LLC (Garden
State) to incidentally harass, by Level B
SUMMARY:
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
harassment, marine mammals incidental
to marine site characterization surveys
offshore of Delaware and New Jersey in
the area of the Commercial Lease of
Submerged Lands for Renewable Energy
Development on the Outer Continental
Shelf (OCS–A 0482) and along potential
export cable routes to landfall locations
in Delaware and New Jersey.
DATES: This authorization is effective
from June 11, 2021 through June 10,
2022.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Carter Esch, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8421.
Electronic copies of the application and
supporting documents, as well as a list
of the references cited in this document,
may be obtained online at: https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/
incidental-take-authorizations-undermarine-mammal-protection-act. In case
of problems accessing these documents,
please call the contact listed above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The MMPA prohibits the ‘‘take’’ of
marine mammals, with certain
exceptions. Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and
(D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et
seq.) direct the Secretary of Commerce
(as delegated to NMFS) to allow, upon
request, the incidental, but not
intentional, taking of small numbers of
marine mammals by U.S. citizens who
engage in a specified activity (other than
commercial fishing) within a specified
geographical region if certain findings
are made and either regulations are
issued or, if the taking is limited to
harassment, a notice of a proposed
incidental take authorization may be
provided to the public for review.
Authorization for incidental takings
shall be granted if NMFS finds that the
taking will have a negligible impact on
the species or stock(s) and will not have
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 the species or stocks for
taking for certain subsistence uses
(referred to in shorthand as
‘‘mitigation’’); and requirements
pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring
and reporting of the takings are set forth.
The definitions of all applicable
MMPA statutory terms cited above are
included in the relevant sections below.
E:\FR\FM\25JNN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 120 (Friday, June 25, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33663-33664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-13361]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Notice of Availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement for Surveying and Mapping Projects in U.S. Waters for
Coastal and Marine Data Acquisition
AGENCY: National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft programmatic environmental
impact statement; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
National Ocean Service (NOS) has prepared a draft programmatic
environmental impact statement (PEIS) in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), to analyze the
potential environmental impacts associated with NOS's recurring data
collection projects to characterize submerged features (e.g., habitat,
bathymetry, marine debris). The ``action area'' for these projects
encompasses United States (U.S.) rivers, states' offshore waters, the
U.S. territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the U.S. Exclusive Economic
Zone (U.S. EEZ), and coastal and riparian lands. As a part of the
Proposed Action, NOS may use active acoustic equipment such as sub-
bottom profilers, single beam and multibeam echo sounders, side-scan
sonars, and Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers. The Draft PEIS analyzes
NOS data collection projects for a time period of 6 years. Publication
of this document begins the 60-day public comment period for the Draft
PEIS.
DATES: Written comments on the Draft PEIS will be accepted on or before
August 24, 2021.
ADDRESSES: The Draft PEIS can be viewed or downloaded from the NOS
website at https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/about/environmental-compliance/surveying-mapping.html. You may submit comments on this
document, identified by NOAA-NOS-2021-0055, by any of the following
methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NOS-2021-0055 in the Search box.
Click on the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
Mail: Please direct written comments to DOC/NOAA/NOS
Environmental Compliance Coordinator, SSMC4-Station 13612, 1305 East
West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Email: [email protected].
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).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Giannina DiMaio, DOC/NOAA/NOS,
Environmental Compliance Coordinator, SSMC4-Station 13612, 1305 East
West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, [email protected], 240-533-0918.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Proposed Action analyzed in the Draft
PEIS is to continue NOS's surveying and mapping projects throughout the
action area. The Draft PEIS has been prepared to: (1) Inform NOS and
the public on the physical, biological, economic, and social impacts of
NOS mapping and surveying projects; and (2) assist NOS in deciding how
to execute its mapping and surveying program over the next 6 years.
The Draft PEIS assesses the direct, indirect, and cumulative
environmental impacts of a suite of surveying and mapping data
collection activities. NOS initially planned to address the
environmental impacts of the Proposed Action through a Programmatic
Environmental Assessment (PEA) and published a Notice of Intent to
prepare a PEA in the Federal Register on December 19, 2016 (81 FR
91921). However, during preparation of the PEA, NOS determined that NOS
and the public would be better served through the Environmental Impact
Statement process due to the geographic scope of the mapping program
and the complexities of the analysis.
The purpose of the Proposed Action is to gather accurate and timely
data on the marine and coastal environment. The need for the Proposed
Action is to ensure safety at sea, economic well-being, and the
efficient stewardship of public trust resources. NOS projects would
include surveys performed from crewed vessels and remotely-operated or
autonomous vehicles, operated by NOS field crews, contractors,
grantees, or permit/authorization holders. NOS may use echo sounders
and other active acoustic equipment and employ other equipment,
including bottom samplers and conductivity, temperature, and depth
instruments to collect the needed data. A project could also involve
supporting activities, such as the use of divers and the installation
of tide buoys.
The Draft PEIS evaluates three alternatives:
Alternative A--No Action: Under Alternative A, NOS would
continue to operate a variety of equipment and technologies to gather
accurate and timely data on the nature and condition of the marine and
coastal environment. This alternative reflects the technology,
equipment, scope, and methods currently in use by NOS, at the level of
effort reflecting NOS fiscal year 2019 funding levels. (NOS operations
were widely disrupted during the 2020 field season due to the COVID-19
pandemic. Therefore, the PEIS relies on 2019 as the baseline year for
Alternative A, as it is the most recent example of typical field
operations that would be enacted if NOS chose to continue historical
levels of project effort.)
Alternative B: This alternative consists of Alternative A
plus the more
[[Page 33664]]
widespread adoption of new techniques and technologies (such as
remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), microwave water level (MWWL) radar
sensors, etc.) to more efficiently perform surveying, mapping, charting
and related data gathering. Specific examples of adaptive methods and
equipment that NOS programs are likely to adopt under Alternative B in
the next 6 years include:
[cir] Greater use of ROVs with echo sounder technologies;
[cir] Greater use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and
autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) with echo sounder technologies;
[cir] Conversion of one or more existing 10-m (33 feet) crewed
survey boats into ASVs;
[cir] Greater use of more efficient, wide-beam sonar systems
(phase-differencing bathymetric systems) for nearshore hydrographic
surveys;
[cir] Increased field operations in the National Marine Sanctuary
system with associated requirements for hydroacoustic charting,
surveying, mapping and associated activities; and
[cir] Installation, operation, and maintenance of additional water
level stations including transitioning to mostly MWWL radar sensors and
upgraded storm strengthening to make stations more climate resilient.
Under Alternative B, all of the activities and equipment operation
described in Alternative A would continue, many at a higher level of
effort. The nature of these actions would not change, but the overall
level of activity would be increased.
Alternative C: Like Alternative B, Alternative C adopts
new techniques and technologies to encourage greater program
efficiencies regarding surveying, mapping, charting, and related data
gathering activities. In addition, Alternative C would consist of NOS
program implementation with an overall funding increase of 20 percent
relative to Alternative B. Under Alternative C, all of the activities
and equipment operation described in Alternative B would continue, many
at a higher level of effort. The nature of these actions would not
change, but the overall level of activity would be augmented.
NOS will initiate consultations under the Endangered Species Act
(ESA), the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and the National Marine
Sanctuaries Act following publication of the Draft PEIS. NOS will also
complete the required analysis and documentation to comply with Section
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and Section 307 of the
Coastal Zone Management Act.
The purpose of this NOA is to invite affected government agencies,
non-governmental organizations, tribes and tribal organizations, and
interested members of the public to participate in the Draft PEIS
process and provide comments on the structure, contents, and analysis
in the Draft PEIS. The official public review and comment period ends
on August 24, 2021. Please visit the project web page for additional
information regarding the program: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/about/environmental-compliance/surveying-mapping.html.
Authority: The preparation of the Draft PEIS was conducted in
accordance with the requirements of NEPA, the Council on
Environmental Quality's Regulations (40 CFR 1500 et seq. (1978)),
other applicable regulations, and NOAA's policies and procedures for
compliance with those regulations. While the CEQ regulations
implementing NEPA were revised as of September 14, 2020 (85 FR
43304, Jul. 16, 2020), NOS prepared this Draft PEIS using the 1978
CEQ regulations because this environmental review began on December
19, 2016, when NOS published a Notice of Intent to conduct scoping
and prepare a Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment. Written
comments must be received on or before August 24, 2021.
Paul M. Scholz,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal
Zone Management, National Ocean Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-13361 Filed 6-24-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-JE-P
