Request for Information on Equitable Delivery of Climate Services, 46773-46778 [2023-15432]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 138 / Thursday, July 20, 2023 / Notices
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agency insure that any action it
authorizes, funds, or carries out is not
likely to jeopardize the continued
existence of any endangered or
threatened species or result in the
destruction or adverse modification of
designated critical habitat. To ensure
ESA compliance for the issuance of
IHAs, NMFS consults internally
whenever we propose to authorize take
for endangered or threatened species, in
this case with NMFS’ Alaska Regional
Office (AKRO).
On February 6, 2019, NMFS AKRO
completed consultation with NMFS
OPR for the Tongass Narrows Project
and issued a Biological Opinion. Formal
consultation was later reinitiated due to
changes to ADOT&PF’s action that were
not considered in the February 2019
opinion (PCTS# AKR–2018–9806/ECO#
AKRO–2018–01287). NMFS’ AKRO
issued a revised Biological Opinion to
NMFS OPR on December 19, 2019
which concluded that the take NMFS
proposed to authorize through IHAs
would not jeopardize the continued
existence of any endangered or
threatened species or destroy or
adversely modify any designated critical
habitat. NMFS AKRO determined that
issuance of the 2022 IHA to ADOT&PF
for work in Tongass Narrows did not
require reinitiation of the December
2019 Biological Opinion.
NMFS OPR is proposing to authorize
take of fin whale and Central North
Pacific stock of humpback whales, of
which a portion belong to the Mexico
DPS of humpback whales, which are
ESA-listed. The December 19, 2019
Biological Opinion reinitiation clause
(2) and (3), state that formal
consultation should be reinitiated if
‘‘new information reveals effects of the
agency action that may affect ESA-listed
species or critical habitat in a manner or
to an extent not previously considered’’
and ‘‘the agency action is subsequently
modified in a manner that causes an
effect on the listed species or critical
habitat not considered in this biological
opinion.’’ Given the additional take that
NMFS OPR proposes to authorize, as
described herein, NMFS has reinitiated
consultation internally on the issuance
of this proposed IHA under section
101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA.
Proposed Authorization
As a result of these preliminary
determinations, NMFS proposes to issue
an IHA to ADOT&PF for conducting
ferry berth construction in Tongass
Narrows in Ketchikan, Alaska provided
the previously mentioned mitigation,
monitoring, and reporting requirements
are incorporated. The IHA would be
valid for 1 year from the date of
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issuance. A draft of the proposed IHA
can be found at:
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/
marine-mammal-protection/incidentaltake-authorizations-constructionactivities.
Request for Public Comments
We request comment on our analyses,
the proposed authorization, and any
other aspect of this notice of proposed
IHA for the proposed construction
activities. We also request comment on
the potential renewal of this proposed
IHA as described in the paragraph
below. Please include with your
comments any supporting data or
literature citations to help inform
decisions on the request for this IHA or
a subsequent renewal IHA.
On a case-by-case basis, NMFS may
issue a one-time, 1 year renewal IHA
following notice to the public providing
an additional 15 days for public
comments when (1) up to another year
of identical or nearly identical activities
as described in the Description of
Proposed Activity section of this notice
is planned or (2) the activities as
described in the Description of
Proposed Activity section of this notice
would not be completed by the time the
IHA expires and a renewal would allow
for completion of the activities beyond
that described in the Dates and Duration
section of this notice, provided all of the
following conditions are met:
• A request for renewal is received no
later than 60 days prior to the needed
renewal IHA effective date (recognizing
that the renewal IHA expiration date
cannot extend beyond one year from
expiration of the initial IHA).
• The request for renewal must
include the following:
(1) An explanation that the activities
to be conducted under the requested
renewal IHA are identical to the
activities analyzed under the initial
IHA, are a subset of the activities, or
include changes so minor (e.g.,
reduction in pile size) that the changes
do not affect the previous analyses,
mitigation and monitoring
requirements, or take estimates (with
the exception of reducing the type or
amount of take).
(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
determines that there are no more than
minor changes in the activities, the
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46773
mitigation and monitoring measures
will remain the same and appropriate,
and the findings in the initial IHA
remain valid.
Dated: July 17, 2023.
Angela Somma,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–15441 Filed 7–19–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[Docket No. 2307014–0168]
RTID 0648–XV193
Request for Information on Equitable
Delivery of Climate Services
Department of Commerce,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
ACTION: Request for information.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Department of
Commerce (Department), via the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), requests
additional input from interested parties
on how to enhance NOAA’s delivery of
climate data, information, science, and
tools (‘‘climate services’’) and ensure
that this delivery is equitable and
accounting for the needs and priorities
of a diverse set of user communities as
they engage in climate preparedness,
adaptation, and resilience planning.
Building on the work that NOAA is
already doing to prepare communities
for increasing climate impacts, the input
from this Request for Information (RFI)
will be used to create an Action Plan
that will inform more equitable and
inclusive design, production, and
delivery of climate services for users of
all disciplines and backgrounds.
DATES: Responses are due on or before
September 21, 2023.
NOAA will host virtual public
listening sessions during the months of
August and September for participants
to provide comments. See ADDRESSES
below for more information on dates,
times, and registration.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on this document by any of the
following methods:
• Email Submission: Interested
individuals and organizations should
submit written or recorded comments
by email to climate.input@noaa.gov. If
submitting via email, include the title of
this RFI, ‘‘Request for Information on
Equitable Delivery of Climate Services’’
in the subject line of the email.
SUMMARY:
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Attachments will be accepted in plain
text, Microsoft Word, or Adobe PDF, or
recorded formats only, not to exceed a
file size of 25 MB. If comments are
submitted via recording, they must be in
.mpg, mpeg, or .wav file formats. All
comments submitted via email in
recorded format will be transcribed.
• Electronic Submission: Comments
may also be submitted in writing only
via www.regulations.gov/. Go to https://
www.regulations.gov and enter the title
of this action, ‘‘Request for Information
on Equitable Delivery of Climate
Services’’ in the Search box. Click the
‘‘Comment’’ icon, complete the required
fields, and enter or attach your
comments. Enter ‘‘N/A’’ in required
fields if you wish to remain anonymous.
• Mail: Submit written comments to
Ella Clarke, Room 58010/HCHB, 1401
Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC
20230. Include the title of this RFI,
‘‘Request for Information on Equitable
Delivery of Climate Services’’ in the
written response.
• Public Listening Sessions: Provide
oral comments during virtual public
listening sessions, as described under
DATES. Registration details and
additional information about how to
participate in these public listening
sessions is available at https://
www.eventbrite.com/cc/equitableclimate-service-delivery-2404789.
Instructions: Response to this RFI is
voluntary. Respondents need not reply
to all questions listed. Each individual
or institution is requested to submit
only one response. All comments
received are part of the public record
and may be posted, without change, on
NOAA’s website at https://
www.noaa.gov and on https://
www.regulations.gov. Commenters
should include the name of the person
and/or organization filing the comment.
All identifying information (e.g., name,
email address) submitted voluntarily by
the sender will be publicly accessible.
NOAA, therefore, requests that no
business proprietary information,
copyrighted information, or sensitive
personally identifiable information be
submitted in response to this RFI.
Comments will be accepted in English
and Spanish. Comments submitted in
Spanish will be translated to English for
public posting.
Ella
Clarke, Office of the Assistant Secretary
for Oceans and Atmosphere, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, (771) 216–1352;
ella.clarke@noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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I. Background
Climate change is here. Communities
around the country and the world are
feeling its impacts every day. Brutal
heat waves on land and in the ocean,
extreme and prolonged drought, and
coastal and inland flooding are just
some of the risks that are threatening
our economies, ecosystems, and ways of
life. Communities of color, Indigenous,
Tribal communities, and other
marginalized communities—
communities already facing systemic
economic, social, civic, and
environmental inequity—experience
disproportionate impacts. Historically,
these communities have been without
access to resources that would support
them in advancing their community
priorities, preparing for climate-related
disasters, adapting to a changing
climate, and avoiding the worst future
damages.
NOAA is a leading provider of climate
data, information, science, and tools
(described as ‘‘climate services’’ for the
purpose of this document—see
Definitions below), and plays a critical
role in improving our Nation’s ability to
adapt and build resilience to climate
change. Equity is a core component of
NOAA and the Department of
Commerce’s vision. NOAA has
committed to making equity central to
every part of its mission, including its
climate service delivery, as part of
NOAA’s Strategic Plan (https://
www.noaa.gov/organization/budgetfinance-performance/value-to-society/
noaa-fy22-26-strategic-plan) and
Climate Ready Nation initiative. This
includes improving discovery of, access
to, and usability of climate services to
adapt to climate change and prepare for
and enhance resilience to its impacts.
Following through on that equity
commitment requires NOAA to center
the needs and priorities of historically
underserved communities in its delivery
of climate services. NOAA has taken
strides to improve how underserved
communities benefit from NOAA’s
climate services through a series of
Climate Equity Roundtables and
subsequent Climate Equity Pilots
(https://www.noaa.gov/regionalcollaboration-network/noaas-climateand-equity-roundtables), among other
efforts, but we acknowledge that there is
more that we can do. NOAA also has
opportunities to improve equity in its
climate service delivery through
increased capacity and improved access
to climate services for climate
preparedness, adaptation, and resilience
planning in underserved and Tribal and
Indigenous communities, including
consideration and inclusion of
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Indigenous Knowledge in the design
and delivery of NOAA’s climate
services.
NOAA aims to elicit comments on
how to enhance the agency’s delivery of
climate services and ensure that this
delivery is equitable and accounting for
the needs and priorities of a diverse set
of user communities. Building on the
work that NOAA is already doing to
prepare communities for increasing
climate impacts, we will gather critical
feedback from a wide swath of users of
all disciplines and backgrounds,
including but not limited to those
working in public health, housing,
economic development, environmental
justice, and other communities that we
aim to better support (see Target
Audience list below). A summary of
responses will be shared publicly and
will be used to develop an Action Plan
to further embed equity in NOAA’s
climate service design, production, and
delivery based on feedback received
from respondents.
(1) RFI Objectives
• Solicit feedback on the climate
services and other decision support
needed to help a range of user
communities, particularly historically
underserved, Tribal, and Indigenous
communities, move forward with their
climate preparedness, adaptation, and
resilience planning.
• Leverage responses to spark further
conversation within NOAA and with
community partners to drive
organizational change and ensure that
NOAA both (1) provides and coproduces climate services that meet the
needs and enhance the capabilities of
those we serve, and (2) sustains
productive feedback loops with users to
adaptively manage its climate services
for continual improvement and more
equitable outcomes.
• Take concrete action to make
NOAA’s climate services more
accessible, understandable, usable,
inclusive of the social and economic
impacts of climate change, and capable
of addressing complex and
compounding hazards.
• Take concrete action to build
capacity and support users of all
disciplines and backgrounds,
particularly for historically underserved
communities and Tribal and Indigenous
communities, by expanding science
literacy and successfully applying
technical information and data to
science-based decisions about climate
preparedness, risk, and resilience.
(2) Target Audience
NOAA is particularly interested in
hearing from communities that it may
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not engage with regularly, including but
not limited to:
• Community and city planners
• Community organizers
• Public health workers
• Affordable housing advocates
• Environmental non-profits
• Environmental justice groups
• Small business owners
• Food banks, urban and community
gardens
• Students and youth organizers
• Community Development Financial
Institutions (CDFIs)
• Tribal and Indigenous government
officials and community members
• State and territorial governments
• Local government
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II. NOAA Investment in Equitable
Climate Service Delivery
The Biden-Harris Administration has
laid out clear priorities around climate
resilience, adaptation, and equity
through Executive Order 13985, which
calls for the Federal Government to
‘‘pursue a comprehensive approach to
advancing equity for all, including
people of color and others who have
been historically underserved,
marginalized, and adversely affected by
persistent poverty and inequality’’; and
Executive Order 14008 on Tackling the
Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.
Other Federal agencies, including the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development, the Federal Emergency
Management Administration, and the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
have used these Executive Orders as
impetus for releasing RFIs to enhance
their incorporation of equity
considerations into existing climate
preparedness, adaptation, and resilience
programs.
(1) Climate Service Delivery for Tribal
Nations and Indigenous Peoples
NOAA recognizes the critical
contributions of Indigenous Knowledge
that Tribal Nations and Indigenous
Peoples make to climate preparedness,
adaptation, and resilience practices, and
the importance of ensuring that NOAA’s
consideration and inclusion of
Indigenous Knowledge is guided by
respect for the sovereignty and selfdetermination of Tribal Nations; the
Nation-to-Nation Relationship between
the United States and Tribal Nations,
and the United States’ trust
responsibility; and the need for the
consent of and honest engagement with
Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples.
NOAA, in response to the Indigenous
Knowledge Guidance (https://
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/
uploads/2022/12/OSTP-CEQ-IKGuidance.pdf) provided by the White
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House Office of Science and Technology
Policy and the White House Council on
Environmental Quality, has updated its
NOAA Tribal Consultation Handbook
(https://www.noaa.gov/legislative-andintergovernmental-affairs/noaa-tribalresources-updates) and reaffirmed
NOAA Administrative Order NAO 218–
8A: Policy on Government-toGovernment Consultation with
Federally Recognized Indian Tribal
Governments (https://www.noaa.gov/
organization/administration/nao-2188A-policy-on-G2G-consultation-withfederally-Recognized-TribalGovernments). This RFI seeks to further
understand Tribal and Indigenous needs
around and contributions to NOAA’s
suite of climate services.
(3) NOAA Climate Equity Roundtables
and Pilots
The NOAA Regional Collaboration
Network is supporting NOAA’s
commitment to sustained engagement
with underserved communities through
seven pilot projects in the coming years.
Each regional pilot will respond directly
to feedback received from partners
during Climate and Equity roundtable
discussions. Pilots will take a unique,
place-based approach to helping
vulnerable communities better
understand, prepare for, and respond to
climate change. You can read more
about the Pilots here: https://
www.noaa.gov/noaa-regionalcollaboration-network-announcesclimate-and-equity-pilot-projects.
(2) Climate Ready Nation
(4) NOAA Grant Programs Under the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and
Inflation Reduction Act
On June 6, 2023, U.S. Secretary of
Commerce Gina Raimondo announced
historic funding for NOAA under the
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA; https://
www.noaa.gov/inflation-reduction-act),
highlighting plans to implement $3.3
billion in investments focused on
ensuring America’s communities and
economy are ready for and resilient to
climate change. Through the IRA, and
building on investments made under the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Act (BIL;
https://www.noaa.gov/infrastructurelaw), NOAA will continue its efforts to
build a climate-ready nation. This
includes funding that will empower
NOAA to address the growing demand
for climate services and support for
climate preparedness, adaptation, and
resilience planning in a way that is
accessible and equitable for users of all
disciplines and backgrounds. More
information on these investments can be
found here: https://www.noaa.gov/
inflation-reduction-act.
NOAA launched Climate Ready
Nation to better organize and deliver
NOAA’s climate services and get
actionable weather, water, and climate
information and data in the hands of
decision makers to help them build a
thriving, equitable, and resilient future
in the face of climate change. But,
NOAA and the Federal Government
cannot ready the Nation alone. Through
the Climate-Ready Nation initiative, the
focus is on strengthening a broad range
of partnerships with the end goal of
creating and sustaining a climate service
enterprise that extends far beyond what
NOAA alone can do. This includes:
• Serving climate needs within the
Department of Commerce;
• Supporting other members of the
Federal Government in climate-proofing
their investments;
• Tailoring service delivery to state
and local leaders, including leaders in
communities, with academic
institutions and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), and across the
U.S. and territories;
• Engaging with Tribal and
Indigenous communities and leaders,
recognizing the value of traditional
knowledge and, simultaneously, that
climate change poses particular threats
to indigenous populations;
• Working with businesses and the
private sector to enable a robust publicprivate service delivery enterprise; and
• empowering the public to take
action in their own lives.
This will be successful only if we take
a purposeful approach to our
partnerships and ensure that this vast,
multi-stakeholder group of climate
service providers is using authoritative
and fit-for-purpose information to
inform climate actions.
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III. List of Questions for Commenters
NOAA seeks responses to three
categories of questions below in
Sections A, B, and C. We invite any
member of the public, particularly those
in the Target Audience list above, to
provide input on some or all of the
questions in the below categories:
A. Enhancing Accessibility of NOAA
Climate Services
B. Capacity Building, Education, and
Technical Assistance
C. Community Outreach, Engagement,
and Co-production of Climate
Services
Respondents are welcome to respond
to as many or as few questions below as
are applicable to their experience with
NOAA’s climate services. Response to
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all questions listed below is NOT
required. You may also include links to
online material or interactive
presentations. If including data sets,
please make the data available in a
downloadable, machine-readable format
with accompanying metadata. (See
ADDRESSES for further instructions.)
A. Enhancing Accessibility of NOAA
Climate Services
NOAA is a leading provider of climate
data, information, science, and tools,
and maintains a rich array of climate
services that are designed to inform
decisions on climate preparedness,
adaptation, and resilience. However, an
abundance of scientific resources and
gaps in climate services, particularly at
smaller scales, can create challenges as
communities look to access, understand,
and use information that suit their
particular needs. In addition, the data,
tools, and services that NOAA provides
may also not be accessible,
understandable, or usable for all
communities. The questions below seek
to gather feedback on how NOAA is, or
is not, addressing the information needs
and priorities of communities as they
seek to make decisions about their
climate preparedness, risk, and
resilience. Responses could include (but
are not limited to): feedback on
discoverability (finding the right data
for use), ease of accessing NOAA data,
tools, and services; scale of data;
usability of data; translation of NOAA
data and tools into multiple languages;
and/or data gaps related to Indigenous
and place-based knowledge, community
expertise, and/or social and economic
impacts of climate change. NOAA
invites comment on the following
questions:
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Use of Climate Services
1. When and why do you seek
information about climate and the
environment? What are your priorities
when looking for this information, and
what do you want to do with the
information you are seeking?
2. What data, information, science,
and tools (‘‘climate services’’) do you
use to make decisions about your risk
from climate-related natural hazards
(e.g., drought, heat waves, wildfires,
floods, intense precipitation, extreme
weather) and your preparedness,
resilience, and adaptation planning and
actions?
a. What do you find most useful about
the data, tools and information you use?
What’s missing?
b. Are these resources from NOAA? If
not, where are they from?
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Access/Accessibility
3. Please tell us, with stories or
examples, about your experiences
accessing NOAA climate services on
climate hazards, risk, and resilience.
4. What obstacles or challenges have
you faced in accessing NOAA climate
services for decision-making around
climate preparedness, adaptation, and
resilience in your community?
Understanding
5. Please tell us, with stories or
examples, about your experiences
understanding NOAA climate services
on climate hazards, risk, and resilience.
6. What obstacles or challenges have
you faced in understanding NOAA
climate services for decision-making
around climate preparedness,
adaptation, and resilience in your
community?
Use/Application
7. Please tell us, with stories or
examples, about your experiences
applying NOAA climate services to
support decision-making around climate
preparedness, adaptation, and resilience
in your community.
8. What obstacles or challenges have
you faced in applying NOAA climate
services to decision-making around
climate preparedness, adaptation, and
resilience in your community?
Barriers/Opportunities for Improvement
9. Does NOAA provide climate
resilience science, data, tools, and/or
information that is relevant to you and
in your preferred language? How has
this impacted your climate
preparedness and resilience planning?
10. Does NOAA provide climate
services that are relevant to your needs
and at a scale that is useful in your
decision-making around climate
preparedness and resilience? Please
explain your answer.
11. What climate services (science,
data, tools, and/or information) would
you like to have about the
socioeconomic impacts of climate, such
as on housing, the economy, food
security, workforce, migration, etc.?
Please explain your answer.
a. What would you like to be able to
do with these data, tools, and/or
information?
b. How can socioeconomic impacts of
climate change be better integrated into
the climate services NOAA provides?
B. Capacity Building, Education, and
Technical Assistance
NOAA recognizes that many
communities, particularly underserved
communities and Tribal and Indigenous
communities, may not have equitable
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access to NOAA climate services, nor to
NOAA staff, scientists, and project
development processes to help ensure
their voices, needs, and priorities are
heard. There is an opportunity for
NOAA to make its climate services
easier for users of all disciplines and
backgrounds to apply. NOAA wants to
hear more about what we can do to help
communities increase their capacity to
understand and apply NOAA climate
services to assess their climate risk and
develop resilience and adaptation
strategies to prepare for the impacts of
climate change. This could include
feedback on gaps in NOAA training and
workforce development for climate
preparedness, resilience, and
adaptation, supporting users of all
disciplines and backgrounds across
sectors, scales, and hazards, or
leveraging existing delivery mechanisms
or technical assistance programs to
reach users more broadly. NOAA invites
comment on the following questions:
1. Do you have capacity in your
organization or community to use
NOAA climate data, information,
science, and tools (‘‘climate services’’)
in preparedness, adaptation, and
resilience planning? Please explain your
answer—what additional capacity or
resources would be helpful and why?
2. How could NOAA climate services
be improved to support your
organization or community in adapting
to climate change?
3. What are the training and
workforce development needs that
NOAA could better address through our
climate services?
4. What are the specific ways in
which NOAA can support communities
in assessing their climate risk, preparing
for the range of hazards they face, and
building long-term resilience—
particularly through capacity building
and technical assistance?
5. How can NOAA climate services be
better used to advance climate and
environmental justice and prioritize
underserved communities?
C. Community Outreach, Engagement,
and Co-Production of Climate Services
Fully understanding the needs,
priorities, capacity, and capabilities of
the communities we serve, and where
additional capacity, training, and
education gaps may exist requires a
meaningful and continued commitment
to outreach, engagement, and
relationship building with communities.
This could include better leveraging
NOAA and other agency ‘‘extension’’
programs and other public/private
partnerships; better understanding what
users want/need to know about climate
change; or co-producing climate
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services and guidance on how to use
them based on user experience and
needs. NOAA invites comment on the
following questions:
1. Has NOAA directly engaged with
your community to gather feedback,
jointly design or produce climate data,
information, science, or tools (‘‘climate
services’’)? Please provide a brief
description.
a. If so, was it effective and in what
ways? If not, how could it be improved
to better build a strong trust relationship
with your community?
2. Is NOAA effectively using
community feedback and relationships
to co-design and disseminate climate
services? How can NOAA improve
meaningful community engagement that
leads to design and dissemination of
climate services that communities need?
3. Are there partnerships that have
enhanced your access to or
understanding of climate change and/or
potential preparedness, adaptation, and
resilience solutions? Are there
partnerships NOAA should invest in to
enhance and sustain community access
and understanding? Please explain your
answer.
4. How can NOAA more meaningfully
integrate your organization or
community, including individuals with
lived expertise, in the co-production of
climate services?
5. How can Indigenous Knowledge,
local, place-based knowledge, and other
ways of knowing be included
meaningfully into the climate services
that NOAA provides, particularly for
climate preparedness, adaptation, and
resilience?
IV. Definitions
There are several terms used
throughout this RFI that NOAA will
define here to ensure clarity and ease of
response to the questions.
• Adaptation: The process of
adjusting to new (climate) conditions in
order to reduce risks to valued assets
(https://toolkit.climate.gov/content/
glossary).
• Capacity Building: The process of
developing and strengthening the skills,
instincts, abilities, processes and
resources that organizations and
communities need to survive, adapt,
and thrive in a fast-changing world
(https://www.un.org/en/academicimpact/capacity-building).
• Climate Services: ‘‘Scientificallybased, usable information and products
that enhance knowledge and
understanding about the impacts of
climate change on potential decisions
and actions.’’ This may involve services
that are available for consistent use as
well as more ongoing, deliberative
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services shaped by engagement,
knowledge co-production, and capacitybuilding. In addition, Indigenous,
traditional and local knowledge are
important components for developing
climate services in some contexts or for
specific cultures and communities
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/wpcontent/uploads/2023/03/FTAC_
Report_03222023_508.pdf). In the
context of this RFI, ‘‘climate services’’
refer to NOAA climate data,
information, science, and tools, as well
as decision-support, designed to address
climate-related hazards, such as heat,
drought, sea level rise and coastal
inundation, inland flooding, and
wildfire. An example of a climate
service that NOAA provides to the
general public is Climate.gov (https://
www.climate.gov), which includes a
host of maps, data sets, educational
materials on climate change, and the
U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. The
Climate Resilience Toolkit is designed
to help communities meet the
challenges of a changing climate, learn
about potential climate hazards, and
understand how to protect and prepare
for climate hazards.
• Co-production: The process is
generically described as one that ‘‘brings
together diverse groups to iteratively
create new knowledge and practices,’’
whether to generate actionable
knowledge or spur the redistribution of
power and societal transformation’’
(https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/
10.1029/2022CSJ000021). Coproduction is a methodology that
leverages the expertise of practitioners
and community members to develop
holistic solutions to multifaceted
problems at the intersection of society
and the environment. By fostering
collaboration and integrating diverse
perspectives, co-production enables a
deeper understanding of causes and
potential remedies of environmental
stressors (https://www.national
academies.org/our-work/co-productionof-environmental-knowledge-methodsand-approaches). For more information
and examples of co-production in a
NOAA context, see the following:
https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/
noaa/45596/noaa_45596_DS1.pdf.
• Equity: The consistent and
systematic fair, just, and impartial
treatment of all individuals, including
individuals who belong to underserved
communities that have been denied
such treatment, such as Black, Latino,
and Indigenous and Native American
persons, Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders and other persons of color;
members of religious minorities;
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and
queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with
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46777
disabilities; persons who live in rural
areas; and persons otherwise adversely
affected by persistent poverty or
inequality (https://www.whitehouse.
gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/
2021/01/20/executive-order-advancingracial-equity-and-support-forunderserved-communities-through-thefederal-government/).
• Indigenous Knowledge: A body of
observations, oral and written
knowledge, innovations, practices, and
beliefs developed by Tribes and
Indigenous Peoples through interaction
and experience with the environment
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/wpcontent/uploads/2022/12/OSTP-CEQIK-Guidance.pdf).
• Resilience: The capacity of a
community, business, or natural
environment to prevent, withstand,
respond to, and recover from a
disruption (https://toolkit.climate.gov/
content/glossary).
• Service Delivery: The continuous
process of engaging with users in order
to provide relevant and timely
information via appropriate
mechanisms (https://www.noaa.gov/
sites/default/files/2022-02/A-Model-ofService-Delivery-for-the-NOAA-WaterInitiative_FINAL.pdf).
• Technical Assistance: Targeted
coaching for users to help them access,
understand, and use NOAA products
and services for their own decisions
(https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/
files/2022-02/A-Model-of-ServiceDelivery-for-the-NOAA-Water-Initiative_
FINAL.pdf).
• Underserved Communities:
Populations sharing a particular
characteristic, as well as geographic
communities, that have been
systematically denied a full opportunity
to participate in aspects of economic,
social, and civic life, as exemplified by
the list in the preceding definition of
‘‘equity’’ (https://www.whitehouse.gov/
briefing-room/presidential-actions/
2021/01/20/executive-order-advancingracial-equity-and-support-forunderserved-communities-through-thefederal-government/).
• User(s): A person(s), group, or
organization who accesses and applies
information, products, or services
(https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/
files/2022-02/A-Model-of-ServiceDelivery-for-the-NOAA-Water-Initiative_
FINAL.pdf).
V. Other
Please note that this is an RFI only. In
accordance with the implementing
regulations of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA), specifically 5 CFR
1320.3(h)(4), this general solicitation is
exempt from the PRA. Facts or opinions
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 138 / Thursday, July 20, 2023 / Notices
submitted in response to general
solicitations of comments from the
public, published in the Federal
Register or other publications,
regardless of the form or format thereof,
provided that no person is required to
supply specific information pertaining
to the commenter, other than that
necessary for self-identification, as a
condition of the agency’s full
consideration, are not generally
considered information collections and
therefore not subject to the PRA.
This RFI is issued solely for
information and planning purposes; it
does not constitute a request for
proposals, applications, proposal
abstracts, or quotations. This RFI does
not commit the U.S. Government to
contract for any supplies or services or
make a grant award. Further, we are not
seeking proposals through this RFI and
will not accept unsolicited proposals.
Choosing not to respond to this RFI does
not preclude participation in any future
procurement, if conducted.
Dated: July 17, 2023.
Jainey Kumar Bavishi,
Assistant Secretary for Oceans and
Atmosphere and Deputy Administrator,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2023–15432 Filed 7–19–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–12–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Evaluation of Oregon Coastal
Management Program; Notice of Public
Meeting; Request for Comments
Office for Coastal Management,
National Ocean Service, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and
opportunity to comment.
AGENCY:
The National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Office for Coastal Management, will
hold a virtual public meeting to solicit
input on the performance evaluation of
the Oregon Coastal Management
Program. NOAA also invites the public
to submit written comments.
DATES: NOAA will hold a virtual public
meeting on Monday, September 11,
2023, at 6 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
(PDT). NOAA may close the meeting 15
minutes after the conclusion of public
testimony and after responding to any
clarifying questions from hearing
participants. NOAA will consider all
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SUMMARY:
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relevant written comments received by
Friday, September 22, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be
submitted by one of the following
methods:
• Virtual Public Meeting: Provide oral
comments during the virtual public
meeting on Monday, September 11,
2023, at 6 p.m. PDT by registering as a
speaker at https://forms.gle/
aaupTYai4MiUSGqW6. Please register
by Monday, September 11, 2023, at 5
p.m. PDT. Upon registration, NOAA
will send a confirmation email. The
lineup of speakers will be based on the
date and time of registration. One hour
prior to the start of the virtual meeting
on September 11, 2023, NOAA will
send an email to all registered speakers
with a link to the public meeting and
information about participating.
• Email: Send written comments to
Becky Allee, Evaluator, NOAA Office
for Coastal Management, at
Becky.Allee@noaa.gov. Include
‘‘Comments on Performance Evaluation
of the Oregon Coastal Management
Program’’ in the subject line of the
message.
NOAA will accept anonymous
comments; however, the written
comments NOAA receives are
considered part of the public record,
and the entirety of the comment,
including the name of the commenter,
email address, attachments, and other
supporting materials, will be publicly
accessible. Sensitive personally
identifiable information, such as
account numbers and Social Security
numbers, should not be included with
the comment. Comments that are not
related to the performance evaluation of
the Oregon Coastal Management
Program or that contain profanity,
vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate
language will not be considered.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Becky Allee, Evaluator, NOAA Office
for Coastal Management, by email at
Becky.Allee@noaa.gov or by phone at
(601) 564–8891. Copies of the previous
evaluation findings and assessment and
strategies may be viewed and
downloaded 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 Becky Allee.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
312 of the Coastal Zone Management
Act (CZMA) requires NOAA to conduct
periodic evaluations of Federally
approved coastal management
programs. The evaluation process
includes holding one or more public
meetings, considering public comments,
and consulting with interested Federal,
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State, and local agencies and members
of the public. During the evaluation,
NOAA will consider the extent to which
the State of Oregon 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 complete,
NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management
will place a notice in the Federal
Register announcing the availability of
the final evaluation findings.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1458.
Keelin Kuipers,
Deputy Director, Office for Coastal
Management, National Ocean Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2023–15418 Filed 7–19–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–JE–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XD159]
Research Track Assessment for
Atlantic Cod
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
AGENCY:
NMFS will convene the
Research Track Assessment Peer Review
Meeting for the purpose of reviewing
the Atlantic cod stocks western Gulf of
Maine, eastern Gulf of Maine, southern
New England, Georges Bank. The
Research Track Assessment Peer Review
is a formal scientific peer-review
process for evaluating and presenting
stock assessment results to managers for
fish stocks in the offshore U.S. waters of
the northwest Atlantic. Assessments are
prepared by the research track working
group and reviewed by an independent
panel of independent stock assessment
experts. The public is invited to attend
the presentations and discussions
between the review panel and the
scientists who have participated in the
stock assessment process.
DATES: The public portion of the
Research Track Assessment Peer Review
Meeting will be held from July 31,
2023–August 3, 2023. The meeting will
conclude on August 3, 2023, at 4:30
p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Please see
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for the
daily meeting agenda.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held
via WebEx https://noaanmfsSUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 138 (Thursday, July 20, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46773-46778]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-15432]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket No. 2307014-0168]
RTID 0648-XV193
Request for Information on Equitable Delivery of Climate Services
AGENCY: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
ACTION: Request for information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Department), via the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), requests additional
input from interested parties on how to enhance NOAA's delivery of
climate data, information, science, and tools (``climate services'')
and ensure that this delivery is equitable and accounting for the needs
and priorities of a diverse set of user communities as they engage in
climate preparedness, adaptation, and resilience planning. Building on
the work that NOAA is already doing to prepare communities for
increasing climate impacts, the input from this Request for Information
(RFI) will be used to create an Action Plan that will inform more
equitable and inclusive design, production, and delivery of climate
services for users of all disciplines and backgrounds.
DATES: Responses are due on or before September 21, 2023.
NOAA will host virtual public listening sessions during the months
of August and September for participants to provide comments. See
ADDRESSES below for more information on dates, times, and registration.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document by any of the
following methods:
Email Submission: Interested individuals and organizations
should submit written or recorded comments by email to
[email protected]. If submitting via email, include the title of
this RFI, ``Request for Information on Equitable Delivery of Climate
Services'' in the subject line of the email.
[[Page 46774]]
Attachments will be accepted in plain text, Microsoft Word, or Adobe
PDF, or recorded formats only, not to exceed a file size of 25 MB. If
comments are submitted via recording, they must be in .mpg, mpeg, or
.wav file formats. All comments submitted via email in recorded format
will be transcribed.
Electronic Submission: Comments may also be submitted in
writing only via www.regulations.gov/. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter the title of this action, ``Request for
Information on Equitable Delivery of Climate Services'' in the Search
box. Click the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and
enter or attach your comments. Enter ``N/A'' in required fields if you
wish to remain anonymous.
Mail: Submit written comments to Ella Clarke, Room 58010/
HCHB, 1401 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20230. Include the
title of this RFI, ``Request for Information on Equitable Delivery of
Climate Services'' in the written response.
Public Listening Sessions: Provide oral comments during
virtual public listening sessions, as described under DATES.
Registration details and additional information about how to
participate in these public listening sessions is available at https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/equitable-climate-service-delivery-2404789.
Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Respondents need
not reply to all questions listed. Each individual or institution is
requested to submit only one response. All comments received are part
of the public record and may be posted, without change, on NOAA's
website at https://www.noaa.gov and on https://www.regulations.gov.
Commenters should include the name of the person and/or organization
filing the comment. All identifying information (e.g., name, email
address) submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly
accessible. NOAA, therefore, requests that no business proprietary
information, copyrighted information, or sensitive personally
identifiable information be submitted in response to this RFI. Comments
will be accepted in English and Spanish. Comments submitted in Spanish
will be translated to English for public posting.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ella Clarke, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, (771) 216-1352; [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Climate change is here. Communities around the country and the
world are feeling its impacts every day. Brutal heat waves on land and
in the ocean, extreme and prolonged drought, and coastal and inland
flooding are just some of the risks that are threatening our economies,
ecosystems, and ways of life. Communities of color, Indigenous, Tribal
communities, and other marginalized communities--communities already
facing systemic economic, social, civic, and environmental inequity--
experience disproportionate impacts. Historically, these communities
have been without access to resources that would support them in
advancing their community priorities, preparing for climate-related
disasters, adapting to a changing climate, and avoiding the worst
future damages.
NOAA is a leading provider of climate data, information, science,
and tools (described as ``climate services'' for the purpose of this
document--see Definitions below), and plays a critical role in
improving our Nation's ability to adapt and build resilience to climate
change. Equity is a core component of NOAA and the Department of
Commerce's vision. NOAA has committed to making equity central to every
part of its mission, including its climate service delivery, as part of
NOAA's Strategic Plan (https://www.noaa.gov/organization/budget-finance-performance/value-to-society/noaa-fy22-26-strategic-plan) and
Climate Ready Nation initiative. This includes improving discovery of,
access to, and usability of climate services to adapt to climate change
and prepare for and enhance resilience to its impacts. Following
through on that equity commitment requires NOAA to center the needs and
priorities of historically underserved communities in its delivery of
climate services. NOAA has taken strides to improve how underserved
communities benefit from NOAA's climate services through a series of
Climate Equity Roundtables and subsequent Climate Equity Pilots
(https://www.noaa.gov/regional-collaboration-network/noaas-climate-and-equity-roundtables), among other efforts, but we acknowledge that there
is more that we can do. NOAA also has opportunities to improve equity
in its climate service delivery through increased capacity and improved
access to climate services for climate preparedness, adaptation, and
resilience planning in underserved and Tribal and Indigenous
communities, including consideration and inclusion of Indigenous
Knowledge in the design and delivery of NOAA's climate services.
NOAA aims to elicit comments on how to enhance the agency's
delivery of climate services and ensure that this delivery is equitable
and accounting for the needs and priorities of a diverse set of user
communities. Building on the work that NOAA is already doing to prepare
communities for increasing climate impacts, we will gather critical
feedback from a wide swath of users of all disciplines and backgrounds,
including but not limited to those working in public health, housing,
economic development, environmental justice, and other communities that
we aim to better support (see Target Audience list below). A summary of
responses will be shared publicly and will be used to develop an Action
Plan to further embed equity in NOAA's climate service design,
production, and delivery based on feedback received from respondents.
(1) RFI Objectives
Solicit feedback on the climate services and other
decision support needed to help a range of user communities,
particularly historically underserved, Tribal, and Indigenous
communities, move forward with their climate preparedness, adaptation,
and resilience planning.
Leverage responses to spark further conversation within
NOAA and with community partners to drive organizational change and
ensure that NOAA both (1) provides and co-produces climate services
that meet the needs and enhance the capabilities of those we serve, and
(2) sustains productive feedback loops with users to adaptively manage
its climate services for continual improvement and more equitable
outcomes.
Take concrete action to make NOAA's climate services more
accessible, understandable, usable, inclusive of the social and
economic impacts of climate change, and capable of addressing complex
and compounding hazards.
Take concrete action to build capacity and support users
of all disciplines and backgrounds, particularly for historically
underserved communities and Tribal and Indigenous communities, by
expanding science literacy and successfully applying technical
information and data to science-based decisions about climate
preparedness, risk, and resilience.
(2) Target Audience
NOAA is particularly interested in hearing from communities that it
may
[[Page 46775]]
not engage with regularly, including but not limited to:
Community and city planners
Community organizers
Public health workers
Affordable housing advocates
Environmental non-profits
Environmental justice groups
Small business owners
Food banks, urban and community gardens
Students and youth organizers
Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)
Tribal and Indigenous government officials and community
members
State and territorial governments
Local government
II. NOAA Investment in Equitable Climate Service Delivery
The Biden-Harris Administration has laid out clear priorities
around climate resilience, adaptation, and equity through Executive
Order 13985, which calls for the Federal Government to ``pursue a
comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of
color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized,
and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality''; and
Executive Order 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and
Abroad. Other Federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Emergency Management
Administration, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, have used
these Executive Orders as impetus for releasing RFIs to enhance their
incorporation of equity considerations into existing climate
preparedness, adaptation, and resilience programs.
(1) Climate Service Delivery for Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples
NOAA recognizes the critical contributions of Indigenous Knowledge
that Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples make to climate
preparedness, adaptation, and resilience practices, and the importance
of ensuring that NOAA's consideration and inclusion of Indigenous
Knowledge is guided by respect for the sovereignty and self-
determination of Tribal Nations; the Nation-to-Nation Relationship
between the United States and Tribal Nations, and the United States'
trust responsibility; and the need for the consent of and honest
engagement with Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples. NOAA, in
response to the Indigenous Knowledge Guidance (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/OSTP-CEQ-IK-Guidance.pdf)
provided by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and
the White House Council on Environmental Quality, has updated its NOAA
Tribal Consultation Handbook (https://www.noaa.gov/legislative-and-intergovernmental-affairs/noaa-tribal-resources-updates) and reaffirmed
NOAA Administrative Order NAO 218-8A: Policy on Government-to-
Government Consultation with Federally Recognized Indian Tribal
Governments (https://www.noaa.gov/organization/administration/nao-218-8A-policy-on-G2G-consultation-with-federally-Recognized-Tribal-Governments). This RFI seeks to further understand Tribal and
Indigenous needs around and contributions to NOAA's suite of climate
services.
(2) Climate Ready Nation
NOAA launched Climate Ready Nation to better organize and deliver
NOAA's climate services and get actionable weather, water, and climate
information and data in the hands of decision makers to help them build
a thriving, equitable, and resilient future in the face of climate
change. But, NOAA and the Federal Government cannot ready the Nation
alone. Through the Climate-Ready Nation initiative, the focus is on
strengthening a broad range of partnerships with the end goal of
creating and sustaining a climate service enterprise that extends far
beyond what NOAA alone can do. This includes:
Serving climate needs within the Department of Commerce;
Supporting other members of the Federal Government in
climate-proofing their investments;
Tailoring service delivery to state and local leaders,
including leaders in communities, with academic institutions and non-
governmental organizations (NGOs), and across the U.S. and territories;
Engaging with Tribal and Indigenous communities and
leaders, recognizing the value of traditional knowledge and,
simultaneously, that climate change poses particular threats to
indigenous populations;
Working with businesses and the private sector to enable a
robust public-private service delivery enterprise; and
empowering the public to take action in their own lives.
This will be successful only if we take a purposeful approach to
our partnerships and ensure that this vast, multi-stakeholder group of
climate service providers is using authoritative and fit-for-purpose
information to inform climate actions.
(3) NOAA Climate Equity Roundtables and Pilots
The NOAA Regional Collaboration Network is supporting NOAA's
commitment to sustained engagement with underserved communities through
seven pilot projects in the coming years. Each regional pilot will
respond directly to feedback received from partners during Climate and
Equity roundtable discussions. Pilots will take a unique, place-based
approach to helping vulnerable communities better understand, prepare
for, and respond to climate change. You can read more about the Pilots
here: https://www.noaa.gov/noaa-regional-collaboration-network-announces-climate-and-equity-pilot-projects.
(4) NOAA Grant Programs Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and
Inflation Reduction Act
On June 6, 2023, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced
historic funding for NOAA under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA;
https://www.noaa.gov/inflation-reduction-act), highlighting plans to
implement $3.3 billion in investments focused on ensuring America's
communities and economy are ready for and resilient to climate change.
Through the IRA, and building on investments made under the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Act (BIL; https://www.noaa.gov/infrastructure-law), NOAA
will continue its efforts to build a climate-ready nation. This
includes funding that will empower NOAA to address the growing demand
for climate services and support for climate preparedness, adaptation,
and resilience planning in a way that is accessible and equitable for
users of all disciplines and backgrounds. More information on these
investments can be found here: https://www.noaa.gov/inflation-reduction-act.
III. List of Questions for Commenters
NOAA seeks responses to three categories of questions below in
Sections A, B, and C. We invite any member of the public, particularly
those in the Target Audience list above, to provide input on some or
all of the questions in the below categories:
A. Enhancing Accessibility of NOAA Climate Services
B. Capacity Building, Education, and Technical Assistance
C. Community Outreach, Engagement, and Co-production of Climate
Services
Respondents are welcome to respond to as many or as few questions
below as are applicable to their experience with NOAA's climate
services. Response to
[[Page 46776]]
all questions listed below is NOT required. You may also include links
to online material or interactive presentations. If including data
sets, please make the data available in a downloadable, machine-
readable format with accompanying metadata. (See ADDRESSES for further
instructions.)
A. Enhancing Accessibility of NOAA Climate Services
NOAA is a leading provider of climate data, information, science,
and tools, and maintains a rich array of climate services that are
designed to inform decisions on climate preparedness, adaptation, and
resilience. However, an abundance of scientific resources and gaps in
climate services, particularly at smaller scales, can create challenges
as communities look to access, understand, and use information that
suit their particular needs. In addition, the data, tools, and services
that NOAA provides may also not be accessible, understandable, or
usable for all communities. The questions below seek to gather feedback
on how NOAA is, or is not, addressing the information needs and
priorities of communities as they seek to make decisions about their
climate preparedness, risk, and resilience. Responses could include
(but are not limited to): feedback on discoverability (finding the
right data for use), ease of accessing NOAA data, tools, and services;
scale of data; usability of data; translation of NOAA data and tools
into multiple languages; and/or data gaps related to Indigenous and
place-based knowledge, community expertise, and/or social and economic
impacts of climate change. NOAA invites comment on the following
questions:
Use of Climate Services
1. When and why do you seek information about climate and the
environment? What are your priorities when looking for this
information, and what do you want to do with the information you are
seeking?
2. What data, information, science, and tools (``climate
services'') do you use to make decisions about your risk from climate-
related natural hazards (e.g., drought, heat waves, wildfires, floods,
intense precipitation, extreme weather) and your preparedness,
resilience, and adaptation planning and actions?
a. What do you find most useful about the data, tools and
information you use? What's missing?
b. Are these resources from NOAA? If not, where are they from?
Access/Accessibility
3. Please tell us, with stories or examples, about your experiences
accessing NOAA climate services on climate hazards, risk, and
resilience.
4. What obstacles or challenges have you faced in accessing NOAA
climate services for decision-making around climate preparedness,
adaptation, and resilience in your community?
Understanding
5. Please tell us, with stories or examples, about your experiences
understanding NOAA climate services on climate hazards, risk, and
resilience.
6. What obstacles or challenges have you faced in understanding
NOAA climate services for decision-making around climate preparedness,
adaptation, and resilience in your community?
Use/Application
7. Please tell us, with stories or examples, about your experiences
applying NOAA climate services to support decision-making around
climate preparedness, adaptation, and resilience in your community.
8. What obstacles or challenges have you faced in applying NOAA
climate services to decision-making around climate preparedness,
adaptation, and resilience in your community?
Barriers/Opportunities for Improvement
9. Does NOAA provide climate resilience science, data, tools, and/
or information that is relevant to you and in your preferred language?
How has this impacted your climate preparedness and resilience
planning?
10. Does NOAA provide climate services that are relevant to your
needs and at a scale that is useful in your decision-making around
climate preparedness and resilience? Please explain your answer.
11. What climate services (science, data, tools, and/or
information) would you like to have about the socioeconomic impacts of
climate, such as on housing, the economy, food security, workforce,
migration, etc.? Please explain your answer.
a. What would you like to be able to do with these data, tools,
and/or information?
b. How can socioeconomic impacts of climate change be better
integrated into the climate services NOAA provides?
B. Capacity Building, Education, and Technical Assistance
NOAA recognizes that many communities, particularly underserved
communities and Tribal and Indigenous communities, may not have
equitable access to NOAA climate services, nor to NOAA staff,
scientists, and project development processes to help ensure their
voices, needs, and priorities are heard. There is an opportunity for
NOAA to make its climate services easier for users of all disciplines
and backgrounds to apply. NOAA wants to hear more about what we can do
to help communities increase their capacity to understand and apply
NOAA climate services to assess their climate risk and develop
resilience and adaptation strategies to prepare for the impacts of
climate change. This could include feedback on gaps in NOAA training
and workforce development for climate preparedness, resilience, and
adaptation, supporting users of all disciplines and backgrounds across
sectors, scales, and hazards, or leveraging existing delivery
mechanisms or technical assistance programs to reach users more
broadly. NOAA invites comment on the following questions:
1. Do you have capacity in your organization or community to use
NOAA climate data, information, science, and tools (``climate
services'') in preparedness, adaptation, and resilience planning?
Please explain your answer--what additional capacity or resources would
be helpful and why?
2. How could NOAA climate services be improved to support your
organization or community in adapting to climate change?
3. What are the training and workforce development needs that NOAA
could better address through our climate services?
4. What are the specific ways in which NOAA can support communities
in assessing their climate risk, preparing for the range of hazards
they face, and building long-term resilience--particularly through
capacity building and technical assistance?
5. How can NOAA climate services be better used to advance climate
and environmental justice and prioritize underserved communities?
C. Community Outreach, Engagement, and Co-Production of Climate
Services
Fully understanding the needs, priorities, capacity, and
capabilities of the communities we serve, and where additional
capacity, training, and education gaps may exist requires a meaningful
and continued commitment to outreach, engagement, and relationship
building with communities. This could include better leveraging NOAA
and other agency ``extension'' programs and other public/private
partnerships; better understanding what users want/need to know about
climate change; or co-producing climate
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services and guidance on how to use them based on user experience and
needs. NOAA invites comment on the following questions:
1. Has NOAA directly engaged with your community to gather
feedback, jointly design or produce climate data, information, science,
or tools (``climate services'')? Please provide a brief description.
a. If so, was it effective and in what ways? If not, how could it
be improved to better build a strong trust relationship with your
community?
2. Is NOAA effectively using community feedback and relationships
to co-design and disseminate climate services? How can NOAA improve
meaningful community engagement that leads to design and dissemination
of climate services that communities need?
3. Are there partnerships that have enhanced your access to or
understanding of climate change and/or potential preparedness,
adaptation, and resilience solutions? Are there partnerships NOAA
should invest in to enhance and sustain community access and
understanding? Please explain your answer.
4. How can NOAA more meaningfully integrate your organization or
community, including individuals with lived expertise, in the co-
production of climate services?
5. How can Indigenous Knowledge, local, place-based knowledge, and
other ways of knowing be included meaningfully into the climate
services that NOAA provides, particularly for climate preparedness,
adaptation, and resilience?
IV. Definitions
There are several terms used throughout this RFI that NOAA will
define here to ensure clarity and ease of response to the questions.
Adaptation: The process of adjusting to new (climate)
conditions in order to reduce risks to valued assets (https://toolkit.climate.gov/content/glossary).
Capacity Building: The process of developing and
strengthening the skills, instincts, abilities, processes and resources
that organizations and communities need to survive, adapt, and thrive
in a fast-changing world (https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/capacity-building).
Climate Services: ``Scientifically-based, usable
information and products that enhance knowledge and understanding about
the impacts of climate change on potential decisions and actions.''
This may involve services that are available for consistent use as well
as more ongoing, deliberative services shaped by engagement, knowledge
co-production, and capacity-building. In addition, Indigenous,
traditional and local knowledge are important components for developing
climate services in some contexts or for specific cultures and
communities (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/FTAC_Report_03222023_508.pdf). In the context of this RFI, ``climate
services'' refer to NOAA climate data, information, science, and tools,
as well as decision-support, designed to address climate-related
hazards, such as heat, drought, sea level rise and coastal inundation,
inland flooding, and wildfire. An example of a climate service that
NOAA provides to the general public is Climate.gov (https://www.climate.gov), which includes a host of maps, data sets, educational
materials on climate change, and the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit.
The Climate Resilience Toolkit is designed to help communities meet the
challenges of a changing climate, learn about potential climate
hazards, and understand how to protect and prepare for climate hazards.
Co-production: The process is generically described as one
that ``brings together diverse groups to iteratively create new
knowledge and practices,'' whether to generate actionable knowledge or
spur the redistribution of power and societal transformation'' (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022CSJ000021). Co-production is a
methodology that leverages the expertise of practitioners and community
members to develop holistic solutions to multifaceted problems at the
intersection of society and the environment. By fostering collaboration
and integrating diverse perspectives, co-production enables a deeper
understanding of causes and potential remedies of environmental
stressors (https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/co-production-of-environmental-knowledge-methods-and-approaches). For more information
and examples of co-production in a NOAA context, see the following:
https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/45596/noaa_45596_DS1.pdf.
Equity: The consistent and systematic fair, just, and
impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who
belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment,
such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons,
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color;
members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live
in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent
poverty or inequality (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/).
Indigenous Knowledge: A body of observations, oral and
written knowledge, innovations, practices, and beliefs developed by
Tribes and Indigenous Peoples through interaction and experience with
the environment (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/OSTP-CEQ-IK-Guidance.pdf).
Resilience: The capacity of a community, business, or
natural environment to prevent, withstand, respond to, and recover from
a disruption (https://toolkit.climate.gov/content/glossary).
Service Delivery: The continuous process of engaging with
users in order to provide relevant and timely information via
appropriate mechanisms (https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/A-Model-of-Service-Delivery-for-the-NOAA-Water-Initiative_FINAL.pdf).
Technical Assistance: Targeted coaching for users to help
them access, understand, and use NOAA products and services for their
own decisions (https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/A-Model-of-Service-Delivery-for-the-NOAA-Water-Initiative_FINAL.pdf).
Underserved Communities: Populations sharing a particular
characteristic, as well as geographic communities, that have been
systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of
economic, social, and civic life, as exemplified by the list in the
preceding definition of ``equity'' (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/).
User(s): A person(s), group, or organization who accesses
and applies information, products, or services (https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/A-Model-of-Service-Delivery-for-the-NOAA-Water-Initiative_FINAL.pdf).
V. Other
Please note that this is an RFI only. In accordance with the
implementing regulations of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA),
specifically 5 CFR 1320.3(h)(4), this general solicitation is exempt
from the PRA. Facts or opinions
[[Page 46778]]
submitted in response to general solicitations of comments from the
public, published in the Federal Register or other publications,
regardless of the form or format thereof, provided that no person is
required to supply specific information pertaining to the commenter,
other than that necessary for self-identification, as a condition of
the agency's full consideration, are not generally considered
information collections and therefore not subject to the PRA.
This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes; it
does not constitute a request for proposals, applications, proposal
abstracts, or quotations. This RFI does not commit the U.S. Government
to contract for any supplies or services or make a grant award.
Further, we are not seeking proposals through this RFI and will not
accept unsolicited proposals. Choosing not to respond to this RFI does
not preclude participation in any future procurement, if conducted.
Dated: July 17, 2023.
Jainey Kumar Bavishi,
Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy Administrator,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2023-15432 Filed 7-19-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-12-P
