Department of Commerce January 21, 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given that individuals and institutions have been issued Letters of Confirmation (LOCs) for activities conducted under the General Authorization for Scientific Research on marine mammals. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for a list of names and addresses of recipients.

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is requesting written comments to facilitate ONMS' five-year review of the nomination for the Mariana Trench National Marine Sanctuary (NMS) at the five-year interval. In particular, NOAA is requesting relevant information as it pertains to its 11 evaluation criteria for inclusion in the inventory. In this five-year review, NOAA will pay particular attention to any new information about the significance of the area's natural or cultural resources, changes to any threats to these resources, and any updates to the management framework of the area. NOAA has provided the original nominating parties, The Pew Charitable Trusts and Friends of the Marianas Trench, an opportunity to share their views on these same questions. Following this information gathering and internal analysis, NOAA will make a final determination on whether or not the Mariana Trench NMS nomination will remain in the inventory for another five- year period.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seeking written comments on its five-year review of the nomination for Hudson Canyon National Marine Sanctuary (NMS). Comments should focus solely on any new and relevant information relating to NOAA's 11 sanctuary nomination evaluation criteria. NOAA will pay particular attention to any additional details about the significance of the area's natural or cultural resources, changes to any threats to these resources, and evolving management efforts, or human uses in the proposed area (e.g., wind energy proposals in the area). NOAA will make a final determination on whether the Hudson Canyon NMS nomination remains relevant and responsive to the evaluation criteria after it analyzes the comments it receives and, if so, whether Hudson Canyon NMS is to remain in the nomination inventory for another five-year period. With this five-year review, NOAA is not seeking comments on whether to start the sanctuary designation process for the Hudson Canyon NMS proposal.