[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 181 (Monday, September 19, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57957-57958]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24035]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-BB44
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Amendment 11 to the Fishery Management Plan for Spiny Lobster Resources
of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic; Intent To Prepare a
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS); Request for
Comments
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI).
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SUMMARY: NMFS, Southeast Region, in collaboration with the Gulf of
Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils (Councils)
intends to prepare a SEIS to describe and analyze a range of
alternatives for management actions to be included in Amendment 11 to
the Fishery Management Plan for the Spiny Lobster Resources of the Gulf
of Mexico and South Atlantic (FMP). These actions will consider closed
areas for lobster fishing to protect Acropora corals and lobster trap
line-marking requirements. The purpose of this NOI is to solicit public
comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the SEIS.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the
SEIS must be received by NMFS by October 19, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2011-0223,
by any of the following methods:
Electronic submissions: Submit electronic comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Susan Gerhart, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263
13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
Instructions: All comments received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without
change. All Personal Identifying Information (for example, name,
address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly
accessible. Do not
[[Page 57958]]
submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information.
To submit comments through the Federal e-rulemaking portal: http://www.regulations.gov, click on ``submit a comment,'' then enter ``NOAA-
NMFS-2011-0223'' in the keyword search and click on ``search.'' To view
posted comments during the comment period, enter ``NOAA-NMFS-2011-
0223'' in the keyword search and click on ``search.'' NMFS will accept
anonymous comments (enter N/A in the required field if you wish to
remain anonymous). You may submit attachments to electronic comments in
Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Gerhart, telephone: 727-824-5305
or e-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 27, 2009, an Endangered Species
Act (ESA) biological opinion was completed that evaluated the impacts
of the continued authorization of the trap component of the spiny
lobster commercial sector on ESA-listed species. The opinion prescribed
non-discretionary reasonable and prudent measures (RPMs) to help
minimize the impacts of takes to ESA-listed species by the trap
component of the spiny lobster commercial sector. Specific terms and
conditions required to implement the prescribed RPMs included creating
new or expanding existing closed areas to protect coral and
implementing lobster trap line-marking requirements. A September 2,
2011, memo revised the 5-year phase-in period for the line-marking
requirement to 5 years from implementation of the planned final rule or
no later than August 6, 2017. The Councils are considering alternatives
to meet these requirements.
Actions and alternatives to address these measures were included in
Amendment 10 to the Spiny Lobster FMP. However, the Councils felt more
time was needed to work with stakeholders in developing management
measures. NMFS, in collaboration with the Councils, will develop a SEIS
for Amendment 11 to describe and analyze alternatives to address the
management needs described above. The alternatives will include a ``no
action'' alternative regarding each action.
In accordance with NOAA's Administrative Order 216-6, Section
5.02(c), Scoping Process, NMFS, in collaboration with the Councils, has
identified preliminary environmental issues as a means to initiate
discussion for scoping purposes only. These preliminary issues may not
represent the full range of issues that eventually will be evaluated in
the SEIS.
Copies of an information packet will be available from NMFS (see
ADDRESSES).
After the draft SEIS associated with Amendment 11 is completed, it
will be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). After
filing, the EPA will publish a notice of availability of the draft SEIS
for public comment in the Federal Register. The draft SEIS will have a
45-day public comment period. This procedure is pursuant to regulations
issued by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for implementing
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA; 40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and to NOAA's Administrative Order 216-6
regarding NOAA's compliance with NEPA and the CEQ regulations.
NMFS will consider public comments received on the draft SEIS in
developing the final SEIS and before adopting final management measures
for the amendment. NMFS will submit both the final amendment and the
supporting SEIS to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) for review as
required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act.
NMFS will announce, through a notification in the Federal Register,
the availability of the final amendment for public review during the
Department of Commerce Secretarial review period. During Secretarial
review, NMFS will also file the final SEIS with the EPA and the EPA
will publish a notice of availability for the final SEIS in the Federal
Register. This public comment period is expected to be concurrent with
the Secretarial review period and will end prior to final agency action
to approve, disapprove, or partially approve the amendment.
NMFS will announce, through a document published in the Federal
Register, all public comment periods on the final amendment, its
proposed implementing regulations, and the availability of its
associated final SEIS. NMFS will consider all public comments received
during the Secretarial review period, whether they are on the final
amendment, the proposed regulations, or the final SEIS, prior to final
agency action.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 13, 2011.
Steven Thur,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-24035 Filed 9-16-11; 8:45 am]
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