[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 112 (Friday, June 10, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37576-37578]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-13661]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-BA21
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
for the Proposed Expansion for the Flower Garden Banks National Marine
Sanctuary; Announcement of Public Meetings
AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Department of Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice of availability and public meetings.
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SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has
prepared a draft environmental impact statement for the proposed
actions of boundary expansion, and application of existing regulations
and management plan actions to new geographic areas of the Flower
Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS or sanctuary). The
purpose of this action is to provide sanctuary
[[Page 37577]]
protection for a number of nationally significant reefs and banks in
the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. Five alternatives to implement these
proposed actions are analyzed for potential effects on the human
environment. NOAA is soliciting public comment on the draft
environmental impact statement.
DATES: Comments on this draft environmental impact statement will be
considered if received by August 19, 2016. Public meetings will be held
in the following locations and times as indicated below:
(1) Galveston, Texas
Date: July 12, 2016
Location: Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Office
Address: 4700 Avenue U, Building 216, Galveston, TX 77551
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
(2) Houston, Texas
Date: July 13, 2016
Location: Trini Mendenhall Community Center
Address: 1414 Wirt Rd., Houston, TX 77055
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
(3) New Orleans, Louisiana
Date: July 19, 2016
Location: Hilton New Orleans Airport, Segnette Room
Address: 901 Airline Drive, Kenner, LA 70062
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
(4) Mobile, Alabama
Date: July 20, 2016
Location: Five Rivers Delta Center
Address: 30945 Five Rivers Blvd., Spanish Fort, AL 36527
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
(5) Lafayette, Louisiana
Date: July 21, 2016
Location: Estuarine Habitats and Coastal Fisheries Center
Address: 646 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette, LA 70506
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NOS-2016-0059, by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NOS-2016-0059, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA,
4700 Avenue U, Building 216, Galveston, TX 77551, Attn: George Schmahl,
Superintendent.
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: Kelly Drinnen, Education and Outreach
Specialist, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary at 409-621-
5151 ext. 102 or via email at [email protected].
Copies of the draft environmental impact statement can be
downloaded or viewed on the internet at www.regulations.gov (search for
docket #NOAA-NOS-2016-0059) or at http://flowergarden.noaa.gov. Copies
can also be obtained by contacting the person identified under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
Located in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, 70 to 115 miles off the
coasts of Texas and Louisiana, Flower Garden Banks National Marine
Sanctuary (FGBNMS or sanctuary) currently includes three separate
undersea features: East Flower Garden Bank; West Flower Garden Bank;
and Stetson Bank. The banks range in depth from 55 feet to nearly 500
feet and provide a wide range of habitat conditions that support
several distinct biological communities, including the northernmost
coral reefs in the continental United States. These and similar
formations throughout the north central Gulf of Mexico provide the
foundation for significant habitat for a variety of species. The
combination of location and geology makes FGBNMS extremely productive
and diverse, and presents a unique set of challenges for managing and
protecting its natural wonders. East and West Flower Garden Banks were
designated a national marine sanctuary in 1992 for purposes of
protecting and managing the conservation, ecological, recreational,
research, education, historic and aesthetic resources and qualities of
these areas. Stetson Bank was added to the sanctuary by Congress in
1996 (Pub. Law 104-283).
The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) is required to
periodically review sanctuary management plans to ensure that sanctuary
sites continue to best conserve, protect and enhance their nationally
significant living and cultural resources. In 2012 NOAA updated and
revised the 1991 Flower Garden Banks Management Plan to address recent
scientific discoveries, advancements in managing marine resources, and
new resource management issues. As a result of this review, the FGBNMS
Advisory Council recommended expanding the sanctuary to provide similar
protections to additional banks in the north central Gulf of Mexico.
On February 3, 2015 NOAA initiated the public scoping process (80
FR 5699) to consider expanding FGBNMS to include additional areas in
the Gulf of Mexico. The public scoping period ended on April 6, 2015,
during which time three public hearings were held and NOAA received
both written and oral comments on the concept of expanding the
boundaries of the sanctuary. NOAA received approximately 200 comments
during that scoping period, generally supportive of the concept to
expand the sanctuary boundary. Some comments were supportive with
conditions tied to specific issues such as access to oil and gas
resources and fisheries concerns. This information was considered
during the development of the range of alternatives in the expansion
proposal.
The expansion of the sanctuary to include additional nationally
significant habitat is supported for a number of reasons. In general,
the northern Gulf of Mexico is a heavily utilized and industrialized
region, and there is a significant concern about impacts from bottom-
disturbing activities (e.g. some activities related to oil and gas
exploration and production, fishing with bottom tending gear, vessel
anchoring, and salvage activities) on the sensitive biological
resources and geological features associated with many reefs and banks
in the area. Additional opportunities for research, exploration, and
education related to these significant ocean resources is critical for
understanding changes occurring in the environment, fostering a
stewardship ethic, and developing an understanding of the ecosystem
services these resources provide for communities throughout the Gulf of
Mexico region.
[[Page 37578]]
II. NOAA Proposed Action
NOAA is releasing for public comment a DEIS that analyzes a
proposed action to expand the FGBNMS boundary to include additional
bank and reef areas in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico and to apply the
existing sanctuary regulations and management regime to the expanded
area. NOAA developed five alternatives for expanding the FGBNMS
boundary. The alternatives range from taking no action to adding as
much as an additional approximate 880 square miles.
NOAA's preferred alternative (Alternative 3) is the expansion of
the existing boundaries from ~56 square miles to an area that
encompasses ~383 square miles of waters in the northwestern Gulf of
Mexico. This alternative would add 15 additional banks ranging from 70
to 120 miles off-shore that are comprised of reefs and bottom features
that provide habitat for fish and other biological resources that serve
as engines of sustainability for much of the Gulf of Mexico.
The proposed sanctuary expansion advances NOAA's mission to
conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources and
furthers the FGBNMS mission to identify, protect, conserve, and enhance
the natural and cultural resources, values, and qualities of FGBNMS and
its regional environment for this and future generations. The need for
the proposed sanctuary expansion is informed by widespread acute and
chronic threats to marine habitat in the north central Gulf of Mexico
that can most effectively be addressed through NOAA's evaluation and
implementation of the comprehensive suite of habitat conservation and
management actions made possible by FGBNMS expansion to ensure that
valuable natural resources are available to future generations of
Americans.
NOAA is seeking public comment on the DEIS which is available at
http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/ or may be obtained by contacting the
individual listed under the heading FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.
Dated: June 1, 2016.
John Armor,
Acting Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
[FR Doc. 2016-13661 Filed 6-9-16; 8:45 am]
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