[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 100 (Friday, May 22, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31161-31162]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-11023]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Establishing an Advisory Council Pursuant to the National Marine
Sanctuaries Act and Solicitation for Applications for the Mallows Bay-
Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council
AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Department of Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice of solicitation.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NOAA is establishing a national
marine sanctuary advisory council for the Mallows Bay-Potomac River
National Marine Sanctuary (MPNMS) which was designated on September 3,
2019. The council will provide advice and recommendations to ONMS
regarding the sanctuary management plan and will serve as liaisons
between the sanctuary and constituents and community groups. ONMS is
adding this council to the list of established national marine
sanctuary advisory councils. ONMS solicits applications to fill council
seats on an as needed basis and is now seeking applicants for seats on
the MPNMS Sanctuary Advisory
[[Page 31162]]
Council. This notice contains web page links and contact information
for the ONMS and application materials to apply for the advisory
council.
DATES: Applications for membership on the Mallows Bay-Potomac River
Sanctuary Advisory Council need to be received by July 1, 2020.
ADDRESSES: For further information contact: Sammy (Paul) Orlando c/o
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, c/o NOAA Chesapeake Bay
Office, 200 Harry S Truman Parkway, Room 460, Annapolis, MD 21401, or
call 240-460-1978, email [email protected], or fax 302-200-7182.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Section 315 of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) (16
U.S.C. 1445a) authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to establish
advisory councils to advise and make recommendations regarding the
designation and management of national marine sanctuaries. ONMS is
establishing a new sanctuary advisory council for the MPNMS to serve as
a liaison with the local community and to provide guidance and advice
to ONMS regarding the sanctuary management plan. Through this notice,
ONMS is establishing the advisory council for the MPNMS and soliciting
applications for all seats. Applications are due July 1, 2020.
II. Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS)
ONMS serves as the trustee for a network of underwater parks
encompassing more than 600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes
waters from Washington State to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron
to American Samoa. The network includes a system of 14 national marine
sanctuaries and the Papah[amacr]naumoku[amacr]kea and Rose Atoll marine
national monuments. National marine sanctuaries protect our nation's
most vital coastal and marine natural and cultural resources, and
through active research, management, and public engagement, sustain
healthy environments that are the foundation for thriving communities
and stable economies.
One of the many ways ONMS ensures public participation in the
designation and management of national marine sanctuaries is through
the formation of advisory councils. Advisory councils are community-
based groups established to provide advice and recommendations to ONMS
on issues including management, science, service, and stewardship, as
well as to serve as liaisons between their constituents in the
community and the site. Pursuant to Section 315(a) of the NMSA,
advisory councils are exempt from the requirements of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act. Additional information on ONMS and its advisory
councils can be found at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov.
III. Advisory Council Membership
According to section 315 of the NMSA, advisory council members may
be appointed from among: (1) Persons employed by federal or state
agencies with expertise in natural resources management; (2) members of
relevant regional fishery management councils; and (3) representatives
of local user groups, conservation and other public interest
organizations, scientific organizations, educational organizations, or
others interested in the protection and multiple use management of
sanctuary resources (16 U.S.C. 1455 a(b)).
The charter for each advisory council defines the number and type
of seats and positions on the council. The advisory council charter for
the MPNMS identifies the following non-governmental voting seat types:
Maritime archaeology and history; cultural heritage; recreation;
recreational fishing; business and economic development; tourism and
marketing; education; research, science and technology; commercial
fishing; and citizen-at-large. Additionally, the council will also have
non-voting seats for: (1) NOAA; (2) the State of Maryland, Department
of Planning; (3) Maryland Department of Natural Resources; (4) Charles
County, Maryland; (5) several other government agencies with
installations adjacent to the sanctuary boundaries (including
Department of Navy/Department of Defense, U.S. Coast Guard, State of
Virginia); (6) three state-recognized Tribes: Piscataway Conoy Tribe
(MD), Piscataway Indian Tribe (MD), and Patawomeck Indian Tribe of
Virginia (VA); and (7) youth (ages 14-17 at the time of application).
For each of the existing advisory councils, applicants are chosen
based upon their particular expertise and experience in relation to the
seat for which they are applying; community and professional
affiliations; views regarding the protection and management of marine
or Great Lakes resources; and possibly (though not required) the length
of residence in the area affected by the site. Council members and
alternates for the MPNMS Sanctuary Advisory Council serve three-year
terms, as reflected in the signed charter.
More information on advisory council membership and processes, and
materials related to the purpose, policies, and operational
requirements for advisory councils can be found in the charter for a
particular advisory council (https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/management/ac/council_charters.html) and the National Marine Sanctuary Advisory
Council Implementation Handbook (https://nmssanctuaries.blob.core.windows.net/sanctuaries-prod/media/archive/management/pdfs/2010-ac-handbook-appendices-07162015.pdf). For more
information about the new advisory council for the Mallows Bay-Potomac
River National Marine Sanctuary, including seat descriptions and
application materials, please visit https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/mallows-potomac.
B. Paperwork Reduction Act
ONMS has a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control
number (0648-0397) for the collection of public information related to
the processing of ONMS national marine sanctuary advisory council
applications across the National Marine Sanctuary System. Establishing
a sanctuary advisory council for the MPNMS fits within the estimated
reporting burden under that control number. See https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRASearch (Enter Control Number 0648-0397).
Therefore, ONMS will not request an update to the reporting burden
certified for OMB control number 0648-0397.
Send comments regarding this burden estimate, or any other aspect
of this data collection, including suggestions for reducing the burden,
to: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 1305 East West Highway, N/
NMS, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is
required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty
for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et
seq., unless that collection of information displays a currently valid
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OMB control
number is #0648-0397.
John Armor,
Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Ocean
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2020-11023 Filed 5-21-20; 8:45 am]
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