[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 138 (Friday, July 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 43543]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15428]
[[Page 43543]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Public Scoping Meeting To Solicit Input for a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement for the Proposed Connecticut National Estuarine
Research Reserve National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
AGENCY: Office for Coastal Management (OCM), National Ocean Service
(NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S.
Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public scoping meeting.
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SUMMARY: NOAA and the State of Connecticut (State) announce a public
scoping meeting to solicit comments on significant issues related to
the development of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for
the proposed Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR).
The public scoping meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 4, 2020.
Meeting details are provided below.
DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, from 7 p.m.
to 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Written comments provided
electronically must be submitted no later than Tuesday, August 18,
2020; written comments submitted by mail must be postmarked by Tuesday,
August 18, 2020.
ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting will be conducted online via
WebEx and by phone. Online participants should go to the following
University of Connecticut website to get instructions for participating
and attend the public scoping meeting: https://uconn-cmr.webex.com/uconn-cmr/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=1200263550. Meeting documents will be
available on the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental
Protection's NERR website: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Coastal-Resources/NERR/NERR-Home-Page as well as on the Federal eRulemaking
Portal: www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NOS-2020-0089. You may also
participate in the meeting by phone, by using the toll-free number +1
415-655-0002 and the attendee access code 120 026 3550. =-0(?. zritten
comments may be submitted by:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NOS-2020-0089, click the ``Comment Now!'' button,
complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
Written comments must be submitted no later than Tuesday, August 18,
2020.
Mail: Submit written comments to Erica Seiden, Stewardship
Division (N/OCM6), Office for Coastal Management, NOS, NOAA, 1305 East-
West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910; ATTN: CT NERR. Comments
must be postmarked no later than Tuesday, August 18, 2020.
Instructions: All comments received are part of the public record
and will generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NOS-2020-0089 with no changes. All personally
identifiable information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential
business information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted
voluntarily by the commenter will be publicly accessible and maintained
by NOAA as part of the public record. NOAA will accept anonymous
comments; on the eRulemaking Portal, enter ``N/A'' in the required
fields if you wish to remain anonymous. If you would like to provide an
anonymous comment during the public scoping meeting, type your comment
into the question box, and state that you would like to remain
anonymous when your comment is read. Multimedia submissions (i.e.,
audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The
written comment is considered the official comment and should include
discussion of all points you wish to make. NOAA will generally not
consider comments, or comment contents, located outside of the primary
submission sites or addresses (i.e., those posted on the web, cloud, or
other file-sharing system). Please note, no public comments will be
audio or video recorded.
Closed captioning will be provided for those who attend the public
meeting online via WebEx: https://uconn-cmr.webex.com/uconn-cmr/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=1200263550.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erica Seiden, Office for Coastal
Management, National Ocean Service, NOAA, 1305 East West Highway, N/
OCM, Silver Spring, MD 20910; Phone: 240-533-0781; or Email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with Section 315 of the
Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, and its implementing
regulations (15 CFR part 921), and the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321), NOAA and the State intend to
prepare a DEIS for the proposed Connecticut NERR. Early in the
development of the DEIS, NOAA and the State are required to hold a
scoping meeting to solicit public and government comments on
significant issues related to this proposed action. (See 15 CFR
921.13(c).)
NOAA received the State's nomination of the proposed site on
January 3, 2019. NOAA evaluated the nomination package and found that
the proposed site met the NERR System requirements. (See 16 U.S.C.
1461(b).) NOAA informed the State on September 27, 2019, that it was
accepting the nomination and that the next step would be to prepare a
DEIS and Draft Management Plan (DMP). The DEIS will consider the human
and environmental consequences of designating the State's recommended
site and alternatives, as well as identify a final boundary. The DMP
will set a course for operating the Connecticut NERR once approved and
will include plans for administration, research, education, and
facilities of the proposed site. (See 15 CFR 921.13.)
The proposed site consists of the following State-owned properties:
Lord Cove Wildlife Management Area; Great Island Wildlife Management
Area; Bluff Point State Park and Coastal Reserve and Natural Area
Preserve; Haley Farm State Park; and public trust waters including
portions of Long Island Sound, the lower Thames River, and the lower
Connecticut River.
The proposed site resulted from a comprehensive evaluation process
that sought the views of the public, affected landowners, and other
interested parties. The State and NOAA held a public meeting on
November 13, 2018, to solicit comments on the preferred site. (See 83
FR 54572.) A Federal Register notice was published on June 1, 2020, to
announce the ``Intent to Prepare a DEIS and DMP for the Proposed CT
NERR.'' (See 85 FR 33123.) For more detailed information on the site
selection process and the proposed site, see the Connecticut Department
of Energy and Environmental Protection's NERR website: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Coastal-Resources/NERR/NERR-Home-Page.
Jeffrey L. Payne,
Director, Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2020-15428 Filed 7-16-20; 8:45 am]
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