Ocean and coastal resource management: Marine sanctuaries— Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, GA; management plan/regulations review,

[Federal Register: November 19, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 223)]

[Proposed Rules]

[Page 63262]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr19no99-25]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

15 CFR Part 922

Initiation of Review of Management Plan/Regulations of the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary; Intent To Prepare Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Management Plan; Scoping Meetings

AGENCY: Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Initiation of review of management plan/regulations; intent to prepare environmental impact statement; scoping meetings.

SUMMARY: The Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS or Sanctuary) was designated in January 1981, and consists of 17 square nautical miles of open ocean and live bottom habitat approximately 17.5 nautical miles east of Sapelo Island, Georgia. The present management plan for the Sanctuary was completed in 1983. In accordance with Section 304(e) of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, as amended, (NMSA) (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.), the Marine Sanctuaries Division (MSD) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is initiating a review of the management plan, to evaluate substantive progress toward implementing the goals for the Sanctuary, and to make revisions to the plan and regulations as necessary to fulfill the purposes and policies of the NMSA.

The proposed revised management plan will likely involve changes to existing policies and regulations of the Sanctuary, to address contemporary issues and challenges, and to better protect and manage the Sanctuary's resources and qualities. The review process is composed of four major stages: Information collection and characterization; preparation and release of a draft management plan/ environmental impact statement, and any proposed amendments to the regulations; public review and comment; preparation and release of a final management plan/environmental impact statement, and any final amendments to the regulations. NOAA anticipates completion of the revised management plan and concomitant documents will require approximately eighteen to twenty-four months.

NOAA will conduct public scoping meetings to gather information and other comments from individuals, organizations, and government agencies on the scope, types and significance of issues related to the sanctuary's management plan and regulations. The scoping meetings are scheduled for the week of December 6-10, 1999, as detailed below.

DATES: Written comments should be received on or before February 1, 2000.

Scoping meetings will be held at:

(1) Monday, December 6, 1999, 7:00 p.m. in Atlanta, GA.

(2) Tuesday, December 7, 1999, 6:00 p.m. in Brunswick, GA.

(3) Wednesday, December 8, 1999, 7:00 p.m. in Yulee, FL.

(4) Thursday, December 9, 1999, 7:00 p.m. in Richmond Hill, GA.

(5) Friday, December 10, 1999, 4:00 p.m. in Charleston, SC.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent to the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (Management Plan Review), 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, Georgia 31411. Comments will be available for public review at the same address.

Scoping meetings will be held at:

(1) The Robert Ferst Center for the Arts, Georgia Tech, 349 Ferst Drive, NW, Atlanta, GA 30332.

(2) University of Georgia Marine Extension Service, 715 Bay Street, Brunswick, GA 31520.

(3) Betty P. Cook Nassau County Center, Florida Community College of Jacksonville, 760 William Burgess Blvd., Yulee, FL 32097.

(4) Richmond Hill Holiday Inn, I-95 and Hwy. 17, Exit #14, Richmond Hill, GA 31324.

(5) College of Charleston, Physicians Auditorium, George and Coming Streets, Charleston, SC 29424.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Becky Shortland, Planning and Outreach Coordinator, at 912/598-2381 or 2345; Becky.Shortland@noaa.gov.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. Section 1431 et seq.

(Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number 11.429 Marine Sanctuary Program) Ted Lillestolen, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management.

[FR Doc. 99-30379Filed11-17-99; 2:13 pm]

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