Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 65 / Tuesday, April 5, 2011 / Notices 18773 

management template that public 

housing agencies (PHAs) use to 

annually submit electronically financial 

information to HUD. HUD uses the 

financial information it collects from 

each PHA to assist in the evaluation and 

assessment of the PHAs’ overall 

condition. Requiring PHAs to report 

electronically has enabled HUD to 

provide a comprehensive financial 

assessment of the PHAs receiving 

federal funds from HUD. 

Agency form number, if applicable: 

N/A. 

Members of affected public: Public 

housing agencies. 

Estimation of the total number of 

hours needed to prepare the information 

collection including number of 

respondents: The estimated number of 

respondents is 4,106 PHAs that submit 

one unaudited financial management 

template annually and 3,657 PHAs that 

submit one audited financial 

management template annually; for a 

total of 7,763 respondents. The average 

number of hours for each PHA response 

is 5.5 hours, for a total reporting burden 

of 42,620 hours. 

Status of the proposed information 

collection: Extension, without change, 

of a currently approved collection. 

Authority: Section 3506 of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, 

as amended. 

Dated: March 24, 2011. 

Merrie Nichols-Dixon, 

Deputy Director for Office of Policy, Program 

and Legislative Initiatives. 

[FR Doc. 2011–8036 Filed 4–4–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R1–R–2010–N009; 1265–000–10137– 

S3] 

Marianas Trench Marine National 

Monument, Commonwealth of the 

Northern Mariana Islands, et al.; 

Monument Management Plan, 

Comprehensive Conservation Plans, 

and Environmental Assessment 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior; National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of intent; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National 

Atmospheric and Oceanic 

Administration (NOAA), intend to 

prepare the monument management 

plan (MMP) for the Marianas Trench 

Marine National Monument 

(Monument) established by Presidential 

Proclamation 8335. The MMP will 

satisfy FWS comprehensive 

conservation plan (CCP) requirements 

for two units of the National Wildlife 

Refuge System (NWRS) contained 

therein. When the draft MMP is 

complete, we will advertise its 

availability and again seek public 

comment. 

We furnish this notice to advise the 

public and other Federal and local 

agencies of our intentions, and to obtain 

suggestions and information on the 

scope of issues to consider during the 

planning process. 

An environmental assessment (EA) to 

evaluate the potential effects of various 

management alternatives will also be 

prepared. The EA will provide resource 

managers with the information needed 

to determine if the potential effects may 

be significant and warrant preparation 

of an Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS), or if the potential impacts lead to 

a Finding of No Significant Impact 

(FONSI). 

DATES: To ensure consideration, we 

must receive your written comments by 

May 5, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Additional information 

about the Monument and its two refuge 

units is available at http://www.fws.gov/ 

marianastrenchmarinemonument/ and 

http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/MNM/ 

mnm_index.html. Please send your 

written comments or requests for more 

information by any of the following 

methods. 

E-mail: Heidi.Hirsh@noaa.gov. 

Fax: (808) 973–2941. 

U.S. Mail: Heidi Hirsh, Natural 

Resource Management Specialist, 

NOAA, National Marine Fisheries 

Service, 1601 Kapiolani Blvd #1110, 

Honolulu, HI 96814. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Heidi Hirsh, Natural Resource 

Management Specialist, (808) 944–2223. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Monument Establishment and 

Management Responsibilities 

On January 6, 2009, President George 

W. Bush issued Proclamation No. 8335 

(Proclamation), establishing the 

Monument under the authority of the 

Antiquities Act of 1906. The Monument 

consists of three units: The Islands Unit 

encompasses the waters and submerged 

lands of the three northernmost Mariana 

Islands from the mean low water line 

out approximately 50 nautical miles 

(nmi); the Volcanic Unit encompasses 

each designated volcanic feature and the 

surrounding submerged lands out to 1 

nmi; and the Trench Unit encompasses 

the submerged lands within the Mariana 

Trench. 

The Monument encompasses 

approximately 61 million acres of 

submerged lands and certain waters of 

the Mariana Archipelago. The Trench 

Unit contains approximately 50.5 

million acres of submerged lands, the 

Volcanic Unit includes approximately 

55,912 acres of submerged lands, and 

the Islands Unit encompasses 

approximately 10.5 million acres of 

submerged lands and waters. 

The Secretary of the Interior, in 

consultation with the Secretary of 

Commerce, has responsibility for 

management of the Monument; except 

that the Secretary of Commerce, in 

consultation with the Secretary of the 

Interior, has primary responsibility for 

management with respect to fisheryrelated activities regulated pursuant to 

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act) (16 U.S.C. 1801 

et seq.), the Proclamation, and other 

applicable legal authorities. 

The Proclamation requires the 

Secretaries of the Interior and 

Commerce to prepare management 

plans within their respective authorities 

for the Monument, and promulgate 

implementing regulations that address 

specific actions necessary for the proper 

care and management of the Monument. 

With this notice, the Department of the 

Interior and the Department of 

Commerce (Departments) are 

commencing development of the MMP. 

The Departments will work 

cooperatively under Fish and Wildlife 

Service’s lead in this process. The 

Commerce Department, in consultation 

with the Secretary of the Interior, is 

working with the Western Pacific 

Fishery Management Council pursuant 

to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act and 

the Proclamation to develop a fisheries 

ecosystem plan amendment and related 

regulations. To the extent they relate to 

waters within the Monument, the plan 

amendment and implementing 

regulations will be one component of 

the MMP. The Departments intend to 

cooperate and coordinate in the 

development and timing of these 

planning and management processes. 

To carry out his responsibilities from 

the President under the Proclamation, 

by Secretary’s Order 3284 (Order) dated 

January 16, 2009, the Secretary of the 

Interior delegated all of his management 

responsibility for the Monument to the 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
18774 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 65 / Tuesday, April 5, 2011 / Notices 

FWS Director. The Order directs the 

FWS to manage the Volcanic Unit and 

the Trench Unit as units of the NWRS. 

The Order also directs the FWS to 

exercise all management responsibility 

given to the Secretary for the Islands 

Unit, but specifies that no part of it is 

included as a unit of the NWRS. In 

carrying out this delegation with respect 

to the two units added to the NWRS, 

and to facilitate public awareness that 

their status is slightly different than that 

of the Islands Unit, the FWS named the 

Trench Unit the Mariana Trench 

National Wildlife Refuge, and the 

Volcanic Unit the Mariana Arc of Fire 

National Wildlife Refuge. 

The Monument’s Natural Resources 

The Volcanic Unit contains unique 

geological features found nowhere else 

in the world, including the largest active 

mud volcanoes, vents expelling almost 

pure liquid carbon dioxide, a pool of 

liquid sulfur, and one of only a few 

places in the world where 

photosynthetic and chemosynthetic 

communities of life coexist. The Trench 

Unit, where the Pacific Plate plunges 

into the Earth’s mantle, contains the 

deepest point on Earth. The Islands Unit 

encompasses the waters of the 

archipelago’s three northern islands, 

which are among the most biologically 

diverse in the western Pacific Ocean, 

and includes the greatest diversity of 

seamount and hydrothermal vent life 

yet discovered. 

The MMP Planning Process 

The MMP’s format will include 

elements similar to a NWRS CCP, and 

the planning process for those elements 

will be conducted in a manner similar 

to the CCP planning and public 

involvement process. The MMP will be 

updated every 15 years. 

The National Wildlife Refuge System 

Administration Act of 1966, as amended 

by the National Wildlife Refuge System 

Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 

668dd–668ee) (Refuge System 

Administration Act), requires FWS to 

develop a CCP for each national wildlife 

refuge or planning unit. The purpose for 

developing a CCP is to provide refuge 

managers with a 15-year plan for 

achieving refuge purposes and 

contributing toward the mission of the 

NWRS, consistent with sound 

principles of fish and wildlife 

management and natural resource 

conservation, legal mandates, and 

applicable policies. In addition to 

outlining broad management direction 

for conserving wildlife and their 

habitats, CCPs identify wildlifedependent recreational opportunities 

available to the public, including 

opportunities for hunting, fishing, 

wildlife observation and photography, 

and environmental education and 

interpretation. 

We will conduct environmental 

reviews of various management 

alternatives and develop an EA in 

accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 

1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 

seq.); NEPA Regulations (40 CFR parts 

1500–1508); other Federal laws and 

regulations; and our policies and 

procedures for compliance with those 

laws and regulations. 

The Fish and Wildlife Service, as lead 

agency for NEPA purposes, will also 

designate and involve as cooperating 

agencies the Department of Commerce, 

through NOAA; the Department of 

Defense; the Department of State; and 

the Government of the Commonwealth 

of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), 

in accordance with NEPA and Executive 

Order 13352 of August 26, 2004, titled 

Facilitation of Cooperative 

Conservation. 

The MMP is to provide for the 

following activities, to the extent 

appropriate to Department of the 

Interior and Department of Commerce 

authorities and the Proclamation: 

• Management of the Islands Unit, in 

consultation with the Government of the 

CNMI, including designating specific 

roles and responsibilities, and 

identifying the means of consultation on 

management decisions as appropriate 

and consistent with the respective 

authorities and jurisdictions of the 

CNMI and the Secretaries of the Interior 

and Commerce. 

• Public education programs and 

public outreach regarding the 

Monument’s coral reef ecosystem, 

related marine resources and species, 

and conservation efforts. 

• Traditional access to the Monument 

by indigenous persons, as identified by 

the Secretaries of the Interior and 

Commerce in consultation with the 

Government of the CNMI, for culturally 

significant subsistence and other 

cultural and religious uses. 

• A program to assess and promote 

Monument-related scientific exploration 

and research, tourism, and recreational 

and economic activities and 

opportunities in the CNMI. 

• A process to consider requests for 

recreational fishing permits in certain 

areas of the Islands Unit. 

• Programs for monitoring and 

enforcement necessary to ensure that 

scientific exploration and research, 

tourism, and recreational and 

commercial activities do not degrade the 

Monument’s coral reef ecosystem or 

related marine resources or species, or 

diminish the Monument’s natural 

character. 

Public Involvement 

The FWS and NOAA will conduct the 

planning process in a manner that will 

provide participation opportunities for 

the public, Federal and local 

government agencies, and other 

interested parties. At this time, we 

encourage input in the form of issues, 

concerns, ideas, and suggestions for the 

future management of the Monument. 

Opportunities for additional public 

input will be announced throughout the 

planning process. We may hold public 

meetings to help share information and 

obtain comments. 

Preliminary Issues, Concerns, and 

Opportunities 

We identified the following 

preliminary issues and opportunities 

that we may address in the MMP. We 

expect to identify additional issues 

during public scoping. 

• Climate change impacts and 

adaptation. 

• Marine debris impacts and removal. 

• Invasive species prevention and 

control. 

• Other potential threats to the 

ecosystem (e.g., trespass; illegal fishing; 

and shipwrecks, groundings, and spills). 

• Emergency response to natural and 

manmade disasters and natural 

resources damage assessments. 

• Operational capabilities for 

effective ecosystem monitoring, 

surveillance, and enforcement. 

• Habitat conservation and 

restoration. 

• Biological and abiotic inventory 

and monitoring. 

• Protected resources and their 

habitats, including coral reefs, marine 

clams, apex predators, marine 

mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, and 

fishes. 

• Historic and cultural resources, 

including maritime heritage. 

• Public education and outreach. 

• International programs and 

collaboration. 

• Scientific exploration and research 

opportunities. 

• Developing an appropriate 

permitting regime for activities within 

the Monument. 

• Determining if bioprospecting is 

appropriate and compatible. 

Next Steps 

The FWS and NOAA, in consultation 

with the Mariana Monument Advisory 

Council, and the Government of the 

CNMI, will be considering your 

comments during development of the 

Draft MMP/CCPs/EA. 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 65 / Tuesday, April 5, 2011 / Notices 18775 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, or other personal identifying 

information in your comment, you 

should be aware that your entire 

comment—including your personal 

identifying information—may be made 

publicly available at any time. While 

you can ask us in your comments to 

withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Robyn Thorson, 

Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–7960 Filed 4–4–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R1–R–2009–N265; 1265–0000–10137– 

S3] 

Pacific Remote Islands Marine National 

Monument; Monument Management 

Plan, Comprehensive Conservation 

Plans, and Environmental Assessment 

AGENCIES: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior; National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of intent; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), intend to 

prepare the monument management 

plan (MMP) for the Pacific Remote 

Islands Marine National Monument 

(Monument), established by Presidential 

Proclamation 8336. Additionally, the 

FWS also intends to prepare new or 

revised comprehensive conservation 

plans (CCPs) for the following national 

wildlife refuges (Refuges) contained 

therein: Baker Island, Howland Island, 

Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman 

Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Atoll. 

When the draft MMP is complete, we 

will advertise its availability and again 

seek public comment. We furnish this 

notice to advise the public and other 

Federal agencies of our intentions, and 

to obtain suggestions and information 

on the scope of issues to consider 

during the planning process. 

An environmental assessment (EA) to 

evaluate the potential effects of various 

management alternatives will also be 

prepared. The EA will provide resource 

managers with the information needed 

to determine if the potential effects may 

be significant and warrant preparation 

of an Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS), or if the potential impacts lead to 

a Finding of No Significant Impact 

(FONSI). 

DATES: To ensure consideration, we 

must receive your comments by May 5, 

2011. 

ADDRESSES: Additional information 

about the Monument and its seven 

Refuge units is available at http:// 

www.fws.gov/ 

pacificremoteislandsmarinemonument/ 

and http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/MNM/ 

mnm_index.html. Please send your 

written comments or requests for more 

information by any of the following 

methods: 

E-mail: Pacific_Reefs@fws.gov. 

Fax: (808) 792–9586. 

U.S. Mail: Susan White, Project 

Leader, Pacific Reefs National Wildlife 

Refuge Complex, 300 Ala Moana Blvd. 

Room 5–231, Honolulu, HI 96850. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Susan White, Project Leader, (808) 792– 

9550. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Monument Establishment and 

Management Responsibilities 

On January 6, 2009, President George 

W. Bush issued Proclamation No. 8336 

(Proclamation), establishing the 

Monument under the authority of the 

Antiquities Act of 1906. The Monument 

incorporates approximately 86,888 

square miles within its boundaries, 

which extend 50 nautical miles (nmi) 

from the mean low water lines of Baker, 

Howland, and Jarvis Islands; Johnston, 

Palmyra, and Wake Atolls; and Kingman 

Reef. The Secretary of the Interior, in 

consultation with the Secretary of 

Commerce, has responsibility for 

management of the Monument, 

including out to 12 nmi from the mean 

low water lines of Baker, Howland, and 

Jarvis Islands; Johnston, Palmyra, and 

Wake Atolls; and Kingman Reef, 

pursuant to applicable legal authorities. 

The Secretary of Commerce, through 

NOAA, and in consultation with the 

Secretary of the Interior, has primary 

responsibility for management of the 

Monument seaward from 12 to 50 nmi 

with respect to fishery-related activities 

regulated pursuant to the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens 

Act) (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), the 

Proclamation, and other applicable legal 

authorities. 

The Proclamation requires the 

Secretaries of the Interior and 

Commerce to prepare management 

plans within their respective authorities 

for the Monument, and promulgate 

implementing regulations that address 

specific actions necessary for the proper 

care and management of the Monument. 

With this notice, the Department of the 

Interior and Department of Commerce 

(Departments) are commencing 

development of the MMP. The 

Departments will work cooperatively 

under the Fish and Wildlife Service’s 

lead in this process. The Commerce 

Department, in consultation with the 

Secretary of the Interior, is working with 

the Western Pacific Fishery 

Management Council pursuant to the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act and 

Proclamation to develop a fisheries 

ecosystem plan amendment and related 

regulations. To the extent they relate to 

waters within the Monument, the plan 

amendment and implementing 

regulations will be one component of 

the MMP. The Departments intend to 

cooperate and coordinate in the 

development and timing of these 

planning and management processes. 

To carry out his responsibilities from 

the President under the Proclamation, 

on January 16, 2009, the Secretary of the 

Interior delegated his authority for 

Monument management to the FWS 

Director, and extended the boundaries 

of the Baker Island, Howland Island, 

and Jarvis Island Refuges from 3 nmi to 

12 nmi from the mean low water lines 

of the emergent land. The Secretary also 

extended the Johnston Atoll Refuge 

boundary to 12 nmi from the mean low 

water line of the emergent land, and 

added the emergent and submerged 

lands and waters of Wake Island out to 

12 nmi as a unit of the National Wildlife 

Refuge System (NWRS). In accordance 

with the Proclamation, the Director will 

not commence management of emergent 

lands at Wake Island unless and until a 

use agreement between the Secretary of 

the Air Force and the Secretary of the 

Interior is terminated. The Secretary of 

Defense also continues to manage those 

portions of the emergent lands of 

Johnston Atoll under the administrative 

jurisdiction of the Defense Department 

until such administrative jurisdiction is 

terminated, at which time those 

emergent lands shall be administered as 

part of the Johnston Atoll Refuge. 

Within the boundaries of the 

Monument, the FWS also continues to 

administer pre-existing refuges at Baker, 

Howland, and Jarvis Islands; Johnston 

and Palmyra Atolls; and Kingman Reef, 

in accordance with the National 

Wildlife Refuge System Administration 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES