118 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 1 / Monday, January 4, 2021 / Notices 

Requirement 

Average 

number of 

annual 

respondents 

Average 

number of 

responses 

each 

Average 

number of 

annual 

responses * 

Average 

completion 

time per 

response 

(mins) 

Estimated 

annual 

burden 

hours * 

State agencies ............................................................................................... 18 1 18 5 2 

Online Survey Submission: 

Individuals ...................................................................................................... 38 2 76 3 4 

State agencies ............................................................................................... 23 1.3 30 3 2 

Totals ...................................................................................................... 112 ........................ 157 ........................ 11 

* Rounded. 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor and a person is not required to 

respond to a collection of information 

unless it displays a currently valid OMB 

control number. 

The authority for this action is the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 

Dated: December 29, 2020. 

Madonna Baucum, 

Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–29047 Filed 12–31–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–HQ–ES–2019–0058; 

FF09E15000–FXES111609B0000–190] 

John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier 

Resources System; Okaloosa and 

Walton Counties, FL; Beaufort and 

Charleston Counties, SC; Availability 

of Draft Revised Boundaries and 

Request for Comments 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Coastal Barrier Resources 

Reauthorization Act of 2006 requires the 

Secretary of the Interior to prepare 

digital versions of the John H. Chafee 

Coastal Barrier Resources System 

(CBRS) maps and make 

recommendations for the expansion of 

the CBRS. We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, have prepared draft 

revised boundaries for two existing 

CBRS units in Okaloosa and Walton 

Counties, Florida, and for four existing 

units and two proposed new units in 

Beaufort and Charleston Counties, 

South Carolina. This notice announces 

the availability of the proposed 

boundaries for public review and 

comment. 

DATES: 

Accessing documents: Requests for 

the stakeholder outreach toolkit 

described under Availability of 

Proposed Coastal Barrier Resources 

System Boundaries and Related 

Information, below, should be made by 

February 3, 2021 to encourage any local 

outreach to be conducted early in the 

comment period, leaving ample time for 

the public to review and submit 

comments. However, requests made 

after this date, within a reasonable time, 

will be fulfilled. 

Submitting comments: To ensure 

consideration, we must receive your 

written comments by March 5, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments by one of the following 

methods: 

• Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://

www.regulations.gov. Search for FWS– 

HQ–ES–2019–0058, which is the docket 

number for this notice. 

• By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail 

or hand-delivery to: Public Comments 

Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–HQ– 

ES–2019–0058, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: PRB/ 

3W, Falls Church, VA 22041–3808. 

We request that you send comments 

by only one of the methods described 

above. We will post all information 

received on https://

www.regulations.gov. If you provide 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you may request at the top of 

your document that we withhold this 

information from public review. 

However, we cannot guarantee that we 

will be able to do so. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Katie Niemi, Coastal Barriers 

Coordinator, via telephone at 703–358– 

2071, by email at CBRA@fws.gov, or via 

the Federal Relay Service at 800–877– 

8339 for TTY assistance. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Coastal Barrier Resources 

Reauthorization Act of 2006 (CBRRA; 

section 4 of Pub. L. 109–226) requires 

the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) 

to prepare digital versions of the John H. 

Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System 

(CBRS) maps and make 

recommendations for the expansion of 

the CBRS. We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), have 

prepared draft revised boundaries for 

two existing CBRS units in Okaloosa 

and Walton Counties, Florida, and for 

four existing units and two proposed 

new units in Beaufort and Charleston 

Counties, South Carolina. This notice 

announces the availability of the 

proposed boundaries for public review 

and comment. 

Background on the Coastal Barrier 

Resources System 

Coastal barrier ecosystems are 

inherently dynamic systems located at 

the interface of land and sea. Coastal 

barriers and their associated aquatic 

habitat (wetlands and open water) 

provide important habitat for fish and 

wildlife, and serve as the mainland’s 

first line of defense against the impacts 

of severe storms. With the passage of the 

Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) in 

1982 (16 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), Congress 

recognized that certain actions and 

programs of the Federal Government 

have historically subsidized and 

encouraged development on stormprone and highly dynamic coastal 

barriers, and the result has been the loss 

of natural resources; threats to human 

life, health, and property; and the 

expenditure of billions of tax dollars. 

CBRA established the CBRS, which 

originally comprised 186 geographic 

units encompassing approximately 

453,000 acres of relatively undeveloped 

lands and associated aquatic habitat 

along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico 

coasts. The CBRS was expanded by the 

Coastal Barrier Improvement Act of 

1990 (CBIA; Pub. L. 101–591) to include 

additional areas along the Atlantic and 

Gulf of Mexico coasts, as well as areas 

along the coasts of the Great Lakes, the 

U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. 

The CBRS now comprises a total of 

870 geographic units, encompassing 

approximately 3.5 million acres of land 

and associated aquatic habitat. These 

areas are depicted on a series of maps 

and known as the John H. Chafee 

Coastal Barrier Resources System. Most 

new Federal expenditures and financial 

assistance that would have the effect of 

encouraging development are prohibited 

within the CBRS. Development can still 

occur within the CBRS, provided that 

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 1 / Monday, January 4, 2021 / Notices 119 

private developers or other non-Federal 

parties bear the full cost. 

The CBRS includes two types of units, 

System Units and Otherwise Protected 

Areas (OPAs). System Units contain 

areas that were relatively undeveloped 

and predominantly privately owned at 

the time of designation, though they 

may also contain areas held for 

conservation and/or recreation. Most 

new Federal expenditures and financial 

assistance, including Federal flood 

insurance, are prohibited within System 

Units. OPAs are predominantly 

comprised of conservation and/or 

recreation areas such as national 

wildlife refuges, State and national 

parks, and local and private 

conservation areas, though they may 

also contain private areas not held for 

conservation and/or recreation. OPAs 

are denoted with a ‘‘P’’ at the end of the 

unit number. The only Federal spending 

prohibition within OPAs is the 

prohibition related to Federal flood 

insurance. 

The Secretary, through the Service, is 

responsible for administering CBRA, 

which includes maintaining the official 

maps of the CBRS, determining whether 

certain areas are located within the 

CBRS, consulting with Federal agencies 

that propose to spend funds within the 

CBRS, preparing updated maps of the 

CBRS, and making recommendations to 

Congress regarding changes to the 

CBRS. Aside from three minor 

exceptions, only Congress—through 

legislation—can modify the maps of the 

CBRS to add or remove land. These 

exceptions, which allow the Secretary to 

make limited modifications to the CBRS 

(16 U.S.C. 3503(c)–(e)), are for: (1) 

Changes that have occurred to the CBRS 

as a result of natural forces, (2) 

voluntary additions to the CBRS by 

property owners, and (3) additions of 

excess Federal property to the CBRS. 

The Service receives numerous 

requests from property owners and 

other interested parties who seek to 

remove areas from the CBRS. When 

assessing potential removals from and 

additions to the CBRS, the Service 

considers a set of guiding principles and 

criteria which are further described 

under Types of Boundary Changes, 

below. The Service generally does not 

recommend removals from the CBRS, 

unless there is clear and compelling 

evidence that a mapping error was 

made. In cases where mapping errors 

are found, the Service recommends 

changes to the maps and works with 

Congress and other interested parties to 

create comprehensively revised maps 

using modern digital technology. 

Coastal Barrier Resources System 

Remapping Methodology 

The methodology described below is 

the general process through which the 

Service prepares comprehensively 

revised CBRS boundaries, including 

those produced through this technical 

correction for certain Florida and South 

Carolina units. This methodology is 

consistent with the methodology used 

for prior comprehensive remapping 

efforts, including the Service’s 

Hurricane Sandy Remapping Project 

(affecting nine States in the northeast) 

that is described in a notice the Service 

published in the Federal Register on 

March 12, 2018 (83 FR 10739). 

Data Mining and Research 

The Service procures the best 

available data and information 

necessary to: (1) Determine whether the 

existing CBRS unit boundaries 

appropriately follow the features they 

were intended to follow on-the-ground; 

(2) determine the level of development 

that was on-the-ground when the areas 

were originally included within the 

CBRS (e.g., dates of construction and 

density of development); (3) identify 

qualifying additions; and (4) evaluate 

unit type classifications (i.e., System 

Unit or OPA). 

We review all applicable historical 

background records of the CBRS units 

(maintained by the Service), reports to 

Congress, public laws, legislative 

history, testimony from Congressional 

hearings, Federal Register notices, 

current and historical CBRS maps, the 

1982 and 1994 CBRS photographic 

atlases (a set of aerial photography 

maintained by the Service with the 

CBRS unit boundaries overlaid), 

materials submitted by interested 

parties and their representatives in 

Congress, and other data and 

information. 

When necessary, we also obtain and 

assess both geospatial and nongeospatial data from a variety of Federal 

sources (e.g., Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Service’s 

National Wetlands Inventory and refuge 

programs, and U.S. Geological Survey), 

as well as State, local, and 

nongovernmental sources. These data 

may include, but are not limited to, 

current and historical aerial imagery, 

natural resource and natural hazard data 

(e.g., wetlands data, shoreline change 

data, and flood hazard data), land 

ownership and development data (e.g., 

property parcel data and construction 

date information), and conservation and 

recreation area data (e.g., park and 

wildlife refuge parcel boundaries, 

conservation easement data, and parcel 

acquisition dates). Some of these data 

sets are available for download on the 

internet or through specific requests to 

the data steward, while others can only 

be reviewed online through mappers, 

websites, and/or databases. 

Proposed CBRS boundaries prepared 

by the Service are based upon the best 

available information that the Service is 

able to obtain. In some cases, there are 

challenges associated with the data 

mining and research process. Data may 

be unavailable, unobtainable within a 

reasonable time frame, incomplete, 

outdated, and/or in conflict with other 

data of the same type from a different 

source. Construction dates and both 

present and historical land ownership 

information can be difficult to obtain 

and validate for certain areas (in 

particular, ownership information for 

undeveloped wetland areas). It is also 

difficult in some cases to determine 

structure type and use (e.g., residential, 

commercial, or other). 

Initial Stakeholder Outreach 

During the data mining and research 

phase of the technical correction review, 

the Service generally conducts outreach 

with certain landowners and/or 

managers of coastal barrier areas that are 

‘‘otherwise protected’’ (as defined by the 

CBIA), meaning within the boundaries 

of an area established under Federal, 

State, or local law, or held by a qualified 

organization (defined under the Internal 

Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 170(h)(3)), 

primarily for wildlife refuge, sanctuary, 

recreational purposes, or natural 

resource conservation purposes. Such 

outreach is generally not conducted 

with the landowners and/or managers of 

areas that do not meet the definition of 

‘‘otherwise protected.’’ This includes 

areas zoned or regulated by State or 

local governments for the purpose of 

restricting the nature or density of 

development, but where such regulation 

does not necessarily reflect the intent of 

the property owners to protect the area 

for conservation and/or recreation in 

perpetuity (e.g., local zoning categories 

such as dune districts, inlet hazard 

areas, and setback zones and areas 

subject to conservation easements or 

leases that have limited restrictions). 

Conservation/recreation area 

landowners and/or managers are 

contacted during the data mining and 

research phase in cases where the 

following information is necessary to 

prepare the proposed boundaries: (1) 

The location of conservation and/or 

recreation area boundaries (primarily in 

cases where the CBRS unit boundary 

120 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 1 / Monday, January 4, 2021 / Notices 

was intended to be coincident with that 

boundary and there is conflicting 

information about the parcel boundary 

location), and/or (2) the acquisition 

date(s) of the conservation and/or 

recreation area. Additionally, 

conservation/recreation area 

landowners and/or managers are 

contacted when the Service requires 

additional information necessary to 

determine the appropriate CBRS unit 

type classification (i.e., System Unit or 

OPA) for a particular conservation and/ 

or recreation area. 

Given the large number of 

conservation and/or recreation area 

stakeholders within certain areas and 

complexities associated with mapping 

numerous small parcels, we generally 

limit our initial outreach to those 

stakeholders that own and/or manage 

conservation and/or recreation areas 

that are greater than approximately 10 

acres in size within the existing and/or 

proposed System Units. See Types of 

Boundary Changes, below, for 

additional information about the 

mapping of conservation/recreation 

areas within the CBRS. 

Additional outreach to these groups 

and a broader group of stakeholders is 

being conducted as part of the public 

review process; see Request for 

Comments, below, for further 

information. 

Acreage Calculations 

The Service calculates the acreage of 

the CBRS units to help assess the areal 

extent of the units and to quantify 

proposed changes. The total acreage of 

a CBRS unit is comprised of fastland 

(land above mean high tide) and 

associated aquatic habitat (wetlands and 

open water). For the purpose of 

calculating acreage for CBRS remapping 

projects, the wetland/fastland acreage 

breakdown of the units is derived from 

the Service’s National Wetlands 

Inventory (NWI) data. A shoreline is 

delineated (as described below) to be 

used in conjunction with the boundaries 

of the unit to calculate acreage, and only 

areas landward of this shoreline are 

included in the calculation. The 

associated aquatic habitat acreage 

numbers include open water landward 

of the coastal barrier, but not nearshore 

or offshore waters seaward of the 

shoreline. The offshore acreage of the 

units is not calculated, because a fixed 

seaward boundary for the units is 

generally not drawn due to the highly 

dynamic nature of the littoral zone. 

Although acreage for offshore areas is 

not calculated, the entire sand sharing 

system on the seaward side, including 

the beach and nearshore area, is 

included within the CBRS units. The 

sand sharing system of coastal barriers 

is normally defined by the 30-foot 

bathymetric contour. In the Great Lakes 

and in large coastal embayments (e.g., 

Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and 

Narragansett Bay), the sand sharing 

system is more limited in extent. In 

these cases, the sand sharing system is 

defined by the 20-foot bathymetric 

contour or a line approximately 1 mile 

seaward of the shoreline, whichever is 

nearer the coastal barrier. 

Shoreline Calculations 

The Service calculates the shoreline 

of the units to help assess the linear 

extent of the CBRS and to facilitate the 

calculation of the acreage of the units as 

described above. For the purposes of 

CBRS remapping projects, the Service 

digitizes a shoreline boundary to 

artificially close off the units along the 

seaward shoreline. This shoreline 

boundary generally follows the wet/dry 

sand line along the seaward side of the 

unit as interpreted from the base 

imagery. Additionally, the shoreline 

boundary spans any inlets and/or other 

dividing water bodies within each unit. 

In some cases, highly convoluted 

shorelines are generalized. Due to the 

complexities of shoreline delineations, 

acreage numbers (rather than shoreline 

miles) are the most reliable way to 

quantify proposed changes to the CBRS 

for individual units. 

Types of Boundary Changes 

The Service applies objective 

mapping protocols, statutory criteria, 

and a set of guiding principles for 

assessing modifications to the CBRS. In 

1982 and 1985, the Department 

published guidance in the Federal 

Register (47 FR 35696 (August 16, 1982) 

and 50 FR 8698 (March 4, 1985)) for 

delineating CBRS unit boundaries. The 

Department’s Undeveloped Coastal 

Barriers: Report to Congress (1982) and 

Report to Congress: Coastal Barrier 

Resources System (1988) and the 

Service’s Final Report to Congress: John 

H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources 

System Digital Mapping Pilot Project 

(2016) also contain protocols, criteria, 

and guiding principles for CBRS 

mapping. The different types of changes 

proposed through CBRS remapping 

projects include modifications to reflect 

geomorphic change; alignment with 

geomorphic, development, and cultural 

features; additions to and removals from 

the CBRS; and modifications to CBRS 

boundaries in channels. Additionally, 

CBRS unit type classifications (and 

reclassifications) are determined 

according to a standard protocol 

described below. 

Modifications To Reflect Geomorphic 

Change 

CBRA requires that the Service review 

the maps of the CBRS at least once every 

5 years and make modifications to the 

boundaries of the units to account for 

changes caused by natural forces such 

as accretion and erosion (16 U.S.C. 

3503(c)). This type of change can be 

made by the Service administratively; 

however, it is also incorporated into 

comprehensive remapping efforts for 

efficiency and cost-saving purposes. The 

boundaries of System Units and OPAs 

are modified where appropriate to 

account for natural changes that have 

occurred since the maps were last 

updated. 

Alignment With Geomorphic Features 

CBRS boundaries are often intended 

to follow geomorphic features such as a 

shoreline or the interface between 

wetlands and fastlands. This applies 

mostly to System Units, though there 

are many cases where OPA boundaries 

follow geomorphic features. The 

boundaries of System Units and OPAs 

are modified where appropriate to align 

with underlying geomorphic features. 

Alignment With Development Features 

CBRS boundaries are often intended 

to follow development features, such as 

the edge of a road, a bridge, or the 

‘‘break-in-development’’ that existed onthe-ground when the area was included 

within the CBRS. The break-indevelopment is where development 

ended, immediately adjacent to the last 

structure in a cluster or row of 

structures, or at the property parcel 

boundary of the last structure. This 

applies mostly to System Units, though 

there are cases where OPA boundaries 

follow development features. The 

boundaries of System Units and OPAs 

are modified where appropriate to align 

with development features. 

Alignment With Cultural Features 

CBRS boundaries are often intended 

to follow cultural features such as roads 

and political boundaries (e.g., State, 

county, and town boundaries) or 

conservation/recreation area 

boundaries. Both System Units and 

OPAs follow cultural features; however, 

this applies especially to OPAs, which 

often coincide with the boundaries of 

the underlying conservation and/or 

recreation areas (although there are 

exceptions). The boundaries of System 

Units and OPAs are modified where 

appropriate to align with cultural 

features. 

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 1 / Monday, January 4, 2021 / Notices 121 

Additions to the Coastal Barrier 

Resources System 

In carrying out CBRS remapping 

projects, the Service often finds areas of 

undeveloped fastland and associated 

aquatic habitat that are not currently 

within the CBRS but are appropriate for 

inclusion (either as additions to existing 

units or as entirely new units). When 

assessing whether an area may be 

appropriate for addition to the CBRS, 

the Service considers the following 

guiding principles: 

(1) Whether the area may reasonably 

be considered to be a coastal barrier 

feature, or related to a coastal barrier 

ecosystem (this generally includes areas 

that are inherently vulnerable to coastal 

hazards such as flooding, storm surge, 

wind, erosion, and sea level rise) and 

(2) Whether inclusion of the area 

within the CBRS is rationally related to 

the purposes of CBRA (i.e., to minimize 

the loss of human life, wasteful 

expenditure of Federal revenues, and 

damage to fish, wildlife, and other 

natural resources). 

When assessing potential additions to 

the CBRS, the Service also considers the 

following criteria: 

(1) The level of development on-theground (i.e., whether the number of 

structures or complement of 

infrastructure on-the-ground exceeds 

the threshold for the area to be 

considered undeveloped) (16 U.S.C. 

3503(g)(1)) and/or 

(2) In the case of certain additions to 

existing units, the location of 

geomorphic, cultural, and development 

features on-the-ground at the time the 

adjacent area was included within the 

CBRS (i.e., whether the CBRS boundary 

lines on the maps precisely follow the 

underlying features they were intended 

to follow on-the-ground). 

The boundaries of System Units and 

OPAs are modified where appropriate to 

add undeveloped fastland and 

associated aquatic habitat to the CBRS 

(either as additions to existing units or 

as entirely new units). Such additions to 

the CBRS are consistent with section 

4(c)(3) of the 2006 Coastal Barrier 

Resources Reauthorization Act, which 

directs the Secretary to make 

recommendations for expansion of the 

CBRS. The unit type classification (i.e., 

System Unit versus OPA) is determined 

according to the protocol described 

below, under Coastal Barrier Resources 

System Unit Type Classification. 

Additionally, the Service 

accommodates requests from 

landowners for voluntary additions to 

the CBRS or reclassifications of 

conservation/recreation areas from OPA 

to System Unit status. Voluntary 

additions to the CBRS can be made by 

the Service administratively (16 U.S.C. 

3503(d)); however, they are also 

incorporated into ongoing CBRS 

mapping projects like this one for 

efficiency and cost-saving purposes. 

Removals From the Coastal Barrier 

Resources System 

In carrying out CBRS remapping 

projects, the Service also finds areas that 

were inappropriately included within 

the CBRS and constitute technical 

mapping errors. When assessing 

whether an area may be appropriate for 

removal from the CBRS, the Service 

considers the following guiding 

principles: 

(1) Whether the area may reasonably 

be considered to be a coastal barrier 

feature, or related to a coastal barrier 

ecosystem (this generally includes areas 

that are inherently vulnerable to coastal 

hazards such as flooding, storm surge, 

wind, erosion, and sea level rise) and 

(2) Whether inclusion of the area 

within the CBRS is rationally related to 

the purposes of CBRA (i.e., to minimize 

the loss of human life, wasteful 

expenditure of Federal revenues, and 

damage to fish, wildlife, and other 

natural resources). 

The Service considers a technical 

mapping error to be a mistake in the 

delineation of the CBRS boundaries that 

was made as a result of incorrect, 

outdated, or incomplete information 

(often stemming from inaccuracies on 

the original base maps). When assessing 

whether an area may be appropriate for 

removal, the Service also considers the 

following criteria: 

(1) The level of development on-theground at the time the area was 

included within the CBRS (i.e., the 

number of structures or complement of 

infrastructure on-the-ground exceeded 

the threshold for the area to be 

considered undeveloped) (16 U.S.C. 

3503(g)(1)) and/or 

(2) The location of geomorphic, 

cultural, and development features onthe-ground at the time the area was 

included within the CBRS (i.e., the 

CBRS boundary lines on the maps do 

not precisely follow the underlying 

features they were intended to follow 

on-the-ground). 

The boundaries of System Units and 

OPAs are modified where appropriate to 

remove areas that were inappropriately 

included within the CBRS and 

constitute technical mapping errors. 

Modifications to Coastal Barrier 

Resources System Boundaries in 

Channels 

In carrying out CBRS remapping 

projects, the Service finds that the CBRS 

unit boundaries following channels in 

some cases include the entire channel 

and in other cases include none of the 

channel within the unit. The boundaries 

of System Units and OPAs are modified 

where appropriate to include the entire 

extent of the channel within the unit. In 

cases where a System Unit and an OPA 

share a coincident boundary that 

follows a channel located between the 

two units, the entire channel is 

generally included within the System 

Unit. In cases where two System Units 

or two OPAs fall within a channel, the 

coincident boundary is generally placed 

at the center of the channel. A buffer (of 

about 20 feet) is generally applied along 

developed shorelines (i.e., where 

structures and/or infrastructure such as 

seawalls, bulkheads, and roads are very 

close to and run parallel to or are 

coincident with the shoreline) to ensure 

that existing development and 

infrastructure located on the shoreline 

are not inadvertently included within 

the CBRS. 

Coastal Barrier Resources System Unit 

Type Classification 

In carrying out CBRS remapping 

projects, the Service considers the 

qualifying coastal barrier feature and 

delineates the unit boundaries in 

accordance with the protocols, criteria, 

and guiding principles identified above, 

regardless of whether the area is (or was 

previously) owned or managed for 

conservation and/or recreation. In other 

words, the boundaries of both System 

Units and OPAs are generally drawn 

using the same protocols, criteria, and 

guiding principles. The Service then 

determines the unit type classification 

(for proposed additions) and 

reclassification (for existing units) in 

accordance with the protocols below. 

The unit type classification (i.e., 

System Unit versus OPA) is based on 

whether or not the unit was 

predominantly held for conservation 

and/or recreation at the time of 

designation, and is modified where 

appropriate and practicable. Such unit 

type modifications for areas that are 

currently within the CBRS are referred 

to as ‘‘reclassifications.’’ The 

reclassified areas are either added to an 

existing adjacent unit of the same type 

or assigned a new unit number. The 

following considerations are applied for 

unit type classification and 

reclassification. 

Areas Not Held for Conservation/ 

Recreation Within Otherwise Protected 

Areas 

Areas that are not held for 

conservation/recreation may be 

included within OPAs if they are: (1) 

122 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 1 / Monday, January 4, 2021 / Notices 

Interspersed with and/or adjacent to a 

larger conservation/recreation area, and 

(2) located in coastal barrier areas that 

were undeveloped according to CBRA’s 

statutory development criteria (16 

U.S.C. 3503(g)(1)) at the time they were 

included within the CBRS (or are 

currently undeveloped in the case of 

proposed additions). Additionally, 

privately held inholdings (developed or 

undeveloped private tracts that are 

contained within the exterior 

boundaries of the conservation and/or 

recreation area) may also be included 

within OPAs. 

Conservation/Recreation Areas Within 

System Units 

Areas Held for Conservation/Recreation 

Prior to CBRS Designation 

Areas that are held for conservation/ 

recreation may be included within 

System Units if they are: (1) 

Interspersed with and/or adjacent to a 

larger area that is not held for 

conservation/recreation and (2) 

undeveloped according to CBRA’s 

statutory development criteria (16 

U.S.C. 3503(g)(1)) at the time they were 

included within the CBRS (or are 

currently undeveloped in the case of 

proposed additions). 

For conservation/recreation areas 

greater than 10 acres, the Service 

coordinates with the landowners (or 

managers) to seek their concurrence on 

inclusion of their area within the 

System Unit. If the owners do not 

concur with System Unit status, the 

Service classifies such areas as OPAs to 

the extent practicable. However, minor 

conservation/recreation areas (fastlands 

and wetlands smaller than 10 acres) and 

certain areas of open water would be 

impractical from a mapping perspective 

to delineate separately as OPAs and 

therefore may be included within 

System Units. Outreach is generally not 

conducted for these minor areas during 

the initial stakeholder outreach phase of 

the project (described above under 

Coastal Barrier Resources System 

Remapping Methodology). Descriptions 

of such ‘‘minor’’ areas within System 

Units are included in the set of unit 

summaries that describe the Service’s 

proposed changes to the CBRS. See 

Availability of Proposed Coastal Barrier 

Resources System Boundaries and 

Related Information, below, for 

information on where to access the unit 

summaries. 

The Service’s records indicate that 

some conservation/recreation areas were 

intentionally added to the CBRS as 

System Units in the past. The Service 

generally does not seek concurrence 

from conservation/recreation area 

owners (regardless of size) when there is 

evidence of such prior intent, including 

letters from the stakeholder in the 

Service’s records indicating that the 

organization supported inclusion of the 

property within the System Unit in the 

past, or records of specific changes to 

the Department’s recommended maps 

made by the Congressional committees 

that reviewed them prior to their 

enactment. 

Areas Held for Conservation/Recreation 

After Area Designated as CBRS 

If an area is dedicated to conservation 

and/or recreation after its initial 

inclusion within a System Unit, it is 

generally not reclassified to an OPA. 

Proposed Modifications to the CBRS 

The Service has prepared draft 

revised boundaries that propose 

modifications to the CBRS in Florida 

and South Carolina in accordance with 

the methodology described above. The 

proposed revisions would remove areas 

that were inappropriately included 

within the CBRS in the past and add 

areas that meet CBRA’s criteria for 

inclusion within the CBRS (16 U.S.C. 

3503(g)(1)). The proposed revisions 

would also reclassify certain areas from 

System Unit to OPA, and vice versa. 

A summary of metrics associated with 

the proposed changes by county/State is 

provided below. More detailed 

information regarding the specific 

proposed changes to each unit is 

available in a set of unit summaries. See 

Availability of Proposed Coastal Barrier 

Resources System Boundaries and 

Related Information, below, for 

information on where to access the unit 

summaries. 

Okaloosa and Walton Counties, Florida 

The Service has prepared 

comprehensively revised proposed 

boundaries for Moreno Point Unit P32/ 

P32P in Okaloosa and Walton Counties, 

Florida. The proposed boundaries for 

the Florida units would remove 17 acres 

from the CBRS (14 acres of fastland and 

3 acres of associated aquatic habitat) 

and add 57 acres to the CBRS (7 acres 

of fastland and 50 acres of associated 

aquatic habitat). The proposed 

boundaries would remove 31 structures 

from the CBRS and add no structures to 

the CBRS. 

Beaufort County and Charleston 

Counties, South Carolina 

The Service has prepared 

comprehensively revised proposed 

boundaries for Morris Island Complex 

M06 in Charleston County, South 

Carolina, and for Harbor Island Unit 

M11, St. Phillips Unit M12, and 

Hunting Island Unit SC–09P in Beaufort 

County, South Carolina. The proposed 

boundaries include two proposed new 

OPAs, Morris Island Complex M06P and 

St. Phillips Unit M12P, which are 

within the vicinity of the existing units 

in Beaufort and Charleston Counties. 

These proposed new units are 

comprised entirely of areas that are not 

currently contained within the CBRS. 

The proposed boundaries for the 

South Carolina units would remove 13 

acres from the CBRS (all fastland) and 

add 9,956 acres to the CBRS (593 acres 

of fastland and 9,363 acres of associated 

aquatic habitat). The proposed 

boundaries would remove nine 

structures from the CBRS and add one 

structure to the CBRS. 

Proposed Additions to the Coastal 

Barrier Resources System 

The draft revised boundaries for the 

Florida and South Carolina units would 

make additions to the CBRS (including 

the creation of two new units) that are 

consistent with a directive in section 4 

of the 2006 CBRRA concerning 

recommendations for expansion of the 

CBRS. The proposed boundaries are 

based upon the best data available to the 

Service at the time the areas were 

reviewed. Our assessment indicated that 

any new areas proposed for addition to 

the CBRS were relatively undeveloped 

at the time the proposed boundaries 

were created. 

CBRA (16 U.S.C. 3503(g)) requires 

that we consider the following criteria 

when assessing the development status 

of a potential addition to the CBRS: (1) 

Whether the density of development is 

less than one structure per 5 acres of 

land above mean high tide (which 

generally suggests eligibility for 

inclusion within the CBRS); and (2) 

whether there is existing infrastructure 

consisting of a road, with a reinforced 

road bed, to each lot or building site in 

the area; a wastewater disposal system 

sufficient to serve each lot or building 

site in the area; electric service for each 

lot or building site in the area; and a 

fresh water supply for each lot or 

building site in the area (which 

generally suggests ineligibility for 

inclusion within the CBRS). 

If, upon review of the proposed 

boundaries, interested parties find that 

any areas proposed for addition to the 

CBRS are currently developed 

(according to the criteria codified at 16 

U.S.C. 3503(g)), they may submit 

supporting documentation of such 

development to the Service during this 

public comment period. For any areas 

proposed for addition to the CBRS, we 

will consider the density of 

development and level of infrastructure 

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 1 / Monday, January 4, 2021 / Notices 123 

on-the-ground as of the close of the 

comment period (see DATES, above). 

Request for Comments 

Section 4 of the 2006 CBRRA requires 

the Secretary to provide an opportunity 

for the submission of public comments. 

We invite the public to review and 

comment on the proposed CBRS 

boundaries for CBRS Units P32/P32P, 

M06/M06P, M11, M12/M12P, and SC– 

09P. The Service is specifically 

notifying the following stakeholders 

concerning the availability of the 

proposed boundaries: The Chair and 

Ranking Member of the House of 

Representatives Committee on Natural 

Resources; the Chair and Ranking 

Member of the Senate Committee on 

Environment and Public Works; the 

members of the Senate and House of 

Representatives for the affected areas; 

the Governors of Florida and South 

Carolina; organizations that own (or 

manage) land held for conservation and/ 

or recreation within the existing and 

proposed units (where such ownership 

information and mailing addresses were 

publicly available); other appropriate 

Federal, State, and local officials; and 

appropriate nongovernmental 

organizations. 

The Service is generally not notifying 

individual private property owners 

concerning the availability of the 

proposed boundaries (except for 

individuals who have specifically 

contacted us in the past concerning a 

technical correction request). However, 

the Service encourages local officials to 

distribute the ‘‘Dear Interested Party’’ 

notification letter included in the 

stakeholder outreach toolkit, described 

below under Availability of Proposed 

Coastal Barrier Resources System 

Boundaries and Related Information, to 

affected property owners in their 

communities. 

Interested parties may submit written 

comments and accompanying data as 

described in ADDRESSES, above. 

Comments regarding specific CBRS 

unit(s) should reference the appropriate 

unit number(s) and unit name(s). We 

must receive comments on or before the 

date listed above in DATES. 

Following the close of the comment 

period, we will review all comments we 

receive on the proposed boundaries and 

make adjustments to the boundaries, as 

appropriate, based on information 

received through public comments, 

updated aerial imagery, CBRA criteria, 

and objective mapping protocols. We 

will then prepare final recommended 

maps to be submitted to Congress. The 

final recommended maps will become 

effective only if they are adopted by 

Congress through legislation. 

Availability of Proposed Coastal 

Barrier Resources System Boundaries 

and Related Information 

The CBRS Projects Mapper (an online 

interface for the public to view the 

proposed boundaries and obtain 

information about the proposed 

changes) and unit summaries 

(containing historical changes and 

proposed changes to the individual 

units) can be accessed from the 

Service’s website at https://

www.fws.gov/cbra. A shapefile of the 

proposed CBRS boundaries, which can 

be used with GIS software, is also 

available for download. The shapefile is 

best viewed using the base imagery to 

which the boundaries were drawn; the 

base imagery sources and dates are 

included in the metadata for the 

shapefile. The Service is not responsible 

for any misuse or misinterpretation of 

the shapefile. You may submit a public 

comment using one of the methods 

listed above in ADDRESSES. 

Additionally, a stakeholder outreach 

toolkit (comprising unit summaries, a 

shapefile of the draft revised 

boundaries, and a ‘‘Dear Interested 

Party’’ notification letter) will be made 

available to local officials upon request. 

Local officials may use this toolkit to 

increase awareness of the project within 

their communities. Local officials may 

contact the individual identified in FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, above, 

for more information regarding the 

toolkit. We recommend that any local 

community officials who want to use 

the outreach toolkit request it as soon as 

possible to allow outreach activities to 

occur in time for the public to submit 

comments before the comment period 

closes (see DATES). 

Interested parties who are unable to 

access the proposed boundaries or other 

information online may contact the 

individual identified in FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT, above, and 

reasonable accommodations will be 

made. 

Gary Frazer, 

Assistant Director for Ecological Services, 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–29043 Filed 12–31–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–HQ–NWRS–2020–N155; 

FXRS12630900000/FF09R81000; OMB 

Control Number 1018–New] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget for Review 

and Approval; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service Concessions 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection; 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(Service), are proposing a new 

information collection in use without an 

OMB Control Number. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before February 

3, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain. Find this particular 

information collection by selecting 

‘‘Currently under Review—Open for 

Public Comments’’ or by using the 

search function. Please provide a copy 

of your comments to the Service 

Information Collection Clearance 

Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

MS: PRB/PERMA (JAO/3W), 5275 

Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041– 

3803 (mail); or by email to Info_Coll@

fws.gov. Please reference OMB Control 

Number 1018—Concessions in the 

subject line of your comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Madonna L. Baucum, Service 

Information Collection Clearance 

Officer, by email at Info_Coll@fws.gov, 

or by telephone at (703) 358–2503. 

Individuals who are hearing or speech 

impaired may call the Federal Relay 

Service at 1–800–877–8339 for TTY 

assistance. You may also view the 

information collection request (ICR) at 

http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 

3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we 

provide the general public and other 

Federal agencies with an opportunity to 

comment on new, proposed, revised, 

and continuing collections of 

information. This helps us assess the 

impact of our information collection