Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 19 / Friday, January 30, 2009 / Notices 5641 

IV. Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and/or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they also will become a matter of public 

record. 

Dated: January 26, 2009. 

Gwellnar Banks, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–1946 Filed 1–29–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–08–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Initiation of Review of Management 

Plan/Regulations of the Fagatele Bay 

National Marine Sanctuary; Intent To 

Prepare Draft Environmental Impact 

Statement and Management Plan; 

Scoping Meetings 

AGENCY: Office of National Marine 

Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean 

Service (NOS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Department of Commerce (DOC). 

ACTION: Initiation of Review of 

Management Plan/Regulations; Intent 

To Prepare Environmental Impact 

Statement; Scoping Meetings. 

SUMMARY: Fagatele Bay National Marine 

Sanctuary (FBNMS or Sanctuary) was 

designated in April of 1986 in response 

to a proposal from the American Samoa 

Government to the (then) National 

Marine Sanctuary Program. FBNMS 

protects 163 acres (0.25 square miles) of 

vibrant tropical coral reef ecosystem off 

the southwest coast of Tutuila Island, 

American Samoa. The present 

management plan was written as part of 

the sanctuary designation process and 

published in the Final Environmental 

Impact Statement in 1984. In 

accordance with Section 304(e) of the 

National Marine Sanctuaries Act, as 

amended, (NMSA) (16 U.S.C. 1431 et 

seq.), the Office of National Marine 

Sanctuaries (ONMS) of the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA) is initiating a 

review of the FBNMS management plan, 

to evaluate substantive progress toward 

implementing the goals for the 

Sanctuary, to initiate discussions on 

possible site expansion, and to make 

revisions to the plan and regulations as 

necessary to fulfill the purposes and 

policies of the NMSA. 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, and possible site expansion 

(including expansion to include the 

Rose Atoll Marine National Monument 

designated on January 6, 2009). The 

scoping meetings are scheduled as 

detailed below. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

received on or before March 26, 2009. 

Scoping meetings will be held on: 

(1) February 10th, 4–6:30 p.m., 

Convention Center, Utulei, Tutuila, 

American Samoa. 

(2) February 11th, 4–6:30 p.m., 

Fagaitua High School Gym, Fagaitua, 

Tutuila, American Samoa. 

(3) February 12th, 4–6:30 p.m., 

American Samoa Community College, 

Mapusaga, Tutuila, American Samoa. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be 

sent to the Fagatele Bay National Marine 

Sanctuary (Management Plan Review), 

P.O. Box 4318, Pago Pago, American 

Samoa 96799; or faxed to (808) 397– 

2662. Electronic comments may be sent 

to fagatelebay@noaa.gov. 

Comments will be available for public 

review at the following street address: 

Fagatele Bay National Marine 

Sanctuary, 1 Convention Center Circle, 

Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799. All 

comments received are a part of the 

public record. All Personal Identifying 

Information (for example, name, 

address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by 

the commenter may be publicly 

accessible. Do not submit confidential 

business information or otherwise 

sensitive or protected information. 

NOAA will accept anonymous 

comments. Attachments to electronic 

comments will be accepted in Microsoft 

Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats 

only. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kevin Grant, 808.397.2660 Ext. 238, 

fagatelebay@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

proposed revised management plan will 

likely involve changes to existing 

policies of the Sanctuary in order 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: (1) 

Information collection and 

characterization; (2) preparation and 

release of a draft management plan/ 

environmental impact statement, and 

any proposed amendments to the 

regulations; (3) public review and 

comment; and (4) preparation and 

release of a final management plan/ 

environmental impact statement, and 

any final amendments to the 

regulations. In the event that the 

potential impacts of new actions 

described in the management plan do 

not warrant the need for an 

environmental impact statement, NOAA 

will publish the appropriate 

environmental analysis and notify the 

public. Depending upon the complexity 

and level of any site expansion, NOAA 

anticipates completion of the revised 

management plan and concomitant 

documents will require approximately 

thirty-six to forty-eight months. 

Preliminary Priority Topics 

NOAA, in consultation with the 

American Samoa Department of 

Commerce, has prepared a list of 

preliminary priority topics. This list 

represents our best professional 

judgment of the most important issues 

NOAA should consider in preparation 

of a new FBNMS management plan. We 

are interested in the public’s comments 

on these topics, as well as any other 

topics of interest to the public or other 

agencies. It is important to note that this 

list does not preclude or in any way 

limit the consideration of additional 

topics raised through public comment, 

government-to-government 

consultations, and discussions with 

partner agencies. 

Improved Partnerships—Recent 

initiatives regarding marine managed 

areas provide the Sanctuary with new 

opportunities to strengthen 

partnerships, particularly with 

Territorial and Federal agencies, the 

American Samoa Community College, 

and other entities. The Sanctuary will 

work in active partnership to provide a 

more transparent, cooperative, and 

coordinated management structure of 

marine resources within Territorial and 

federal jurisdictions. 

Characterization and Monitoring— 

There is a need to develop an 

understanding of baseline conditions of 

marine resources within the sanctuary, 

ecosystem functions, and status and 

trends of biological and socioeconomic 

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5642 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 19 / Friday, January 30, 2009 / Notices 

resources to effectively inform 

management. FBNMS, in conjunction 

with Territorial and Federal agencies as 

well as other entities, will work to 

resolve these needs. 

Spill Prevention, Contingency 

Planning and Response—The risk from 

vessel traffic and other hazards is a 

significant threat to marine resources. 

The potential for a catastrophic oil spill 

remains a primary concern and while 

advances in maritime safety have been 

made since the sanctuary was 

designated, better coordination is 

needed for response to these threats. Oil 

spills cause immediate and potentially 

long term harm to marine resources as 

well as socioeconomic impacts to 

coastal communities. 

Climate Change—Climate change is 

widely acknowledged, yet there is 

considerable uncertainty about current 

and future consequences at local, 

ecosystem, and oceanic scales. 

Increased coordination and cooperation 

among resource management agencies is 

required to improve planning, 

monitoring, and adaptive management 

to address this phenomenon. 

Ocean Literacy—Enhancing the 

public’s awareness and appreciation of 

marine, socio-economic, and cultural 

resources is a cornerstone of the 

Sanctuary’s mission. Management Plan 

Review could offer opportunities for the 

Sanctuary, in conjunction with the 

American Samoa Community College 

and other entities, to expand 

educational contributions and reach a 

larger audience. 

Marine Debris—Coastal marine debris 

is a persistent and poorly diagnosed 

problem within the sanctuary that 

negatively impacts natural and 

socioeconomic resources and qualities. 

Site Expansion—The Office of 

National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), 

under the authority of the National 

Marine Sanctuaries Act, has the ability 

to develop protections for special areas 

of the marine environment, including 

those found in federal waters. Any 

possible expansion of the ONMS 

activities, such as the expansion of the 

Sanctuary to include the newly 

designated Rose Atoll Marine National 

Monument, could supplement and 

compliment existing MPA initiatives in 

the Territory. Working cooperatively 

with partner agencies, will allow all 

parties to leverage resources and find 

the best solutions to protecting the 

marine resources of the Territory. 

Condition Report 

In preparation for management plan 

review, NOAA produced a Fagatele Bay 

National Marine Sanctuary Condition 

Report in 2007. The Condition Report 

provides a summary of resources in 

FBNMS, pressures on those resources, 

the current condition and trends, and 

management responses to the pressures 

that threaten the integrity of the marine 

environment. Specifically, the 

Condition Report includes information 

on the status and trends of water 

quality, habitat, living resources, and 

maritime archaeological resources and 

the human activities that affect them. 

The report serves as a supporting 

document for the Management Plan 

Review Process to inform constituents 

who desire to participate in that 

process. 

In addition, a State of the Sanctuary 

Report was completed for 2002–2003. 

This report outlines major 

accomplishments and highlights 

specific management plan activities. An 

update covering accomplishments from 

2003–2008 has also been created. The 

condition report, State of the Sanctuary 

Report and the 2003–2008 Update are 

available to the general public in 

advance of scoping meetings and on the 

internet at: http://fagatelebay.noaa.gov/ 

html/management_plan.html. 

Scoping Comments 

Scoping meetings provide an 

opportunity to make direct comments to 

NOAA on the management of the 

sanctuary’s natural and cultural 

resources, including administrative 

programs. We encourage the public to 

participate and welcome any comments 

related to the sanctuary. In particular, 

we are interested in hearing about the 

public’s view on: 

• The Sanctuary’s potential 

management priorities for the next five 

to ten years; 

• Effectiveness of the existing 

management plan in protecting 

sanctuary resources; 

• Sanctuary programs, activities and 

needs, including but not limited to 

resource protection programs, research 

and monitoring programs, education, 

volunteer, and outreach programs; 

• Implementation of regulations and 

permits; 

• Adequacy of existing boundaries to 

protect sanctuary resources; 

• Assessment of the existing 

operational and administrative 

framework (staffing, offices, vessels, 

etc.). 

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

(Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog 

Number 11.429 Marine Sanctuary Program) 

Dated: January 26, 2009. 

Daniel J. Basta, 

Director, Office of National Marine 

Sanctuaries. 

[FR Doc. E9–2092 Filed 1–29–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–NK–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XM63 

Magnuson–Stevens Act Provisions; 

General Provisions for Domestic 

Fisheries; Application for Exempted 

Fishing Permit 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notification of a proposal to 

conduct exempted fishing; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional 

Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, 

Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant 

Regional Administrator), has made a 

preliminary determination that the 

subject exempted fishing permit (EFP) 

application submitted by the Gulf of 

Maine Research Institute (GMRI), which 

would exempt participating vessels 

from Scallop gear restrictions, 

possession restrictions, Great South 

Channel (GSC) Southern New England 

(SNE)/Georges Bank (GB) Yellowtail 

Flounder Peak Spawning Closure 

restrictions, and GSC Cape Cod (CC)/ 

Gulf of Maine (GOM) Yellowtail 

Flounder Peak Spawning Closure 

restrictions, should be issued for public 

comment. The Assistant Regional 

Administrator has also made a 

preliminary determination that the 

activities authorized under the EFP 

would be consistent with the goals and 

objectives of the Atlantic Sea Scallop 

Fishery Management Plan (FMP), the 

Northeast Multispecies FMP, and other 

Northeast Regional FMPs. However, 

further review and consultation may be 

necessary before a final determination is 

made. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before February 17, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be 

submitted by e–mail. The mailbox 

address for providing e–mail comments 

is scallop.efp.gmri@noaa.gov. Include in 

the subject line of the e–mail comment 

the following document identifier: 

‘‘Comments on twine–top EFP.’’ Written 

comments may also be mailed to 

Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional 

Administrator, NMFS, Northeast 

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