[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 199 (Tuesday, October 15, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 82990-82991]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23776]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Request for Information; Data for Marine Spatial Studies in 
Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware

AGENCY: National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean 
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Notice; request for information.

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SUMMARY: NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) National Centers for 
Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), hereafter NOAA, in partnership with the 
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is working to build spatial 
planning capacity in the United States (U.S.) Central Atlantic region. 
Through this Request for Information, NOAA is seeking public input to 
identify coastal and marine spatial data or other critical information 
to inform marine spatial analyses in Maryland, New Jersey, and 
Delaware. The input we receive from the data development workshop 
meeting, as well as the responses to the items listed in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document, will be used to 
inform potential coastal and ocean development activities in the U.S. 
Central Atlantic region, such as renewable energy development.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to provide input in response to 
this Request for Information through November 1, 2024. Late-filed input 
will be considered to the extent practicable.
    Verbal input will be accepted during a public meeting to be held in 
Columbia, Maryland on October 16-17, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to provide input using one of 
the following methods:
    <bullet> Electronic Submission: Submit electronic written public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NOS-2024-0122 in the Search box. 
Click on the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter 
or attach your comments. All comments received are a part of the public 
record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov

[[Page 82991]]

without change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name, 
address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise 
sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender will be 
publicly accessible. NOAA will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' 
in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).
    <bullet> Oral submission: NOAA will accept verbal input at a data 
development workshop. The meeting will be held at the Maryland 
Innovation Center in Columbia, Maryland on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 
from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) and Thursday, 
October 17, 2024 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST). There will be a 
registration window from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. (EST) each day before the 
start of the meeting.
    Reports of meeting results will also be published and made 
available to the public in the weeks following the meeting. If you are 
unable to provide electronic written comments or participate in the 
meeting, please contact Bryce O'Brien at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d3b1a1aab0b6fdbcb1a1bab6bd93bdbcb2b2fdb4bca5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7a180803191f54151808131f143a14151b1b541d150c">[email protected]</span></a> or (802) 
331-0290 for alternative submission methods.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Morris, NOAA NCCOS, at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#452f242820366b282a37372c36052b2a24246b222a33"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6309020e06104d0e0c11110a10230d0c02024d040c15">[email protected]</span></a> or 252-666-7433.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    NOAA is an agency of the United States Federal Government that 
works to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and 
resources. NOAA works to make fisheries sustainable and productive, 
provide safe seafood to consumers, conserve threatened and endangered 
species and other protected resources, and maintain healthy ecosystems. 
NOAA has jurisdiction and responsibility for its trust marine resources 
in the U.S. Central Atlantic region as well as significant interest in 
supporting the resilience of coastal and marine-dependent communities 
and promoting equity and environmental justice. For these reasons, it 
is important for NOAA to invest in research that informs marine spatial 
studies in the U.S. Central Atlantic region, including socioeconomic 
research that ensures meaningful participation of local communities and 
supports equitable processes for planning and siting of new and 
existing marine industries and conservation areas.
    NOAA has been engaged with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 
(BOEM) to support siting and environmental review for offshore wind 
energy areas in U.S. Federal waters (https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy) to ensure protection of trust resources in any offshore 
development activities.

II. Purpose of This Request for Information

    The purpose of this Request for Information is to promote data 
development to inform marine spatial studies in Maryland, New Jersey, 
and Delaware, with an emphasis on data needs for offshore wind energy. 
In addition to input received from the public through the electronic 
and verbal submissions, NOAA aims to inform the public about its 
coastal and ocean planning processes and capabilities, discuss the 
current data available for each ocean sector (e.g., national security, 
fisheries, industry, natural resources, cultural resources), and gather 
ideas for other data sources. NOAA hopes to come out of the meetings 
with a strengthened relationship with the public and a list of best 
available data and data gaps.

III. Specific Information Requested To Inform Marine Spatial Studies in 
Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware

    Through this Request for Information, NOAA seeks written public 
input to inform marine spatial studies in the U.S. Central Atlantic 
region. NOAA is particularly interested in receiving input concerning 
the items listed below. Responses to this Request for Information are 
voluntary, and respondents need not reply to items listed. When 
providing input, please specify if you are providing general feedback 
on marine spatial studies and/or if you are responding to one of the 
specific item number(s) below:
    1. Specific datasets related to ocean sectors, natural resources, 
and/or human activities you recommend NOAA use in marine spatial 
studies.
    2. Major concerns you have related to use of any specific datasets 
that may be used in marine spatial studies.
    3. Major concerns you have related to gaps in scientific knowledge 
or data that could impact marine spatial planning efforts.
    4. Specific data or information you recommend NOAA or other 
partners collect, if it is not currently available or has not been 
previously collected.
    5. Ways in which NOAA can better engage and collaborate with the 
public and local communities to promote economic, social, and 
ecological resilience as well as protect trust resources.
    6. Ways in which NOAA can build upon existing capacity and 
resources for regional ocean spatial planning.

Sean Corson,
Director, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean 
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-23776 Filed 10-11-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-JE-P


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