### 31328 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 104 / Tuesday, May 31, 2011 / Notices

exposure that might be required in a comprehensive environmental assessment. Any comparisons to environmental data collected to assess the impact of the BP oil spill on Gulf of Mexico estuaries should be limited to the indicators and methods presented in this report, and to broad generalizations about coastal conditions at state, regional or national scales.

Nevertheless, in light of the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, EPA recognizes that some may wish to use the 2003–2006 data presented in the draft NCCR IV as a basis for comparison of ecological conditions in Gulf of Mexico coastal waters following the oil spill. EPA seeks comments from the scientific community on the utility and limitations of the information presented in the draft NCCR IV for this type of impact analysis.

The National Coastal Condition Reports represent collaboration among EPA (Office of Water (OW) and Office of Research and Development (ORD)), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS), and coastal state agencies. The first National Coastal Condition Report published in 2001 in partnership with NOAA, USFWS, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) included some data from about 70% of the U.S. coastal waters. Based upon available data from 1990–1996, the Report concluded that the Nation’s coastal waters were in fair condition. The second National Coastal Condition Report, released in 2005, included some data from all of the Nation’s coastal waters in the conterminous 48 states and Puerto Rico, and concluded that these waters continued to be in fair condition. The third National Coastal Condition Report, released in 2008, built upon the previous reports and provided assessments based on data collected from 2001 to 2003. The third Report similarly concluded that the overall condition of the Nation’s coastal waters was fair. According to the draft NCCR IV, the overall condition of the Nation’s coastal waters continues to be fair, with marginal improvement from EPA’s 2008 National Coastal Condition Report III.

With each successive report the geographic scope of NCA coverage has expanded. This fourth edition of the NCCR includes for the first time an assessment of estuarine condition in American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands along with updated assessment of coastal waters of the conterminous U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. The NCCR IV data were collected from 3,144 sites from 2003 through 2006. This Report serves as a useful tool for analyzing the progress of coastal programs implemented since the first Report and as a ‘‘benchmark ’’ for future comparisons and therefore allows for the analysis of trends in condition over time.

The information presented in the NCCR IV is more streamlined than the NCCR III, with a greater focus on NCA indicators rather than highlights of other coastal programs. In addition to expanded NCA geographic coverage, the NCCR IV also includes several new sections: Summaries of offshore ocean condition for three areas (Mid-Atlantic Bight, South Atlantic Bight, and the West Coast) and comparisons of these waters with near-shore condition, trends in regional beach closures, a Great Lakes fisheries section, and a chapter on emerging coastal issues.

The Draft National Coastal Condition Report IV is also undergoing an external peer review led by EPA’s Office of Research and Development. The peer review plan, including the peer review charge questions, is available upon request by contacting Virginia Houk at: Houk.Virginia@epa.gov

.

The draft document can be found on the Web at:

http://nccr4.rti.org/ Username = nccr4 Password = Coastal10!
Dated: May 20, 2011. Nancy K. Stoner, Acting Assistant Administrator for Water.

[FR Doc. 2011–13400 Filed 5–27–11; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 6560–50–P**

**ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY** 

**[FRL–9313–6]**

**Good Neighbor Environmental Board**

**AGENCY :**  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

**ACTION :**  Notice of meeting.

**SUMMARY :**  Under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92463, EPA gives notice of a meeting of the Good Neighbor Environmental Board (Board). The Board usually meets three times each calendar year, twice at different locations along the U.S. border with Mexico, and once in Washington, DC. It was created in 1992 by the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative Act, Public Law 102–532, 7 U.S.C. Section 5404. Implementing authority was delegated to the Administrator of EPA under Executive Order 12916. The Board is responsible for providing advice to the President and the Congress on environmental and infrastructure issues and needs within the States contiguous to Mexico in order to improve the quality of life of persons residing on the United States side of the border. The statute calls for the Board to have representatives from U.S. Government agencies; the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas; and Tribal and private organizations with experience in environmental and infrastructure issues along the U.S.- Mexico border.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the Board’s 14th report, which will focus on the environmental and economic benefits of renewable energy development in the border region. A copy of the meeting agenda will be posted at http://www.epa.gov/ocem/ gneb.

**DATES :**  The Good Neighbor Environmental Board will hold an open meeting on Thursday, June 16, from 8:30 a.m. (registration at 8 a.m.) to 6 p.m. The following day, June 17, the Board will meet from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.

**ADDRESSES :**  The meeting will be held at the US Grant Hotel, 326 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101, phone number: 619/ 232–3121. The meeting is open to thepublic, with limited seating on a firstcome, first-served basis.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Mark Joyce, Acting Designated Federal Officer, joyce.mark@epa.gov, 202–564– 2130, U.S. EPA, Office of Federal Advisory Committee Management and Outreach (1601M), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  If you wish to make oral comments or submit written comments to the Board, please contact Mark Joyce at least five days prior to the meeting.

General Information: Additional information concerning the GNEB can be found on its Web site at http:// www.epa.gov/ocem/gneb.

Meeting Access: For information on access or services for individuals with disabilities, please contact Mark Joyce at 202–564–2130 or by e-mail at joyce.mark@epa.gov. To request accommodation of a disability, please contact Mark Joyce at least 10 days prior to the meeting to give EPA as much time as possible to process your request.

Dated: May 23, 2011. Mark Joyce, Acting Designated Federal Officer.

[FR Doc. 2011–13406 Filed 5–27–11; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 6560–50–P**