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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 7, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1081-1083]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-30427]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Establishing an Advisory Council Pursuant to the National Marine 
Sanctuaries Act and Solicitation for Applications for the Chumash 
Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council

AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean 
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of solicitation.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NOAA is establishing a national 
marine sanctuary advisory council for the Chumash Heritage National 
Marine Sanctuary (CHNMS), the designation of which became effective on 
November 30, 2024. The council will provide guidance to ONMS and will 
serve as liaisons with constituents and community groups. As a result, 
ONMS is adding the new council to the list of established national 
marine sanctuary advisory councils. ONMS solicits applications to fill 
council seats on an as needed basis and is seeking applicants for seats 
on the CHNMS Advisory Council. This notice contains web page links and 
contact information for CHNMS and application materials to apply for 
the newly established advisory council.

DATES: Applications for membership on the CHNMS Advisory Council need 
to be postmarked or received by Friday March 7, 2025.

ADDRESSES: For further information contact: Nicole Capps, NOAA ONMS 
West Coast Region Program Analyst, 99 Pacific Street, Building 100F, 
Monterey, CA 93940; 831-647-6451; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Section 315 of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) (16 
U.S.C. 1445a) authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to establish 
advisory councils to advise and make recommendations regarding the 
designation and management of national marine sanctuaries. ONMS is 
establishing a new sanctuary advisory council for CHNMS to serve as a 
liaison with the local community and to provide guidance and advice to 
ONMS regarding the sanctuary management plan. The advisory council for 
CHNMS was not established when ONMS published its annual announcement 
on May 24, 2024 that was advertising to fill vacant seats on the other 
18 councils (89 FR 45854). Therefore, ONMS is adding the new advisory 
council to the list of sites with open vacancies and announcing that it 
is soliciting applications to fill the seats of this council. 
Applications are due Friday March 7, 2025.
    In the following SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section, NOAA provides 
details regarding ONMS, the role of advisory councils, and contact 
information for CHNMS.

II. Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS)

    ONMS serves as the trustee for a network of underwater parks 
encompassing more than 629,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes 
waters from Washington State to the Florida

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Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa. The network includes a 
system of 17 national marine sanctuaries and the 
Papah[amacr]naumoku[amacr]kea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments. 
National marine sanctuaries protect our nation's most vital coastal and 
marine natural and cultural resources, and through active research, 
management, and public engagement, sustain healthy environments that 
are the foundation for thriving communities and stable economies.
    One of the many ways ONMS ensures public participation in the 
designation and management of national marine sanctuaries is through 
the formation of advisory councils. Advisory councils are community-
based groups established to provide advice and recommendations to ONMS 
on issues including management, science, service, and stewardship, as 
well as to serve as liaisons between their constituents in the 
community and the site. Pursuant to section 315(a) of the NMSA, 
advisory councils are exempt from the requirements of the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act. Additional information on ONMS and its advisory 
councils can be found at https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov.

III. Advisory Council Membership

    Under section 315 of the NMSA, advisory council members may be 
appointed from among: (1) Persons employed by Federal or State agencies 
with expertise in natural resources management; (2) members of relevant 
regional fishery management councils; and (3) representatives of local 
user groups, conservation and other public interest organizations, 
scientific organizations, educational organizations, or others 
interested in the protection and multiple use management of sanctuary 
resources (16 U.S.C. 1455a(b)).
    The charter for each advisory council defines the number and type 
of seats and positions on the council. The advisory council charter for 
CHNMS identifies the following non-governmental voting seat types: 
Indigenous Cultural Knowledge; Public-at-Large (San Luis Obispo County, 
Santa Barbara County); Conservation; Education; Research; Tourism and 
Recreation; Ports, Harbors, and Maritime Transportation; Offshore 
Energy and Telecommunications; Commercial Fishing; and Recreational 
Fishing. Additionally, the charter identifies the following 
governmental voting seat types: Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians; 
local San Luis Obispo County; and Santa Barbara County representatives; 
State representative.
    Additionally, the council will have non-voting seats for: Bureau of 
Ocean Energy Management; Bureau of Safety and Environmental 
Enforcement; NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service; U.S. Coast 
Guard; Department of Defense; U.S. Forest Service; California 
Department of Fish and Wildlife; California Coastal Commission; 
California State Lands Commission; Central Coast Regional Water Quality 
Control Board; California State Parks. The council will also have a 
non-voting Student Leadership seat for students over the age of 18.
    To the extent more representation is needed, NOAA intends to work 
with the advisory council to establish an Indigenous Cultures Advisory 
Panel as a working group of the advisory council with adequate space 
for Indigenous community members and others. NOAA would respectfully 
expect this group to create unique and essential advice and guidance 
that is informed by knowledge of local Indigenous culture. More 
information about the working group and its establishment will be 
available after the advisory council is appointed. NOAA encourages 
interested individuals to attend advisory council meetings and review 
the council's website and posted meeting notes to learn more about the 
planned Indigenous Cultures Advisory Panel. NOAA also encourages 
interested individuals to apply to the advisory council's Indigenous 
Cultural Knowledge seats, once applications are made available.
    For the CHNMS advisory council, applicants will be chosen based 
upon their particular expertise and experience in relation to the seat 
for which they are applying; community and professional affiliations; 
views regarding the protection and management of marine or Great Lakes 
resources; and possibly (though not required) the length of residence 
in the area affected by the site. Council members and alternates for 
CHNMS serve two and half or three-year terms, as reflected in the 
signed charter.
    More information on advisory council membership and processes, and 
materials related to the purpose, policies, and operational 
requirements for advisory councils can be found in the charter for a 
particular advisory council (https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/management/ac/council_charters.html) and the National Marine Sanctuary Advisory 
Council Implementation Handbook (https://nmssanctuaries.blob.core.windows.net/sanctuaries-prod/media/docs/2022-sanctuary-advisory-council-handbook.pdf). For more information about 
the new advisory council for CHNMS, including seat descriptions and 
application materials, please visit https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/chumash-heritage/advisory/.

Privacy Act Statement

    Authority. The collection of information concerning the 
solicitation for applications for sanctuary advisory councils is 
authorized under the NMSA, 16 U.S.C. 1445a, and Executive Order 13178, 
and in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, (Privacy 
Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a).
    Purposes. The collection of names, contact information, 
professional information, qualifications, and answers to the 
application questions is required in order for ONMS to evaluate and 
appoint members to the sanctuary advisory councils. The information 
collected will be reviewed by NOAA employees, and may also be reviewed 
by current sanctuary advisory council members as part of the evaluation 
process.
    Routine Uses. NOAA will use the application information for the 
purposes set forth above. The Privacy Act authorizes disclosure of the 
collected information for the following purposes: to NOAA staff for 
work-related purposes; for other purposes as set forth in the Privacy 
Act; and for routine uses published in one or more of the following 
Privacy Act System of Records Notices, as applicable: COMMERCE/DEPT-11, 
Candidates for Membership, Members, and Former Members of Department of 
Commerce Advisory Committees, available at https://www.commerce.gov/opog/privacy/SORN/SORN-DEPT-11; COMMERCE/DEPT-18, Employees Personnel 
Files Not Covered by Notices of Other Agencies, available at https://www.commerce.gov/opog/privacy/SORN/SORN-DEPT-18; and OPM/GOVT-1, 
General Personnel Records, available at https://www.opm.gov/information-management/privacy-policy/sorn/opm-sorn-govt-1-general-personnel-records.pdf, which cover certain records regarding Federal 
employees and may also cover records of individuals who are not Federal 
employees who, through their service on a sanctuary advisory council, 
may be considered as volunteers providing gratuitous services to the 
agency without compensation; and, for individuals who are also members 
of a Regional Fishery Management Council, COMMERCE/NOAA-13, Personnel, 
Payroll, Travel, and Attendance Records of the Regional Fishery 
Management Councils.
    Effects of Not Providing Information. Providing the application 
information is

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voluntary; however, if the information is not provided, the individual 
will not be considered for appointment as a member of a sanctuary 
advisory council.
    Consent. By submitting an application to ONMS for appointment to a 
sanctuary advisory council, you are consenting to the use and 
disclosure of the information for the purposes and routine uses 
described above. However, if you prefer that your application be 
reviewed by NOAA employees only and not disclosed to current council 
members as part of the evaluation process, please contact the sanctuary 
advisory council coordinator to request internal review only, which 
will not result in any disadvantage or impact regarding your candidacy, 
or for any questions regarding this Privacy Act Statement.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    ONMS has a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control 
number (0648-0397) for the collection of public information related to 
the processing of ONMS national marine sanctuary advisory council 
applications across the National Marine Sanctuary System. Establishing 
a sanctuary advisory council for CHNMS fits within the estimated 
reporting burden under that control number. See https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRASearch (Enter Control Number 0648-0397). 
Therefore, ONMS will not request an update to the reporting burden 
certified for OMB control number 0648-0397.
    Send comments regarding this burden estimate, or any other aspect 
of this data collection, including suggestions for reducing the burden, 
to: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 1305 East West Highway, N/
NMS, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.
    Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is 
required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty 
for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the 
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., 
unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
control number. The OMB control number is #0648-0397.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.

John Armor,
Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Ocean 
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-30427 Filed 1-6-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-NK-P
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