[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 111 (Friday, June 8, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 30828]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-14428]


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Proposed Rules
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.

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Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 111 / Friday, June 8, 2001 / Proposed 
Rules

[[Page 30828]]



DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

15 CFR Part 922


Initiation of Review of Management Plan for the Florida Keys 
National Marine Sanctuary; Notice of Scoping Meetings

AGENCY: Marine Sanctuaries Division (MSD), National Ocean Service 
(NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of 
Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Initiation of review of management plan; Notice of scoping 
meetings.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with section 304(e) of the National Marine 
Sanctuaries Act, as amended, (NMSA) (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.), the 
Marine Sanctuaries Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA) is initiating a review of the Florida Keys 
National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS or Sanctuary) Management Plan, to 
evaluate substantive progress toward implementing the goals for the 
Sanctuary, 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 
comments from individuals, organizations, and government agencies on 
the scope, types and significance of issues related to the Sanctuary's 
management plan and regulations.

DATES: Written comments should be received by July 20, 2001.
    The scoping meeting dates are:
    1. Thursday, June 21, 2001, 7:00 p.m. in Marathon.
    2. Friday, June 22, 2001, 7:00 p.m. in Key Largo.
    3. Tuesday, June 26, 2001, 7:00 p.m. in Key West.

ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to the Florida Keys National Marine 
Sanctuary (Management Plan Review), Post Office Box 500368, Marathon, 
FL 33050. Comments will be available for public review at the same 
address.
    The scoping meeting locations are:
    1. Marathon--Marathon Garden Club, 5270 Overseas Highway, Marathon, 
FL.
    2. Key Largo--Key Largo Library, Tradewinds Shopping Center, 101485 
Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL.
    3. Key West--Holiday Inn Beachside, 3841 N. Roosevelt Blvd., Key 
West, FL.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Billy D. Causey, Sanctuary 
Superintendent, (305) 743-2437 x 26.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary 
was designated by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and 
Protection Act (FKNMSPA) P.L. 101-605. The Sanctuary includes 2900 
square nautical miles of coastal and ocean waters, and the submerged 
lands thereunder, surrounding the Florida Keys. The 2.5 million-acre 
Sanctuary contains one of North America's most diverse assemblages of 
terrestrial, estuarine, and marine fauna and flora, including, in 
addition to the Florida reef tract, thousands of patch reefs, one of 
the largest sea grass communities covering 1.4 million acres, mangrove 
fringed shorelines, mangrove islands, and various hardbottom habitats. 
These diverse habitats provide shelter and food for thousands of 
species of marine plants and animals, including more than 50 species of 
animals identified under federal or state law, as endangered or 
threatened. The present Management Plan for the Sanctuary was completed 
in 1996.
    The proposed revised Management Plan will likely involve changes to 
existing management policies of the Sanctuary, to address current 
issues and challenges, and to better protect and manage the Sanctuary's 
resources and qualities. NOAA anticipates completion of the revised 
Management Plan by June 30, 2002, and concomitant documents, including 
any revised regulations, will require approximately six to twelve 
additional months.
    This timeline will allow NOAA to prepare a revised plan to be 
submitted to the Governor of the State of Florida for review and 
approval in July 2002. The State of Florida is a co-trustee in the 
management of the Sanctuary and NOAA has determined that at the 
conclusion of the five-year review of the Sanctuary, it will re-propose 
the management plan and regulations for the Governor's review, similar 
to the forty-five day review period required under section 304(b) of 
the National Marine Sanctuary Act at the time a national marine 
sanctuary is being designated (16 U.S.C. 1434(b)).

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


(Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number 11.429 Marine Sanctuary 
Program)
    Dated: June 4, 2001.
Ted I. Lillestolen,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone 
Management.
[FR Doc. 01-14428 Filed 6-7-01; 8:45 am]
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