Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 78 / Friday, April 22, 2022 / Notices 24131 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement for the NMFS SaltonstallKennedy Research and Development 

Program 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Department of Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; 

announcement of public meetings; 

request for written comments. 

SUMMARY: NOAA announces the 

availability of its Draft Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) 

which analyzes the potential 

environmental impacts of the 

implementation of projects that foster 

the promotion, marketing, research, and 

development of U.S. Fisheries and their 

associated fishing sectors, as consistent 

with NOAA’s Saltonstall-Kennedy 

Research and Development Program (S– 

K Program). The focus of this action is 

on activities and projects under the S– 

K Program, which interfaces with 

numerous programs within NOAA, and 

it is NOAA’s intention that this PEIS 

may also cover those activities and 

projects implemented by other NOAA 

programs and offices that are consistent 

with the scope of the S–K Program. This 

notice of availability (NOA) of the Draft 

PEIS invites interested parties to 

provide comments on the proposed 

project, its potential to affect the human 

environment, and means for avoiding, 

minimizing, or mitigating those effects. 

DATES: Written comments on this Draft 

PEIS must be received no later than June 

6, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on this document, identified by NOAA– 

NMFS–2022–0045, by any of the 

following methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

https://www.regulations.gov and enter 

NOAA–NMFS–2022–0045 in the Search 

box. Click on the ‘‘Comment’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

Instructions: Comments sent by any 

other method, to any other address or 

individual, or received after the end of 

the comment period, may not be 

considered by NMFS. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and will generally be posted for public 

viewing on www.regulations.gov 

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. NMFS will 

accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/ 

A’’ in the required fields if you wish to 

remain anonymous). 

Comments will also be accepted at 

public meetings during the Draft PEIS 

comment period. The webinar and 

telephone information for the public 

meetings is provided below in the Draft 

PEIS Process section. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cliff 

Cosgrove, Saltonstall-Kennedy Program 

Manager, telephone: (301–427–8736); 

nmfs.sk.peis@noaa.gov; or visit the S–K 

Program website: https://www.fisheries.

noaa.gov/content/saltonstall-kennedyresearch-and-development-program. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Project Scope 

The purpose of this PEIS is to identify 

and evaluate the general impacts, issues 

and concerns related to the 

implementation of the types of projects 

that are consistent with the scope of the 

S–K Program. The S–K Program funds 

projects that address the needs of 

fishing communities, optimize 

economic benefits by building and 

maintaining sustainable fisheries (where 

the term ‘‘fisheries’’ includes 

commercial wild capture, recreational 

fishing, cultural and subsistence fishing, 

and marine aquaculture), and increase 

other opportunities to keep working 

waterfronts viable. The PEIS will be 

used to support site- and projectspecific NEPA reviews, as necessary. 

The PEIS addresses all of the priorities, 

and their associated project types, that 

the S–K Program has funded since 2010, 

which cover the range of priorities and 

project types that fall under the S–K 

Program. The affected environment 

associated with the proposed action 

includes all marine, estuarine, and 

coastal habitats in the United States and 

territories. It also includes freshwater 

interior habitats that influence or affect 

rivers, streams, and creeks affecting 

marine or estuarine waters, or that 

support migratory fish populations. It 

may also include adjacent or continuous 

habitats in Canada or Mexico that 

support living coastal and marine 

resources under NOAA trusteeship. 

To ensure consideration of input from 

interested parties in each region, NOAA 

will conduct three public meetings for 

the Draft PEIS. Each meeting will be 

focused on a region or combination of 

regions based on time zone proximity. 

More information about each meeting, 

including meeting dates and times, can 

be found in the Draft PEIS Process 

section below. 

Background 

In 1954, the Saltonstall-Kennedy Act 

(15 U.S.C. 713c–3) was passed to 

address the needs of U.S. fisheries and 

their related fishing sectors, and thereby 

established the S–K Program. The 

Saltonstall-Kennedy Act states that The 

Secretary shall make grants to assist 

persons in carrying out research and 

development projects addressed to any 

aspect of United States fisheries, 

including, but not limited to, harvesting, 

processing, marketing, and associated 

infrastructures. 

The S–K Program provides funding to 

projects that benefit fishing 

communities through the promotion, 

marketing, research, and development 

of U.S. fisheries and their associated 

fishing sectors. Since its inception, 

grants have been provided to fishers, 

individuals, private businesses, fishing 

organizations, universities, states, 

research institutes, non-governmental 

organizations, and others. 

The S–K Program is composed of a 

competitive grant program and a 

national program. Grants and 

cooperative agreements are provided 

under both programs and can occur in 

any of NMFS’ five fisheries regions. The 

national program is designed to fund 

needed fishery industry projects that are 

not addressed through the competitive 

grants program. Funding for the S–K 

Program is determined through annual 

congressional appropriations. 

Historically, the S–K Program has had a 

diverse set of priorities, selecting 

between two and seven projects each 

year for funding. While the primary 

priority has been projects that meet the 

purpose of promotion, development, 

and marketing (PDM) of the U.S. 

fisheries and their associated fishing 

sectors, and NMFS anticipates that will 

continue to be the primary priority, 

priorities can change annually and 

additional priorities can be chosen. 

For more information about the S–K 

Program, please use the link provided in 

the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

section above. 

Proposed Action, Purpose, and Need 

The proposed Federal action is to 

fund projects that are consistent with 

the scope of the S–K Program. The 

purpose of the proposed action is 

threefold: (1) Address the needs of 

fishing communities, consistent with 

NOAA’s mandate through the 

Saltonstall-Kennedy Act; (2) ensure that 

NOAA continues to meet the intent and 

requirements of the Saltonstall-Kennedy 

Act; and (3) assist NOAA in meeting its 


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24132 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 78 / Friday, April 22, 2022 / Notices 

mission, ‘‘To understand and predict 

changes in climate, weather, oceans, 

and coasts, to share that knowledge and 

information with others, and to 

conserve and manage coastal and 

marine ecosystems and resources.’’ The 

Proposed Action is needed to 

implement the S–K Act and funding 

program to build and maintain 

sustainable fisheries, optimize economic 

benefits, and increase other 

opportunities to keep working 

waterfronts viable. 

Types of projects funded by the S–K 

Program include, but are not limited to, 

(1) seafood promotion and marketing; 

(2) research and monitoring; (3) gear 

testing, bycatch reduction, and 

processing studies; (4) aquaculture; (5) 

socioeconomic research; and (6) 

outreach, education, and planning. 

Alternatives 

The Draft PEIS considers two 

alternatives: (1) A No Action 

Alternative, and (2) the proposed action, 

which NOAA is referring to as the 

Promotion, Marketing, Research and 

Development Alternative (Preferred 

Alternative). Under the No Action 

Alternative, the S–K Program would not 

fund projects that address the needs of 

fishing communities, optimize 

economic benefits by building and 

maintaining sustainable fisheries, and 

increase other opportunities to keep 

working waterfronts viable. The No 

Action Alternative serves as a baseline 

against which the impacts of the 

Preferred Alternative are compared. 

Implementation of the Preferred 

Alternative would allow for the funding 

of actions through federal financial 

assistance for all possible types of 

projects that meet the intent of the 

Saltonstall-Kennedy Act and the needs 

of U.S. fishing communities, consistent 

with the scope of the S–K Program. This 

alternative would provide the S–K 

Program with flexibility in choosing 

priorities each year while also 

considering the funding environment. 

Draft PEIS Process 

This notice initiates a public 

comment period for the Draft PEIS. 

Please review the information in this 

notice and additional information about 

the S–K Program, located on the NOAA 

S–K Program website (see the FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section 

above). NOAA is particularly interested 

in receiving comments regarding 

biological, cultural, or ecological issues 

that the analysis should address. We 

also encourage comments that assist us 

in further delineating the proposed 

project, its potential to affect the human 

environment, means for avoiding, 

minimizing, or mitigating those effects, 

and other issues of public concern. To 

promote informed decision-making, we 

especially encourage commenters to 

submit any scientific data, studies, or 

research that you feel is relevant to the 

analysis. 

To facilitate the public and agency 

involvement in the PEIS process, NOAA 

will hold three virtual public meetings 

during the 45-day Draft PEIS public 

comment period. The meetings will be 

virtual in format. The meetings will 

solicit input from the public and 

interested public agencies regarding the 

environmental impacts analyzed in the 

Draft PEIS. Three virtual public 

meetings (in webinar format only) will 

be held in each of three regions, as 

follows: 

• Eastern and Gulf of Mexico Region 

(includes Atlantic States, Gulf of 

Mexico States, U.S. Virgin Islands, 

and Puerto Rico)—May 3, 2022 

Æ 12:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. Central 

Daylight Time (CDT) 

Æ 1:00 p.m.– 4:00 p.m. Eastern 

Daylight Time (EDT) 

• Western Region (includes Pacific 

States, Idaho, Alaska)—May 4, 2022 

Æ 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Pacific 

Daylight Time (PDT) 

Æ 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Alaska 

Daylight Time (AKDT) 

• Western Pacific Region (includes 

Hawaii and Pacific Territories)— 

May 5, 2022 

Æ May 5, 2022, 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. 

Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time 

(HST) 

Æ May 6, 2022, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. 

Chamorro Standard Time (CHST) 

Use the webinar links and dial-in 

information below to join each of the 

public scoping meetings: 

• Eastern and Gulf of Mexico Region: 

Æ Webinar Link: https://

kearnsandwest.webex.com/ 

kearnsandwest/j.php?MTID=

ma03971dfae8c6b633729b0999b

548449 

Æ Access Code: 2498 400 6694 

Æ Dial-in Information: 1–844–621– 

3956 (US Toll Free) +1–415–655– 

0001 (US Toll) 

• Western Region: 

Æ Webinar Link: https://kearnsand

west.webex.com/kearnsandwest/ 

j.php?MTID=m27121be3b

23b64dd86e686176c472cc2 

Æ Access Code: 2496 674 8493 

Æ Dial-in Information: 1–844–621– 

3956 (US Toll Free) +1–415–655– 

0001 (US Toll) 

• Western Pacific Region: 

Æ Webinar Link: https://

kearnsandwest.webex.com/ 

kearnsandwest/j.php?

MTID=m96385ca30659a7d4df14ea

3d29379680 

Æ Access Code: 2487 332 4826 

Æ Dial-in Information: 1–844–621– 

3956 (US Toll Free) +1–415–655– 

0001 (US Toll) 

Participants are encouraged to 

download the Webex Meetings app 

ahead of the meetings, using this link: 

https://www.webex.com/ 

downloads.html. Then use the meeting 

link above to join a public meeting at 

the appropriate time. You may also 

participate by phone toll-free by calling 

1–844–621–3956 (US Toll Free) or +1– 

415–655–0001 (US Toll), then entering 

the Access Code above when prompted. 

After the comment period closes, 

NOAA will review and consider all 

comments received during the comment 

period and any other relevant 

information when developing the Final 

PEIS. Upon completion of the Final 

PEIS, a document announcing its 

availability will be published in the 

Federal Register. 

Authority: This PEIS is being 

prepared under the authority of, and in 

accordance with, the requirements of 

NEPA, implementing regulations 

published by the Council on 

Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1500– 

1508), other applicable regulations, and 

NOAA’s policies and procedures for 

compliance with those regulations. 

Dated: April 18, 2022. 

Daniel A. Namur, 

Director of the NMFS Financial Assistance 

Division, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–08629 Filed 4–21–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XB944] 

Fisheries of the South Atlantic; South 

Atlantic Fishery Management Council; 

Public Meetings 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery 

Management Council (Council) will 

hold a meeting of its Citizen Science 

Operations Committee via webinar May 

12, 2022. 

DATES: The meeting will be held on 

Thursday, May 12, 2022, from 1 p.m. 

until 4 p.m. 


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