NOAA NEPA Document Database

In accordance with the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), NOAA is initiating the process to consider designating the submerged lands and waters surrounding the Pacific Remote Islands to the full extent of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as a new national marine sanctuary. NOAA will prepare a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the sanctuary designation process to discuss environmental impacts and inform decision makers and the public of reasonable alternatives that would avoid or minimize adverse impacts or enhance the quality of the human environment. NOAA is initiating the public scoping process to invite comments on the scope and significance of issues to be addressed in the DEIS that are related to designating this area as a national marine sanctuary. The results of this scoping process will assist NOAA in moving forward with the designation process, which would include the preparation and release of draft designation documents, as well as the formulation of alternatives for the DEIS.

In accordance with the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is initiating a scoping process to consider designating a national marine sanctuary in the Hudson Canyon area approximately 100 miles offshore southeast of New York City. NOAA is initiating this scoping process based on the area's diverse qualities, which are described in the Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS's) November 2016 Hudson Canyon national marine sanctuary nomination. Specifically, WCS's nomination provides important context and background regarding the natural and cultural resources in the region, the potential benefits of national marine sanctuary designation, recommendations for management of the sanctuary, and a proposed sanctuary boundary, which NOAA will take under consideration, but does not represent an official boundary proposal at this time. As a first step in this scoping process, NOAA invites comments on the factors that will contribute to its determination of whether to designate the area as a national marine sanctuary; designation would include preparation and release of a draft environmental impact statement (including national marine sanctuary boundary alternatives), proposed regulations, and a draft management plan. This scoping process will also inform the initiation of any consultations with Federal, State, or local agencies, Tribes, and other interested parties, as appropriate.

In accordance with the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is initiating a scoping process to consider designating a national marine sanctuary in the eastern Lake Erie adjacent to Pennsylvania. The nomination provides a sescription of the cultural and historical resources in the region, the potential benefits of a national marine sanctuary designation, recommendations for management of the sanctuary, and a proposed sanctuary boundary. As a first step in the scoping process, NOAA invited comments on the factors that will contribute to its determination of whether and how to designate the area as a national marine sanctuary. The results of this scoping process will inform NOAA's next steps in the designation process, which whould include the preparation and release of draft designation documents, as well as the formulation of action alternatives for the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). This scoping process will also inform the initiation of consultations with Indigenous Nations and Tribes, Federal, State, and local agencies, and other interested parties,m as appropriate.

This final programmatic environmental impact statement (Final PEIS) is prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. ­to assess the environmental impacts associated with the approval of state and territory coastal nonpoint pollution control programs (coastal nonpoint programs). Section 6217 of the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments (CZARA), 16 U.S.C. 1455b, requires states and territories with coastal zone management programs that have received approval under section 306 of the Coastal Zone Management Act to develop and implement coastal nonpoint programs. Coastal states were required to submit their coastal nonpoint programs to NOAA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval in July 1995. Once approved, these programs will be implemented through changes to the state nonpoint source program approved by EPA under section 319 of the Clean Water Act and through changes to the state coastal zone management program. This PEIS will form the basis for the subsequent NEPA documents (environmental impact statements or assessments) NOAA will prepare on each of the state coastal nonpoint programs submitted for approval. 

Management measures to control the addition of pollution to coastal waters have been developed by EPA for five source categories of nonpoint pollution: agricultural runoff, urban runoff, forestry runoff, marinas, and hydromodification. Measures were also developed for wetlands, riparian areas, and vegetated treatment systems. State programs must provide for the implementation of management measures that are in conformity with the EPA-developed measures. This PEIS describes the environmental impacts on coastal waters of the pollutants associated with each nonpoint source category and describes the direct and indirect impacts associated with implementation of the 56 management measures and with the implementation of state and territory coastal nonpoint programs. 

Pacific bluefin tuna is a highly migratory species of substantial ecological and economic importance. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) regularly implements management measures for Pacific bluefin tuna harvest in the eastern Pacific Ocean, where the species is caught by U.S. coastal purse seine vessels, hook-and-line boats, and other gears. These measures follow from Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) resolutions, which specify annual and biennial bluefin catch limits for each Member and Cooperating Non-Member, including the United States. Under this proposed action, NMFS seeks to implement revised Pacific bluefin tuna catch limits that ensure equitable fishing opportunity to U.S. fleets. The current management regime expires at the end of calendar year 2025, and implementing new catch limits is necessary to satisfy U.S. obligations as a Member of the IATTC. This Programmatic Environmental Assessment, prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, assesses the environmental and socioeconomic impacts that could result from the proposed action. It includes three alternatives: (1) a No Action alternative, (2) an alternative based on the catch limits in the most recent IATTC resolution, and (3) a more permissive alternative based on hypothetical future increases in catch limits. We analyzed the impacts of the proposed action to the natural environment as well as the socioeconomic environment, and found no significant impact. The biological impacts of the proposed action alternatives are likely to be minor due to the selective nature of Pacific bluefin tuna fishing methods and the IATTC’s precautionary approach to management. The socioeconomic effects are expected to be positive. If future IATTC resolutions fall within the scope of alternatives analyzed in this Programmatic Environmental Assessment, and the impacts or the affected environment have not significantly changed, this document may be used to evaluate the impacts of those actions.

The PDARP/PEIS considers programmatic alternatives, composed of Restoration Types, to restore natural resources, ecological services, and recreational use services injured or lost as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill incident. The OPA natural resource damage assessment regulations guided the Trustees’ development and evaluation of programmatic restoration alternatives. The Final PDARP/PEIS also evaluates the environmental consequences of the restoration alternatives under NEPA. This document shows that the injuries caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill incident affected such a wide array of linked resources over such an enormous area that the effects must be described as constituting an ecosystem-level injury. Consequently, the Trustees’ preferred alternative for a restoration plan employs a comprehensive, integrated ecosystem approach to best address these ecosystem-level injuries.

Framework 53 proposes to: 1) Set specifications for fishing year 2015 including shared U.S./Canada quotas for transboundary Georges Bank stocks; 2) modify the seasonal area closures designed to protect Gulf of Maine cod spawning; 3) prohibit possession of Gulf of Maine cod for all recreational groundfish vessels; 4) establish a mechanism to set default specifications in the event a management action is delayed; and 5) modify the sector carryover provision in response to a recent Court ruling.

This action would implement revisions to the recreational minimum fish size, per angler possession limits, fishing seasons, and/or gear requirements for fishing year 2015, which begins on May 1, 2015. This action is required by the current recreational fishery accountability measures, which provide that NMFS, after consultation with the New England Fishery Management Council, may adjust recreational measures to ensure the recreational fishery achieves, but does not exceed any recreational fishery annual catch limit in a future fishing year. Measures will be required to facilitate recreational catch of haddock which will have an increased catch limit in 2015, while preventing overharvest of cod which will have a decreased catch limit. The recreational fishery uses only handgear, which has minimal interaction with habitat and protected resources.

This action would implement specifications for the bluefish fishery for the 2015 fishing year. The action will identify the preliminary 2015 commercial bluefish quota allocations for each state based on the percentage specified in the FMP.

Facilitate the implementation of FY 2015 to FY 2020 sector operations plans and associated regulatory exemptions.

This Environmental Assessment analyzes the environmental impacts of the National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, Permits and Conservation Division’s proposal to issue an Incidental Harassment Authorization to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography for the taking, by Level B harassment, of small numbers of marine mammals, incidental to conducting a low-energy marine geophysical survey in the Southwest Pacific Ocean, East of New Zealand, May to June 2015.

Implement harvest limits of Pacific bluefin tuna from the eastern Pacific Ocean.

The proposed action is NMFS SER under NMFS policy directive 01-108 would provide the SEFSC a Scientific Research Permit as an acknowledgement of their plans to conduct scientific research. The subject SRP would authorize annual collection activities to sample approximately 7,000 stations in the exclusive economic zone of the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and South Atlantic; Appendix 1 describes the proposed projects in detail. The proposed surveys will take place on NOAA ships Pisces, Gordon Gunter, Oregon II, R/V Caretta and Grayling, and contracted commercial vessels. The results of these surveys and studies will be made available to the appropriate Fishery Management Councils for management purposes and will continue to be provided to these organizations in the future. The research is intended to improve the scientific data supporting fisheries management, improve monitoring, and fishing opportunities for the region, and create an overall benefit to the nation

The proposed action is to amend the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. The Plan was previously amended on June 27, 2014. After the publication of the final rule Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF) requested that NMFS consider modifying the plan to change the time and area of the Massachusetts Bay Restricted Area seasonal trap/pot closure. MA DMF requested the closure begin February 1, 2015 and be expanded to include a larger portion of the Outer Cape lobster management area.

On October 1, 2014, the proposal was discussed with the Take Reduction Team - a group of Federal and State managers, fishermen, scientists and environmentalists. The Team agreed that the Agency should move forward with the rulemaking process to amend the closure area as suggested by MA DMF. The Plan was amended on December 12, 2014.

MA DMF’s proposal also included a change to the minimum number of traps per trawl requirements in state waters for safety reasons. We also received proposals from our other state partners after the publication of the June 2014 final rule requesting the same change.

During their January 2015 meeting, the proposals were discussed with the Team and the Team agreed that the Agency should move forward with the rulemaking process to adopt the proposals to amend the June 2014 final rule as suggested by the states. The Team also requested that the Agency develop unique gear marking for certain areas. The states requested that the recommendations are adopted via rulemaking before the existing June 2014 final rule becomes effective on June 1, 2015.

Regulatory Amendment 16 contains an action to address the prohibition on the use of black sea bass pots annually from November 1 through April 30 that was implemented through Regulatory Amendment 19 and became effective on October 23, 2013. The prohibition was a precautionary measure to prevent interactions between black sea bass pot gear and whales listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) during large whale migrations and the right whale calving season off the southeastern coast. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, through Regulatory Amendment 16, is considering changing the length of the closure and changing the area of the closure. The goal is to minimize adverse socio-economic impacts to black sea bass pot endorsement holders while maintaining protection for ESA-listed whales in the South Atlantic region. The regulatory amendment contains another action to consider gear changes to black sea bass pots.