Draft EIS for Proposed Designation of a National Marine Sanctuary in the Lake Erie Quadrangle.

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.