2019-20069. Establishing an Advisory Council Pursuant to the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and Solicitation for Applications for the Proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council  

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    AGENCY:

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

    ACTION:

    Notice of solicitation.

    SUMMARY:

    Notice is hereby given that NOAA is establishing a national marine sanctuary advisory council for the proposed sanctuary in eastern Lake Ontario. The council will provide advice and recommendations to ONMS regarding the sanctuary's designation. ONMS is soliciting applications to fill seats on the Proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. This notice contains web page links and contact information for the Proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary and application materials to apply for the newly established advisory council.

    DATES:

    Applications for membership on the Proposed Lake Ontario Sanctuary Advisory Council need to be received by November 1, 2019.

    ADDRESSES:

    For further information contact: Ellen Brody, Great Lakes Regional Coordinator, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 4840 South State Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48108, or call 734-741-2270, or email ellen.brody@noaa.gov.

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    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 the proposed national marine sanctuary in Lake Ontario to serve as a liaison with the local community and provide guidance and advice to ONMS regarding the designation. The advisory council for the proposed sanctuary in Lake Ontario was not established when ONMS published its annual announcement in May 2019 that was advertising to fill vacant seats on the other 14 councils (84 FR 24758, May 29, 2019). 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 council's seats. Applications are due November 1, 2019.

    II. Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS)

    ONMS serves as the trustee for a network of underwater parks encompassing more than 600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington state to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa. The network includes a system of 14 national marine sanctuaries and the Papahānaumokuākea 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 and science, 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 http://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. 1445 a(b)).

    The charter for each advisory council defines the number and type of seats and positions on the council. The advisory council charter for the proposed national marine sanctuary in eastern Lake Ontario identifies the following initial, non-governmental voting seat types: Divers/dive clubs/shipwreck exploration; education; maritime history and interpretation; tourism; economic development; recreational fishing; recreational boating; shoreline property owner; and citizen-at-large. Initially, the council will also have non-voting seats for government agencies. Input from federally recognized tribes will be received through direct government-to-government consultation, pursuant to NOAA's Policy on Government-to-Government Consultation with Federally Recognized Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations (NAO 218-8, December 19, 2018).

    For each of the existing advisory councils, applicants are chosen based upon their particular expertise and experience in relation to the seat for Start Printed Page 48914which they are applying; community and professional affiliations; views regarding the protection and management of marine or Great Lakes resources; and possibly the length of residence in the area affected by the site. Council members and alternates for the Proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council serve 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 (http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/​management/​ac/​council_​charters.html) and the National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Implementation Handbook (http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/​management/​ac/​acref.html). For more information about the new advisory council for the proposed national marine sanctuary in Lake Ontario, including seat descriptions and application materials, please visit https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/​lake-ontario/​.

    B. 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 the proposed sanctuary in Lake Ontario 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 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., unless that collection of information displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OMB control number is #0648-0397.

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

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    John Armor,

    Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

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    [FR Doc. 2019-20069 Filed 9-16-19; 8:45 am]

    BILLING CODE 3510-NK-P

Document Information

Published:
09/17/2019
Department:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Notice of solicitation.
Document Number:
2019-20069
Dates:
Applications for membership on the Proposed Lake Ontario Sanctuary Advisory Council need to be received by November 1, 2019.
Pages:
48913-48914 (2 pages)
PDF File:
2019-20069.Pdf