AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice; reopening of public comment period.

SUMMARY:

On January 21, 2022, NOAA published a notice in the

Federal Register

requesting written and oral comments to facilitate ONMS’ five-year review of the nomination for the Mariana Trench National Marine Sanctuary (NMS) at the five-year interval. In that notice, NOAA requested relevant information as it pertains to its 11 evaluation criteria for inclusion in the inventory. During the public comment period, NOAA received requests for an extension to the comment period. This notice reopens the public comment period by an additional 45 days.

DATES:

Written comments must be received by April 25, 2022. Comments submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. NOAA will conduct a virtual meeting on Thursday, March 31, 2022, from 12 p.m.-3 p.m. ChST (Guam/Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands)/Wednesday, March 30, 2022, from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. HST (Hawai’i). NOAA may end the meeting before the time noted above if all those participating have completed their oral comments.

ADDRESSES:

Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Submit electronic comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal and search for Docket Number NOAA-NOS-2022-0005.

• Mail: Kristina Kekuewa, Pacific Islands Regional Director, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 1845 Wasp Blvd., Honolulu, Hawaii 96818.

• Email: Kristina.Kekuewa@noaa.gov.

• Public Scoping Meeting:

Provide oral comments during a virtual public scoping meeting, as described under DATES. Webinar registration details and additional information about how to participate in the public scoping meeting is available at https://nominate.noaa.gov/​5-year-review.html.

Instructions: All comments received are a part of the public record. All personal identifying information (for example, name and address) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NOAA will accept anonymous comments (enter N/A in the required fields to remain anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kristina Kekuewa, Pacific Islands Regional Director, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 1845 Wasp Blvd., Honolulu, Hawaii 96818, or at kristina.kekuewa@noaa.gov, or at 808-725-5252.

Click here for complete FR Notice.