AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice; request for written comments.

SUMMARY:

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is requesting written comments to facilitate ONMS’ five-year review of the nomination for the Mariana Trench National Marine Sanctuary (NMS) at the five-year interval. In particular, NOAA is requesting relevant information as it pertains to its 11 evaluation criteria for inclusion in the inventory. In this five-year review, NOAA will pay particular attention to any new information about the significance of the area’s natural or cultural resources, changes to any threats to these resources, and any updates to the management framework of the area. NOAA has provided the original nominating parties, The Pew Charitable Trusts and Friends of the Marianas Trench, an opportunity to share their views on these same questions. Following this information gathering and internal analysis, NOAA will make a final determination on whether or not the Mariana Trench NMS nomination will remain in the inventory for another five-year period.

DATES:

Written comments must be received by February 22, 2022. NOAA will conduct a virtual meeting on Saturday, February 12, 2022, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. ChST (Guam/Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands)/Friday, February 11, 2022, from 2 p.m.-4 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.