| Establishing an Advisory Council Pursuant to the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and Solicitation for Applications for the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council |
Notice is hereby given that NOAA is establishing a national marine sanctuary advisory council for the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (CHNMS), the designation of which became effective on November 30, 2024. The council will provide guidance to ONMS and will serve as liaisons with constituents and community groups. As a result, ONMS is adding the new council to the list of established national marine sanctuary advisory councils. ONMS solicits applications to fill council seats on an as needed basis and is seeking applicants for seats on the CHNMS Advisory Council. This notice contains web page links and contact information for CHNMS and application materials to apply for the newly established advisory council. |
01/07/2025 |
90 FR 1081
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| Notice of Cashes Ledge Site Added to the Inventory of Areas for Possible Designation as National Marine Sanctuaries |
On June 13, 2014, NOAA published a final rule establishing the Sanctuary Nomination Process, allowing communities to submit nominations to NOAA for consideration as new national marine sanctuaries. The rule outlined the review process, national significance criteria, and management considerations that NOAA uses to evaluate nominations for inclusion in the inventory of areas that could eventually be considered for designation. The rule also states that NOAA will publish a Federal Register notice when areas have been added to the inventory of successful nominations. This notice announces that NOAA has added the Cashes Ledge area to the inventory; the agency is not moving forward with a designation at this time. |
01/06/2025 |
90 FR 606
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| Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary |
NOAA is designating Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (CHNMS) in the waters along and offshore of the coast of central California to recognize the national significance of the area's ecological, historical, archaeological, and cultural resources and to manage this special place as part of the National Marine Sanctuary System. The sanctuary boundary encompasses 4,543 square miles (mi2) (3,431 square nautical miles (nmi2)) of submerged lands and marine waters from approximately two miles southeast of the marina at Diablo Canyon Power Plant in San Luis Obispo County to Naples along the Gaviota Coast in Santa Barbara County. NOAA is establishing the terms of designation for CHNMS and the regulations to implement the national marine sanctuary designation. NOAA has also published a final environmental impact statement (final EIS), final management plan, and Record of Decision. |
10/16/2024 |
89 FR 83554
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| Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: Establishment of Temporary Special Use Area for Coral Nursery |
On July 27, 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued an interim final rule establishing three special use areas within Federal waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) from July 27, 2024 through August 26, 2024. This notice extends the temporary special use areas an additional 60 days. The special use areas prohibit all entry except for restoration activities under a valid Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) permit, continuous transit without interruption, and for law enforcement purposes, from August 26, 2024 to October 25, 2024. This temporary rule is necessary to prevent or minimize destruction of, loss of, or injury to sanctuary resources, specifically to facilitate restoration activities to improve or repair living habitats through protecting coral nursery stock at this site from potential impacts caused by anchor damage and/or fishing gear. This extension is necessary to protect the corals in the temporary special use areas until water temperatures cool and all of the corals are moved back to the original in-shore permitted nursery site. This temporary special use area will expire within 120 days from the date it was established. |
08/23/2024 |
89 FR 68100
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| Notice of Modification to the Special Use Permit (SUP) Category for the Continued Presence of Commercial Submarine Cables Within the National Marine Sanctuary System |
NOAA hereby gives public notice that ONMS is modifying the special use permit (SUP) category for the continued presence of commercial submarine cables on or within a national marine sanctuary's submerged lands so that, for a two-year period, the SUP category does not apply to commercial submarine cables in any new sanctuaries designated after August 16, 2024. In addition, NOAA is seeking public comment on the use of the SUP category for the continued presence of commercial submarine cables, potential modifications to the SUP category, and input on developing an updated policy and permit guidance document for submarine cable projects. This temporary suspension affords NOAA time to consider and respond to public comment, evaluate the need for updating the SUP category and permit guidance document, publish a draft update of the SUP category and/or the permit guidance document for further public comment, and finalize any updates to the SUP category and/or permit guidance document, if needed. During this temporary two-year suspension, NOAA will not require or issue SUPs for the continued presence of commercial submarine cables on or within the submerged lands of any new sanctuaries designated after August 16, 2024. Any activities related to submarine cables that would violate sanctuary regulatory prohibitions within new sanctuaries designated after August 16, 2024, which may include such activities as cable installation, maintenance, and repair, will still be prohibited unless approved by other NOAA approval mechanisms, such as certifications, authorizations or general permits. This two-year suspension period may be subject to further extension, as appropriate, via subsequent Federal Register notices. |
08/16/2024 |
89 FR 66689
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| Designation of Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary; Notification of Effective Date |
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is providing notice that the final rule published on June 6, 2023, to designate Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary (LONMS), is effective on July 22, 2024. |
07/23/2024 |
89 FR 59610
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| Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: Establishment of Temporary Special Use Area for Coral Nursery |
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is issuing an interim final rule, temporary emergency rule in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) establishing three special use areas that will prohibit all entry except for restoration activities under a valid Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) permit. These special use areas are needed for the relocation of coral nursery stock to cooler waters in response to an anticipated marine heatwave this summer with a high likelihood of coral bleaching. NOAA is establishing three special use areas, each of which are individually approximately 0.07 square miles and are within Federal waters of FKNMS. This temporary rule is necessary to prevent or minimize destruction of, loss of, or injury to sanctuary resources by facilitating restoration activities to improve or repair living habitats through protecting coral nursery stock at this site from potential impacts caused by anchor damage and/or fishing gear. |
06/27/2024 |
89 FR 53483
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| Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary; Final Regulations |
NOAA is issuing final regulations for the designation of the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary (LONMS) in eastern Lake Ontario to recognize the national significance of the area's historical, archaeological, and cultural resources and to manage this special place as part of the National Marine Sanctuary System. The area encompasses 1,300 nmi2 (1,722 mi2) of eastern Lake Ontario waters and borders Wayne, Cayuga, Oswego, and Jefferson counties. NOAA will co-manage LONMS with New York State. |
06/06/2024 |
89 FR 48272
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| Solicitation for Applications for Advisory Councils Established Pursuant to the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and Executive Order |
Notice is hereby given that ONMS will solicit applications to fill non-governmental seats on its 17 established national marine sanctuary advisory councils and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council (advisory councils), under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Executive Order, respectively. Note, the list of 18 established advisory councils in the Contact Information for Each Site section includes the advisory council established for the Proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary and the Proposed Hudson Canyon National Marine Sanctuary. Vacant seats, including positions (i.e., primary and alternate), for each of the advisory councils will be advertised differently at each site in accordance with the information provided in this notice. This notice contains web page links and contact information for each site, as well as additional resources on advisory council vacancies and the application process. |
05/24/2024 |
89 FR 45854
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| Proposed rule; notification of availability of draft environmental impact statement and draft management plan; request for public comments. |
NOAA proposes to designate marine portions of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument as Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary (proposed sanctuary) to protect nationally significant biological, cultural, and historical resources and to manage this special place as part of the National Marine Sanctuary System. |
03/01/2024 |
89 FR 15272
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