NOAA NEPA Document Database (beta)
This beta version of the NOAA NEPA Document Database catalogs environmental assessments (EAs) and environmental impact statements (EISs) that NOAA is currently developing. The Database also includes some of the EAs or EISs NOAA has completed in the past, although information may be limited and contain errors. The Database does not track proposed actions that rely on categorical exclusions. The Database also does not capture information on proposed actions for which another Federal agency is the lead agency for NEPA or when NOAA adopts another Federal agency’s EA or EIS. Please send any questions or corrections to noaa.nepa@noaa.gov with the Subject line: “NOAA NEPA Document Database comment.“
Full Approval of Washington Coastal Nonpoint Program
Full Approval of Washington Coastal Nonpoint Program
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Full Approval of Illinois Coastal Nonpoint Program
Full Approval of Illinois Coastal Nonpoint Program
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Full Approval of Texas Coastal Nonpoint Program
Full Approval of Texas Coastal Nonpoint Program
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Full Approval of Louisiana Coastal Nonpoint Program
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Full Approval of Ohio Coastal Nonpoint Program
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2021 Annual Management Measures for West Coast Salmon
Proposed action establishes 2021 annual management measures for ocean salmon fisheries. No significant impacts are anticipated.
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Protective vessel regulations for killer whales were implemented in the inland waters of WA in 2011 to reduce impacts from vessels on Southern Resident killer whales. These regulations prohibit vessels from approaching all killer whales (Southern Residents and transients) within 200 yards as well as parking in the path of the whales within 400 yards. NMFS is proposing to increase the approach limit to 400 yards on all sides and establish a speed limit of 7 knots within ½ nautical mile of the whales. Exceptions will be included for permitted research and enforcement vessels, fishing vessels actively tending fishing gear, and situations in which complying with the regulations would be unsafe.
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First, the amendment would define the aggregate maximum sustainable yield and aggregate optimum yield for penaeid shrimp. Because federal shrimp permits are limited access, a passive decrease in the number of permits occurs when permit holders fail to timely renew. Therefore, the amendment would also specify a threshold number of federal shrimp permits based on the number of active permits that is necessary to achieve the aggregate optimum yield on a continuing basis and specify actions to be taken both prior to and when that threshold number is reached. Additionally, the amendment would allow non-federally permitted shrimping vessels to transit through federal waters while not actively shrimping.
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NMFS proposes regulations to implement Regulatory Amendment 34. Regulatory Amendment 34 would specify 34 special management zones (SMZ) around artificial reefs off North Carolina and South Carolina as requested by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and the South Carolina Marine Resources Division. Harvest of snapper-grouper species would only be allowed with handline, rod and reel, and spear in the SMZs. In the SMZs off North Carolina, all harvest of snapper-grouper species by spear would be limited to the applicable recreational bag limit. In the SMZs off South Carolina, all harvest by spear would be limited to the applicable recreational bag limit. The purpose of the framework amendment is to reduce adverse effects to snapper-grouper species and optimize fishing opportunities at the artificial reef sites.
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OMAO is proposing to construct a new pier and warehouse building at the former Pier Romeo site to berth (home port) one of its NOAA vessels.
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EA NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Proposed Facilities to serve Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska
Construct new laboratory building and sampling tower, expand the existing garage, and construct new equipment platform at the NOAA OAR Atmospheric Baseline Observatory (ABO) located in Barrow, Alaska.
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This environmental assessment analyzes the impacts of modifying the boundary of the Klamath Management Zone in Northern California, as defined in the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan.
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NOAA Office
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Construct new pier, trestle, and shore support facilities for berthing four NOAA OMAO ships at the Naval Station Newport.
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NOAA Office
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Replace pier and trestle, and provide upgrades and replacement facilities necessary to reestablish homeport operations and maintenance functions for NOAA ship Fairweather and other vessels.
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The Port of Alaska (POA) is modernizing its marine terminals through the Port of Alaska Modernization Program (PAMP). One of the first priorities of the PAMP is to replace the existing Petroleum Oil Lubricants Terminal with a new Petroleum Cement Terminal (PCT). Phase 1 of the PCT project is complete, but for Phase 2 of the project to advance, the existing South Floating Dock (SFD), a small multipurpose floating dock constructed in 2004, must be relocated south of the PCT near the southern portion of the South Backlands Stabilization project. The existing location of SFD will not allow docking operations at SFD once the PCT is constructed due to the close proximity of one of the PCT mooring dolphins. Therefore, it must be relocated.
Relocation of the SFD will include the removal of the existing structure, including the access trestle and gangway, and installation of twelve permanent 36-inch steel pipe piles: ten vertical and two battered. Construction of the SFD will also require the installation and vibratory removal of up to six 24- or 36-inch template piles. In total, the POA estimates this work will take approximately 21 hours over nine to 24 non-consecutive days.
The POA’s request is for take of a small number of six species of marine mammals by Level B harassment and Level A harassment. Neither the POA nor NMFS expects serious injury or mortality to result from this activity.
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Kalamazoo River Supplemental Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment
The Trustees propose to tier from the "Final Restoration Plan and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Restoration Resulting from the Kalamazoo River Natural Resource Damage Assessment" (2016), and use the criteria established in the Programmatic Restoration Plan to evaluate and select specific restoration projects, and evaluate potential environmental impacts from those projects. The Trustees are ready to evaluate and propose specific projects for an initial round of restoration implementation, with approximately $12.4 million of available funds.
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1) Harvest specifications (overfishing limits [OFL], acceptable biological catches [ABC], annual catch limits [ACL], and allocations) for all Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (PCGFMP) groundfish stocks and stock complexes “in the fishery” (except Pacific whiting); 2) Shortbelly rockfish as ecosystem component species; and 3) Management measures to achieve, but not exceed, annual harvest specifications.
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NMFS will issue Enhancement of Survival Permits on Private and state lands consisting of fourteen properties in in the Upper Shasta River, Big Springs Creek, Parks Creek and their tributary streams in Siskiyou County, California The Permits will allow Routine, ongoing agricultural activities, beneficial management activities, habitat improvement projects, and monitoring intended to maintain and track Elevated Baseline habitat Conditions for SONCC coho salmon, and the potential future return of the enrolled properties to Baseline Conditions at the end of the Safe Harbor Agreement.
The purpose of the Proposed Action is to allow the property owners to voluntarily conduct beneficial activities that support or attract Covered Species without new restrictions on the future use of their property, as long as the terms of the Agreement, Site Plan Agreements, and ESPs are met. The Agreements and ESPs would allow the Applicants to implement habitat enhancement projects for SONCC coho salmon as well as ongoing routine ranch activities. SONCC coho salmon is listed as threatened under the ESA. The Proposed Action is needed to facilitate implementation of the Agreement, which is expected to promote the recovery of SONCC coho salmon on non-federal property within the Shasta River Valley in Siskiyou County, California. The action would authorize incidental take of SONCC coho salmon caused by beneficial management activities and normal, otherwise lawful routine ranch and water management activities. In addition, the Proposed Action is needed to provide a net conservation benefit to Covered Species and provides the property owner with the safe harbor assurances.
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The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposes to implement annual catch limits (ACL) and accountability measures (AM) for bottomfish in Guam in fishing years (calendar years) 2020-2022, and in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) in 2020-2023. The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) recommended the proposed measures for the bottomfish MUS (BMUS) in the Mariana Archipelago FEP in accordance with the ACL and AM process approved by NMFS, and based on the best available scientific, commercial, and other information including the most recent stock assessment for those BMUS. The Council recommended a 27,000 lb ACL for Guam, which corresponds to a 31% probability of overfishing. The Council recommended an 84,000 lb ACL and a 78,000 lb Annual Catch Target (ACT) for the CNMI, which correspond to a 39% and a 34% probability of overfishing, respectively. NMFS would count bottomfish catches from territorial waters (generally from the shoreline to 3 nm offshore) and Federal waters (i.e., the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, EEZ) toward the Guam ACL and the CNMI ACL and ACT. Because real-time catch data are not currently available for this fishery, the Council and NMFS consider post-season AMs only. Specifically, after the end of each fishing year, if NMFS and the Council determine that the average catch of a territory from the most recent three-year period exceeds the ACL, then NMFS would reduce the ACL for that territory in the subsequent fishing years by the amount of the overage. For the CNMI, the ACT would also be subject to the same adjustment as the ACL. If the average catch exceeds the ACT but remains below the ACL, then an overage adjustment would not be applied.