Federal Register Notice
of
Final Rule
for
CBNMS, GFNMS, and MBNMS
Significant policy initiatives and changes by the U.S. Government are published daily for public review by the U.S. Office of the Federal Register. The Federal Register is thus a "daily diary" of projects and programs that federal agencies are working on. Management plans and new and revised regulations are some of the things announced in the Federal Register.
On November 20, 2008, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued several notices in the Federal Register, one of which pertained to new and revised regulations for the Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries (Federal Register/ Volume 73/ Number 225/ Thursday, November 20, 2008/ Rules and Regulations/ Page 70488 et. seq.). The notice also announces the availability of Final Management Plans for each of the three sanctuaries. The announced final regulations were developed as an integral part of those management plans and should be reviewed within that context to better understand the "purpose" for the regulations.
The Federal Register notice of Final Rule is 54 pages long and includes several parts. The first page provides a summary of "what" action is being taken by NOAA (new management plans and revised regulations) and background information that explains "why" the action is being taken (page 70488). The final rule also satisfies legal requirements of federal law by describing any changes that have been made to the original designation documents for the three marine sanctuaries (pages 70489 - 70495). The final rule also provides a summary of regulatory changes to explain some of the rationale behind those changes (pages 70495 - 70502). A significant portion of the final rule includes official NOAA responses to public comments that were received by NOAA after release of the draft management plans and regulations in 2007 (pages 70502 - 70528). These responses often explain why and how NOAA has made certain decisions in its final rule. The final rule notice also describes how related legal requirements have been met, such as completion of a Final Environmental Impact Statement that describes how NOAA's actions are expected to impact the environment and socio-economic conditions in the region (pages 70528 - 70529). The newly revised official regulations for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary are reprinted (pages 70529 - 70533). The newly revised official regulations for the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary are reprinted (pages 70533 - 70535). The newly revised official regulations for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary are reprinted (pages 70535 - 70540).
Final Rule for CBNMS, GFNMS & MBNMS
Management Plan Regulations
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Complete Federal Register of Final Rule for CBNMS, GFNMS & MBNMS Regulations
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