Public Comment Deadline for the Proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary

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On November 10, 2021, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published a Notice of Intent to conduct scoping and to prepare a draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. On December 16, 2021, NOAA extended the public comment period by 21 days to January 31, 2022, to provide the public additional time to provide comments on the Notice of Intent. 

Comments must be received by January 31, 2022 (midnight eastern standard time), as specified below. Comments received after this date may not be accepted.You may submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter “NOAA-NOS-2021-0080” in the Search box. Click on the “Comment” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.NOAA specifically requests comments on the following topics, including the identification of potential alternatives, information, and analyses relevant to the proposed action:

• The spatial extent of the proposed sanctuary and boundary alternatives NOAA should consider, starting with the boundary as described in Section. Background on Sanctuary Nomination;
• the location, nature, and value of the resources, including natural and submerged cultural resources as well as the indigenous heritage of the area, that would be protected by a sanctuary;
• potential positive and negative impacts to those resources;
• the management plan and regulatory framework most appropriate to the resources in the area, including compatible and incompatible uses;
• the potential socioeconomic, cultural, and biological impacts of designation;
• the potential to highlight the indigenous history and culture of the area;
• the potential to support research and advance scientific understanding;
• information regarding historic properties in the area and the potential effects to those historic properties to support National Historic Preservation Act compliance under Section 106;
• opportunities to benefit the “blue economy” of the region, including promoting sustainable tourism and recreation; 
• potential name for the new sanctuary;
• the potential to advance multiple, complementary priorities of the Federal administration, the Department of Commerce, and NOAA, including conserving and restoring ocean and coastal habitats, supporting Tribally and locally led stewardship, and advancing offshore wind and other clean energy projects;
• the potential location of an administrative office as well as coastal education facilities including possibly a visitor center; and
• other information relevant to the designation and management of a new sanctuary in this proposed area.

For further information, visit https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/chumash-heritage/ for more details or contact Paul Michel, (831) 241-4217, paul.michel@noaa.gov, West Coast Region Policy Coordinator.

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