2023-10644: Notice of Intent To Conduct Scoping and To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Lake Erie Quadrangle National Marine Sanctuary

Summary

In accordance with the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and based on the area's qualities and boundaries described in the community-based nomination on December 31, 2015 (https://nominate.noaa.gov/), NOAA is initiating a scoping process to consider designating a national marine sanctuary in the eastern Lake Erie adjacent to Pennsylvania. The nomination provides a description of the cultural and historical resources in the region, the potential benefits of a national marine sanctuary designation, recommendations for management of the sanctuary, and a proposed sanctuary boundary. As a first step in this scoping process, NOAA invites comments on the factors that will contribute to its determination of whether and how to designate the area as a national marine sanctuary. The results of this scoping process will inform NOAA's next steps in the designation process, which would include the preparation and release of draft designation documents, as well as the formulation of action alternatives for the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). This scoping process will also inform the initiation of consultations with Indigenous Nations and Tribes, Federal, State, and local agencies, and other interested parties, as appropriate. In support of the scoping process, the nomination package and additional information regarding the qualities of the Lake Erie Quadrangle area can be found at https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-erie.

The agency’s own summary, as published.