NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries today announced that it is seeking comments by Friday, July 3 on its proposal to expand the boundaries of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary by 104 square miles and revise the sanctuary’s terms of designation. In conjunction with the comment period, NOAA will hold virtual public hearings on Monday, June 8 (1:00 – 3:00 pm Central and 6:00 – 8:00 pm Central) and Thursday, June 11 (6:00 pm – 8:00 pm).
In a press release on the proposal, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy NOAA Administrator Tim Gallaudet said that “[e]xpanding the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary will significantly contribute to the conservation of America’s coral reefs, while supporting STEM education, outdoor tourism, and recreation in the Gulf of Mexico.”
Under the proposed rule, existing regulations would be applied to 14 additional reefs and banks in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. NOAA notes that it reduced the size of the expanded area from 327 square miles (proposed in 2016) to 104 square miles “to promote compatibility with users and reduce potential economic impacts to the offshore energy industry.”
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is accessible here (Volume I), here (Volume II), and here (Supplemental Information Report), and a Socioeconomic Impact Analysis is accessible here.
