Note: The comment period for the Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for NOAA vessel operations closed on January 31, 2024. However, the draft PEA is still available.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) has prepared a Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for NOAA vessel operations in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, as amended by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, to analyze the potential environmental impacts associated with OMAO’s ongoing vessel operations as the NOAA fleet is modernized over a 15-year timeframe from 2023 to 2038.
The Draft PEA examines the environmental effects of OMAO’s operation of NOAA vessels in United States (U.S.) waters, including the oceans from the U.S. baseline, also known as the territorial sea baseline, to the limits of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (U.S. EEZ), and the U.S. portions of the Great Lakes. The geographic scope extends to the international maritime boundaries with Canada and Mexico. The PEA also considers OMAO’s operations in areas outside of U.S. jurisdiction.
OMAO’s Proposed Action in the Draft PEA would ensure that NOAA’s current and future fleet is maintained and operated in a safe, environmentally compliant manner, thus allowing NOAA to fulfill its at-sea mission objectives and data collection requirements in marine, coastal, and freshwater environments. Almost half of NOAA’s ships will exceed their design service life during the timeframe of this Draft PEA. Therefore, NOAA needs to invest in modernizing its fleet to maintain fleet capabilities for its primary missions. OMAO activities analyzed in the Draft PEA consist of routine vessel operations while NOAA ships are underway (i.e., when ships are either moving in open water or secured to a specific location in open water), in addition to the testing, calibrating, training, and troubleshooting of vessel equipment and instruments. This Draft PEA does not cover scientific research activities operating under project instructions from another NOAA Line Office or organization outside of NOAA.
Open for Public Comment
A Notice of Availability for the Draft PEA was published in the Federal Register on December 21, 2023 to announce its publication for public review and comment for a period of 41 days. The deadline to submit public comments is January 31, 2024.
To submit comments on the Draft PEA, send via email to: omaoenvironmental.compliance@noaa.gov
Or via U.S. Mail to:
Hannah Staley, Sea Grant Knauss Fellow
Office of Marine and Aviation Operations
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
1315 East-West Highway SSMC 3 10th Floor
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Please include “Public Comment on Draft PEA for OMAO Vessel Operations” in the subject line for all comments submitted.
United States