
[Federal Register: November 9, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 215)]
[Notices]               
[Page 57675-57676]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09no09-55]                         


[[Page 57675]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTON AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0761; FRL-8978-8]

 
Executive Order 13508 Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration 
Section 203 Draft Strategy and Section 202 Federal Agency Reports

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice and Request for Public Comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of a draft strategy for 
restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay and requests public 
comment. The document was prepared pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 
13508 of May 12, 2009, Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration. This 
E.O. requires that the draft strategy be published for public review 
and comments.

DATES: Comments on the draft strategy must be submitted on or before 
January 8, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2009-0761, by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: After entering the docket for 
this action, click on the draft strategy document to make comment. Once 
you arrive at the page for the specific document on which you wish to 
comment, click the ``Submit a Comment'' button at the top right of the 
Web page, then follow the online instructions.
     Mail: Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Mailcode: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
     Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room, EPA 
Headquarters West, Room 3340, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's 
normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), and special 
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information by 
contacting the Docket Center at 202-566-1744.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2009-
0761. This Notice is not open for public comment, but, the Section 203 
draft strategy document is available for comment on http://
www.regulations.gov. The revised Section 202 Federal agency reports 
will be available later in November. Additional information about the 
docket is contained below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marguerite Duffy, USEPA, Region 3, 
Chesapeake Bay Program Office, Annapolis City Marina, 410 Severn 
Avenue, Suite 109 (3CB10), Annapolis, MD 21403; telephone number: 
(410)267-5764; fax number (410) 267-5777; e-mail: 
duffy.marguerite@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Why Were These Documents Prepared?

    Executive Order 13508, Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration, 
dated May 12, 2009 (74 FR 23099, May 15, 2009), requires a Federal 
Leadership Committee composed of seven Federal agencies to prepare and 
publish a set of reports and a draft strategy for public review and 
comment within 180 days of the date of the order. The deadline for 
publication of the draft strategy is November 9, 2009. The Federal 
agency draft reports required by E.O. 13508 Sections 202(a) through (g) 
were submitted to the Federal Leadership Committee for the Chesapeake 
Bay on September 9, 2009 and released to the public on September 10, 
2009. The Federal Leadership Committee for the Chesapeake Bay has 
considered the draft reports pursuant to the order, and has prepared a 
draft coordinated strategy to restore the Bay, the availability of 
which is being announced through this notice. The September 9, 2009, 
draft reports were reviewed by the Federal Leadership Committee for the 
Chesapeake Bay, in consultation with relevant State agencies. The 
revised Section 202 reports reflect consideration of the comments 
received during State consultation and preliminary public input. The 
reports will be available later in November for comment. During the 
next six months, review and incorporation of comments will continue and 
will be incorporated as appropriate.

How Can I Access the Docket and/or Submit Comments?

    Docket: EPA has established a public docket for this Notice under 
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0761. The E.O. Section 203 draft strategy 
document is available in the docket at http://www.regulations.gov, as 
well as at http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net. The revised Section 
202 reports will be available later in November. Assistance and tips 
for accessing the docket can be found at http://
executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net. The seven Section 202 reports as well 
as the draft Section 203 strategy will be included as separate 
documents within the same docket number EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0761. Comments 
via e-mail are not being accepted. Instead, comments will be accepted 
through http://www.regulations.gov and by mail. If you are commenting 
on the Section 203 draft strategy, submit comments to this specific 
document within the docket and identify the page number(s) at which 
each comment is directed. All comments received, including any personal 
information provided, will be included in the public docket without 
change and will be made available online at http://www.regulations.gov, 
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information, the disclosure of 
which is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through http://
www.regulations.gov. It is recommended that you include your name and 
other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk 
or CD-ROM you submit. If your comment cannot be read due to technical 
difficulties and we are unable to contact you for clarification, we 
will not consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use 
of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any 
defects or viruses. For additional information about the public docket 
visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/
dockets.htm. Publicly available docket materials are available 
electronically either at http://www.regulations.gov as well as at the 
EPA Docket Center, EPA/DC, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., 
NW., Washington, DC. The telephone number for this docket is 202-566-
2426. The Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number 
for the Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744. Certain material, such 
as copyrighted materials, will be publicly available only in hard copy 
at the Docket Center.

Why Is EPA Posting These Reports and Draft Strategy for Public Comment?

    Executive Order 13508 requires the Federal Leadership Committee for 
the Chesapeake Bay to prepare and publish a set of reports and a 
coordinated strategy for protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay. 
As required by E.O. 13508 Section 202, lead agencies prepared reports 
focusing on:
    (a) Defining the next generation of tools and actions to restore 
water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and describing the changes to be 
made to regulations, programs, and policies to implement these actions;

[[Page 57676]]

    (b) Targeting resources to better protect the Chesapeake Bay and 
its tributary waters;
    (c) Strengthening storm water management practices at Federal 
facilities and on Federal lands within the Chesapeake Bay watershed and 
developing storm water best practices guidance;
    (d) Assessing the impacts of a changing climate on the Chesapeake 
Bay and developing a strategy for adapting natural resources programs 
and public infrastructure to the impacts of a changing climate on water 
quality and living resources of the Chesapeake Bay watershed;
    (e) Expanding public access to waters and open spaces of the 
Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries from Federal lands and conserving 
landscapes and ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay watershed;
    (f) Strengthening scientific support for decision making to restore 
the Chesapeake Bay and watershed, including expanded environmental 
research; and
    (g) Developing focused and coordinated habitat and research 
activities that protect and restore living resources and water quality 
of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. E.O. 13508 Section 203 
requires the Federal Leadership Committee for the Chesapeake Bay to 
prepare and publish a strategy for coordinated implementation of 
existing programs and projects to guide efforts to protect and restore 
the Chesapeake Bay. The strategy should to the extent permitted by law:
    (a) Define environmental goals for the Chesapeake Bay and describe 
milestones for making progress toward attainment of these goals;
    (b) Identify key measureable indicators of environmental condition 
and changes that are critical to effective Federal leadership;
    (c) Describe the specific programs and strategies to be 
implemented, including the programs and strategies described in draft 
reports developed under Section 202 of the order;
    (d) Identify the mechanisms that will assure that governmental and 
other activities, including data collection and distribution, are 
coordinated and effective, relying on existing mechanisms where 
appropriate; and
    (e) Describe a process for the implementation of adaptive 
management principles, including a periodic evaluation of protection 
and restoration.

Acknowledging the strong public interest in the future of the 
Chesapeake Bay and the actions being taken to improve conditions in the 
Bay and its watershed, the Federal Leadership Committee for the 
Chesapeake Bay looks forward to receiving comments on these documents.

What Are the Next Steps in the Process for Collecting Public Comment?

    The agencies will review public comments on the draft strategy and 
agency reports. The comments will be taken into consideration as the 
Federal Leadership Committee for the Chesapeake Bay develops the final 
Section 203 strategy. A response to comments document will be released 
at the same time as the final E.O. 13508 Section 203 strategy with 
anticipated release by May 12, 2010. The Federal agencies plan to hold 
a series of stakeholder meetings throughout the Chesapeake Bay 
watershed to discuss the draft strategy. The details of these meetings 
will be announced at: http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net.

    Dated: November 4, 2009.
Peter S. Silva,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. E9-26923 Filed 11-6-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
