Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: Restoration Blueprint Final Environmental Impact Statement: Volume 1

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) proposes to expand the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) boundary, update sanctuary-wide regulations, modify and establish new marine zones, update marine zone-specific regulations, and revise the sanctuary’s non-regulatory management plan. The purpose of this proposal is to meet the purposes and policies of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA; 16 U.S.C. § 1434(a)(4)), to implement specific actions identified in the 2007 FKNMS management plan, and to act upon several recommendations of the FKNMS Sanctuary Advisory Council. These recommendations are based primarily on the 2011 FKNMS condition report. The need for this proposal is based on widespread, acute, chronic, and emerging threats to marine resources in the Florida Keys. The existing regulations, marine zones, and management plan activities designed and implemented by FKNMS in the mid-1990s are no longer sufficient to ensure long-term resource protection and ecosystem function integrity into the future considering those threats. NOAA prepared this final environmental impact statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321 et seq.) as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality’s regulations (40 C.F.R. Parts 1500-1508), and NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 216-6A and Companion Manual, which describe NOAA policies, requirements, and procedures for implementing NEPA. This final EIS also fulfills the mandate of NMSA 16 U.S.C. § 1434(a)(4), which requires that “terms of designation may be modified only by the same procedures by which the original designation is made.” This document also serves as a resource assessment that details the present and future uses of the area of the national marine sanctuary. No significant adverse impacts are expected under any action alternative. Long-term beneficial impacts are anticipated if the proposed action is implemented.