Pat,
Hope you're enjoying your vacation (I just came back from mine), and that you're still wired to recent pithy reports such as these; i.e., signs of the FO boom turning up in the strangest places:
state.hi.us
If you go to the last page, you will find the following notice from the National Marine Sanctuary Program:
Comments Sought on Commercial
Submarine Cables in National Marine
Sanctuaries
Global markets are expanding rapidly and domestic
land-based cable routes are becoming increasingly congested.
For this other reasons, the number of project proposals and
specific permit requests for laying cables in the marine and
coastal environment is increasing at a tremendous rate. The
increase in proposals for marine-based telecommunications
cable projects strikingly highlights the Department of
Commerce™s (DOC) role as steward for both the nation™s
economy and the marine and coastal environment. For DOC,
protecting the marine and coastal environment is as impera-
tive as fostering the growth of telecommunications. Marine
and coastal resources provide economic, cultural, and societal
benefits to the nation. Yet, with the rapid growth and devel-
opment of the coastal zone, many marine and coastal re-
sources are at risk of degradation or loss. As a result, cumula-
tive environmental impact evaluations need to be performed
for cabling projects proposing transit through national marine
sanctuaries, sensitive marine habitats outside of sanctuaries,
submerged cultural resources, fishing zones, and areas of
aesthetic value. Federal, state, and local governments impose
permitting requirements for all forms of development. The
types of issues that are evaluated in seeking necessary permits
for a proposed submarine cable project include, but are not
limited to: cable route planning, cable installation (e.g.,
burial), operation, maintenance and repairs, and removal.
Preparing an application for a permit, as well as the govern-
ment review and authorization process, takes time and
money. Notice is hereby given that NOAA is seeking public
comment on whether changes to existing National Marine
Sanctuary (NMS) regulations or some form of policy guid-
ance is necessary to clarify NOAA™s decision-making process
regarding the installation and maintenance of commercial
submarine cables within NMSs. Comments on this notice
must be received by OCTOBER 23, 2000 . Send comments
to Debra Malek, Conservation Policy and Planning Branch,
National Marine Sanctuary Program, NOAA, 1305 East-West
Highway, 11th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910; Attention:
Submarine Cable FR Comments. Comments may also be
submitted by e-mail to: submarine.cables@noaa.gov. For
details, call Debra Malek, 301-713-3145 extension 162 (or
see, 65 F.R. 51264, August 23, 2000). |
