Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Final Environmental Impact Statement and Management Plan

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is proposing to designate the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary to recognize the national significance of the area’s historical, archaeological, and cultural resources and to manage this special place as part of the National Marine Sanctuary System. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA, 42 USC 4321 et seq.) and the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA, 16 USC 1434), NOAA has prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS) that considers three alternatives for the proposed national marine sanctuary. In this final EIS, NOAA uses criteria and evaluation standards under the regulations implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508 (1978)) and the NOAA implementing procedures for NEPA (NOAA Administrative Order 216-6A) to evaluate the environmental consequences of each alternative. This document also serves as a resource assessment that details the present and future uses of the areas identified for potential national marine sanctuary designation, and it includes a proposed management plan that describes the proposed goals, objectives, and strategies for managing the proposed sanctuary. No significant adverse impacts to biological and physical resources, cultural and historic resources, marine area use, recreation, or socioeconomics are expected under any alternative. Long-term beneficial impacts are anticipated if the proposed action is implemented.