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Current Agency Actions & Public Comment Opportunities

The Portal maintains this listing of informational resources for current and recent government agency actions related to ocean planning in the region as a service to users. The page does not provide a comprehensive list of notices for the agencies tracked, but is meant to offer a snapshot of activities that are most closely connected to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean’s priorities and work, or are likely to be of interest to the Portal’s community of users.

Contents

AGENCY TITLE NOTICE DATE COMMENTS DUE
MAFMC MAFMC: Essential Fish Habitat Public Hearings and Written Comments 11/17/25 2/11/26
NMFS NMFS: Recommendations for Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness; Reopening of Comment Period 12/1/25 12/15/25
RECENTLY EXPIRED
Coast Guard Coast Guard: Coastal Buoy Modernization Proposal Update 9/23/25 CLOSED 10/21/25
EPA EPA: Dredged Material Management Options in the New York Bight 6/12/25 8/3/25
MAFMC Mid-Atlantic Council Invites Public Input in Response to Executive Order 14276 “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness" 6/17/25 7/18/25
U.S. Coast Guard USCG: D1 Coastal Buoy Modernization Initiative 4/7/25 6/13/25
BOEM BOEM: Draft Finding of No Historic Properties Affected for Passive Acoustic Monitoring Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf 3/12/25 4/26/25
Federal Communications Commission FCC: Review of Submarine Cable Landing License Rules and Procedures To Assess Evolving National Security, Law Enforcement, Foreign Policy, and Trade Policy Risks 3/13/25 4/14/25
U.S. Coast Guard USCG: Virginia Beach Cable Laying Corridor Safety Zone 1/15/25 1/29/25
U.S. Coast Guard USCG: Empire Wind 1 Wind Farm Project Area Safety Zones 10/22/24 11/21/24
BOEM BOEM: Commercial Leasing for Wind Power Development - Central Atlantic 2 Call for Information and Nominations 8/22/24 10/21/24
ASMFC/MAFMC ASMFC and MAFMC: Summer Flounder Commercial Mesh Size Exemptions Framework Addendum 8/29/24 9/28/24
NOAA NOAA: Proposed Protective Regulations for the Oceanic Whitetip Shark 5/14/24 7/15/24
NOAA NOAA: Notice of Availability of Draft Guidance on Designation of New Regional Ocean Partnerships 6/11/24 7/11/24
USCG USCG: Shipping Safety Fairways Along the Atlantic Coast 1/19/24 5/17/24
BOEM BOEM: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Atlantic Shores North Project 3/18/24 5/2/24
BOEM BOEM: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment of Offshore Wind Gulf of Maine WEA 3/18/24 4/17/24
BOEM BOEM: Draft Environmental Review of Future Development of Wind Lease Areas Offshore New York and New Jersey 1/12/24 3/13/24

About these Listings

When available, listings will provide links for Federal Register announcements and agency websites with more information, the date range for public comments, and map data available on the Portal or external sites. Items are arranged in order of the date of their announcement and will be removed on or around the time of the public comment period’s expiration.

To suggest an item for inclusion, please email portal@midatlanticocean.org. Users may also visit our News from Our Partners page for more agency announcements on ocean planning matters.

For further information on the status of offshore wind-related planning in the region, select your area of interest on the BOEM State Activities page or view the table on the Northeast Ocean Data Portal’s Offshore Wind Projects page.

MAFMC: Essential Fish Habitat Public Hearings and Written Comments

Comment Period Ends: 2/11/26

Online Resources:

NMFS: Recommendations for Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness; Reopening of Comment Period

Comment Period Ends: 12/15/25

Online Resources:

Coast Guard: Coastal Buoy Modernization Proposal Update

Comment Period Ends: CLOSED 10/21/25

Online Resources:

EPA: Dredged Material Management Options in the New York Bight

Comment Period Ends: 8/3/25

Online Resources:

Mid-Atlantic Council Invites Public Input in Response to Executive Order 14276 “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness

Comment Period Ends: 7/18/25

Online Resources:

USCG: D1 Coastal Buoy Modernization Initiative

Comment Period Ends: 6/13/25

Online Resources:

BOEM: Draft Finding of No Historic Properties Affected for Passive Acoustic Monitoring Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf

Comment Period Ends: 4/26/25

Online Resources:

FCC: Review of Submarine Cable Landing License Rules and Procedures To Assess Evolving National Security, Law Enforcement, Foreign Policy, and Trade Policy Risks

Comment Period Ends: 4/14/25

Online Resources:

USCG: Virginia Beach Cable Laying Corridor Safety Zone

Comment Period Ends: 1/29/25

Online Resources:

USCG: Empire Wind 1 Wind Farm Project Area Safety Zones

Comment Period Ends: 11/21/24

Online Resources:

BOEM: Commercial Leasing for Wind Power Development - Central Atlantic 2 Call for Information and Nominations

Comment Period Ends: 10/21/24

Online Resources:

ASMFC and MAFMC: Summer Flounder Commercial Mesh Size Exemptions Framework Addendum

Comment Period Ends: 9/28/24

Online Resources:

NOAA: Notice of Availability of Draft Guidance on Designation of New Regional Ocean Partnerships

Comment Period Ends: 7/11/24

Online Resources:

NOAA: Proposed Protective Regulations for the Oceanic Whitetip Shark

Comment Period Ends: 7/15/24

Online Resources:

BOEM: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Atlantic Shores North Project

Comment Period End: 5/2/24

Online Resources

USCG: Shipping Safety Fairways Along the Atlantic Coast

Commend Period End: 5/17/24

Online Resources:

BOEM: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment of Offshore Wind Gulf of Maine WEA

Comment Period Ends: 4/17/24

Online Resources:

BOEM: Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Assessment for Additional Site Assessment Activities on Beacon Wind LLC Lease OCS-A 0520

Comment Period End: 3/4/24

Online Resources