Laws and policies relevant to sustaining fishing communities

In examining fishing-dependent communities with respect to proposed changes in regulations there are a number of laws and policies to which NMFS and the Councils must adhere. This page provides links or downloadable versions of the relevant laws and policies governing fisheries managers with respect to fishing-dependent communities. We provide these links as a service to those seeking to better understand the requirements and needs of communities research.

A summary of major laws implemented by NOAA Fisheries

• A Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report

Administrative Procedures Act

• Text of the Act

Data Quality Act

• Agency Information Quality Guidelines (including NOAA)


• OMB Proposal for Peer Reviews

Endangered Species Act

• Text of the Act and related documents

Executive Order 12866

• OMB Regulatory Policy -- text of the Executive Order, Best Practices Guidelines, and more...
• Guidelines and Discount Rates for Benefit-Cost Analysis of Federal Programs (OMB Circular A-94, revised 1992) Includes current update of Appendix C, revised in January of each year..

Executive Order 12898

• NOAA's Environmental Justice(EJ) Guidance
• CEQ, EPA and NMS Guidance on EJ
• National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
• Federal Interagency Working Group(IWG) on Environmental Justice

Executive Order 13083

• Executive Order 13083 -- On Federalism (PDF)

The Fishermen's Protective Act (Pelly Amendment)

• Text of the Act

Lacey Act

• Text of the Act

Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act

• Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act
• National Standard Guidelines -- Final Rule (includes National Standard 8 on fishing communities)

Marine Mammal Protection Act

• Text of the Act and a variety of useful documents

Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act

• Text of the Act

NEPA

• NEPA Procedures from other Federal agencies
• NEPA-Net from the Council on Environmental Quality -- lots of good stuff!
• NOAA's NEPA page -- for detailed information about implementing NEPA
• Current NOAA Guidance for Social Impact Assessment (from 2007)

NMFS Strategic Plan

• NMFS Strategic Plan for Fisheries Research. Check out both the national plans for social and economic research and the various regional plans.

OMB

• Information Collection forms and requirements from OMB

Paperwork Reduction Act

• NOAA Paperwork Reduction Home Page

Regulatory Flexibility Act

• 1996 Regulatory Flexibility Act, plus amendments (PDF) (HTML)
• SBA Office of Advocacy Law Library: Laws Aiding Small Business -- includes an RFA Implementation Guide and other useful items
• SBA Office of Advocacy, Regulatory Flexibility Act, Annual Reports
• The Guidelines for Economic Analysis of Fishery Management Actions, revised August 16, 2000.
• For background on the EPA Guidelines for Economic Analysis and to download a copy, see

Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Act

• Overview of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (from SBA)
• Text of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996
• National Ombudsman's 1999 Report to Congress on the Regulatory Fairness Program (PDF file 297 kb)
• National Ombudsman's Reports to Congress for 2000-2002