[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 142 (Thursday, July 24, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 39885]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-19450]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard
[CGD 96-044]


International, Private-Sector Tug-of-Opportunity System, Notice 
of Availability of a Ship Drift Analysis for the Northwest Olympic 
Peninsula and the Strait of Juan de Fuca

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard makes available the Ship Drift Analysis for 
the Northwest Olympic Peninsula and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 
prepared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 
The Coast Guard is seeking comments from the public on how to apply the 
NOAA analysis to the marine safety criteria set forth in a Report to 
Congress on International, Private-Sector Tug-of-Opportunity System for 
the Waters of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and the 
Strait of Juan de Fuca. Requests for written materials may be directed 
to CDR William Carey as listed under the title FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.

DATES: Comments must be received by August 14, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
CDR William Carey, Commander, Thirteenth U.S. Coast Guard District 
(mep), telephone (206) 220-7221, fax (206) 220-7225. The telephone 
number is equipped to record messages on a 24-hour basis. Submit 
written comments to LT William Pittman, Commandant (G-MOR), U.S. Coast 
Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second Street, SW., Washington, DC 20593-0001, 
telephone (202) 267-0426, fax (202) 267-4085.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Alaska Power Administration Asset Sale 
and Termination Act (P.L. 104-58) was signed into law on November 28, 
1995. A Presidential directive and subsequent DOT Action Plan required 
the Coast Guard to assess and provide a Report to Congress, in 
accordance with the Act, on the most cost effective means of 
implementing a private-sector initiated, international, tug-of-
opportunity system (ITOS) for responding to vessels in distress 
operating off of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS) 
and within the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Report to Congress was 
signed on January 31, 1997. An addendum is being prepared to the Report 
to Congress to address issues unresolved as of January and to report on 
steps taken toward implementation of ITOS. The Coast Guard conducted 
two public meetings to receive views; one meeting, held October 17, 
1996, was on the documentation and marine safety criteria developed by 
the Coast Guard to assess an ITOS plan; the other meeting, held 
November 26, 1996, was on the ITOS plan provided by a marine industry 
coalition. Comments provided by the public during these meetings 
suggested a need to study more closely the weather conditions affecting 
ship drift in the area of interest before finalizing the marine safety 
criteria. As a result, the Department of Transportation requested NOAA 
study effects of weather conditions upon ship drift. The NOAA study is 
now complete.

    This notice requests the views of the public on how to apply this 
new information to the zone boundaries and/or the response time 
criteria identified below. The specific marine safety criteria under 
consideration are coverage areas (zone boundaries) and response times. 
In the Report to Congress, the area of interest was divided into seven 
zones; these zones were defined as follows: Area 1: An area east of a 
line between Port Angeles Light to Race Rocks Light; Area 2: An area 
east of a line between Slip Point Light to San Simon Point and West of 
the western boundary of Area 1; Area 3: An area defined in the West by 
a 10 mile Arc centered on Buoy ``J'' (modified in response to comments 
from Washington State and the Markah Indian Tribe) defined in the east 
by the western boundary of Area 2; Area 4: An area bounded on the east 
by the boundary of Area 3 extending west to 50 miles offshore and on 
the south by the latitude of Buoy ``J'' (48 deg. 30'N); Area 5: An area 
bounded by 48 deg. 30' and 48 deg. 00'N and the western boundary of the 
OCNMS; Area 6: An area bounded by 48 deg. 00'N and 47 deg. 30'N and the 
western boundary of the OCNMS; and Area 7: An area bounded by 47 deg. 
30'N, the southern boundary of the OCNMS, and the western boundary of 
the OCNMS. The response times for the coverage areas are as follows: 
Area 1 is 2 hours; Areas 2 and 3 is 2.5 hours; Area 4 is 6 hours; and 
Areas 5, 6, 7 is 12 hours.
    The public views provided as a result of this notice will be used 
to prepare the Addendum to the previously mentioned Report to Congress. 
Once complete, public access to the report will be identified through a 
notice of availability in the Federal Register. Note that there have 
been 3 prior Federal Register notices, 61 FR 15154, 61 FR 48202, and 61 
FR 56258, requesting comments. Because these matters are related, 
feedback on comments related to documentation requirements, marine 
safety criteria, industry ITOS plan, and ship drift will be joined and 
provided in a future Federal Register notice.

    Dated: July 17, 1997.
R.C. North,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety 
and Environmental Protection.
[FR Doc. 97-19450 Filed 7-23-97; 8:45 am]
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