[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 7, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12049-12051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-5486]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[USCG-2000-6974]


National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP)

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Request for comments on PREP triennial exercise schedule for 
2000, 2001 and 2002.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 
the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) and the 
Minerals Management Service (MMS), in concert with the states, the oil 
industry and concerned citizens, developed the Preparedness for 
Response Exercise Program (PREP). This notice announces the PREP 
triennial cycle, 2000-2002, requests comments from the public, and 
requests industry participants to volunteer for scheduled PREP Area 
exercises.

DATES: Comments and related material must reach the Docket Management 
Facility on or before May 8, 2000.

ADDRESSES: To make sure your comments and related material are not 
entered more than once in the docket, please submit them by only one of 
the following methods:
    (1) By mail to the Docket Management Facility, (USCG-2000-6974), 
U.S. Department of Transportation, room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (2) By hand to room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif 
Building, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone 
number is 202-366-9329.
    (3) By fax to the Docket Management Facility at 202-493-2251.
    (4) Electronically through the Web Site for the Docket Management 
System at http://dms.dot.gov.
    The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this 
notice. Comments and documents, as indicated in this notice, will 
become part of this docket and will be available for inspection or 
copying at room PL-401 on the Plaza Level of the Nassif Building at the 
same address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays. You may electronically access the public docket for 
this notice on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions on this notice and 
general information regarding the PREP program and the schedule, 
contact Mr. Robert Pond, Office of Response, Plans and Preparedness 
Division (G-MOR-2), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 2nd St. SW., 
Washington, DC 20593-0001, telephone 202-267-6603, fax 202-267-4065 or 
e-mail [email protected]. For questions on viewing, or submitting 
material to, the docket, contact Ms. Dorothy Walker, Chief, Dockets, 
Department of Transportation, telephone 202-366-9329.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PREP Area exercise schedule and exercise 
design manuals are available on the Internet at http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/gmhome.htm (see index, then oil response). To obtain a hard copy of 
the exercise design manual, contact Ms. Melanie Barber at the Research 
and Special Programs Administration, Office of Pipeline Safety, at 202-
366-4560. The 1994 PREP Guidelines booklet is available at no cost by 
writing or faxing the TASC Dept Warehouse, 3341 Q 75th Avenue, 
Landover, MD 20785, fax: 301-386-5394. The stock number of the manual 
is USCG-X0191. Please indicate the quantity when ordering. Quantities 
are limited to 10 per order.

Request for Comments

    We encourage you to participate by submitting comments and related 
material. If you do so, please include your name and address, identify 
the docket number [USCG-2000-6974], indicate the specific section of 
this document to which each comment applies, and give the reason for 
each comment. You may submit your comments and material by mail, hand 
delivery, fax, or electronic means to the Docket Management Facility at 
the address under ADDRESSES; but please submit your comments and 
material by only one means. If you submit them by mail or hand 
delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\

[[Page 12050]]

by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. If you submit 
them by mail and would like to know they reached the Facility, please 
enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will 
consider all comments and material received during the comment period. 
We may change this rule in view of them.

Background and Purpose

    The Coast Guard, EPA, RSPA and MMS developed the National 
Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) to provide guidelines 
for compliance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) pollution 
response exercise requirements (33 U.S.C. 1321(j)). The guiding 
principles for PREP distinguish between internal and external 
exercises. Internal exercises are conducted within the plan holder's 
organization. External exercises extend beyond the plan holder's 
organization to involve other members of the response community. 
External exercises are separated into two categories: (1) Area 
exercises, and (2) Government-initiated unannounced exercises. These 
exercises are designed to evaluate the entire response mechanism in a 
given area to ensure adequate pollution response preparedness.
    Since 1994, the USCG, EPA, MMS, and Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) 
have published a triennial schedule of Area exercises. In short, the 
Area exercises involve the entire response community (Federal, State, 
local, and industry participants) and therefore, require more extensive 
planning than other oil spill response exercises. The PREP Guidelines 
describe all of these exercises in more detail. This notice announces 
the next triennial schedule of Area exercises.
    If a company wants to volunteer for an Area exercise, a company 
representative may call either the Coast Guard or EPA On-Scene 
Coordinator (OSC) where the exercise is scheduled. Alternatively, if a 
company is interested in participating in an exercise where Coast Guard 
is the OSC, a representative may call Mr. Robert Pond at 202-267-6603, 
and he can facilitate scheduling the volunteer. Although either method 
will provide the same result, contact at the local level, with the OSC, 
is preferred.
    The following is the revised PREP schedule for calendar years 2000, 
2001, and 2002.

                                  Prep Schedule--Government-Led Area Exercises
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Area                           Agency            Date/qtr 1              Participant
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Calendar Year 2000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Florida Panhandle Area (MSO Mobile     CG                            4/10-14  ..................................
 OSC).
EPA Region IX (EPA OSC)..............  EPA                           7/10-14  ..................................
Northwest Area (MSO Portland OSC)....  CG                            8/14-18  ..................................
Western Lake Erie Area (tentative)     CG                            9/18-22  Sun Oil.
 (MSO Toledo OSC).
Detroit Area (tentative) (MSO Detroit  CG                            9/18-22  Detroit Edison.
 OSC).
North Coast Area (MSO San Francisco    CG                             12/4-8  ..................................
 OSC).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Calendar Year 2001
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SW Louisana/SE Texas Area (MSO Port    CG                                  1  ..................................
 Arthur OSC).
New York, NY Area (Activities NY OSC)  CG                                  2  ..................................
Saulte Ste. Marie, MI Area (COTP       CG                                  2  ..................................
 Saulte Ste. Marie OSC).
EPA Region I Area (EPA OSC)..........  EPA                                 3  ..................................
Chicago Area (MSO Chicago OSC).......  CG                                  3  ..................................
Maryland Coastal Area (Activities      CG                                  4  ..................................
 Baltimore OSC).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Calendar Year 2002
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama/Mississippi Area (MSO Mobile   CG                                  1  ..................................
 OSC).
South Florida Area (MSO Miami OSC)...  CG                                  2  ..................................
Boston Area (MSO Boston OSC).........  CG                                  2  ..................................
Hawaii/Samoa Area (MSO Honolulu OSC).  CG                                  3  ..................................
Central CA Coast Area (MSO San         CG                                  3  ..................................
 Francisco OSC).
EPA Region VIII Area (EPA OSC).......  EPA                                 4  ..................................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                      Prep Schedule--Industry-Led Exercises
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Area                            IND 2             Date/qtr                  Lead
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Caribbean Area (MSO San Juan OSC)....  v                                      ..................................
EPA Region III Area (EPA OSC)........  f (nonmtr)
Cleveland, OH Area (MSO Cleveland      f (mtr)                                ..................................
 OSC).
Jacksonville Area (MSO Jacksonville    v                                      ..................................
 OSC).
New Orleans Area (MSO New Orleans      p                                      ..................................
 OSC).
Commonwealth of N. Marianas Islands    v                                      ..................................
 Area (MSO Guam OSC).
EPA Alaska Area (EPA OSC)............  f (nonmtr)                             ..................................
EPA Region IV Area (EPA OSC).........  f (nonmtr)                             ..................................
Southeast Alaska Area (MSO Juneau      v                                      ..................................
 OSC).
Philadelphia Area (MSO Philadelphia    f (mtr)                                ..................................
 OSC).
Charleston Area (MSO Charleston OSC).  f (mtr)                                ..................................
EPA Region II (EPA OSC)..............  f (nonmtr)                             ..................................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 12051]]


                                      Prep Schedule--Industry-Led Exercises
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Area                           IND \2\            Date/qtr                  Lead
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Calendar Year 2001
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guam Area (MSO Guam OSC).............  v
San Diego, CA Area (MSO San Diego      f
 OSC).
Morgan City Area (MSO Morgan City      v
 OSC).
EPA Region VII Area (EPA OSC)........  f (nonmtr)
Long Island Sound Area (COTP Long      f
 Island Sound).
Savannah Area (MSO Savannah).........  p
Southern Coastal NC Area (MSO          v
 Wilmington OSC).
San Francisco Bay & Delta Region Area  f (mtr)
 (MSO San Francisco OSC).
Duluth-Superior Area (MSO Duluth OSC)  f
EPA Region V Area (EPA OSC)..........  f
South Texas Coastal Zone Area (MSO     v
 Corpus Christi OSC).
LA/LB North Area (MSO LA/LB OSC).....  v
Prince William Sound (MSO Valdez OSC)  p
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Calendar Year 2002
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern Wisconsin Area (MSO Milwaukee  v
 OSC).
EPA Oceania Area (EPA OSC)...........  f (non-mtr)
Eastern Great Lakes Area (MSO Buffalo  f (mtr)
 OSC).
EPA Region II (EPA OSC)..............  p
Tampa Area (MSO Tampa OSC)...........  v
Northwest Area (MSO Puget Sound OSC).  v
Southern LA/LB Area (MSO LA/LB OSC)..  f (mtr)
Virginia Coastal Area (MSO Hampton     f (mtr)
 Rds OSC).
Maine/New Hampshire Area (MSO          v
 Portland OSC).
EPA Region VI Area (EPA OSC).........  f (non-mtr)
Providence Area (MSO Providence OSC).  v
Houston/Galveston Area (MSO Houston/   p
 Galveston OSC).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Quarters: 1 (Jan-March); 2 (April-June); 3 (July-Sept); 4 (Oct-Dec). Note also that calendar year 2000
  exercise areas and dates are fixed. For 2001 and 2002 government-led area exercises, the designated areas are
  fixed, the actual quarter in which a listed area will be exercised is subject to change based on workload
  projections in each of those areas as the exercise year approaches.
\2\ Industry: v--vessel; f (mtr)--marine transportation-related facility; f (nonmtr)--nonmarine transportation-
  related facility; p--pipeline.


    Dated: February 25, 2000.
Joseph J. Angelo,
Acting Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety and Environmental 
Protection.
[FR Doc. 00-5486 Filed 3-6-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-U