[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 28 (Friday, February 9, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9744-9747]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-3372]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[USCG-2001-8662]


National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP)

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Request for comments on PREP triennial exercise schedule for 
2001, 2002, and 2003.

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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, 2001-2003, and requests comments from the public and 
maximum industry and government participation in the listed exercises.

DATES: Comments and related material must reach the Docket Management 
Facility on or before April 10, 2001.

ADDRESSES: To make sure your comments and related material are not 
entered twice in the docket, please submit them by only one of the 
following methods:
    (1) By mail to the Docket Management Facility, (USCG-2001-8662), 
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.

[[Page 9745]]

    (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 Beard, 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 can be found on the following web 
site: http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/nmc/response/#PREP. Hard copies of the 
PREP Guidelines are available at no cost by writing or faxing the TASC 
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.
    On August 29, 2000, a PREP workshop was held at the Department of 
Transportation Nassif Building. The workshop was used as a public forum 
to discuss the vitality of the PREP program. Participants, as well as 
all concerned individuals, were encouraged to submit comments in 
writing to the docket. The National Scheduling Coordinating Committee 
(NSCC) is in the process of developing responses to all comments 
submitted. These responses will be published in a future Federal 
Register notice.

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-2001-8662], indicate the specific section of 
the document to which each comment applies, and give the reason for 
each comment. You may submit your comments and materials by mail or 
hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ 
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.

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 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, designed to evaluate the entire response mechanism in a 
given area, and (2) Government-initiated unannounced exercises, to 
ensure adequate pollution response preparedness of an individual plan 
holder.
    Since 1994, the USCG, EPA, RSPA, and MMS 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.
    Not all industry leads have been identified at this time. Industry 
plan holders are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to 
exercise with the entire response community and to coordinate their 
regularly scheduled spill management team and equipment deployment 
exercises with the Area Committees.
    Companies interested in participating in an Area exercise may call 
either the Coast Guard office or the EPA On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) 
where the exercise is scheduled. Alternatively, the companies 
interested in participating in an exercise, where the Coast Guard is 
the OSC, may call Mr. Pond at 202-267-6603, and he will facilitate 
scheduling.
    The following is the PREP schedule for calendar Years 2001, 2002, 
and 2003.

                                  PREP Schedule--Government-Led Area Exercises
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Area                        Agency              Plan holder                Date/qtr \1\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Calendar Year 2001
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saulte St. Marie (MSO Saulte St.   CG                     ....................  30 Apr-02 May.
 Marie).
NY, NY (Act NY)..................  CG                     ....................  04 Jun-08 Jun.
SW LA/SE TX (MSO Morgan City, MSO  CG                     SONS Phase I........  Sep.
 Port Arthur).
EPA Region I.....................  EPA                    ....................  To Be Determined.
Chicago Area (MSO Chicago).......  CG                     ....................  24 Sep-28 Sep.
Maryland Coastal (Act Baltimore).  CG                     ....................  10 Dec-14 Dec.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Calendar Year 2002
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South FL (MSO Miami).............  CG                     ....................  25 Feb-01 Mar.
SW LA/SE TX (MSO Morgan City, MSO  CG                     SONS Phase II.......  Spring 2002.
 Port Arthur).
Boston (MSO Boston)..............  CG                     ....................  17 Jun-21 Jun.
Hawaii/Samoa (MSO Honolulu)......  CG                     ....................  22 Jul-26 Jul.
Central CA Coast (MSO San          CG                     ....................  16 Sep-20 Sep.
 Francisco).

[[Page 9746]]

 
EPA Region VII...................  EPA                    ....................  To Be Determined.
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                                               Calendar Year 2003
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Marianna Islands (MSO Guam)......  CG                     ....................  1
EPA Region II....................  EPA                    ....................  1
Philadelphia (MSO Philadelphia)..  CG                     ....................  2
SE Alaska (MSO Juneau)...........  CG                     ....................  3
Savannah (MSO Savannah)..........  CG                     ....................  4
Florida Panhandle (MSO Mobile)...  CG                     ....................  4
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                  Prep Schedule--Industry-Led Exercises
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                Area                      Plan holder \2\       Date \1\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           Calendar Year 2001
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guam (MSO Guam).....................  v......................          1
Charleston (MSO Charleston).........  f (mtr)................          1
Southern Coastal NC (MSO Wilmington)  v......................          1
EPA Region VII......................  f (nonmtr).............          2
Long Island Sound (MSO Long Island    f......................          2
 Sound).
EPA Region V........................  f......................          2
San Francisco Bay (MSO San            f (mtr)................          3
 Francisco).
Duluth-Superior (MSO Duluth)........  f......................          3
South TX Coastal Zone (MSO Corpus     v......................          3
 Christi).
Prince William Sound (MSO Valdez)...  p......................          3
LA/LB (MSO LA/LB)...................  v......................          4
San Diego (MSO San Diego)...........  f......................          4
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           Calendar Year 2002
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tampa (MSO Tampa)...................  v......................          1
Northwest (MSO Puget Sound).........  v......................          1
South LA/LB (MSO LA/LB).............  f (mtr)................          1
EPA Oceania.........................  f (nonmtr).............          1
EPA Region II.......................  p......................          2
Eastern Wisconsin (MSO Milwaukee)...  v......................          2
Eastern Great Lakes (MSO Buffalo)...  f (mtr)................          3
Maine/New Hampshire (MSO Portland)..  v......................          3
Providence (MSO Providence).........  v......................          3
EPA Region VI.......................  f (nonmtr).............          4
Virginia Coastal (MSO Hampton Roads)  f (mtr)................          4
Houston/Galveston (MSO Houston/       p......................          4
 Galveston).
Alabama/Mississippi (MSO Mobile)....  f......................          4
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           Calendar Year 2003
------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPA Region IX.......................  p......................          1
North Coast Area (MSO San Francisco)  f (mtr)................          1
New Orleans (MSO New Orleans).......  p......................          2
W Lake Erie (MSO Toledo)............  f (nonmtr).............          2
EPA Region IV.......................  f (nonmtr).............          2
Northwest Area (MSO Portland).......  v......................          3
Cleveland (MSO Cleveland)...........  f (mtr)................          3
Detroit (MSO Detroit)...............  v......................          3
Caribbean Area (MSO San Juan).......  v......................          4
EPA Region III......................  f (nonmtr).............          4
Jacksonville (MSO Jacksonville).....  v......................         4
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Quarters: 1 (Jan-Mar); 2 (Apr-Jun); 3 (Jul-Sep); 4 (Oct-Dec). Note
  also exercise areas and dates are fixed. For 2001 and 2002 Government
  led area exercises are fixed, the actual quarter in which a listed
  area will be exercised is subject to projections in each of those
  areas as the exercise year approaches.
\2\ Industry: v-Vessel; f (mtr)-marine transportation-related facility;
  f (nonmtr)-marine non-transportation related facility; p-pipeline.



[[Page 9747]]

    Dated: January 31, 2001.
Howard L. Hime,
Acting Director of Standards, Marine Safety and Environmental 
Protection.
[FR Doc. 01-3372 Filed 2-8-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-U