[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 15, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34789-34790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-11821]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[USCG-2000-7833]


Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Vessel and 
Facility Response Plans for Oil: 2003 Removal Equipment Requirements 
and Alternative Technology Revisions

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of public hearings.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard will hold four public hearings to solicit 
comments on the draft programmatic environmental impact statement 
(DPEIS) for the rulemaking on Vessel and Facility Response Plans for 
Oil: 2003 Removal Equipment Requirements and Alternative Technology 
Revisions. The DPEIS addresses the increase of the oil removal capacity 
requirements for tank vessels and marine transportation-related 
facilities and added requirements for new response technologies. We 
seek comments from any interested or affected stakeholders and 
encourage all stakeholders to attend these hearings.

DATES: The public hearings will be held on the following dates in the 
cities listed:
     Houston, TX, July 11, 2005, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
     Sacramento, CA, July 13, 2005, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m
     Anchorage, AK, July 15, 2005, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
     Washington DC, July 19, 2005, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
    Material submitted in response to the request for comments must 
reach the Department of Transportation's Docket Management Facility on 
or before August 1, 2005.

ADDRESSES: The Coast Guard will hold the public hearings at the 
following locations:
     Houston, TX--Hilton-University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun 
Street, Houston, TX 77204.
     Sacramento, CA--Office of Spill Prevention and Response, 
1700 K Street, First Floor Meeting Room, Sacramento, CA 95814.
     Anchorage, AK--Hilton-Anchorage, 500 West 3rd Avenue, 
Anchorage, AK 99501.
     Washington, DC--Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street SW., 
Room 2230, Washington, DC 20590.
    You may also submit your comments directly to the Docket Management 
Facility. To ensure that your comments and related material are not 
entered more than once in the docket (USCG-2000-7833), please submit 
them by only one of the following means:
    (1) Web Site: http://dms.dot.gov.
    (2) Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (3) Fax: 202-493-2251.
    (4) Delivery: 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice, 
call Bradley McKitrick, Coast Guard, telephone 202-267-0995, or e-mail 
[email protected]. If you have questions on viewing or 
submitting material to the docket, call Andrea M. Jenkins, Program 
Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-0271.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

    All comments received will be posted, without change, to http://dms.dot.gov and will include any personal information you have 
provided. We have an agreement with the Department of Transportation 
(DOT) to use the Docket Management Facility. Please see DOT's ``Privacy 
Act'' paragraph below.
    Submitting comments: If you submit a comment, please include your 
name and address, identify the docket number for this notice (USCG-
2000-7833) and give the reason for each comment. You may submit your 
comments by electronic means, mail, fax, or delivery to the Docket 
Management Facility at the address under ADDRESSES; but please submit 
your comments by only one means. If you submit them by mail or 
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 that they reached the Facility, please 
enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will 
consider all comments received during the comment period.
    We are requesting your comments on issues related to the DPEIS. We 
will publish comments received during the DPEIS review period in the 
final PEIS.
    Viewing comments and documents: To view comments, go to http://dms.dot.gov at any time and conduct a simple search using the docket 
number. You may also visit the Docket Management Facility in 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.
    Privacy Act: Anyone can search the electronic form of all comments 
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review the 
Department of Transportation's Privacy Act Statement in the Federal 
Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477), or you may visit 
http://dms.dot.gov.

Public Hearings

    The Coast Guard encourages interested and affected stakeholders to 
attend the hearings and present oral comment or written comments during 
the hearings. The hearings are open to members of the public. Please 
note that the hearings may close early if all business is finished. If 
you are unable to attend the hearings, we encourage you to submit 
comments to the Docket Management Facility as indicated under ADDRESSES 
by August 1, 2005.

Information on Services for Individuals With Disabilities

    If you plan to attend these hearings and require special 
assistance, such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable 
accommodations, contact us as indicated in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.

Background and Purpose

    On June 1, 2005, the Coast Guard published a notice of availability 
with a request for comments in the Federal Register (70 FR 31487) to 
announce the availability of the draft programmatic environmental 
impact statement (DPEIS) for the rulemaking on Vessel and Facility 
Response Plans for Oil: 2003 Removal Equipment Requirements and 
Alternative Technology Revisions. At the time of that notice, public 
hearings had not been scheduled. This notice provides the information 
on the public hearings. Public hearings are an integral part of the 
environmental review process and are authorized by 40 CFR Part 1506. 
Therefore, the Coast Guard will hold public hearings at the times and 
locations noted above in DATES and ADDRESSES. You can access the DPEIS 
through the Department of Transportation Docket Management System (DMS) 
at http://dms.dot.gov using docket number USCG-2000-7833 or the Coast 
Guard's Web site http://

[[Page 34790]]

www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/regs/PEIS/peisindex.html.

    Dated: June 8, 2005.
Raymond J. Petow,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Acting Director of Standards, Marine Safety, 
Security, and Environmental Protection, U.S. Coast Guard.
[FR Doc. 05-11821 Filed 6-14-05; 8:45 am]
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