[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10546-10547]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-2826]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[USCG-2001-9267]


Workshop: Approval for Experimental Shipboard Installation of 
Ballast Water Treatment System

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of workshop.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is announcing a workshop for interested and 
affected parties regarding changes to the Shipboard Technology 
Evaluation Program (STEP) for ballast water treatment systems. Our goal 
in this program is to facilitate the development of effective ballast 
water treatment (BWT) technologies, through rigorous evaluations of 
prototype systems under shipboard conditions. This will create more 
options for vessel owners seeking alternatives to ballast water 
exchange for use in meeting the ballast water management (BWM) 
requirements established by the Coast Guard. To aid in the development 
of applications to STEP, the Coast Guard will hold a workshop to expand 
public awareness of STEP and present recent changes to the guidance 
materials on applications. We encourage all interested and/or affected 
stakeholders to attend the workshop.

DATES: The STEP workshop will be on March 21st, 2006, from 8 a.m. to 5 
p.m. The workshop may close early if all business is completed. Persons 
planning to attend are requested to notify Mr. Ronald Jackson by March 
13th, 2006, at the address indicated in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT. Such notice is not a reservation and is not required, but will 
be used for general planning purposes.

ADDRESSES: The STEP workshop will be at the Hotel Washington, 515 15th 
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20004, (202) 638-5900, http://www.hotelwashington.com/. This notice is available on the Internet at 
http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information concerning this notice 
and the workshop, contact Mr. Ronald Jackson, STEP Applications 
Manager, Environmental Standards Division, U.S. Coast Guard, by 
telephone 202-267-2716 or via e-mail at [email protected]. If you 
have any questions on viewing material in the docket, call Ms. Renee V. 
Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, Department of 
Transportation, telephone 202-493-0402.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Availability of STEP Materials

    The Coast Guard encourages interested persons to review the STEP 
program documentation, available for download from the docket (http://dms.dot.gov, docket number USCG-2001-9267) or from the Coast Guard's 
STEP Web page (http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/mso/step.htm). Copies may be 
requested via e-mail at

[[Page 10547]]

[email protected] or by leaving a message on the 
Coast Guard's Ballast Water Information Line telephone number (202-267-
2716). When requesting mailed copies, please provide full name and 
mailing address, and specify that you are requesting STEP application 
guidance materials. Questions about the application process may be 
asked at the workshop, or directed to Mr. Ronald Jackson at the address 
listed under the section of this announcement titled FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.
    The Hotel Washington is holding a block of rooms for the meeting. 
In order to receive the group rate of $180, reservations need to be 
made directly with the Hotel Washington by February 28, 2006. After 
this date, rooms will be available at the best available rate. 
Reservations can me made by calling the Hotel Washington at 1-800-424-
9540 or at http://www.hotelwashington.com http://www.hotelwashington.com/. Please mention or enter the group booking ID 
 31241 to receive the block rate.

Information on Services for Individuals With Disabilities

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

Workshop

    The Coast Guard encourages potential applicants to STEP, and 
interested and affected stakeholders, to attend the workshop and learn 
about the Program in general, and the specifics of the application 
process. The workshop is open to the public, but space may be limited. 
Any updates about the workshop will be posted on the Coast Guard's STEP 
Web site (http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/mso/step.htm).

Regulatory History

    The Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 
1990, as reauthorized and amended by the National Invasive Species Act 
of 1996, authorized the Coast Guard to develop regulations to prevent 
the introduction of nonindigenous species (NIS) via ballast water 
discharges. The Coast Guard most recently promulgated ballast water 
related regulations in the Federal Register on June 14, 2004, entitled, 
``Penalties for Non-submission of Ballast Water Management Reports'' 
(68 FR 32864) and on July 28, 2004, entitled ``Mandatory Ballast Water 
Management for U.S. Waters'' (69 FR 44952). Together, these most recent 
regulations established penalties for noncompliance with BWM reporting 
requirements, made the formerly voluntary BWM program a mandatory 
program, and extended the mandatory BWM program to include all vessels 
equipped with ballast tanks bound for ports and places in the U.S., 
and/or entering U.S. waters. The Great Lakes Ballast Water Management 
Program that became effective on May 10, 1993 (58 FR 18330), has 
remained unchanged, with the exception that all vessels equipped with 
ballast water tanks that enter the Great Lakes must now submit their 
ballast water reporting forms as of August 13, 2004 (68 FR 32864).

Description of Issue

    The BWM regulations established by the Coast Guard have created a 
need for BWT systems that can be used in lieu of mid-ocean ballast 
water exchange to reduce the risk of introducing nonindigenous species 
to U.S. waters via ballast water discharges. Vessel owners and the BWT 
technology industry have expressed the need for incentives to encourage 
the development of prototype BWT systems and shipboard testing methods. 
Vessel owners have expressed a reluctance to invest the resources to 
install and operate experimental equipment for fear that this equipment 
might not meet discharge standards mandated by future regulations. To 
address this concern, vessels accepted to the STEP may be granted an 
equivalency to future ballast water discharge regulations--for up to 
the life of the vessel or the BWT system--while they operate 
satisfactorily. Collaboration between government agencies, the shipping 
industry, the scientific community, as well as other stakeholders is 
essential for the development of effective and practical BWT technology 
to reduce the threat posed by NIS in discharged ballast water.
    The Coast Guard will use this workshop to inform stakeholders of 
the STEP approval process, as well as recent changes in certain details 
of the program. Following announcement of STEP in 2004, the Coast Guard 
and its partners have developed a revised set of application 
guidelines. The new guidelines are intended to help clarify for 
potential applicants the specific information required and the format 
for its presentation in a STEP application.

    Dated: February 14, 2006.
Howard Hime,
Acting Director of Standards, Prevention.
[FR Doc. E6-2826 Filed 2-28-06; 8:45 am]
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