[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 187 (Wednesday, September 27, 2006)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 56420-56421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-15890]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 165

[USCG-2006-25767; formerly CGD09-06-123]


Safety Zones; U.S. Coast Guard Water Training Areas, Great Lakes

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: This document provides the times and locations of the public 
meetings which will be held by the Coast Guard to discuss issues 
relating to the proposed permanent safety zones located in the Great 
Lakes to conduct live gunnery training exercises. The meetings will be 
open to the public.

DATES: The Coast Guard will hold four public meetings as follows: 
Monday, October 16, 2006 in Duluth MN; Wednesday October 18, 2006 in 
Grand Haven/Spring Lake, MI; Thursday, October 19, 2006 in Port Huron/
Marysville, MI; Monday, October 23, 2006 in Cleveland, OH. The public 
meetings at each location will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. 
(local), with an open house prior to the start of the public meeting 
beginning at 4 p.m. (local).
    Comments and material related to the public meetings must reach the 
Docket Management Facility on or before October 6, 2006. If you are 
unable to attend, you may submit comments to the Docket Management 
Facility at the address under ADDRESSES by November 13, 2006.

ADDRESSES: The Coast Guard will hold the public meetings at the 
following addresses:
    1. Duluth, MN: Duluth Convention Center, 350 Harbor Drive, Duluth, 
MN 55802, telephone (218) 722-5573.
    2. Grand Haven/Spring Lake, MI: Grand Haven Waterfront Holiday Inn, 
940 West Savidge, Spring Lake, MI 49456, telephone (616) 846-1000.
    3. Port Huron/Marysville, MI: Crystal Gardens, 1200 Gratiot 
Boulevard, Marysville, MI, 48080, telephone, (810) 364-6650.
    4. Cleveland OH: Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building, 31st floor 
auditorium, 1240 E 9th Street, Cleveland, OH 44199, telephone (216) 
902-6020; photo identification required for entrance.
    You may also submit your comments and related material by only one 
of the following means:
    (1) By mail to the Docket Management Facility (USCG-2006-2567), 
U.S. Department of Transportation, room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, 
SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (2) By delivery 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 the 
rulemaking. Comments and material received from the public will become 
part of this docket and will be available for inspection or copying at 
room PL-401, located 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 by 
performing a ``Simple Search'' for docket number 25767 on the internet 
at http://dms.dot.gov.
    Electronic forms of all comments received into any of our dockets 
can be searched by the name of the individual submitting the comment 
(or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, 
business, labor unit, etc.) and is open to the public without 
restriction. You may review the Department of Transportation's complete 
Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 
2000 (65 FR 19477-78), or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information concerning 
this notice and the public meeting, contact Commander Gustav Wulfkuhle, 
Chief Enforcement Branch, Ninth Coast Guard District, Cleveland, Ohio 
at (216) 902-6091. If you have any questions on viewing or submitting 
material to the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket 
Operations, telephone 202-493-0402.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Coast Guard encourages interested 
persons to submit written data, views, or comments. Persons submitting 
comments should please include their name and address and identify the 
docket number (USCG-2006-25767). 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.

Regulatory History

    On August 1, 2006, the Coast Guard published a notice of proposed 
rulemaking (NPRM) (71 FR 43402) to establish permanent safety zones 
throughout the Great Lakes, which would restrict vessels from portions 
of the Great Lakes during live fire gun exercises that will be 
conducted by Coast Guard cutters and small boats. The initial comment 
period for this NPRM ended on August 31, 2006. In response to public 
requests, the Coast Guard re-opened the comment period on this NPRM. 
(71 FR 53629, September 12, 2006) Re-opening the comment period from 
September 12, 2006 to November 13, 2006, provides the public more time 
to submit comments and recommendations. On September 19, 2006, the 
Coast Guard published a brief

[[Page 56421]]

document announcing the dates of public meetings and indicating that 
more detailed information related to the meetings would be published at 
a later date (71 FR 54792). This document provides detailed information 
regarding the actual location of the public meetings and topics to be 
discussed.

Background and Purpose

    The thirty-four permanent safety zones proposed in the NPRM will be 
located throughout the Great Lakes in order to accommodate the training 
needs of 57 separate Coast Guard units. The proposed safety zones are 
all located more than three nautical miles from the shoreline. 
Establishing permanent training areas serves to notify the public and 
solicit its input on selection of the training locations.
    The proposed safety zones will be enforced only when training is 
conducted, and then only after notice by the Captain of the Port for 
the area in which the exercise will be held. The Captain of the Port 
will use all appropriate means to effect the widest publicity among the 
affected segments of the public, including publication in the Federal 
Register if practicable, in accordance with 33 CFR 65.7(a). Such means 
of notification may also include, but are not limited to, Broadcast 
Notice to Mariners or Local Notice to Mariners. The appropriate Captain 
of the Port will also issue a Broadcast Notice to Mariners and Local 
Notice to Mariners notifying the public when enforcement of a live fire 
exercise safety zone is suspended.
    Interested individuals are encouraged to attend the open house 
forums and public meetings, provide comments and ask questions about 
the weapons training areas.

Meeting Times and Topics

    The meetings are expected to run from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. (local). 
We may end the meetings early if there are no additional comments or 
questions. Topics to be covered during the public meetings include the 
following:
    (1) Introduction of the proposed zones and the need to train on the 
Great Lakes;
    (2) How the Coast Guard determined the locations of the zones;
    (3) Scheduling and frequency of training in the zones;
    (4) Notification procedures;
    (5) Safety procedures;
    (6) Weapons and munitions; and
    (7) Environmental risk assessment overview.
    Before the start of the formal public meetings, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 
p.m. (local), the Coast Guard is hosting an open house so that the 
public can speak with Coast Guard personnel and obtain more information 
on the proposed zones.

Procedure

    Each open house and meeting is open to the public. Ideally, 
comments will provide specific information and facts related to the 
impact of the zone(s) on the commenter. Detailed and focused comments 
will enable the Coast Guard to address identified areas of concern in 
the rulemaking process. Please note that the meeting may close early if 
all business is finished. If you are unable to attend, you may submit 
comments to the Docket Management Facility at the address under 
ADDRESSES by November 13, 2006.

Information on Services for Individuals With Disabilities

    If you plan to attend any of the public meetings and require 
special assistance, such as sign language interpretation or other 
reasonable accommodations, please contact us as indicated in FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Requests for special assistance should 
reach the Coast Guard within 7 business days of the meeting you plan to 
attend.

    Dated: September 21, 2006.
John E. Crowley, Jr.,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, Ninth Coast Guard District.
 [FR Doc. E6-15890 Filed 9-26-06; 8:45 am]
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