[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 89 (Wednesday, May 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25757-25758]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-10244]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket Nos. TSA-2006-24191; USCG-2006-24196]


Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) 
Implementation in the Maritime Sector; Hazardous Materials Endorsement 
for a Commercial Driver's License

AGENCY: United States Coast Guard; DHS.

ACTION: Notice of compliance date, Captain of the Port Zones Boston, 
Northern New England, and Southeastern New England.

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SUMMARY: This Notice informs owners and operators of facilities located 
within Captain of the Port Zones Boston, Northern New England, and 
Southeastern New England that they must implement access control 
procedures utilizing TWIC no later than October 15, 2008.

DATES: This Notice is effective May 7, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Comments and material received from the public, as well as 
documents mentioned in this notice as being available in the docket, 
are part of dockets TSA-2006-24191 and USCG-2006-24196, and are 
available for inspection or copying at the Docket Management Facility, 
U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room 
W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. You 
may also find this docket on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this Notice, 
call LCDR Jonathan Maiorine, telephone 1-877-687-2243. If you have 
questions on viewing the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, 
Docket Operations, telephone 202-493-0402.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Regulatory History

    On May 22, 2006, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through 
the United States Coast Guard (Coast Guard) and the Transportation 
Security Administration (TSA) published a joint notice of proposed 
rulemaking entitled ``Transportation Worker Identification Credential 
(TWIC) Implementation in the Maritime Sector; Hazardous Materials 
Endorsement for a Commercial Driver's License'' in the Federal Register 
(71 FR 29396). This was followed by a 45-day comment period and four 
public meetings. The Coast Guard and TSA issued a joint final rule, 
under the same title, on January 25, 2007 (72 FR 3492) (hereinafter 
referred to as the original TWIC final rule). The preamble to that 
final rule contains a discussion of all the comments received on the 
NPRM, as well as a discussion of the provisions found in the original 
TWIC final rule, which became effective on March 26, 2007.
    In a separate section of today's Federal Register, the Coast Guard 
and TSA issued a final rule to realign the compliance date for 
implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential. 
The date by which mariners need to obtain a TWIC, and by which owners 
and operators of vessels, facilities, and outer continental shelf 
facilities, who have not otherwise been required to implement access 
control procedures utilizing TWIC, must implement those procedures, is 
now April 15, 2009 instead of September 25, 2008. This realignment 
provides 18 months from the date the initial enrollment centers became 
operational for regulated entities to come into compliances with the 
requirements of the TWIC final rule. Owners and operators of facilities 
that must comply with 33 CFR part 105 will still be subject to earlier, 
rolling compliance dates, as laid out in 33 CFR 105.115(e). As provided 
in that regulation, the Coast Guard will announce those dates at least 
90 days in advance via notices published in the Federal Register. The 
final compliance date will not be later than April 15, 2009.

II. Notice of Facility Compliance Date--COTP Zones Boston, Northern New 
England, and Southeastern New England

    Title 33 CFR 105.115(e) currently states that ``[f]acility owners 
and operators must be operating in accordance with the TWIC provisions 
in this part by the date set by the Coast Guard in a Notice to be 
published in the Federal Register.'' Through this Notice, the Coast 
Guard informs the owners and operators of facilities subject to 33 CFR 
105.115(e) located within the following Captain of the Port Zones: 
Boston, Northern New England, and Southeastern New England that the 
deadline for their compliance with Coast Guard and TSA TWIC 
requirements is October 15, 2008.
    We have determined that this date provides sufficient time for the 
estimated population required to obtain TWICs for these COTPs to enroll 
and for TSA to complete the necessary security threat assessments for 
those enrollment applications. We strongly encourage persons requiring 
unescorted access to facilities regulated by 33 CFR part 105 and 
located in one of these COTP Zones to enroll for their TWIC as soon as 
possible, if they haven't already. Information on enrollment 
procedures, as well as a link to the pre-enrollment web site (which 
will also enable an applicant to make an appointment for enrollment), 
may be found at https://twicprogram.tsa.dhs.gov.


[[Page 25758]]


    Dated: May 2, 2008.
Brian M. Salerno,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, 
Security and Stewardship.
 [FR Doc. E8-10244 Filed 5-6-08; 8:45 am]
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