[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 71 (Wednesday, April 15, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 17444-17445]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8606]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Parts 101, 104, 105, and 106

[Docket No. USCG-2007-28915]
RIN 1625-AB21


Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)--Reader 
Requirements

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces the location for a public meeting to 
receive comments on an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) 
entitled Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)--Reader 
Requirements that was published in the Federal Register on March 27, 
2009. As stated in that document, the ANPRM discusses the Coast Guard's 
preliminary thoughts on potential requirements for owners and operators 
of certain vessels and facilities regulated by the Coast Guard under 33 
CFR chapter I, subchapter H, for use of electronic readers designed to 
work with TWICs as an access control measure.

DATES: A public meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2009. We 
expect the meeting will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to provide an 
opportunity for oral comments. The meeting may end early if all 
comments are received prior to 5 p.m. Written comments and related 
material may also be submitted to Coast Guard personnel specified at 
that meeting. The comment period for the proposed rule closes May 26, 
2009. All comments and related material submitted after the meeting 
must either be submitted to our online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or before May 26, 2009 or reach the Docket 
Management Facility by that date.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at The Sheraton Crystal City 
Hotel, 1800 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia 22202.
    You may submit written comments identified by docket number USCG-
2007-28915 before or after the meeting using any one of the following 
methods:
    (1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
    (2) Fax: 202-493-2251.
    (3) Mail: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (4) Hand Delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone 
number is 202-366-9329.
    To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods. 
Our online docket for this rulemaking is available on the Internet at 
http://www.regulations.gov under docket number USCG-2007-28915.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions concerning the 
meeting or the ANPRM, please call or e-mail LCDR Jonathan Maiorine, 
Coast Guard; telephone 1-877-687-2243, e-mail 
[email protected]. If you have questions on viewing or 
submitting material to the docket, call Ms. Renee V. Wright, Program 
Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background and Purpose

    We published an ANPRM in the Federal Register on March 27, 2009 (74 
FR 13360), entitled ``Transportation Worker Identification Credential

[[Page 17445]]

(TWIC)--Reader Requirements.'' In it we stated our intention to hold a 
public meeting, and to publish a notice announcing the location and 
date. 74 FR 13360. On April 9, 2009, we published a notice announcing 
the date for that meeting, and that it would be held in the Washington 
DC area. 74 FR 16161. This document is the notice of the exact location 
for that meeting.
    In the ANPRM, we discuss the United States Coast Guard's 
preliminary thoughts on potential requirements for owners and operators 
of certain vessels and facilities regulated by the Coast Guard under 33 
CFR chapter I, subchapter H, for use of electronic readers designed to 
work with TWICs as an access control measure. It discusses additional 
potential requirements associated with TWIC readers, such as 
recordkeeping requirements for those owners or operators required to 
use an electronic reader, and amendments to security plans previously 
approved by the Coast Guard to incorporate TWIC requirements.
    This rulemaking action, once final, would enhance the security of 
ports and vessels by ensuring that only persons who hold valid TWICs 
are granted unescorted access to secure areas on vessels and port 
facilities. It would also complete the implementation of the Maritime 
Transportation Security Act of 2002 transportation security card 
requirement, as well as the requirements of the Security and 
Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006, for regulations on 
electronic readers for use with Transportation Worker Identification 
Credentials.
    You may view the ANPRM in our online docket, and comments submitted 
thus far by going to http://www.regulations.gov. Once there, select the 
Advanced Docket Search option on the right side of the screen, insert 
USCG-2007-28915 in the Docket ID box, press Enter, and then click on 
the item in the Docket ID column. If you do not have access to the 
Internet, you may view the docket in person by visiting the Docket 
Management Facility in Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the 
Department of Transportation West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, 
SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays. We have an agreement with the 
Department of Transportation to use the Docket Management Facility.
    We encourage you to participate in this rulemaking by submitting 
comments either orally at the meeting or in writing. If you bring 
written comments to the meeting, you may submit them to Coast Guard 
personnel specified at the meeting to receive written comments. These 
comments will be submitted to our online public docket. All comments 
received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov 
and will include any personal information you have provided.
    Anyone can search the electronic form of 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 a Privacy Act notice 
regarding our public dockets in the January 17, 2008 issue of the 
Federal Register (73 FR 3316).

Information on Service for Individuals With Disabilities

    For information on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities or to request special assistance at the public meeting, 
contact LCDR Maiorine at the telephone number or e-mail address 
indicated under the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this 
notice.

Public Meeting

    The Coast Guard will hold a public meeting regarding its 
Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)--Reader 
Requirements ANPRM on Wednesday, May 6, 2009 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. 
at The Sheraton Crystal City Hotel, 1800 Jefferson Davis Highway, 
Arlington, Virginia 22202. The meeting may end early if all comments 
are received prior to 5 p.m. We plan to have a transcript of the 
meeting available on our online docket soon after the public meeting.
    For details on the hotel and surrounding area, including 
directions, you may visit The Sheraton Crystal City Hotel Web site, 
http://www.sheraton.com/crystalcity. The hotel is metro accessible and 
provides shuttle service from Reagan National Airport. Additionally, 
self and valet parking is available in the hotel's parking garage at a 
daily rate. There is also metered parking along the street outside of 
the hotel.

    Dated: April 10, 2009.
Mark E. Hammond,
Commander, U.S. Coast Guard, Acting Chief, Ports and Facilities 
Activities.
 [FR Doc. E9-8606 Filed 4-14-09; 8:45 am]
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