[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 94 (Monday, May 18, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 23139-23140]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11564]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 165

[Docket No. USCG-2008-1017]
RIN 1625-AA11


Regulated Navigation Areas; Bars Along the Coasts of Oregon and 
Washington

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of third public meeting; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In response to requests received, the Coast Guard announces a 
third public meeting, to be held on June 2, 2009, to receive comments 
on the notice of proposed rulemaking entitled ``Regulated Navigation 
Areas; Bars Along the Coasts of Oregon and Washington'' that was 
published in the Federal Register on February 12, 2009 (74 FR 7022).
    As stated in the notice of proposed rulemaking, the Coast Guard 
proposes to establish Regulated Navigation Areas (RNA) covering 
specific bars along the coasts of Oregon and Washington that will 
include procedures for restricting and/or closing those bars as well as 
additional safety requirements for recreational and small commercial 
vessels operating in the RNAs. The RNAs are necessary to help ensure 
the safety of the persons and vessels operating in those hazardous bar 
areas. The RNAs will do so by establishing clear procedures for 
restricting and/or closing the bars and mandating additional safety 
requirements for recreational and small commercial vessels operating in 
the RNAs when certain conditions exist.

DATES: The public meeting for the proposed rule will be held in Coos 
Bay, Oregon, on Tuesday, June 2, 2009, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in order 
to provide an opportunity for oral comments. Written comments and 
related material may also be submitted to Coast Guard personnel 
specified at that meeting.
    The comment period for the proposed rule will close on June 30, 
2009. All comments and related material must be received by the Coast 
Guard on or before June 30, 2009.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting in Coos Bay, OR will be held at The Red 
Lion Hotel, 1313 N. Bayshore Drive, Coos Bay, OR 97420, telephone 541-
267-4141.
    You may submit written comments identified by docket number USCG-
2008-1017 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-2008-1017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions concerning the 
meeting or the proposed rule, please call or e-mail LCDR Emily Saddler, 
Thirteenth Coast Guard District, Prevention Division, Inspections and 
Investigations Branch; telephone 206-220-7210, e-mail 
[email protected]. If you have questions on viewing or 
submitting material to the docket, call Ms. Renee V.

[[Page 23140]]

Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background and Purpose

    We published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal 
Register on February 12, 2009 (74 FR 7022), entitled ``Regulated 
Navigation Areas; Bars Along the Coasts of Oregon and Washington.'' In 
it we stated that we did not plan to hold a public meeting, but that we 
welcomed requests explaining why one would be beneficial (74 FR 7023). 
We received several such requests and have already held two public 
meetings in Astoria and Newport, Oregon (74 FR 16814, Apr. 13, 2009). 
Due to several requests for a meeting in southern Oregon we have 
concluded that a third public meeting would aid this rulemaking. 
Therefore, we are publishing this notice.
    In the NPRM, we proposed to establish Regulated Navigation Areas 
(RNA) covering specific bars along the coasts of Oregon and Washington 
that will include procedures for restricting and/or closing those bars 
as well as additional safety requirements for recreational and small 
commercial vessels operating in the RNAs. The RNAs are necessary to 
help ensure the safety of the persons and vessels operating in those 
hazardous bar areas. The RNAs will do so by establishing clear 
procedures for restricting and/or closing the bars and mandating 
additional safety requirements for recreational and small commercial 
vessels operating in the RNAs when certain conditions exist. On May 8, 
2009 (74 FR 21564), we published a notice reopening the public comment 
period to June 30, 2009.
    You may view the NPRM in our online docket, in addition to 
supporting documents prepared by the Coast Guard, including an 
``Environmental Analysis Checklist'', RNA Fact Sheets for recreational, 
passenger, and commercial fishing vessels, 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-2008-1017 in the Docket ID box, press Enter, and then click on the 
item in the Docket ID column. You may also visit 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; or the Thirteenth Coast Guard District, Prevention 
Division, Inspections and Investigations Branch in Room 3506 on the 
35th floor of the Jackson Federal Building, 915 Second Avenue, Seattle, 
WA 98174, between 8 a.m. and 3 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 the 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.
    Comments submitted after the meeting must reach the Coast Guard on 
or before June 30, 2009. If you submit a comment online via http://www.regulations.gov, it will be considered received by the Coast Guard 
when you successfully transmit the comment. If you fax, hand deliver, 
or mail your comment, it will be considered as having been received by 
the Coast Guard when it is received at the Docket Management Facility.
    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 Emily Saddler 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 
``Regulated Navigation Areas; Bars Along the Coasts of Oregon and 
Washington'' proposed rule on Tuesday, June 2, 2009, from 6 p.m. to 9 
p.m., at The Red Lion Hotel, 1313 N. Bayshore Drive, Coos Bay, OR 
97420, telephone 541-267-4141.
    We plan to have an official transcript of the meeting prepared and 
will make that transcript available through a link in the online 
docket.

    Dated: May 7, 2009.
J.P. Currier,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, Thirteenth Coast Guard 
District.
[FR Doc. E9-11564 Filed 5-15-09; 8:45 am]
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