[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 185 (Friday, September 25, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 48891-48892]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-23161]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Parts 151, 155, and 160

[USCG-2008-1070]
RIN 1625-AB27


Nontank Vessel Response Plans and Other Vessel Response Plan 
Requirements

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces three public meetings to receive 
comments on a notice of proposed rulemaking that would require owners 
or operators of nontank vessels to prepare and submit oil spill 
response plans. The meetings will be held to allow for greater public 
involvement.

DATES: The public meetings will be held at the following locations:
     Washington, DC, October 28, 2009, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
     Oakland, CA, November 3, 2009, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
     New Orleans, LA, November 19, 2009, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 
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 November 30, 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 November 30, 
2009, or reach the Docket Management Facility by that date.

ADDRESSES: The public meetings will be held at the following locations:
     Washington, DC--United States Coast Guard Headquarters 
Building, Room 4202, 2100 Second St, SW., Washington, DC 20593.
     Oakland, CA--Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building, 
Auditorium, 3rd Floor North Tower, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, CA 94612.
     New Orleans, LA--Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Room 
208, Exhibit Hall A, 900 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70130.
    You may submit written comments identified by docket number USCG-
2008-1070 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-2008-1070.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about this 
proposed rulemaking, contact Lieutenant Jarrod DeWitz, U.S. Coast 
Guard, Office of Vessel Activities, Vessel Response Plan Review Team, 
telephone (202) 372-1219. You may also e-mail questions to 
[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 a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal 
Register on August 31, 2009 (74 FR 44970), entitled ``Nontank Vessel 
Response Plans and Other Vessel Response Plan Requirements.'' In it, we 
stated our intention to hold one or more public meetings, and to 
publish a notice to announce the location and date of the public 
meetings. In this notice, we announce those public meetings to receive 
comments on this proposed rule.
    In the NPRM, we proposed requiring owners or operators of nontank 
vessels to prepare and submit oil spill response plans. The Federal 
Water Pollution Control Act defines nontank vessels as self-propelled 
vessels of 400 gross tons or greater that operate on the navigable 
waters of the United States, carry oil of any kind as fuel for main 
propulsion,

[[Page 48892]]

and are not tank vessels. The proposed rule would specify the content 
of a response plan, and among other issues, address the requirement to 
plan for responding to a worst case discharge and a substantial threat 
of such a discharge. Additionally, the proposed rule would update the 
international Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP) 
requirements that apply to nontank vessels and certain tank vessels. 
Finally, the proposed rule would require vessel owners and operators to 
submit their vessel response plan control number as part of already 
required notice of arrival information.
    You may view the NPRM in our online docket, in addition to 
supporting documents prepared by the Coast Guard (Regulatory Analysis & 
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis), 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-2008-1070 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 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 a meeting or in writing. If you bring written 
comments to a 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 Lieutenant Jarrod DeWitz at the telephone number indicated 
under the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.

Public Meeting

    The Coast Guard will hold three public meetings regarding this 
proposed rulemaking on the following dates and at the following 
locations:
     Washington, DC, October 15, 2009, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 
p.m., at the United States Coast Guard Headquarters Building, Room 
4202, 2100 Second Street SW., Washington, DC 20593. Note: A government-
issued photo identification (for example, a driver's license) will be 
required for entrance to the building.
     Oakland, CA, November 3, 2009, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., 
at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building, Auditorium, 3rd Floor North 
Tower, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, CA 94612. Note: A government-issued 
photo identification (for example, a driver's license) will be required 
for entrance to the building.
     New Orleans, LA, November 19, 2009, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 
p.m., at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Room 208, Exhibit Hall 
A, 900 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70130.
    Members of the public may attend these meetings up to the seating 
capacity of the rooms. The meetings may conclude before the allotted 
time if all matters of concern have been addressed.
    We plan to record each meeting using an audio-digital recorder and 
to make that audio recording available through a link in our online 
docket. A written summary of comments made and a list of attendees will 
be placed in the docket after each meeting concludes.

    Dated: September 21, 2009.
J.G. Lantz,
Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards, U.S. Coast Guard.
[FR Doc. E9-23161 Filed 9-24-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-P