[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 182 (Tuesday, September 20, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58288-58289]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24138]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2011-0882]


International Maritime Organization Guidelines for Exhaust Gas 
Cleaning Systems for Marine Engines To Comply with Annex VI to MARPOL 
73/78

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The United States Coast Guard, in consultation with the United 
States Environmental Protection Agency, will conduct a public meeting 
on the International Maritime Organization guidelines for exhaust gas 
cleaning systems for marine engines. The purpose of this meeting in 
Washington, DC, is to collect information on how to evaluate exhaust 
gas cleaning systems to determine under Annex VI regulation 4 of the 
International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution by Ships, 1973 
as modified by the Protocol of 1978 (MARPOL) if such a system should be 
considered an equivalent that would be at least as effective in 
reducing sulfur oxide emissions as the requirements of MARPOL Annex VI 
regulation 14.

DATES: This public meeting will be held for 2 days beginning at 9 a.m. 
Eastern Time, on Wednesday, October 12, 2011, and ending at 3:30 p.m., 
Eastern Time on Thursday, October 13, 2011. The daily meeting schedule 
will be from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. This meeting is open to the public. 
Comments and related material for our online docket must either be 
submitted via http://www.regulations.gov on or before October 27, 2011, 
or reach the Docket Management Facility by that date.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 2501 of the United 
States Coast Guard Headquarters Transpoint building in Washington, DC. 
The Transpoint building is located at 2100 Second Street, Southwest, in 
Washington, DC 20953, approximately 1 mile from the Southwest-SEU Metro 
Station.
    You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-2011-0882 
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. 
See the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion of 
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for instructions on 
submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about this 
public meeting you may contact Mr. Wayne Lundy by telephone at 202-372-
1379 or by e-mail at [email protected]. If you have questions on 
viewing or submitting material in the docket, call Renee V. Wright, 
Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this meeting is to discuss 
guidelines and accompanying washwater discharge criteria developed by 
the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for exhaust gas cleaning 
systems for marine engines to remove sulfur oxide emissions. Annex VI 
regulation 4 of the International Convention for the Prevention of 
Pollution by Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978 (MARPOL), 
permits the use of equivalents that would be at least as effective in 
reducing emissions as required by MARPOL Annex VI regulations. MARPOL 
Annex VI regulation 14 sets requirements for sulfur oxide emissions. A 
copy of IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee Resolution 
MEPC.176(58), which contains the text of MARPOL Annex VI including 
regulations 4 and 14 is available in the docket for this notice. A copy 
of MEPC Resolution MEPC.184(59) which contains the 2009 Guidelines for 
Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems is also available in the docket for this 
notice.
    On July 21, 2008, the Maritime Pollution Prevention Act of 2008, 
Public Law 110-280, was enacted. This legislation amended the Act to 
Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), 33 U.S.C. 1901-1915. APPS, which 
defines ``MARPOL Protocol'' to include Annex VI, makes it unlawful to 
act in violation MARPOL Annex VI. See 33 U.S.C. 1901 and 1907. Working 
with other agencies, under 33 U.S.C. 1903, the Coast Guard is charged 
with administering and enforcing the MARPOL Protocol. A copy of 33 
U.S.C. chapter 33, containing sections 1901-1915, is available in the 
docket.

Agenda of Meeting

    The public meeting will cover:
    (1) Potential approval process;
    (2) Development of explicit test procedures;
    (3) Inspection & verification of compliance;
    (4) Consistency of the sludge from washwater;
    (5) Proper disposal of sludge;
    (6) Adequate reception facilities;
    (7) Safety concerns;
    (8) Training needs; and
    (9) Recordkeeping.
    The U.S. Coast Guard is specifically seeking information about 
testing procedures, preliminary results, processes for establishing 
certified laboratories, and other items relevant to emission standards 
regulation 14 and exhaust gas cleaning systems for marine engines.

Procedural

    This meeting is open to the public. Please note that the public 
meeting has a limited number of seats and may close early if all 
business is finished. There will be audiovisual arrangements available 
for those interested in making presentations. Also, teleconferencing

[[Page 58289]]

will be available. Those interested in making presentations or 
teleconferencing should contact Mr. Wayne Lundy by telephone at 202-
372-1379 or by e-mail at [email protected].
    The IMO guidelines are contained in document MEPC.184(59). A copy 
of the IMO guidelines is available in the docket. A limited number of 
paper copies will be available at this meeting. Summaries of comments 
made, materials presented, and lists of attendees will be available on 
the docket at the conclusion of the meeting. To view comments and 
materials in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov, type the 
docket number ``USCG-2011-0882'' in the Keyword box, and press Enter. 
If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this 
rulemaking (USCG-2011-0882), indicate the specific section of this 
document to which each comment applies, and provide a reason for each 
suggestion or recommendation.
    You may submit comments and material to our online docket via 
http://www.regulations.gov, by fax, mail, or hand delivery, but please 
use only one of these means. We recommend that you include your name 
and a mailing address, an e-mail address, or a phone number in the body 
of your document so that we can contact you if we have questions 
regarding your submission.
    To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov, 
type the docket number ``USCG-2011-0882'' in the Keyword box, press 
Enter, go to the row with the notice of the meeting (or another 
submission you wish to comment on), and click on the ``Submit a 
Comment'' icon in the ``Actions'' column. If you submit your comments 
by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger 
than 8\1/2\; by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. 
If you submit comments by mail and would like to know that they reached 
the Facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or 
envelope.
    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 Services for Individuals with Disabilities

    For information on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities or to request special assistance at the meeting, contact 
Mr. Wayne Lundy at 202-372-1379 or by e-mail at [email protected] 
as soon as possible.
    Public Meeting Location and Dates
    As stated in the DATES and ADDRESSES sections, the Coast Guard will 
hold a public meeting October 12 and 13, 2011, at: United States Coast 
Guard Headquarters, Transpoint Building, Room 2501, 2100 Second Street, 
Southwest, Washington, DC 20953. Each meeting will be conducted from 9 
a.m. until 3:30 p.m., with a planned lunch break for approximately 45 
minutes at a convenient point each day. The meeting may close early if 
all business is finished.
    Attendees will be required to provide a government-issued photo 
identification (for example, a driver's license) in order to gain 
admittance to the Coast Guard Headquarters building. The building is 
located approximately 1 mile from the Southwest-SEU Metro Station.

    Dated: September 14, 2011.
J.G. Lantz,
U.S. Coast Guard, Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2011-24138 Filed 9-19-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P