[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 211 (Tuesday, November 1, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 67395-67396]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-28270]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 167

[USCG-2009-0765]


Port Access Route Study: In the Approaches to Los Angeles-Long 
Beach and in the Santa Barbara Channel

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability of study results.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces the availability of a Port Access 
Route Study (PARS) which evaluated the continued applicability of and 
the potential need for modifications to the traffic separation schemes 
in the approaches to Los Angeles-Long Beach and in the Santa Barbara 
Channel. The study was completed in June 2011. This notice summarizes 
the study and final recommendation.

ADDRESSES: Comments and material received from the public, as well as 
documents mentioned in this preamble, as being available in the docket, 
are part of docket USCG-2009-0765 and are available online by going to 
http://www.regulations.gov, inserting USCG-2009-0765 in the ``Keyword'' 
box, and then clicking ``Search.'' This material is also available for 
inspection or copying at the 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, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions concerning this 
notice, contact Lieutenant Lucas Mancini, Eleventh Coast Guard 
District, telephone (510) 437-3801, email [email protected]. If 
you have questions on viewing the docket, contact Renee V. Wright, 
Program Manager, Docket Operations, (202) 366-9826.
    Definitions: The following definitions should help the reader to 
understand terms used throughout this document:
    Marine Environment, as defined by the Ports and Waterways Safety 
Act, means the navigable waters of the United States and the land 
resources therein and thereunder; the waters and fishery resources of 
any area over which the United States asserts exclusive fishery 
management authority; the seabed and subsoil of the Outer Continental 
Shelf of the Unites States, the resources thereof and the waters 
superjacent thereto; and the recreational, economic, and scenic values 
of such waters and resources.
    Precautionary area means a routing measure comprising an area 
within defined limits where vessels must navigate with particular 
caution and within which the direction of traffic flow may be 
recommended.
    Traffic lane means an area within defined limits in which one-way 
traffic is established. Natural obstacles, including those forming 
separation zones, may constitute a boundary.
    Traffic Separation Scheme or TSS means a routing measure aimed at 
the separation of opposing streams of traffic by appropriate means and 
by the establishment of traffic lanes.
    Vessel routing system means any system of one or more routes or 
routing measures aimed at reducing the risk of casualties; it includes 
traffic separation schemes, two-way routes, recommended tracks, areas 
to be avoided, no anchoring areas, inshore traffic zones, roundabouts, 
precautionary areas, and deep-water routes.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background and Purpose

    The Coast Guard published a notice of study in the Federal Register 
on April 7, 2010 (75 FR 17562), entitled ``Port Access Route Study: In 
the Approaches to Los Angeles-Long Beach and in the Santa Barbara 
Channel'' and completed the study in June, 2011.
    The study covered the geographic area with a northern boundary at 
34[deg]30' N; a western boundary at 121[deg]00' W; a southern boundary 
at 33[deg]15' N; and an eastern boundary along the shoreline. This area 
encompasses the traffic separation schemes in the Santa Barbara Channel 
and in the approaches to Los Angeles-Long Beach; and the approach to 
the San Pedro Channel from the Pacific Ocean, particularly the area 
south of San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Anacapa Islands; and 
north of San Nicolas, Santa Barbara, and Santa Catalina Islands where 
an increase in vessel traffic has been identified.
    The primary purpose of the study was to reconcile the need for safe 
access routes with other reasonable waterway uses, to the extent 
practical. The goal of the study was to help reduce the risk of marine 
casualties and increase the

[[Page 67396]]

efficiency of vessel traffic in the study area. When vessels follow 
predictable and charted routing measures, congestion may be reduced, 
and mariners may be better able to predict where vessel interactions 
may occur and act accordingly.
    Fourteen letters and six studies were received in response to the 
published notice of study. The Eleventh Coast Guard District also held 
public meetings in Oxnard and San Pedro California to allow for 
comments in person. These meetings were announced in the Federal 
Register and conducted at the Port Hueneme Harbor District office on 
October 13, 2010 and the Port of Los Angeles Administration Building, 
on October 14, 2010.
    The recommendations of the PARS are based in large part on the 
comments received to the docket, public outreach, and consultation with 
other government agencies.

Study Recommendations

    The PARS evaluated 4 major concerns and 5 separate options for 
modification to the current vessel routing system before reaching a 
recommendation. We considered information presented in various studies 
and data collected by the U.S. Coast Guard and by other stakeholder 
organizations on vessel traffic patterns, density, and risks. The 
actual PARS should be consulted for a detailed explanation of the final 
recommendation. It can be accessed as described in the ADDRESSES 
section of this notice.

Conclusion

    Based upon the results of the PARS, we found unbounded vessel 
traffic transiting the waters south of the Channel Islands to be a 
safety concern. With increased vessel traffic, the risk of collision 
needed to be addressed. The Coast Guard recommends creating traffic 
lanes south of the Channel Islands to increase predictability by 
providing a defined route for vessel traffic transiting south of the 
islands. The Coast Guard also recommends decreasing the width of the 
separation scheme in the Santa Barbara Channel to help in preserving 
the marine environment. The current separation scheme would be reduced 
from 4nm to 3nm, moving the southern inbound lane 1nm toward the 
northern lane, and reducing the separation zone between the lanes from 
2nm to 1nm. The northern outbound lane would remain in place. 
Decreasing the width of the separation zone and shifting the southern 
lane 1nm to the north, will move vessel traffic away from the Channel 
Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
    The PARS contains recommendations which would require the approval 
of the International Maritime Organization for implementation. The 
Coast Guard will follow the Federal rulemaking process for 
implementation of any of the proposed changes to the traffic separation 
scheme. This process will also include consultations with the National 
Marine Fisheries Service in accordance with the Endangered Species Act. 
This will provide ample opportunity for additional comments on proposed 
changes to the existing vessel routing system through a notice of 
proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published in the Federal Register.

    Dated: October 13, 2011.
J.R. Castillo,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, Eleventh Coast Guard 
District.
[FR Doc. 2011-28270 Filed 10-31-11; 8:45 am]
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