[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 1, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 4900-4901]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-2122]



[[Page 4900]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 165

[Docket No. USCG-2011-0318]
RIN 1625-AA87


Security Zone; Escorted Vessels in Captain of the Port Ohio 
Valley Zone

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces a public meeting to receive comments 
on a notice of proposed rulemaking entitled ``Security Zone; Escorted 
Vessels in Captain of the Port Ohio Valley Zone'' that was published in 
the Federal Register on July 27, 2011. As stated in that document, the 
Coast Guard proposes to implement fixed and moving security zones 
around High Capacity Passenger Vessels (HCPVs) and vessels carrying 
Certain Dangerous Cargo (CDC) while they are being escorted in the 
navigable waters of the Captain of the Port (COTP), Sector Ohio Valley 
Zone. The proposed security zones would control the movement of vessels 
within 50-yards of a HCPV or vessel carrying a CDC. These security 
zones would mitigate potential terrorist acts and would enhance public 
and maritime safety and security.

DATES: A public meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 
from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 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 closed on August 26, 2011. A second comment period will 
be open for 15 days following the public meeting. All comments and 
related material submitted after the meeting must be received by the 
Coast Guard on or before Thursday, March 15, 2012.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at The Brown Hotel, 335 West 
Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202, telephone 502-583-1234.
    You may submit written comments at the public meeting or during the 
comment period following the public meeting. Written comments submitted 
after the public meeting must be identified by docket number USCG-2011-
0318 and may be submitted 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-2011-0318.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions concerning the 
meeting or the proposed rule, please call or email LCDR Derek Schade, 
Sector Ohio Valley Response Department, Coast Guard; telephone 502-779-
5413, email [email protected]. If you have questions on viewing 
or submitting material to the docket, call 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 July 27, 2011, (76 FR 44880), entitled ``Security Zone; 
Escorted Vessels in Captain of the Port Ohio Valley Zone''. 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. 76 FR 44881. 
We received several requests from vessel owners and operators to have a 
more ``substantive discussion'' in order to address some of their 
specific concerns and have concluded that a public meeting would aid 
this rulemaking. Therefore, we are publishing this notice.
    In the NPRM, we propose to establish a 50-yard security zone around 
High Capacity Passenger Vessels (HCPVs) and vessels carrying Certain 
Dangerous Cargo (CDC) while they are being escorted in the Captain of 
the Port Ohio Valley zone, as defined in 33 CFR 3.40-65. In the 
proposed rule, HCPVs are defined as any commercial vessel carrying 500 
or more passengers and CDC means the same as its definition in 33 CFR 
part 160. This rule would establish security zones that control the 
movement of persons and other vessels from the surface to the bottom of 
the water in a 50-yard radius around escorted vessels. Vessels 
traveling within 50 yards of these escorted vessels would be required 
to slow to the minimum speed necessary to navigate safely. All vessels 
or persons would be prohibited from entering within a 25-yard radius 
around these escorted vessels without the permission from the COTP 
Sector Ohio Valley or his or her designated representative.
    For the purposes of this rule, a designated representative of the 
COTP Ohio Valley includes commissioned, warrant, or petty officers of 
the U.S. Coast Guard; or Federal, State, and local law enforcement 
officers designated by or assisting the COTP Ohio Valley. In the 
proposed rule, an escorted vessel is defined as a HCPV or vessel 
carrying CDC that is accompanied by one or more Coast Guard assets or 
other Federal, State, or local law enforcement assets clearly 
identified by lights, vessel markings, or with agency insignia. In all 
cases, the COTP would notify the maritime and general public by marine 
information broadcast of the periods during which individual security 
zones will be enforced.
    You may view the NPRM in our online docket, in addition to 
supporting documents prepared by the Coast Guard, including a 
preliminary environmental checklist and Categorical Exclusion 
Determination (CED), and comments submitted thus far by going to http://www.regulations.gov. Once there, insert ``USCG-2011-0318'' in the 
``Keyword'' box and click ``Search.'' 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. 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 following the 
meeting. 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.
    Comments submitted after the meeting must reach the Coast Guard on 
or before Thursday, March 15, 2012. 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 
delivery, or mail your comment, it will be considered as having been 
received by

[[Page 4901]]

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 Derek Schade, Sector Ohio Valley Response Department, 
Coast Guard at the telephone number or email address indicated under 
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.

Public Meeting

    The Coast Guard will hold a public meeting regarding its Security 
Zone; Escorted Vessels in Captain of the Port Ohio Valley Zone proposed 
rule on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at The 
Brown Hotel, 335 West Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202, telephone (502) 
583-1234. Government-issued, photo ID or other item will not be 
required to attend the meeting. Street parking is limited during 
business hours. Parking garages and surface lots are available near the 
meeting location but charge hourly rates. Public transportation to the 
building is available. For additional information regarding public 
transportation, contact the Transit Authority of River City at http://www.ridetarc.org/.
    We plan to record this meeting using an audio-digital recorder and 
then make that audio recording available through a link in our online 
docket. We will also provide a written summary of the meeting and 
comments and will place that summary in the docket.

    Dated: January 9, 2012.
L.W. Hewett,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port Ohio Valley.
[FR Doc. 2012-2122 Filed 1-31-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P