[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 166 (Wednesday, August 27, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51187-51188]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-20362]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2013-1065]


Towing Safety Advisory Committee; September 2014 Meeting

AGENCY: Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security.

ACTION: Notice of Federal Advisory Committee meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Towing Safety Advisory Committee will meet in Washington, 
DC, September 24 and 25, 2014, to review and discuss recommendations 
from its Subcommittees and to receive briefs listed in the agenda under 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. All meetings will be open to the public. The 
Subcommittees will meet on September 24, 2014, and work on eight 
assigned tasks listed in the referenced agenda. The full Towing Safety 
Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, September 25, 2014.

DATES: The Towing Safety Advisory Committee Subcommittees will meet on 
Wednesday, September 24, 2014, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The full Towing 
Safety Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, September 25, 2014, 
from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. These meetings may close early if the 
Committee has completed its business. All submitted written materials, 
comments, and requests to make an oral presentation at the meetings 
should reach Mr. William J. Abernathy, Alternate Designated Federal 
Officer for the Towing Safety Advisory Committee, no later than 
September 19, 2014. For contact information, please see the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section below. Any written material submitted by 
the public will be distributed to the Towing Safety Advisory Committee 
and become part of the public record.

ADDRESSES: All meetings will be held at the Department of 
Transportation Headquarters, West Building, Rooms Oklahoma A-B-C 
Department of Transportation Conference Center, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., Washington, DC 20590. The email address for the Conference Center 
is: [email protected]. The Conference Center Coordinator may be 
contacted by phone at: 202-366-0135.
    For information on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities or to request special assistance at the meeting, contact 
the individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section, 
as soon as possible.
    To facilitate public participation, we are inviting public comment 
on the issues to be considered by the Committee as listed in the 
``Agenda'' section below. Written comments must be submitted no later 
than September 19, 2014 if committee review is desired prior to the 
meeting. Comments must be identified by Docket No. USCG-2013-1065 and 
submitted by one of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments. (Preferred method to 
avoid delays in processing.)
     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. We encourage use of 
electronic submissions to minimize mail security screening delays.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
     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 
methods.

[[Page 51188]]

    Instructions: All submissions received must include the words 
``Department of Homeland Security'' and the docket number of this 
action. All comments will be posted as submitted at http://www.regulations.gov including any personal information provided. You 
may review a Privacy Act notice regarding our public dockets in the 
January 17, 2008, issue of the Federal Register (73 FR 3316).
    Docket: For access to the docket to read documents or comments 
related to this notice, go to http://www.regulations.gov, insert USCG-
2013-1065 in the Search box, press Enter, and then click on the item 
you wish to view.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William J. Abernathy, Alternate 
Designated Federal Officer for the Towing Safety Advisory Committee; 
Commandant (CG-OES-2), U.S. Coast Guard, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. 
Avenue SE., Stop 7509, Washington, DC 20593-7509; telephone 202-372-
1363, fax 202-372-8382; or email [email protected]; or 
Lieutenant Commander William A. Nabach; telephone 202-372-1386, fax 
202-372-8382; or email [email protected]. If you have any 
questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, call Cheryl 
Collins, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826 or 
1-800-647-5527.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of this meeting is given under the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. Appendix. This Committee is 
established in accordance with, and operates under the provisions of, 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act. As stated in 33 U.S.C. 1231a, the 
Towing Safety Advisory Committee provides advice and recommendations to 
the Department of Homeland Security on matters relating to shallow-
draft inland and coastal waterway navigation and towing safety.

Agenda of Meetings

    The Subcommittees will meet on September 24, 2014, from 8 a.m. to 5 
p.m., to work on their specific task assignments:
    (1) Recommendations Regarding Manning of Inspected Towing Vessels.
    (2) Recommendations for Evaluating Placement of Structures Adjacent 
to or Within the Navigable Channel.
    (3) Recommendations for Designation of Narrow Channels.
    (4) Recommendations for the Maintenance, Repair, and Utilization of 
Towing Equipment, Lines, and Couplings.
    (5) Recommendations For Mid-Stream Liquefied Natural Gas and 
Compressed Natural Gas Refueling of Towing Vessels.
    (6) Recommendations for Improvement of Coast Guard Marine Casualty 
Reporting.
    (7) Recommendations to Establish Criteria for Identification of Air 
Draft for Towing Vessels and Tows.
    (8) Recommendations concerning the MODU KULLUK Report of 
Investigation.
    On September 25, 2014, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., the Towing Safety 
Advisory Committee will meet to hear remarks by:
    (1) The Honorable Paul ``Chip'' Jaenichen, Maritime Administrator, 
U.S. Department of Transportation.
    (2) Rear Admiral Paul F. Thomas, U.S. Coast Guard, Assistant 
Commandant for Prevention Policy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
    The Committee will also receive oral and written reports from its 
Subcommittees on the following issues:
    (1) Recommendations Regarding Manning of Inspected Towing Vessels.
    (2) Recommendations for Evaluating Placement of Structures Adjacent 
to or Within the Navigable Channel.
    (3) Recommendations for Designation of Narrow Channels.
    (4) Recommendations for the Maintenance, Repair and Utilization of 
Towing Equipment, Lines and Couplings.
    (5) Recommendations For Mid-Stream Liquefied Natural Gas and 
Compressed Natural Gas Refueling of Towing Vessels.
    (6) Recommendations for Improvement of Coast Guard Marine Casualty 
Reporting.
    (7) Recommendation to Establish Criteria for Identification of Air 
Draft for Towing Vessels and Tows.
    (8) Recommendations concerning the MODU KULLUK Report of 
Investigation.
    The Committee will be briefed on a proposed tasking statement 
tentatively entitled: ``Recommendations Regarding Automation Equipment, 
Testing, Assessment, and Trial Periods to be considered by Officers in 
Charge of Marine Inspection for a Reduction in Engine Room Personnel on 
Towing Vessels.''
    There will be a comment period for Towing Safety Advisory Committee 
members and a comment period for the public after each report 
presentation, but before each is voted on by the Committee. The 
Committee will review the information presented on each issue, 
deliberate on any recommendations presented in the Subcommittees' 
reports, and formulate recommendations for the Department's 
consideration.
    A copy of each draft report and presentations, and the meeting 
agenda will be available at: https://homeport.uscg.mil/tsac.
    An opportunity for oral comments by the public will be provided 
during the meeting on September 25, 2014. Speakers are requested to 
limit their comments to 3 minutes. Please note the public oral comment 
period may end before 5:30 p.m., if the Committee has finished its 
business earlier than scheduled. Please contact Mr. William J. 
Abernathy, listed above in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section 
to register as a speaker.

Minutes

    Minutes from the meeting will be available for public review and 
copying within 90 days following the close of the meeting and can be 
accessed from the Coast Guard Homeport Web site http://homeport.uscg.mil/tsac.

Notice of Future 2014 Towing Safety Advisory Committee Meetings

    To receive automatic email notices of any future Towing Safety 
Advisory Committee meetings in 2014, go to the online docket, USCG-
2013-1065 (http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=USCG-2013-1065), 
and select the sign-up-for-email-alerts option. We plan to use the same 
docket number for all TSAC meeting notices in 2014, so if another 2014 
meeting notice is published you will receive an email alert from 
www.regulations.gov when the notice appears in this docket.

    Dated: August 22, 2014.
F.J. Sturm,
Acting Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards, United States 
Coast Guard.
[FR Doc. 2014-20362 Filed 8-26-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P