[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 230 (Monday, December 1, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 71082-71083]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-28272]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

46 CFR Part 401

[USCG-2014-0481; 1625-AC22]


Great Lakes Pilotage Rates--2015 Annual Review and Adjustment--
Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is extending the comment period for the notice 
of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) entitled ``Great Lakes Pilotage Rates--
2015 Annual Review and Adjustment,'' published on September 4, 2014, 
for 30 days. We have decided to extend the comment period as we have 
received new financial data that could affect the discretion provided 
by Step 7 of the Appendix A methodology and the final rate.

DATES: Comments and related material must either be submitted to our 
online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or before December 31, 
2014 or reach the Docket Management Facility by that date.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2014-0481 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: If you have questions on this notice, 
call or email Mr. Todd Haviland, Director, Great Lakes Pilotage, 
Commandant (CG-WWM-2), Coast Guard; telephone 202-372-2037, email 
[email protected], or fax 202-372-1914. If you have questions on 
viewing or submitting material to the docket, call Ms. Cheryl Collins, 
Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We encourage you to participate in this rulemaking by submitting 
comments and related materials. All comments received will be posted 
without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any 
personal information you have provided.

A. Submitting Comments

    If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this 
rulemaking (USCG-2014-0481), indicate the specific section of this 
document to which each comment applies, and provide a reason for each 
suggestion or recommendation. You may submit your comments and material 
online or 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 email 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 and 
insert ``USCG-2014-0481'' in the ``Search''

[[Page 71083]]

box. Click on ``Submit a Comment'' 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.
    We will consider all comments and material received during the 
comment period and may change this notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) 
based on your comments.

B. Viewing Comments and Documents

    To view comments, as well as documents mentioned in this preamble 
as being available in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov and 
insert ``USCG-2014-0481'' in the ``Search'' box. Click ``Search.'' 
Click the ``Open Docket Folder'' in the ``Actions'' column. If you do 
not have access to the Internet, you may view the docket online 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.

C. Privacy Act

    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).

II. Regulatory History and Information

    The Coast Guard published an NPRM entitled ``Great Lakes Pilotage 
Rates--2015 Annual Review and Adjustment,'' on September 4, 2014, (79 
FR 52602) proposing rate adjustments for pilotage services on the Great 
Lakes, last amended in March 2014. The proposed adjustments would 
establish new base rates made in accordance with a full ratemaking 
procedure. Additionally, the Coast Guard proposed to exercise the 
discretion provided by Step 7 of the Appendix A methodology to result 
in an upward adjustment to match the rate increase of the Canadian 
Great Lakes Pilotage Authority. The NPRM also proposed temporary 
surcharges to accelerate recoupment of necessary and reasonable 
training costs for the pilot associations. All comments on this NPRM 
were originally due by November 3, 2014.

III. Background and Purpose

    On November 14, 2014, we received the final reports of the revenue 
audits conducted by CohnReznick, LLP for the three pilotage districts. 
Performance of these audits was unanimously recommended by the Great 
Lakes Pilotage Advisory Committee to the Coast Guard at the most recent 
committee meeting on July 23-24, 2014, in Washington, DC. The data 
found by the revenue audits are important to analyzing the proposed 
rule as the findings may alter the final rate. We believe that the data 
provided in the revenue audits are ``other supportable circumstances'' 
that may alter the rate through the discretion provided by Step 7 of 
the ratemaking methodology. As these revenue audits were received after 
the comment period closed, we wish to give commenter's the opportunity 
to review these revenue audits, which can be found in the docket, and 
make comments on the revenue audits.

V. Authority

    This notice is issued under authority of 5 U.S.C. 552(a).

    Dated: November 25, 2014.
Scott J. Smith,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Acting Director of Marine Transportation 
Systems, U.S. Coast Guard.
[FR Doc. 2014-28272 Filed 11-28-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P