[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 17, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8336-8337]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-03205]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2014-1020]


Guidance on Maritime Cybersecurity Standards

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is extending the comment period on the notice 
with request for comments titled, ``Guidance on Maritime Cybersecurity 
Standards,'' published on December 18, 2014. We are extending the 
comment period at the request of several industry participants to 
ensure stakeholders have adequate time to submit complete responses.

DATES: Comments and related material must either be submitted to our 
online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or before April 15, 
2015, or reach the Docket Management Facility by that date.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2014-1020 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 LT Josephine Long, Coast Guard; telephone 202-372-1109, 
email [email protected] or LCDR Joshua Rose, Coast Guard; 202-
372-1106, email [email protected]. 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 submit comments and related materials on the 
questions we posed in the notice with request for comments, published 
on December 18, 2014 (79 FR 75574). 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 
notice (USCG-2014-1020) 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 telephone 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, 
use ``USCG-2014-1020'' as your search term, and follow the instructions 
on that Web site for submitting comments. 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 your 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

[[Page 8337]]

change this proposed rule based on your comments.
    If you submit comments, do not send materials that include trade 
secrets, confidential, commercial, or financial information; or 
Sensitive Security Information to the public docket. Please submit such 
comments separately from other comments on the notice. Comments 
containing this type of information should be appropriately marked as 
containing such information and submitted by mail to the Coast Guard 
point of contact listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
    Upon receipt of such comments, the Coast Guard will not place the 
comments in the public docket and will handle them in accordance with 
applicable safeguards and restrictions on access. The Coast Guard will 
hold them in a separate file to which the public does not have access, 
and place a note in the public docket that the Coast Guard has received 
such materials from the commenter. If the Coast Guard receives a 
request to examine or copy this information, we will treat it as any 
other request under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

B. Viewing Comments and Documents

    To view comments, as well as documents mentioned in this notice as 
being available in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov, use 
``USCG-2014-1020'' as your search term, and follow the instructions on 
that Web site for viewing documents in the public docket for this 
notice. 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 all 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. Background

    On December 18, 2014, the Coast Guard published a notice with 
request for comments titled, ``Guidance on Maritime Cybersecurity 
Standards'' (79 FR 75574). In the notice, the Coast Guard announced 
that it is developing policy to help vessel and facility operators 
identify and address cyber-related vulnerabilities that could 
contribute to a Transportation Security Incident.\1\ The notice sought 
public input from the maritime industry and other interested parties on 
how to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities to cyber-
dependent systems. Additionally, the Coast Guard hosted a public 
meeting on January 15, 2015 in Washington, DC, to provide an 
opportunity for the public to comment on the development of security 
assessment methods that might assist vessel and facility owners and 
operators identify and address cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The Coast 
Guard intends to consider the public comments from the meeting and in 
response to the notice in developing relevant guidance, which may 
include standards, guidelines, and best practices to protect maritime 
critical infrastructure.
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    \1\ A Transportation Security Incident is defined in 33 CFR 
101.105 to mean ``a security incident resulting in a significant 
loss of life, environmental damage, transportation system 
disruption, or economic disruption in a particular area.
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III. Reason for the Extension

    On December 18, 2014, the Coast Guard published a notice with 
request for comments titled, ``Guidance on Maritime Cybersecurity 
Standards'' (79 FR 75574). The comment period for the notice was set to 
expire on February 17, 2015. On January 15, 2015, the Coast Guard 
hosted a public meeting in Washington, DC on maritime cybersecurity. 
Several industry participants have contacted the Coast Guard personnel 
identified in the notice and at the public meeting to request more time 
to respond to the notice. Accordingly, the Coast Guard is extending the 
public comment period until April 15, 2015, to ensure that all 
stakeholders have adequate time to review and fully respond to the 
questions posed in the December 18, 2014 notice. We encourage all 
interested members of the public to send comments in response to the 
notice.
    This notice of extension is issued under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 
552(a).

    Dated: February 10, 2015.
Andrew Tucci,
Chief, Office of Port & Facility Compliance, U.S. Coast Guard.
[FR Doc. 2015-03205 Filed 2-13-15; 8:45 am]
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