[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12645-12646]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05490]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2014-1053]


Towing Safety Advisory Committee; March 2015 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 Louisville, 
Kentucky March 25 and 26, 2015 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 Wednesday, March 25, 2015 and work on five 
assigned tasks listed in the referenced agenda. The full Towing Safety 
Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, March 26, 2015.

DATES: The Towing Safety Advisory Committee Subcommittees will meet on 
Wednesday, March 25, 2015 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The full Towing Safety 
Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, March 26, 2015, 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 March 16, 2015. 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 Auditorium, Muhammad Ali 
Center, One Muhammad Ali Plaza, 144 North Sixth Street, Louisville, KY 
40202. The Telephone Number for the Muhammad Ali Center is (502)992-
5326 and the Fax is (502)589-4905.
    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

[[Page 12646]]

be submitted no later than March 16, 2015 if committee review is 
desired prior to the meeting. Comments must be identified by Docket No. 
USCG-2014-1053 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.
    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-
2014-1053 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, Designated Federal Officer; 
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 March 25, 2015, from 8 a.m. to 5 
p.m., to work on their specific task assignments:
    (1) Recommendations Regarding Automation Equipment, Testing, 
Assessment, and Trial Periods on Towing Vessels.
    (2) Recommendations for the Maintenance, Repair, and Utilization of 
Towing Equipment, Lines, and Couplings.
    (3) Recommendations concerning procedures for conducting drug tests 
on board towing vessels.
    (4) Recommendations for Improvement of Coast Guard Marine Casualty 
Reporting.
    (5) Recommendations to Establish Criteria for Identification of Air 
Draft for Towing Vessels and Tows.
    (6) Recommendations concerning the MODU KULLUK Report of 
Investigation.
    On March 26, 2015, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., the Towing Safety 
Advisory Committee will meet to hear remarks by:
    (1) Captain Richard Timme, USCG, Commander, Sector Ohio River 
Valley.
    (2) Ms. Helen Brohl, Director, U.S. Committee on the Maritime 
Transportation System, U.S. Department of Transportation.
    The Committee will also receive reports concerning the following:
    (1) Recommendations Regarding Automation Equipment, Testing, 
Assessment, and Trial Periods on Towing Vessels, Initial Report.
    (2) Recommendations for the Maintenance, Repair and Utilization of 
Towing Equipment, Lines and Couplings, Interim Report.
    (3) Recommendations for Drug Testing Procedures on board Towing 
Vessels, Initial Report.
    (4) Recommendations for Improvement of Coast Guard Marine Casualty 
Reporting, Final Report.
    (5) Recommendation to Establish Criteria for Identification of Air 
Draft for Towing Vessels and Tows, Interim Report.
    (6) Recommendations concerning the MODU KULLUK Report of 
Investigation, Interim Report.
    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 March 26, 2015. 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 2015 Towing Safety Advisory Committee Meetings

    To receive automatic email notices of any future Towing Safety 
Advisory Committee meetings in 2015, go to the online docket, USCG-
2014-1053 (http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=USCG-2014-1053), 
and select the sign-up-for-email-alerts option. We plan to use the same 
docket number for all Towing Safety Advisory Committee meeting notices 
in 2015, so if another 2015 meeting notice is published you will 
receive an email alert from www.regulations.gov when the notice appears 
in this docket.

    Dated: March 4, 2015.
J.G. Lantz,
Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards, United States Coast 
Guard.
[FR Doc. 2015-05490 Filed 3-9-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9110-04-P