[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 11, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 12784-12785]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05551]


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 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 47 / Wednesday, March 11, 2015 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 12784]]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Parts 140, 143, and 146

46 CFR Parts 61 and 62

[USCG-2014-0063]
RIN 1625-AC16


Requirements for MODUs and Other Vessels Conducting Outer 
Continental Shelf Activities With Dynamic Positioning Systems

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces a public meeting to receive comments 
on a notice of proposed rulemaking entitled, ``Requirements for MODUs 
and Other Vessels Conducting Outer Continental Shelf Activities With 
Dynamic Positioning Systems.'' The proposed regulations would establish 
minimum design, operation, training, and manning standards for mobile 
offshore drilling units (MODUs) and other vessels using dynamic 
positioning systems to engage in Outer Continental Shelf activities.

DATES: A public meeting will be held in New Orleans, LA, on March 31, 
2015, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please note that the public meeting has a 
limited number of seats. We request those who plan to attend to contact 
the meeting coordinator, Lieutenant Stephanie Waller, by phone or email 
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section not later than 
March 24, 2015. The meeting may close early if all business is finished 
or time may be extended to allow for more comments. Written comments 
and related material may be submitted to Coast Guard personnel 
specified at the meeting for inclusion in the official docket. The 
comment period for the proposed rule closes May 27, 2015. All written 
comments and related material submitted after the meeting must either 
be submitted to our online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or 
before May 27, 2015 or reach the Docket Management Facility by that 
date.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the following location:
     Board's Administration Building, 1350 Port of New Orleans 
Place, New Orleans, LA, 70130. The Board's Administration Building is 
located at the Port of New Orleans Headquarters, which is building 3 in 
the map linked below. Please view the map at the following link for the 
exact location: http://portno.com/cms/resources/facilities/facilitiesmaps_03.jpg.
     Parking will be at local private pay-to-park facilities. 
The Morial Convention Center's ``J'' lot is one option and is about 2 
blocks from the Administration Building off of Henderson Street and 
right across from building 4 in the map linked above, which is Mardi 
Gras World.
    You may submit written comments identified by docket number USCG-
2014-0063 before or after the meeting using any one of the following 
methods:
    (1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov under 
docket number USCG-2005-21869.
    (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. 
The online docket for this rulemaking is available on the Internet at 
http://www.regulations.gov under docket number USCG-2014-0063.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions concerning the 
public meeting, on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities, or wish to request special assistance or reasonable 
accommodation at the public meeting, please contact Lieutenant 
Stephanie Waller, Human Factors and Ship Design Division (CG-ENG-1), 
Coast Guard, [email protected], telephone 202-372-1374. If 
you have questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, 
call Ms. Cheryl Collins, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 
202-366-9826 or 1-800-647-5527.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We encourage you to participate in this rulemaking by submitting 
comments either orally at the meeting or in writing. 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.

A. Submitting Comments

    If you submit a comment using any of the methods described in the 
ADDRESSES section of this notice, please include the docket number for 
this rulemaking (USCG-2014-0063), indicate the specific section of the 
NPRM to which each comment applies, and provide a reason for each 
suggestion or recommendation. 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-2014-0063'' in the ``Search'' 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

[[Page 12785]]

``USCG-2014-0063'' 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. Background and Purpose

    The Coast Guard published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in 
the Federal Register on November 28, 2014 entitled, ``Requirements for 
MODUs and Other Vessels Conducting Outer Continental Shelf Activities 
With Dynamic Positioning Systems'' (79 FR 70943). In the NPRM we stated 
our intention to hold a public meeting, and to publish a notice to 
announce the location and date of that meeting (79 FR 70944).
    The proposed rule would establish minimum design, operation, 
training, and manning standards for MODUs and other vessels using 
dynamic positioning systems to engage in Outer Continental Shelf 
activities. Establishing these minimum standards is necessary to 
improve the safety of people and property involved in such operations, 
and the protection of the environment in which they operate. The rule 
would decrease the risk of a loss of position by a dynamically-
positioned MODU or other vessel that could result in a fire, explosion, 
or subsea spill, and support the Coast Guard's strategic goals of 
maritime safety and protection of natural resources.
    We plan to record this meeting using an audio-digital recorder and 
to 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.

III. Authority

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

    Dated: March 4, 2015.
J.G. Lantz,
Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards, U.S. Coast Guard.
[FR Doc. 2015-05551 Filed 3-10-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P