[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 230 (Tuesday, December 1, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 75020-75021]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-30406]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 110

[Docket No. USCG-2015-0729]


Port of Miami Anchorage Area; Atlantic Ocean, Miami Beach, FL

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of study; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami received a study from the 
Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Southeast Florida Coral 
Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) concluding that the Miami Anchorage could be 
changed to reduce threats to protected coral and its habitat. The study 
indicated that the Miami Anchorage could be divided into two separate 
anchorage areas to reduce threats to protected coral while also 
facilitating the safe anchorage of shallow and deep draft vessels. The 
Coast Guard requests comments from interested persons regarding a 
possible modification of the Miami Anchorage based on the SEFCRI study.

DATES: All comments and related material must be received by the Coast 
Guard on or before February 1, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2015-0729 using the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. See the ``Public Participation and Request for 
Comments'' portion of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for further 
instructions on submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about this 
document, call or email LT Ruth Sadowitz, Sector Miami Waterways 
Division Chief at 305-535-4307 or email at [email protected].

I. Table of Abbreviations

CFR Code of Federal Regulations
DHS Department of Homeland Security
FR Federal Register

[[Page 75021]]

SEFCRI Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Southeast 
Florida Coral Reef Initiative
U.S.C. United States Code

II. Background and Purpose

    South Florida is home to numerous threatened and endangered marine 
species, including hard and soft corals. These corals are routinely 
damaged by standard maritime activities such as anchoring. Damage to 
corals not only affects the survivability of individual corals but may 
have a cumulative impact on the marine ecosystem as a whole.
    The Coast Guard establishes anchorage areas in order facilitate use 
of the navigable waterways by both recreational and commercial vessels. 
Anchorage areas ensure safe navigation, and protection of life and the 
environment. The Coast Guard previously established an anchorage area 
in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, east of Miami Beach, Florida.
    In 2008, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 
Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SECFRI) in coordination with 
the Anchorage Working Group (AWG) and the Coast Guard began working on 
methods to reduce damage to coral in the Miami Anchorage area. SECFRI 
completed a study indicating that it may be appropriate to change the 
Miami Anchorage area. The revision to the Miami Anchorage described 
below would break the anchorage into two authorized anchorage zones, a 
western anchorage and a larger eastern anchorage. We believe such a 
change would continue to ensure safe navigation in and around the Port 
of Miami while preserving imperiled species in the marine environment.

III. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We encourage you to submit comments on the change to the Miami 
Anchorage area described in the SECFRI study. SECFRI's study will be 
available on the docket and can be accessed on the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for the following 
docket number: USCG-2015-0729. We will consider all submissions in 
helping us to determine whether we should initiate a rulemaking to 
amend our existing Miami Anchorage regulation. If you submit a comment, 
please include the docket number, indicate the specific aspect of the 
change described in SECFRI study to which each comment applies, and 
provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation.
    Please submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
http://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be submitted using 
http://www.regulations.gov, contact the person in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for alternate 
instructions. Documents mentioned in this publication, and all public 
comments, will be in our online docket at http://www.regulations.gov 
and can be viewed by following that Web site's instructions. 
Additionally, if you go to the online docket and sign up for email 
alerts, you will be notified when comments are posted or other material 
is added to the docket, including all documents published by the Coast 
Guard related to this request for comments.
    We accept anonymous comments. All comments received will be posted 
without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any 
personal information you have provided. For more about privacy and the 
docket, you may review a Privacy Act notice regarding the Federal 
Docket Management System in the March 24, 2005 issue of the Federal 
Register (70 FR 15086).
    Please provide comments regarding the possible change listed below. 
In addition, please provide comments regarding potential impacts of 
this possible change and/or other concerns that you may have regarding 
the Miami Anchorage.
    SECFRI's study concludes that the current Miami Anchorage 
established by coordinates in 33 CFR 110.188 (Atlantic Ocean off Miami 
and Miami Beach, FL) could be amended to mitigate threats to coral 
habitat and ensure that no vessels anchored in the area would damage 
protected coral bottom. The amended coordinates would establish two 
anchorages with a combined area of approximately 1.5 square miles and 
reduce the total anchorage area by approximately 3 square nautical 
miles. The amended anchorage areas would be established with the 
following coordinates:

                         Small Western Anchorage
                    [Approximate water depths: 45 ft]
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NW Corner.......................  80[deg] 5'37.225''  25[deg]
                                   N.                  47'57.687'' W.
NE Corner.......................  80[deg] 5'26.466''  25[deg]
                                   N.                  47'57.341'' W.
SE Corner.......................  80[deg] 5'27.069''  25[deg]
                                   N.                  46'31.443'' W.
SW Corner.......................  80[deg] 5'37.868''  25[deg]
                                   N.                  46'31.557'' W.
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                         Large Eastern Anchorage
                   [Approximate water depths: 120 ft]
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NW Corner.......................  80[deg] 4'59.155''  25[deg]
                                   N.                  48'13.841'' W.
NE Corner.......................  80[deg] 4'4.582''   25[deg] 48'4.617''
                                   N.                  W.
SE Corner.......................  80[deg] 4'28.387''  25[deg]
                                   N.                  46'32.712'' W.
SW Corner.......................  80[deg] 4'59.775''  25[deg]
                                   N.                  46'32.767'' W
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    Authority: This notice is issued under authority of 5 U.S.C. 
552(a).

    Dated: November 24, 2015.
S.A. Buschman,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, Seventh Coast Guard 
District.
[FR Doc. 2015-30406 Filed 11-30-15; 8:45 am]
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