[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 124 (Thursday, June 29, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29572-29573]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-13651]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[USCG-2017-0289]


Application for Recertification of Cook Inlet Regional Citizens' 
Advisory Council

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces the availability of, and seeks 
comments on, the application for recertification of the Cook Inlet 
Regional Citizen's Advisory Council (CIRCAC) for September 1, 2017, 
through August 31, 2018. Under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), 
the Coast Guard may certify the CIRCAC on an annual basis. This 
advisory group monitors the activities of terminal facilities and crude 
oil tankers under the Cook Inlet program established by the statute. 
The Coast Guard may certify an alternative voluntary advisory group in 
lieu of the CIRCAC. The current certification for the CIRCAC will 
expire August 31, 2017.

DATES: Public comments on CIRCAC's recertification application must 
reach the Seventeenth Coast Guard District on or before July 31, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2017-0289 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 on this 
recertification, call or email LT Jonathan Dale, Seventeenth Coast 
Guard District (dpi); telephone (907) 463-2812; email 
[email protected]. If you have questions on viewing or submitting 
material to the docket, contact the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 
Regulations and Administrative Law office, telephone 202-372-3862.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We view public participation as essential to effective rulemaking, 
and will consider all comments and material received during the comment 
period. Your comment can help shape the outcome of this rulemaking. If 
you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this 
rulemaking, indicate the specific section of this document to which 
each comment applies, and provide a reason for each suggestion or 
recommendation.
    We encourage you to 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.
    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).

[[Page 29573]]

    Documents mentioned in this notice as being available in the 
docket, 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 a 
final rule is published.

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).

Public meeting

    The Coast Guard does not plan to hold a public meeting. But you may 
submit a request for one on or before July 1, 2017 using the method 
specified under ADDRESSES. Please explain why you believe a public 
meeting would be beneficial. If we determine that one would aid the 
process of thoroughly considering the application for recertification, 
we will hold one at a time and place announced by a later notice in the 
Federal Register.

Background and Purpose

    The Coast Guard published guidelines on December 31, 1992 (57 FR 
62600), to assist groups seeking recertification under the Oil Terminal 
and Oil Tanker Environmental Oversight and Monitoring Act of 1990 (33 
U.S.C. 2732) (the Act). The Coast Guard issued a policy statement on 
July 7, 1993 (58 FR 36504), to clarify the factors that the Coast Guard 
would be considering in making its determination as to whether advisory 
groups should be certified in accordance with the Act; and the 
procedures which the Coast Guard would follow in meeting its 
certification responsibilities under the Act. Most recently, on 
September 16, 2002 (67 FR 58440), the Coast Guard changed its policy on 
recertification procedures for regional citizen's advisory council by 
requiring applicants to provide comprehensive information every three 
years. For the two years in between, applicants only submit information 
describing substantive changes to the information provided at the last 
triennial recertification. This is the year in this triennial cycle 
that CIRCAC must provide comprehensive information.
    The Coast Guard is accepting comments concerning the 
recertification of CIRCAC. At the conclusion of the comment period, 
July 31, 2017, the Coast Guard will review all application materials 
and comments received and will take one of the following actions:
    (a) Recertify the advisory group under 33 U.S.C. 2732(o).
    (b) Issue a conditional recertification for a period of 90 days, 
with a statement of any discrepancies, which must be corrected to 
qualify for recertification for the remainder of the year.
    (c) Deny recertification of the advisory group if the Coast Guard 
finds that the group is not broadly representative of the interests and 
communities in the area or is not adequately fostering the goals and 
purposes of 33 U.S.C. 2732.
    The Coast Guard will notify RCAC by letter of the action taken on 
their respective applications. A notice will be published in the 
Federal Register to advise the public of the Coast Guard's 
determination.

    Dated: May 26, 2017.
M.F. McAllister,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, Seventeenth Coast Guard 
District.
[FR Doc. 2017-13651 Filed 6-28-17; 8:45 am]
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