[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 61 (Thursday, April 1, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 17090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-06145]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 96

46 CFR Parts 71, 115, and 176

[Docket No. USCG-2020-0123]
RIN 1625-AC65


Safety Management Systems for Domestic Passenger Vessels

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Advance notice of proposed rulemaking; extension of comment 
period.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is extending the comment period for the 
advance notice of proposed rulemaking published January 15, 2021, that 
seeks comments on the potential use of Safety Management Systems to 
improve safety and reduce marine casualties on board U.S.-flagged 
passenger vessels. We are extending the comment period an additional 45 
days, to June 1, 2021.

DATES: The comment period for the advance notice of proposed rulemaking 
published January 15, 2021, 86 FR 3899, is extended. Comments must be 
received by the Coast Guard on or before June 1, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about this document, 
call or email Lieutenant Kimberly Gates, Vessel and Facility Operating 
Standards Division (CG-OES-2), U.S. Coast Guard, 2703 Martin Luther 
King Jr. Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20593; telephone 202-372-1455, email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Coast Guard received a request to extend 
the comment period for an additional 45 days on its advance notice of 
proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) entitled ``Safety Management Systems for 
Domestic Passenger Vessels,'' that was published January 15, 2021 (86 
FR 3899). The requester cited ongoing COVID-19 impacts and that vessel 
owners and operators of the potentially affected population are 
impacted operationally. In response to this request, we are extending 
the comment period to June 1, 2021.
    The Coast Guard is evaluating the potential use of Safety 
Management Systems (SMSs) to improve safety and reduce marine 
casualties on board U.S. flagged passenger vessels. The ANPRM published 
January 15, 2021, seeks public input and responses to specific 
questions on the feasibility, applicability, and nature of Safety 
Management Systems for potential use on U.S.-flagged passenger vessels. 
The Coast Guard may use this information to develop a proposed rule.
    On March 1, 2021, we published a correction (86 FR 11913) to one of 
the questions in the ANPRM. The corrected Question 19 now reads: ``How 
would the costs and benefits of expanding other existing regulations, 
as detailed in question 6, differ from the costs and benefits of 
requiring SMSs for all passenger vessels?''
    We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. If you cannot submit your 
material by using https://www.regulations.gov, call or email the person 
in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for 
alternate instructions.
    The ANPRM and public comments in response to it are available in 
our online docket at https://www.regulations.gov, and can be viewed by 
following that website's instructions. We review all comments received, 
but we will only post comments that address the topic of the ANPRM. We 
may choose not to post off-topic, inappropriate, or duplicate comments 
that we receive. Additionally, if you visit the online docket and sign 
up for email alerts, you will be notified when comments or additional 
documents are posted. The Coast Guard will not issue a separate 
response to the comments received, but will carefully consider each 
comment and will address them in a proposed rule if one is developed.
    We accept anonymous comments. Comments we post to https://www.regulations.gov will include any personal information you have 
provided. For more about privacy and submissions in response to this 
document, see the Department of Homeland Security's eRulemaking System 
of Records notice (85 FR 14226, March 11, 2020).

    Dated: March 19, 2021.
M.T. Cunningham,
Chief, Office of Regulations and Administrative Law.
[FR Doc. 2021-06145 Filed 3-31-21; 8:45 am]
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