[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 133 (Thursday, July 15, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37339-37340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14757]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2020-0278]


Port Access Route Study: Northern New York Bight

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft report and public meeting; 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY: From June 29, 2020, through June 28, 2021, the Coast Guard 
conducted the Northern New York Bight Port Access Route Study 
(NNYBPARS) and is now requesting your comments on a draft version of 
the study report. The goal of the study is to evaluate the adequacy of 
existing vessel routing measures and determine whether additional 
vessel routing measures are necessary for port approaches to New York 
and New Jersey and international and domestic transit areas in the 
First District area of responsibility. To accomplish this goal, the 
Coast Guard has undertaken measures to determine whether existing or 
additional routing measures are necessary to improve navigation safety 
due to factors such as planned or potential offshore development, 
current port capabilities and planned improvements, increased vessel 
traffic, existing and potential anchorage areas, changing vessel 
traffic patterns, effects of weather, or navigational difficulty. We 
seek your comments on the content and development of the report.

DATES: Your comments and related material must reach the Coast Guard on 
or before August 30, 2021.
    Although the Coast Guard prefers and highly encourages all comments 
and related material be submitted directly to the electronic docket, a 
public meeting will be held via webinar and teleconference to provide 
an opportunity for oral comments about the NNYBPARS draft report on 
Friday, July 30, 2020, beginning at 9 a.m. EST.
    Additional public meetings dates may be added. Information as to 
the date, time, and location of these in person public meetings will be 
posted at https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=PARS by July 23, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2020-0278 using the Federal portal at https://www.regulations.gov. See 
the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion of the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for further instructions on 
submitting comments.
    A virtual public meeting on Friday, July 30, 2020, beginning at 9 
a.m. EST, will be held via webinar and teleconference.
    Access information for this virtual public meeting will be posted 
at https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=PARS by July 23, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice, 
contact Mr. Craig Lapiejko, Waterways Management at First Coast Guard 
District, telephone (617) 223-8351, email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Table of Abbreviations

ACPARS Atlantic Coast Port Access Route Study
AIS Automatic Identification System
COMDTINST Commandant Instruction
DHS Department of Homeland Security
EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone
IMO International Maritime Organization
MTS Marine Transportation System
NAD83 North American Datum of 1983
NNYB Northern New York Bight
PARS Port Access Route Study
PWSA Ports and Waterways Safety Act
TSS Traffic Separation Scheme
USCG United States Coast Guard

II. Background and Purpose

    The Ports and Waterways Safety Act (46 U.S.C. 70003(c)) requires 
the Coast Guard to conduct a Port Access Route Study (PARS), i.e., a 
study of potential traffic density and the need for safe access routes 
for vessels. Through the study process, the Coast Guard coordinates 
with Federal, State, local, tribal and foreign state agencies (as 
appropriate) to consider the views of maritime community 
representatives, environmental groups, and other interested 
stakeholders. The primary purpose of this coordination is, to the 
extent practicable, to reconcile the need for safe access routes with 
other reasonable waterway uses such as construction and operation of 
renewable energy facilities and other uses of the Atlantic Ocean in the 
study area.
    In 2019, the Coast Guard announced a new study of routes used by 
ships to access ports on the Atlantic Coast of the United States in the 
Federal Register (84 FR 9541; March 15, 2019). This new study 
supplements and builds upon the ACPARS by conducting a series of PARS 
to examine ports along the Atlantic Coast that are economically 
significant or support military or critical national defense operations 
and related international entry and departure transit areas that are 
integral to the safe and efficient and unimpeded flow of commerce to/
from major international shipping lanes. The NNYBPARS is one of several 
studies being conducted.
    On June 29, 2020, the First Coast Guard District published a notice 
of study and public meetings; request for comments entitled ``Port 
Access Route Study (PARS): Northern New York Bight'' in the Federal 
Register (85 FR 38907) to evaluate the adequacy of existing vessel 
routing measures and determine whether additional vessel routing 
measures are necessary for port approaches to New York and New Jersey 
and international and domestic transit areas in the First District area 
of responsibility.
    The public was afforded a 60-day comment period, and two virtual 
public meetings were held via teleconference and webinar to receive 
public input. The Coast Guard received 25 comments to this document in 
response to our Federal Register Notice, public meetings and other 
outreach efforts. All comments and supporting documents to this 
document are available in a public

[[Page 37340]]

docket and can be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov.
    On April 12, 2021, we published a supplemental notice of study; 
request for comments entitled ``Port Access Route Study (PARS): 
Northern New York Bight'' in the Federal Register (86 FR 18996) seeking 
additional information.
    The public was afforded a 30-day comment period. The Coast Guard 
received five comments to this document in response to our Federal 
Register Notice, and other outreach efforts. All comments and 
supporting documents to this document are available in a public docket 
and can be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov.
    During both comment periods a total of 30 comments were submitted 
by representatives of the maritime community, wind energy developers, 
non-governmental organizations, Federal and State governmental 
agencies, and private citizens.
    Of the thirty comments, fourteen requested additional routing 
measures be established, twelve expressed concerns that wind farm 
installations will negatively affect vessel's marine radar performance, 
eight requested setback/buffer zones, six requested anchorages be 
designated, six requested additional meetings, three requested 
alteration of existing routing measures, and three requested expanding 
Vessel Traffic Services.
    A synopsis of the comments and copies of the Coast Guard's Public 
outreach can be found in the report. The Coast Guard is opening this 
third and final NNYBPARS comment period to facilitate transparent 
public discussions on the information above as well as the draft report 
findings to date.

III. Information Requested

    Do you agree or disagree with the draft report's recommendations, 
propose actions, or continued actions, and if so, why?

V. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We encourage you to comment on the content and development of the 
report through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov.
    A. Viewing the draft version of the report: To view the draft 
version of the NNYBPARS report in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov, and insert ``USCG-2020-0278'' in the ``search 
box.'' Click ``Search''. Then scroll down looking of the document 
entitled ``DRAFT REPORT Northern New York Bight PARS June 29, 2021'' 
under the document type ``Supporting & Related Material.''
    B. Submitting Comments: To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov, and insert ``USCG-2020-0278'' in the ``search 
box.'' Click ``Search''. Then click ``Comment.'' The ``Comment'' button 
can be found on the following pages:
     Docket Details page when a document within the docket is 
open for comment,
     Document Details page when the document is open for 
comment, and
     Document Search Tab with all search results open for 
comment displaying a ``Comment'' button.
    Clicking ``Comment'' on any of the above pages will display the 
comment form. You can enter your comment on the form, attach files 
(maximum of 20 files up to 10MB each), and choose whether to identify 
yourself as an individual, an organization, or anonymously. Be sure to 
complete all required fields depending on which identity you have 
chosen. Once you have completed all required fields and chosen an 
identity, the ``Submit Comment'' button is enabled. Upon completion, 
you will receive a Comment Tracking Number for your comment. For 
additional step by step instructions, please see the Frequently Asked 
Questions page on http://www.regulations.gov or by clicking https://www.regulations.gov/faq.
    We accept anonymous comments. Comments we post to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any personal information you have 
provided. For more about privacy and submissions to the docket in 
response to this document, see DHS's eRulemaking System of Records 
notice (85 FR 14226, March 11, 2020).
    We review all comments and materials received during the comment 
period, but we may choose not to post off-topic, inappropriate, or 
duplicate comments that we receive.
    C. How do I find and browse for posted comments on Regulations.gov. 
On the previous version of Regulations.gov, users browse for comments 
on the Docket Details page. However, since comments are made on 
individual documents, not dockets, new Regulations.gov organizes 
comments under their corresponding document. To access comments and 
documents submitted to this draft version of the study report go to 
http://www.regulations.gov, and insert ``USCG-2020-0278'' in the 
``search box.'' Click ``Search''. Then scroll down to and click on the 
``notice'' entitled ``Port Access Route Study: Notice of availability 
of draft report and public information session; request for comments.'' 
This will open to the ``Document Details'' page. Then click on the 
``Browse Comments'' tab. On the comment tab, you can search and filter 
comments. Note: If no comments have been posted to a document, the 
``Comments'' tab will not appear on the Document Details page.
    D. If you need additional help navigating the new Regulations.gov. 
For additional step by step instructions to submit a comment or to view 
submitted comments or other documents please see the Frequently Asked 
Questions (FAQs) at http://www.regulations.gov/faqs or call or email 
the person in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this 
document for alternate instructions.
    E. 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, system of records notice regarding DHS's eRulemaking in 
the March 11, 2020, issue of the Federal Register (85 FR 14226).

VI. Future Actions

    Any comments received will be reviewed and considered before a 
final version of the NNYBPARS is announced in the Federal Register.
    This notice is published under the authority of 46 U.S.C. 70004 and 
5 U.S.C. 552(a).

    Dated: June 28, 2021.
T.G. Allan Jr.,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, First Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2021-14757 Filed 7-13-21; 4:15 pm]
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