[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 183 (Friday, September 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53089-53091]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-20797]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket Number USCG-202-0172]


Port Access Route Study: Seacoast of New Jersey Including 
Offshore Approaches to the Delaware Bay, Delaware

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

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

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SUMMARY: On May 5, 2020, the Coast Guard published a notice of study 
and request for comments (85 FR 26695), announcing a Port Access Route 
Study (PARS) for the Seacoast of New Jersey Including Offshore 
Approaches to the Delaware Bay, Delaware. This notice announces the 
availability of a draft report for public review and comment. We seek 
your comments on the content, proposed routing measures, and 
development of the report. The recommendations of the study may lead to 
future rulemakings or appropriate international agreements.

DATES: Your comments and related material must reach the Coast Guard on 
or before October 25, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2020-0172 using the Federal Decision Making 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about this 
notice or study, call or email Mr. Jerry Barnes, Fifth Coast Guard 
District (dpw), U.S. Coast Guard; telephone (757) 398-6230, email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 53090]]

I. Table of Abbreviations

AIS--Automated Information System
DHS--Department of Homeland Security
FR--Federal Register
NEPA--National Environmental Policy Act
PARS--Port Access Route Study
ACPARS--Atlantic Coast Ports Access Route Study
U.S.C.--United States Code
WEA--Wind Energy Area

II. Background and Purpose

    The Ports and Waterways Safety Act (46 U.S.C. 70003(c)) requires 
the Coast Guard to conduct a 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 supplemental study of routes 
used by all vessels to access ports on the Atlantic Coast of the United 
States (84 FR 9541, March 15, 2019). This notice announced PARS for 
specific port approaches and international transit areas along the 
Atlantic Coast. The purpose of the supplemental studies is to align the 
Atlantic Coast Port Access Route Study (ACPARS) (81 FR 13307, March 14, 
2016) with port approaches. The ACPARS analyzed the Atlantic Coast 
waters seaward of existing port approaches within the U.S. Exclusive 
Economic Zone and was finalized in 2017 (82 FR 16510, April 5, 2017).
    The purpose of this notice is to announce the availability of the 
draft PARS examining the seacoast of New Jersey and the offshore 
approaches to the Delaware Bay, Delaware. We encourage you to 
participate in the study process by submitting comments in response to 
this notice. This PARS used AIS data and information from stakeholders 
to identify and verify customary navigation routes as well as potential 
conflicts involving alternative activities, such as wind energy 
generation and offshore mineral exploitation and exploration off the 
seacoast of New Jersey and in the offshore approaches to the Delaware 
Bay, Delaware.
    The study area extends approximately 175 nautical miles seaward of 
the seacoast of New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland between Sandy Hook, 
New Jersey, and Ocean City, Maryland. An illustration showing the study 
area is available in the docket where indicated under ADDRESSES. 
Additionally, the study area is available for viewing on the Mid-
Atlantic Ocean Data Portal at http://portal.midatlanticocean.org/visualize/. See the ``Maritime'' portion of the Data Layers section.
    On May 5, 2020, the Coast Guard published a Notice of Study; 
request for comments entitled ``Port Access Route Study: Seacoast of 
New Jersey Including Offshore Approaches to the Delaware Bay, 
Delaware'' in the Federal Register (85 FR 26695). The initial comment 
period closed on July 5, 2020. The Coast Guard conducted two virtual 
public meetings on October 29 and November 4, 2020. Recordings of the 
public meetings are available from the docket. The comment period re-
opened through November 10, 2020. The Coast Guard also conducted 
outreach with port partners during this time.

IV. Information Requested

    PARS are the means by which program managers determine the need to 
establish traffic routing measures or shipping safety fairways to 
reduce the risk of collision, allision and grounding, and their impact 
on the environment, increase the efficiency and predictability of 
vessel traffic, and preserve the paramount right of navigation while 
continuing to allow for other reasonable waterway uses. The study 
analyzes current routing measures around the approaches to Delaware Bay 
and proposes an adequate way to manage forecasted maritime traffic 
growth. The study also reviewed coastal port access from the seacoast 
of New Jersey and the co-dependent use of the waters in support of 
future development.
    The Coast Guard received 34 comments in response to our Federal 
Register notice and other outreach efforts. All comments and supporting 
documents are available in a public docket and can be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov. To do so, go to https://www.regulations.gov, type 
USCG-2020-0172 in the ``SEARCH'' box and click ``SEARCH.'' Next, look 
for this document in the Search Results column, and click on it. These 
comments were submitted by commercial maritime operators, including 
fishing vessel operators, state, and port partners. Topics covered by 
these comments included support and requests for additional routing 
measures around WEAs, requests for collaboration with state 
organizations, and requests for NEPA compliance and Environmental 
Impact Studies to be completed. A synopsis of the comments and copies 
of the Coast Guard's Public outreach can be found in the report.
    As a result of the data analysis within this study and considering 
the comments received the Coast Guard proposes six modified or 
additional measures for consideration by the public. We seek your input 
on these proposals and welcome comment on any impact to vessel transit 
time, fishing activity, and/or navigation safety. All comments received 
will be reviewed and considered before a final version of the PARS 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).

V. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    Submitting comments. We encourage you to submit comments through 
the Federal Decision Making Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. To 
do so, go to https://www.regulations.gov, type USCG-202-0172 in the 
search box and click ``Search.'' Next, look for this document in the 
Search Results column, and click on it. Then click on the Comment 
option. 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 notice for alternate instructions.
    Viewing material in docket. To view documents mentioned in this 
proposed rule as being available in the docket, find the docket as 
described in the previous paragraph, and then select ``Supporting & 
Related Material'' in the Document Type column. Public comments will 
also be placed in our online docket and can be viewed by following 
instructions on the https://www.regulations.gov Frequently Asked 
Questions web page. We review all comments received, but we will only 
post comments that address the topic of the proposed rule. We may 
choose not to post off-topic, inappropriate, or duplicate comments that 
we receive.
    Personal information. 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 
to the docket in response to this document, see DHS's eRulemaking 
System of Records notice (85 FR 14226, March 11, 2020).


[[Page 53091]]


    Dated: September 13, 2021.
Laura M. Dickey,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2021-20797 Filed 9-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P