[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 123 (Tuesday, June 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38418-38420]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-13272]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2022-0047]


Port Access Route Study: Approaches to Maine, New Hampshire, and 
Massachusetts

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notification of inquiry and public meetings; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is seeking additional information related to 
the notice of study that was published on March 31, 2022, regarding the 
Approaches to Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts Port Access Route 
Study (MNMPARS). Following a review of preliminary data and submitted 
comments, we have identified several areas of additional inquiry 
related to the study. We invite your comments and responses to the 
proposed questions and information requests as well as all other 
comments that address potential impacts to navigation within the area 
of study.

DATES: Comments and related material must be received on or before 
August

[[Page 38419]]

29, 2022. Commenters should be aware that the electronic Federal Docket 
Management System will not accept comments after midnight Eastern 
Daylight Time on the last day of the comment period.
    Although the Coast Guard highly encourages comments and related 
material to be submitted directly to the electronic docket, five in-
person public meetings will be held to provide an opportunity for oral 
comment on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., on 
Wednesday, August 3, 2022, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., on Wednesday, August 
10, 2022, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., on Thursday, August 11, 2022, from 3 
p.m. to 5 p.m., and on Wednesday, August 17, 2022, from 3 p.m. to 5 
p.m. In addition, a virtual public meeting will also be held on 
Thursday, August 18, 2022, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. via webinar and 
teleconference to provide an oral comment opportunity for those unable 
to attend the in-person events. See the ``Public Participation and 
Request for Comments'' portion of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
for more information on the public meeting dates, times, and locations.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2022-0047 using the Federal eRulemaking Portal 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 
supplemental notice of study, call or email LTJG Thomas Davis, First 
Coast Guard District (dpw), U.S. Coast Guard; telephone (617) 223-8632, 
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
MNMPARS Approaches to Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts Port 
Access Route Study
MTS Marine Transportation System
PARS Port Access Route Study
TSS Traffic Separation Scheme
USCG United States Coast Guard

II. Background and Purpose

    On March 31, 2022, the Coast Guard published a Notice of Study; 
request for comments entitled ``Port Access Route Study (PARS): 
Approaches to Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts'' in the Federal 
Register (87 FR 18800). The purpose of the MNMPARS is to evaluate the 
adequacy of existing vessel routing measures and determine whether 
additional vessel routing measures are necessary for port approaches to 
Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts and international and domestic 
transit areas in the First Coast Guard District area of responsibility. 
This undertaking is required by 46 U.S.C. 70003, which calls for the 
Coast Guard to conduct a PARS prior to establishing fairways or traffic 
separation schemes (TSSs).
    The public was afforded a 45-day comment period during which the 
Coast Guard received 14 comments in response to the Federal Register 
Notice and various other outreach efforts. A review of available data 
and submitted comments has identified additional opportunities for 
inquiry that may help inform several aspects of the study.
    All comments and supporting documents are available in a public 
docket and can be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov. In the 
``Search'' box insert ``USCG-2022-0047'' and click ``Search.'' Then 
scroll down to and click on the ``notice'' entitled ``Port Access Route 
Study: Approaches to Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.'' 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.

III. Information Requested

    The Coast Guard is seeking responses to various general and port 
specific questions to gain additional insight into issues impacting 
regional navigation. Where possible and appropriate, please provide 
sources or other amplifying information to back up or explain your 
responses. Also, please provide as much relevant detail as possible 
when describing your position on a subject and how you've reached your 
conclusion.
    A. General Questions: Have maritime community members experienced 
or do they anticipate any impacts to navigation in the areas within or 
adjacent to the Gulf of Maine, the New Hampshire Seacoast, or 
Massachusetts Bay?
    1. How will vessel navigation routes change as a result of planned 
or potential future developments?
    2. What current waterway operations affect navigation? In what way?
    3. Are there strains on the current vessel routing systems?
    4. Are modifications to existing vessel routing measures needed to 
address hazards and improve efficiency? If so, please describe.
    5. Does the maritime community request additional routing measures, 
other than those that currently exist? Please be as specific as 
possible.
    B. Port Specific Questions: Analysis of AIS data suggests several 
primary vessel traffic patterns are used to access principal ports 
within the study area. Based on observed traffic density and public 
comment, the Coast Guard requests the following feedback:
    1. Are alternate routes that bypass traffic lanes in the approaches 
to Portland used as a matter of convenience or hazard avoidance? If so, 
in what regard? Please be specific.
    2. Should the Portland Eastern and Southern Approach TSS be amended 
to better accommodate inbound/outbound traffic between Portland, 
Boston, and Canada? In what ways would changes be beneficial or 
counterproductive?
    3. Are additional routing measures needed to provide greater safety 
for towing vessel traffic transiting offshore of Massachusetts, New 
Hampshire, and Maine? If so, what type of measures and how would they 
be beneficial?
    4. Are additional routing measures, such as a Northeast Approach 
TSS, necessary to support Massachusetts Bay/Boston commercial traffic?
    5. Is a Navigational Safety Fairway necessary to accommodate vessel 
traffic from Boston to the Bay of Fundy?
    6. Are additional or amendments to current routing measures needed 
for approaches to other port areas including Eastport, Searsport, and 
Portsmouth?

IV. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We encourage you to participate in this study by submitting 
responses to these questions and any other relevant comments and 
related materials.
    A. Submitting Comments: To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov, and insert ``USCG-2022-0047'' 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

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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 will include any personal information you have 
provided. 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.
    B. Public Meetings: The Coast Guard plans to host six public 
meetings, five in-person and one virtual, to receive oral comments on 
this notice. If you bring written comments to the in-person public 
meetings, you may submit them to LTJG Thomas Davis and they will be 
added to the online public docket. We recommend that you include your 
name and preferred method of contact in the body of your document so 
that we can contact you if we have questions regarding your submission. 
We will provide a written summary of the oral comments received and 
will place that summary in the docket. The public meeting schedule is 
as follows:
    1. Portsmouth, NH: The first public meeting on Tuesday, August 2, 
2022, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., will be held at the NH Department of 
Environmental Services, 222 International Drive, Suite 175, Portsmouth, 
NH 03801.
    2. Salem, MA: The second public meeting on Wednesday, August 3, 
2022, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., will be held at the Winter Island Function 
Hall, 50 Winter Island Road, Salem, MA 01970.
    3. Jonesport, ME: The third public meeting on Wednesday, August 10, 
2022, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., will be held at USCG Station Jonesport, 9 
Bridge Street, Jonesport, ME 04649.
    4. Belfast, ME: The fourth public meeting on Thursday, August 11, 
2022, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., will be held at the University of Maine 
Hutchinson Center, Conference Room 138, 80 Belmont Avenue, Belfast, ME 
04915.
    5. Portland, ME: The fifth public meeting on Wednesday, August 17, 
2022, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., will be held at the International Marine 
Terminal, 454 Commercial Street, Portland, ME 0410.
    6. The sixth public meeting will be held virtually via Zoom and 
teleconference on Thursday, August 18, 2022, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
    A link and login instructions for the virtual meeting, as well as 
additional information regarding the in-person meetings, will be posted 
to the ``News and Events'' section of the CG Sector Boston Homeport 
website at https://homeport.uscg.mil/port-directory/boston and the CG 
Sector Northern New England Homeport website at https://homeport.uscg.mil/port-directory/northern-new-england-(portland-maine), 
by July 18, 2022.
    C. How do I find and browse for posted comments on Regulations.gov: 
On the previous version of Regulations.gov, users browsed 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 notice go to http://www.regulations.gov and 
insert ``USCG-2022-0047'' in the ``search box.'' Click ``Search.'' Then 
scroll down to and click on the ``notice'' entitled ``Port Access Route 
Study: Notification of inquiry and public meetings; 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).
    This notice is published under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 552(a).

    Dated: June 10, 2022.
J.W. Mauger,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, First Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2022-13272 Filed 6-27-22; 8:45 am]
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