[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 129 (Friday, July 7, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43412-43413]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14403]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket No. MARAD-2020-0133]


Decommissioning and Disposition of the National Historic Landmark 
Vessel N.S. Savannah; Establishment of the Peer Review Group; and 
Schedule of PRG Meetings

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act 
(NHPA) and its implementing regulations, the Maritime Administration 
(MARAD) has developed and executed a Programmatic Agreement (PA) among 
the U.S. Department of Transportation, MARAD, the U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Advisory Council on Historic 
Preservation (ACHP), and the Maryland State Historic Preservation 
Officer (SHPO) for the Decommissioning and Disposition of the Nuclear 
Ship Savannah (NSS). The PA executed on March 17, 2023, outlines the 
process for the decommissioning and disposition of the NSS. The PA is 
available for review on the MARAD docket located at www.regulations.gov 
under docket id ``MARAD-2020-0133.'' Stipulation II of the PA 
establishes a Peer Review Group (PRG) and affords the public an 
opportunity to participate in PRG activities, including attending 
meetings and reviewing draft deliverables developed as part of the PA. 
MARAD encourages public participation and is providing the preliminary 
PRG meeting schedule for 2023 and 2024 in the DATES section below.

DATES: The PRG plans to meet every two months on the third Tuesday of 
the month from 2:30-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The preliminary meeting 
schedule for 2023 through 2024 is as follows:

 2023: July 18, September 19, November 21
 2024: January 16, March 19, May 21, July 16, September 17, 
November 19


ADDRESSES: PRG meetings will be hosted onboard the NSS with remote 
access available to participate online. The NSS is located at Pier 13 
Canton Marine Terminal, 4601 Newgate Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21124.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erhard W. Koehler, (202) 680-2066 or 
via email at [email protected]. Persons who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above 
individual during business hours. The FIRS is available twenty-four 
hours a day, seven days a week, to leave a message or question. You 
will receive a reply during normal business hours. You may send mail to 
N.S. Savannah/Savannah Technical Staff, Pier 13 Canton Marine Terminal, 
4601 Newgate Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224, ATTN: Erhard Koehler.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Built in 1959, NSS is the world's first nuclear-powered merchant 
ship and served as a signature element of President Eisenhower's Atoms 
for Peace program. While in service, NSS demonstrated the peaceful use 
of atomic power and explored the feasibility of nuclear-powered 
merchant vessels. The vessel was retired from active service in 1970. 
It was designated as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) in 1991. NSS is 
currently part of MARAD's National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) in 
retention status. Additional information regarding the vessel is 
available at https://www.maritime.dot.gov/nssavannah.
    The NSS nuclear power plant is licensed by the NRC. MARAD is 
decommissioning the nuclear power plant, which will result in the 
termination of the NRC license. The license termination will lead to 
MARAD's disposition of the NSS. Because the decommissioning and 
disposition of the NSS is an Undertaking under Section 106 of the NHPA, 
MARAD initiated consultation in 2018 with the Maryland SHPO, the ACHP, 
the NRC, the National Park Service (NPS) and other consulting parties. 
Given the complexities of the Undertaking, including the yet 
undetermined disposition of the NSS, the parties agreed to develop a PA 
to guide the execution of the Undertaking.
    Section 106 requires that federal agencies consider views of the 
public regarding their Undertakings; therefore, in 2020, MARAD 
established a Federal docket at https://www.regulations.gov/docket/MARAD-2020-0133 to provide public notice about the NSS Undertaking. The 
federal docket was also used in 2021 to solicit public comments on the 
future uses of the NSS. Moving forward, this same docket will be used 
as a resource to take in public comment, share information, and post 
agency actions.
    On March 17, 2023, the PA among the U.S. Department of 
Transportation, MARAD, the NRC, the ACHP, and the Maryland SHPO for the 
Decommissioning and Disposition of the NSS was executed. The PA 
stipulates a deliberative process by which MARAD will consider the 
disposition of the NSS. This process requires MARAD to make an 
affirmative, good-faith effort to preserve the NSS. The PA also 
establishes the PRG in Stipulation II. The PRG is the mechanism for 
continuing consultation during the effective period of the PA and its 
members consist of the signatories and concurring parties to the PA, as 
well as other consulting parties, all of whom are recognized subject 
matter experts across various relevant fields and disciplines. The PRG 
members will provide individual input and guidance to MARAD, rather 
than building towards consensus group advice regarding the 
implementation of stipulations in the PA. PRG members and members of 
the public are invited to provide input by attending bi-monthly 
meetings and reviewing and commenting on deliverables developed as part 
of the PA.

[[Page 43413]]

PRG Meeting Agenda

    The PRG meeting agenda will typically include (1) Welcome and 
introduction; (2) Previous meeting minutes review; (3) Program update; 
(4) Status of PA stipulations; (5) Review of any deliverables provided; 
(6) Comments on any deliverables (7) Other business; and (8) Date of 
next meeting. MARAD will publish meeting agendas in the Federal 
Register and on its website a minimum of one week before each meeting.

Public Participation

    PRG meetings will be open to the public to attend in-person or 
virtually. MARAD will publish notices in advance of each meeting in the 
Federal Register and on MARAD's website that will provide meeting 
access information and other relevant information. MARAD posts will 
include information relative to the particular meeting, deliverables 
for review, and instructions on how best to provide public comment. 
Each meeting notice will direct members of the public who wish to 
participate to register their attendance through the person listed in 
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

    Note: The NSS is not compliant with the Americans with 
Disabilities Act (ADA). The ship has some capability to accommodate 
persons with impaired mobility, for which advance notice is 
required. If you require accommodations to attend PRG meetings in-
person, please include this information in your RSVP.

(Authority: 49 CFR 1.81 and 1.93; 36 CFR part 800; 5 U.S.C. 552b.)

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2023-14403 Filed 7-6-23; 8:45 am]
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