[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 148 (Thursday, August 3, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51397-51399]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16532]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket Number MARAD-2023-0163]


Request for Information: Center for Maritime Innovation

AGENCY: Maritime Administration (MARAD), Department of Transportation 
(DOT).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice requests information from the public to assist 
MARAD in determining how best to organize and structure a Center for 
Maritime Innovation (the ``Center'').

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MARAD authority in this area provides the Center to support the study, 
research, development, assessment, and deployment of emerging marine 
technologies and practices related to the maritime transportation 
system. MARAD is seeking comments and information on the qualities, 
competencies, and costs required for the functioning of such a Center; 
its structure and organization; and suggestions and experiences 
establishing this kind of secretariat.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 2, 2023. MARAD 
will consider comments filed after this date to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Your comments should refer to DOT Docket Number MARAD-2023-
0163 and may be submitted by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Search 
``MARAD-2023-0163'' and follow the instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail/Hand-Delivery/Courier: Docket Management Facility; 
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W12-
140, Washington, DC 20590. If you would like to know that your comments 
reached the facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard 
or envelope. The Docket Management Facility is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 
p.m. E.T., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.
    To avoid duplication, please use only one of the above methods. See 
the ``Public Participation'' section below for instructions on 
submitting comments.
    Unless there is a request for confidential treatment, all comments 
received will be posted without change to the docket at 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
    You may view the public comments at www.regulations.gov. When 
searching for comments, please use the Docket ID: MARAD-2023-0163. An 
electronic copy of this document may also be downloaded from the Office 
of the Federal Register's website at www.FederalRegister.gov and the 
Government Publishing Office's website at www.GovInfo.gov.
    Note: If you mail or hand-deliver your input, we recommend that you 
include your name and a mailing address, an email address, or a 
telephone number in the body of your document so that we can contact 
you if we have questions regarding your submission. If you submit your 
inputs by mail or hand-delivery, they must be submitted in an unbound 
format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, single-sided, suitable for 
copying and electronic filing.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket number. For detailed instructions on submitting comments and 
additional information on the rulemaking process, see the section 
entitled Public Participation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carolyn E. Junemann, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, Office of Environment and Innovation, at (202) 
569-3899, or via email at [email protected]. You may send mail to Dr. 
Junemann at Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, 1200 
New Jersey Avenue SE, W25-308, Washington, DC 20590. If you have 
questions on viewing the Docket, call Docket Operations, telephone: 
(800) 647-5527.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3543 of the James M. Inhofe National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (NDAA), codified at 46 
U.S.C 50307, directs the Secretary of Transportation, through a 
competitive cooperative agreement, to establish a Center to support the 
study, research, development, assessment, and deployment of emerging 
marine technologies and practices related to emerging environmental 
challenges faced by the maritime transportation system.
    Specifically, the Center is envisioned to consist of a core 
advisory council that partners closely with MARAD and assigns working 
groups to address specific areas of concern for the industry. The 
Center would be run by an administrative organization that acts as a 
secretariat to facilitate the work of the Center and its subsidiary 
workgroups and functions. The Secretariat would be selected through a 
competitive process of eligible domestic entities, preferably a 
nonprofit organization. The secretariat would have competencies in 
facilitation and administering this type of initiative. They would also 
preferably have familiarity with emerging marine environmental 
technologies, policies, and practices related to the maritime 
transportation system, including the use of alternative fuels and the 
development of both vessel and shoreside infrastructure.
    The major duties of the Center and its working groups are 
envisioned to include:
     facilitating the development and use of clean energy and 
necessary infrastructure to support the deployment of clean energy on 
vessels of the United States;
     monitoring and assessing, on an ongoing basis, the current 
state of knowledge regarding emerging marine technologies in the United 
States;
     identifying any significant gaps in emerging marine 
technologies research specific to the United States maritime industry, 
and seeking to fill those gaps;
     conducting research, development, testing, and evaluation 
for equipment, technologies, and techniques related to marine 
environmental protection;
     providing guidance on best available technologies;
     conducting technical analysis; assisting with 
understanding complex regulatory requirements; and documenting best 
practices in the maritime industry, including training and 
informational webinars on solutions for the maritime industry; and
     working with academic and private sector response training 
centers and Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education Centers 
of Excellence to develop maritime strategies applicable to various 
segments of the United States maritime industry, including the inland, 
deep water, and coastal fleets.
    Subject matter working groups will be determined by the Center's 
core, but could include:
     development of technologies and practices for minimizing 
the introduction and spread of aquatic nuisance species;
     mitigation of vessel-generated underwater noise, and 
emergent environmental issues as identified by the center; and
     decarbonization of the maritime fleet through development 
and deployment of zero and near-zero fuels, technologies, and policies.
    The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to seek 
comments and information on:
     the qualities, competencies, and costs required for the 
secretariat function of such a Center;
     the proposed structure and organization detailed herein; 
and
     suggestions and experiences with establishing this kind of 
secretariat, to include but not limited to lessons learned and best 
practices for form, function, and administration.
    Funds were not appropriated, however, insights gained from this RFI 
will assist MARAD in the development of a structure and framework for 
the Center for Maritime Innovation and guide ensuing activities, should 
funding become available.

Public Participation

How do I submit comments?

    Include the docket number in your comments to ensure that your 
comments are correctly filed in the Docket. We

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encourage you to provide concise comments; however, you may attach 
additional documents as necessary. There is no limit on the length of 
the attachments. Please submit your comments, including the 
attachments, following the instructions provided under the above-
entitled heading ADDRESSES.
    MARAD will consider all comments received before the close of 
business on the comment closing date indicated above under DATES. To 
the extent possible, MARAD will also consider comments received after 
that date.
    For access to the docket to submit or read comments received, go to 
the Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 
New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 
20590. The Docket Management Facility is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., 
E.T., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays. To review 
documents, read comments or to submit comments, the docket is also 
available online at www.regulations.gov, keyword search ``MARAD-2023-
0163.''
    Please note that even after the comment period has closed, MARAD 
will continue to file relevant information in the Docket as it becomes 
available. Further, some people may submit late comments. Accordingly, 
MARAD recommends that you periodically check the Docket for new 
material.

Will my comments be made available to the public?

    Before including your address, phone number, email address or other 
personal information in your comment, be aware that your entire 
comment, including your personal identifying information, will be made 
publicly available.

May I submit comments confidentially?

    If you wish to submit comments under a claim of confidentiality, 
you should submit your complete submission, including the information 
you claim to be confidential business information, to the Department of 
Transportation, Maritime Administration, Office of Legislation and 
Regulations, MAR-225, W24-220, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, 
DC 20590. When you submit comments containing information claimed to be 
confidential information, you should include a cover letter setting 
forth with specificity the basis for any such claim and, if possible, a 
summary of your submission that can be made available to the public.

Privacy Act

    Anyone can search the electronic form of all 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.). For information on DOT's compliance with 
the Privacy Act, please visit www.transportation.gov/privacy.

Request for Information

    MARAD seeks advice and input from the public and U.S. entities who 
would be stakeholders participating in the Center or with competencies 
described above for the desired secretariat function. Please comment 
specifically on the following:
    1. Prospective organizations for hosting the Center, detailed as 
follows:
    (a) Preferably U.S. nonprofits, or qualities of such an 
organization that could serve as a potential host for undertaking the 
secretariat function of such a Center as described in Section 3543(e) 
of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2023.
    2. The Center's structure and organization, detailed as follows:
    (a) The Center for Maritime Innovation will foster industry 
partnerships and active collaboration to find solutions to the most 
pressing maritime environmental issues in the U.S.
    (b) The Center is envisioned to consist of a central executive 
committee that is guided by MARAD, supported by a non-profit 
organization to act as a secretariat, and comprised of key stakeholders 
primarily from the maritime industry (such as ship owners and port 
operators) but may include representatives from NGOs and academia.
    (c) The Center would be responsible for identifying key focus areas 
of environmental concern to the U.S. maritime industry and developing, 
deploying, and administering dedicated working groups to address those 
subjects.
    (d) The secretariat will be responsible for recruiting the Center's 
committee members, in consultation with MARAD, and for organizing, 
facilitating, and administration of the Center. Administration tasks 
may include hosting and facilitating meetings and workshops, 
identifying key issues for consideration by the committee, and 
facilitating the development of focus area working groups and the terms 
of reference that guide their activities.
    3. The Center's method of work, detailed as follows:
    (a) Once focus areas are determined by the Center, it will develop 
dedicated working groups of experts and task them to break down a 
problem into components that can be further analyzed in order to 
develop recommendations. Experts will come from both the public and 
private sector and be matched to the level of need and ambition for 
specific projects. The central executive committee will assemble 
periodically to monitor the progress of the working groups and adjust 
their tasks and resources as needed and ensure that the work is aligned 
with the pace and substance of MARAD's relevant strategies. At 
appropriate intervals, the Center will meet to assess the overall 
effectiveness of the Center's work and discuss whether new focus areas 
and resources are needed.
    4. Additional information on practical considerations that can 
inform implementation of the Center.

(Authority: 46 U.S.C. 50307; 49 CFR 1.93(a).)

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2023-16532 Filed 8-2-23; 8:45 am]
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