Dry Cargo Residue Discharges in the Great Lakes; Preparation of Environmental Impact Statement, 12209-12211 [06-2258]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 46 / Thursday, March 9, 2006 / Notices should register online at https:// www.biosecurityboard.gov/meetings.asp or by calling The Hill Group (Contact: Jenny Chun) at 301–897–2789, ext. 115. Individuals who plan to attend and need special assistance, such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, should indicate these requirements upon registration. hsrobinson on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES Name of Committee: National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity. Date: March 30, 2006. Time: 8 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Agenda: Presentations and discussions regarding: (1) Criteria for identifying dual use research; (2) a code of conduct for the life sciences; (3) principles and tools for the responsible communication of dual use research; (4) international perspectives on dual use research; (5) synthetic genomics; (6) public comments; and (7) other business of the Board. Place: The National Institutes of Health, Building 31, 6C–Room 10, Bethesda, Maryland. Contact Person: Allison Chamberlain, NSABB Program Assistant, 6705 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, (301) 402–3090. This meeting will also be Webcast. The draft meeting agenda and other information about NSABB, including information about access to the Webcast and pre-registration, will be available at https://www.biosecurityboard.gov/ meetings.asp. Any member of the public interested in presenting oral comments at the meeting may notify the Contact Person listed on this notice at least 10 days in advance of the meeting. Interested individuals and representatives of an organization may submit a letter of intent, a brief description of the organization represented and a short description of the oral presentation Only one representative of an organization may be allowed to present oral comments. Both printed and electronic copies are requested for the record. In addition, any interested person may file written comments with the committee. All written comments must be received by March 17, 2005 and should be sent via email to nsabb@od.nih.gov with ‘‘NSABB Public Comment’’ as the subject line or by regular mail to 6705 Rockledge Drive, Suite 750, Bethesda, MD 20892, Attention Allison Chamberlain. The statement should include the name, address, telephone number and, when applicable, the business or professional affiliation of the interested person. Dated: March 1, 2006. Anna Snouffer, Acting Director, Office of Federal Advisory Committee Policy. [FR Doc. 06–2215 Filed 3–8–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4140–01–M 13:58 Mar 08, 2006 Jkt 208001 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Review; Amended Notice of Meeting Center for Scientific Review; Amended Notice of Meeting Notice is hereby given of a change in the meeting of the Center for Scientific Review Special Emphasis Panel, March 6, 2006, 8:30 a.m. to March 7, 2006, 1 p.m., One Washington Circle, One Washington Circle, NW., Washington, DC, 20037 which was published in the Federal Register on February 15, 2006, 71 FR 7985–7987. The meeting will be held one day only on March 6, 2006, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The meeting location remains the same. The meeting is closed to the public. Notice is hereby given of a change in the meeting of the Center for Scientific Review Special Emphasis Panel, March 22, 2006, 3 p.m. to March 22, 2006, 5 p.m., National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892 which was published in the Federal Register on February 23, 2006, 71 FR 9362–9363. The starting time of the meeting on March 22, 2006 has been changed to 2 p.m. until adjournment. The meeting date and location remain the same. The meeting is closed to the public. Dated: March 1, 2006. Anna Snouffer, Acting Director, Office of Federal Advisory Committee Policy. [FR Doc. 06–2213 Filed 3–8–06; 8:45 am] DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health Dated: February 28, 2006. Anna Snouffer, Acting Director, Office of Federal Advisory Committee Policy. [FR Doc. 06–2207 Filed 3–8–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4140–01–M DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Review; Amended Notice of Meeting Notice is hereby given of a change in the meeting of the Center for Scientific Review Special Emphasis Panel, March 7, 2006, 11 a.m. to March 7, 2006, 12 p.m., National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892 which was published in the Federal Register on February 23, 2006, 71 FR 9363–9367. The meeting will be held on March 21, 2006, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. The meeting location remains the same. The meeting is public. Dated: February 28, 2006. Anna Snouffer, Acting Director, Office of Federal Advisory Committee Policy. [FR Doc. 06–2208 Filed 3–8–06; 8:45am] BILLING CODE 4140–01–M VerDate Aug<31>2005 12209 PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 BILLING CODE 4140–01–M DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard [USCG–2004–19621] Dry Cargo Residue Discharges in the Great Lakes; Preparation of Environmental Impact Statement Coast Guard, DHS. Notice of intent; notice of availability; request for comments. AGENCY: ACTION: SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) in connection with the development of proposed new regulations on the incidental discharge of dry cargo residue in the Great Lakes. Publication of this notice begins a public scoping process that will help determine the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS and identify the significant environmental issues related to this EIS (40 CFR 1506.6). This notice also solicits public participation in the scoping process, and announces the availability of a study on current dry cargo residue discharge practices in the Great Lakes. DATES: Comments and related material must reach the Docket Management Facility on or before July 31, 2006. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Coast Guard docket number USCG–2004–19621 to the Docket Management Facility at the U.S. Department of Transportation. E:\FR\FM\09MRN1.SGM 09MRN1 12210 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 46 / Thursday, March 9, 2006 / Notices Address docket submissions for USCG–2004–19621 to: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590–0001. The Docket Management Facility accepts hand-delivered submissions, and makes docket contents available for public inspection and copying at this address, in room PL–401, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Facility’s telephone is 202–366–9329, its fax is 202–493–2251, and its Web site for electronic submissions or for electronic access to docket contents is https://dms.dot.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions regarding this notice, contact LCDR Mary Sohlberg, U.S. Coast Guard, fax 202–267–4690 or e-mail msohlberg@comdt.uscg.mil. If you have questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202–493– 0402. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: hsrobinson on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES Request for Comments We request public comments or other relevant information on environmental issues related to all aspects of incidental dry cargo residue discharges on the Great Lakes. You can submit comments to the Docket Management Facility during the public comment period (see DATES). We will consider all comments and material received during the comment period. Submissions should include: • Docket number USCG–2004–19621. • Your name and address. • Your reasons for making each comment or for bringing information to our attention. Submit comments or material using only one of the following methods: • Electronic submission to DMS, https://dms.dot.gov. • Fax, mail, or hand delivery to the Docket Management Facility (see ADDRESSES). Faxed or hand delivered submissions must be unbound, no larger than 81⁄2 by 11 inches, and suitable for copying and electronic scanning. If you mail your submission and want to know when it reaches the Facility, include a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope. Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or material, all submissions will be posted, without change, to the DMS Web site (https:// dms.dot.gov), and will include any personal information you provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes it public. You may wish to read VerDate Aug<31>2005 13:58 Mar 08, 2006 Jkt 208001 the Privacy Act notice that is available on the DMS Web site, or the Department of Transportation Privacy Act Statement that appeared in the Federal Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477). You may view docket submissions at the Docket Management Facility (see ADDRESSES), or electronically on the DMS Web site. Background The Coast Guard has previously published Federal Register documents concerning regulation of incidental dry cargo residue on the Great Lakes: 69 FR 1994 (January 13, 2004), 69 FR 57711 (September 27, 2004), 69 FR 77147 (December 27, 2004; corrected at 70 FR 1400, January 7, 2005). The historical practice of bulk dry cargo vessels on the Great Lakes is to wash non-hazardous and non-toxic cargo residues (‘‘dry cargo residue’’ or ‘‘cargo sweepings’’) overboard. These non-hazardous non-toxic discharges eliminate unsafe conditions onboard the vessel, without requiring alternatives that could involve time delays or added cost. Current environmental statutes, if strictly enforced, would prohibit these incidental discharges. However, under an ‘‘interim enforcement policy’’ (IEP) first adopted by the Coast Guard’s Ninth District in 1993, incidental discharges of dry cargo residue are permitted in defined portions of the Great Lakes. Congress has authorized continuation of the IEP until September 30, 2008, unless the Coast Guard acts sooner to replace the IEP with new regulations. Dry cargo residue on the Great Lakes generally includes, but is not limited to, limestone and other clean stone, iron ore such as taconite, coal and salt, and cement. The IEP applies only to such cargo residues, and does not alter the strict prohibition of any discharge of oily waste, untreated sewage, plastics, dunnage, or other things commonly understood to be ‘‘garbage,’’ from vessels on the Great Lakes. Nor does the IEP permit the discharge of any substance known to be toxic or hazardous, such as nickel, copper, zinc, or lead. The IEP permits incidental dry cargo residue discharges only in areas that are relatively far from shore, and that meet depth restrictions and other restrictions near special protection areas. Our December 27, 2004 Federal Register document (69 FR 77147; corrected at 70 FR 1400, January 7, 2005) announced that we would conduct a study of current dry cargo residue discharge practices in the Great Lakes, and requested information from the public that could help us conduct that study. The study is now complete PO 00000 Frm 00050 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 and is available for public review either electronically or at the Docket Management Facility (see ADDRESSES and Request for Comments). Proposed Action and Alternatives The proposed action is to adopt the IEP as the basis for permanent regulations, adding new requirements for standardized record-keeping by vessels that discharge dry cargo residue. The discharges that require logging, the format for log entries, the retention time of the logs, and the physical location of the log would be specified. The alternatives to the proposed action include: • Allowing the IEP to terminate on September 30, 2008, after which the Coast Guard would enforce all laws applicable to the discharge of dry cargo residues into the Great Lakes. For the purposes of our environmental review this represents the ‘‘no-action’’ alternative; • Adopting the IEP as the basis for permanent regulations, without significant change; • Adopting the IEP as the basis for permanent regulations, possibly with significant changes (other than recordkeeping) designed to reduce the environmental impact. Possible changes would be specified and could include adoption of best management practices, quantity limits, cargo type limits, or additional restrictions on discharge locations; • Developing a Coast Guard permit system for vessels discharging incidental dry cargo residue; and • Regulating shoreside facilities to control or eliminate dry cargo spillage during vessel loading or unloading. Scoping Process The scoping process (40 CFR 1501.7) is an early and open process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed in an EIS and for identifying the significant issues related to the proposed action. The scoping process begins with publication of this notice and ends when the Coast Guard has completed the following actions: • Invites the participation of Federal, State, and local agencies, any affected Indian tribe, the applicant, and other interested persons; • Determines the actions, alternatives, and impacts described in 40 CFR 1508.25; • Identifies and eliminates from detailed study those issues that are not significant or that are previously documented and can be incorporated by reference; • Allocates responsibility for preparing EIS components; E:\FR\FM\09MRN1.SGM 09MRN1 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 46 / Thursday, March 9, 2006 / Notices • Indicates any related environmental assessments or environmental impact statements that are not part of the EIS; • Identifies other relevant environmental review and consultation requirements; • Indicates the relationship between timing of the environmental review and other aspects of the application process; and • At its discretion, exercises the options provided in 40 CFR 1501.7(b). The Coast Guard will publish a Federal Register Notice to announce a public meeting and will include the time, location, and venue for the meeting as part of the scoping process under NEPA for this action. The Coast Guard intends to announce these details after gauging the level of public interest in response to the current notice. Once the scoping process is complete, the Coast Guard will prepare a draft EIS, and we will publish a Federal Register notice announcing its public availability. If you wish to be mailed or e-mailed the public meeting notice or the draft EIS notice of availability, please contact the person named in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. We will provide the public with an opportunity to review and comment on the draft EIS. After the Coast Guard considers those comments, we will prepare the final EIS and similarly announce its availability and issue a Record of Decision 30 days later. Dated: March 6, 2006. Howard L. Hime, Acting Director of Standards, Assistant Commandant for Prevention. [FR Doc. 06–2258 Filed 3–6–06; 4:25 pm] BILLING CODE 4910–15–P DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard [USCG–2006–24105] Chemical Transportation Advisory Committee Coast Guard, DHS. Notice of open teleconference meeting. AGENCY: hsrobinson on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES ACTION: SUMMARY: This notice announces a teleconference of the Chemical Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC). The purpose of the teleconference is for CTAC to approve comments to be submitted on the Coast Guard’s Notification of Arrival in U.S. Ports and Certain Dangerous Cargo interim rule. Less than 15 days notice of this teleconference is given in order to complete timely input on critical issues VerDate Aug<31>2005 13:58 Mar 08, 2006 Jkt 208001 being studied by the Coast Guard before the end of the interim rule’s comment period on March 16, 2006. DATES: The CTAC teleconference will take place on Monday, March 13, 2006, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, EST. The teleconference may close early if all business is finished. Written material and requests to make oral presentations should reach the Coast Guard on or before March 10, 2006. Requests to have a copy of your material distributed to each member of the Committee should reach the Coast Guard on or before March 10, 2006. ADDRESSES: Members of the public may participate in this teleconference by dialing 1–202–366–3920, passcode: 5543. Public participation is welcomed; however, the number of teleconference lines is limited and available on a first come, first-served basis. Members of the public may also participate by coming to Room 3319, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second Street, SW., Washington, DC 20593–0001. We request that members of the public who plan to attend this meeting, notify LT Barker or LT Stockwell at 202–267–1217 so proper security arrangements may be made. Send written material and requests to make oral presentations to Commander Robert J. Hennessy, Executive Director of CTAC, Commandant (G–PSO–3), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second Street SW., Washington, DC 20593–0001 or email: CTAC@comdt.uscg.mil. This notice is available on the Internet at https://dms.dot.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Commander Robert J. Hennessy, Executive Director of CTAC, or Ms. Sara Ju, Assistant to the Executive Director, telephone 202–267–1217, fax 202–267– 4570. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of these meetings is given under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2. The purpose of the teleconference is for CTAC to approve comments to be submitted on the Coast Guard’s Notification of Arrival in U.S. Ports and Certain Dangerous Cargo interim rule (70 FR 74663, December 16, 2005). Less than 15 days notice of this teleconference is given in order to complete timely input on critical issues being studied by the Coast Guard before the end of the interim rule’s comment period on March 16, 2006. Agenda for Teleconference (1) Introductions and opening remarks. (2) Discussion and vote on comments drafted by Hazardous Cargo Transportation Security Subcommittee PO 00000 Frm 00051 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 12211 for submission to the U.S. Coast Guard concerning the Notification of Arrival in U.S. Ports and Certain Dangerous Cargo Federal Register document (70 FR 74663, December 16, 2005). (3) Discussion and vote on Best Practices developed by the Outreach Subcommittee concerning the vapor emissions from chemical barges. (4) Public comment period. Procedural The teleconference is open to the public. Please note that the teleconference may close early if all business is finished. The Chair of CTAC shall conduct the teleconference in a way that will, in their judgment, facilitate the orderly conduct of business. Members of the public will be heard during the public comment period. The Chair will make every effort to hear the views of all interested parties. Written comments must be submitted to the Executive Director (see ADDRESSES) on or before March 10, 2006. The teleconference will be recorded and a summary will be available for public review upon request approximately 30 days following the teleconference meeting. Dated: March 3, 2006. Howard L. Hime, Acting Director of Standards, Assistant Commandant for Prevention. [FR Doc. 06–2259 Filed 3–6–06; 4:25 pm] BILLING CODE 4910–15–P DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information Collection Activities: Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection; Comment Request 30-Day Notice of Information Collection Under Review: Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, Form I–360. ACTION: The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has submitted the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on December 14, 2005, at 70 FR 74028. The notice allowed for a 60-day public comment period. No comments E:\FR\FM\09MRN1.SGM 09MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 46 (Thursday, March 9, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12209-12211]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-2258]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[USCG-2004-19621]


Dry Cargo Residue Discharges in the Great Lakes; Preparation of 
Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of intent; notice of availability; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces its intent to prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) in connection with the development 
of proposed new regulations on the incidental discharge of dry cargo 
residue in the Great Lakes. Publication of this notice begins a public 
scoping process that will help determine the scope of issues to be 
addressed in the EIS and identify the significant environmental issues 
related to this EIS (40 CFR 1506.6). This notice also solicits public 
participation in the scoping process, and announces the availability of 
a study on current dry cargo residue discharge practices in the Great 
Lakes.

DATES: Comments and related material must reach the Docket Management 
Facility on or before July 31, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Coast Guard docket 
number USCG-2004-19621 to the Docket Management Facility at the U.S. 
Department of Transportation.

[[Page 12210]]

    Address docket submissions for USCG-2004-19621 to: Docket 
Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh 
Street SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    The Docket Management Facility accepts hand-delivered submissions, 
and makes docket contents available for public inspection and copying 
at this address, in room PL-401, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Facility's telephone is 
202-366-9329, its fax is 202-493-2251, and its Web site for electronic 
submissions or for electronic access to docket contents is https://
dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions regarding this 
notice, contact LCDR Mary Sohlberg, U.S. Coast Guard, fax 202-267-4690 
or e-mail msohlberg@comdt.uscg.mil. If you have questions on viewing or 
submitting material to the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program 
Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-493-0402.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

    We request public comments or other relevant information on 
environmental issues related to all aspects of incidental dry cargo 
residue discharges on the Great Lakes. You can submit comments to the 
Docket Management Facility during the public comment period (see 
DATES). We will consider all comments and material received during the 
comment period.
    Submissions should include:
     Docket number USCG-2004-19621.
     Your name and address.
     Your reasons for making each comment or for bringing 
information to our attention.
    Submit comments or material using only one of the following 
methods:
     Electronic submission to DMS, https://dms.dot.gov.
     Fax, mail, or hand delivery to the Docket Management 
Facility (see ADDRESSES). Faxed or hand delivered submissions must be 
unbound, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, and suitable for copying 
and electronic scanning. If you mail your submission and want to know 
when it reaches the Facility, include a stamped, self-addressed 
postcard or envelope.
    Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or material, 
all submissions will be posted, without change, to the DMS Web site 
(https://dms.dot.gov), and will include any personal information you 
provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes it public. You 
may wish to read the Privacy Act notice that is available on the DMS 
Web site, or the Department of Transportation Privacy Act Statement 
that appeared in the Federal Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477).
    You may view docket submissions at the Docket Management Facility 
(see ADDRESSES), or electronically on the DMS Web site.

Background

    The Coast Guard has previously published Federal Register documents 
concerning regulation of incidental dry cargo residue on the Great 
Lakes: 69 FR 1994 (January 13, 2004), 69 FR 57711 (September 27, 2004), 
69 FR 77147 (December 27, 2004; corrected at 70 FR 1400, January 7, 
2005).
    The historical practice of bulk dry cargo vessels on the Great 
Lakes is to wash non-hazardous and non-toxic cargo residues (``dry 
cargo residue'' or ``cargo sweepings'') overboard. These non-hazardous 
non-toxic discharges eliminate unsafe conditions onboard the vessel, 
without requiring alternatives that could involve time delays or added 
cost. Current environmental statutes, if strictly enforced, would 
prohibit these incidental discharges. However, under an ``interim 
enforcement policy'' (IEP) first adopted by the Coast Guard's Ninth 
District in 1993, incidental discharges of dry cargo residue are 
permitted in defined portions of the Great Lakes. Congress has 
authorized continuation of the IEP until September 30, 2008, unless the 
Coast Guard acts sooner to replace the IEP with new regulations.
    Dry cargo residue on the Great Lakes generally includes, but is not 
limited to, limestone and other clean stone, iron ore such as taconite, 
coal and salt, and cement. The IEP applies only to such cargo residues, 
and does not alter the strict prohibition of any discharge of oily 
waste, untreated sewage, plastics, dunnage, or other things commonly 
understood to be ``garbage,'' from vessels on the Great Lakes. Nor does 
the IEP permit the discharge of any substance known to be toxic or 
hazardous, such as nickel, copper, zinc, or lead. The IEP permits 
incidental dry cargo residue discharges only in areas that are 
relatively far from shore, and that meet depth restrictions and other 
restrictions near special protection areas.
    Our December 27, 2004 Federal Register document (69 FR 77147; 
corrected at 70 FR 1400, January 7, 2005) announced that we would 
conduct a study of current dry cargo residue discharge practices in the 
Great Lakes, and requested information from the public that could help 
us conduct that study. The study is now complete and is available for 
public review either electronically or at the Docket Management 
Facility (see ADDRESSES and Request for Comments).

Proposed Action and Alternatives

    The proposed action is to adopt the IEP as the basis for permanent 
regulations, adding new requirements for standardized record-keeping by 
vessels that discharge dry cargo residue. The discharges that require 
logging, the format for log entries, the retention time of the logs, 
and the physical location of the log would be specified. The 
alternatives to the proposed action include:
     Allowing the IEP to terminate on September 30, 2008, after 
which the Coast Guard would enforce all laws applicable to the 
discharge of dry cargo residues into the Great Lakes. For the purposes 
of our environmental review this represents the ``no-action'' 
alternative;
     Adopting the IEP as the basis for permanent regulations, 
without significant change;
     Adopting the IEP as the basis for permanent regulations, 
possibly with significant changes (other than record-keeping) designed 
to reduce the environmental impact. Possible changes would be specified 
and could include adoption of best management practices, quantity 
limits, cargo type limits, or additional restrictions on discharge 
locations;
     Developing a Coast Guard permit system for vessels 
discharging incidental dry cargo residue; and
     Regulating shoreside facilities to control or eliminate 
dry cargo spillage during vessel loading or unloading.

Scoping Process

    The scoping process (40 CFR 1501.7) is an early and open process 
for determining the scope of issues to be addressed in an EIS and for 
identifying the significant issues related to the proposed action. The 
scoping process begins with publication of this notice and ends when 
the Coast Guard has completed the following actions:
     Invites the participation of Federal, State, and local 
agencies, any affected Indian tribe, the applicant, and other 
interested persons;
     Determines the actions, alternatives, and impacts 
described in 40 CFR 1508.25;
     Identifies and eliminates from detailed study those issues 
that are not significant or that are previously documented and can be 
incorporated by reference;
     Allocates responsibility for preparing EIS components;

[[Page 12211]]

     Indicates any related environmental assessments or 
environmental impact statements that are not part of the EIS;
     Identifies other relevant environmental review and 
consultation requirements;
     Indicates the relationship between timing of the 
environmental review and other aspects of the application process; and
     At its discretion, exercises the options provided in 40 
CFR 1501.7(b).
    The Coast Guard will publish a Federal Register Notice to announce 
a public meeting and will include the time, location, and venue for the 
meeting as part of the scoping process under NEPA for this action. The 
Coast Guard intends to announce these details after gauging the level 
of public interest in response to the current notice. Once the scoping 
process is complete, the Coast Guard will prepare a draft EIS, and we 
will publish a Federal Register notice announcing its public 
availability. If you wish to be mailed or e-mailed the public meeting 
notice or the draft EIS notice of availability, please contact the 
person named in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. We will provide the 
public with an opportunity to review and comment on the draft EIS. 
After the Coast Guard considers those comments, we will prepare the 
final EIS and similarly announce its availability and issue a Record of 
Decision 30 days later.

    Dated: March 6, 2006.
Howard L. Hime,
Acting Director of Standards, Assistant Commandant for Prevention.
[FR Doc. 06-2258 Filed 3-6-06; 4:25 pm]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-P
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