Port Access Route Study: The Atlantic Coast from Maine to Florida, 55781-55783 [2012-22295]
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srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 176 / Tuesday, September 11, 2012 / Proposed Rules
between approximate position 40°42′01″
N, 074°00′39″ W (east of The Battery) to
40°41′36″ N, 074°00′52″ W (point north
of Governors Island) and north of a line
drawn from the point north of
Governors Island to the southwest
corner of Pier 7 North, Brooklyn; and
south of a line drawn between
40°42′14.8″ N, 074°00′20.3″ W (Wall
Street, Manhattan), and the northwest
corner of Pier 2 North, Brooklyn (NAD
1983).
(2) Randalls and Wards Islands: All
waters of the East River between the
Hell Gate Rail Road Bridge (mile 8.2),
and a line drawn from a point at
approximate position 40° 47′27.12″ N,
073° 54′35.14″ W (Lawrence Point,
Queens) to a point at approximate
position 40° 47′52.55″ N, 073° 54′35.25″
W (Port Morris Stacks), and all waters
of the Bronx Kill southeast of the Bronx
Kill Rail Road Bridge (mile 0.6) (NAD
1983).
(3) Marine Air Terminal, La Guardia
Airport: All waters of Bowery Bay,
Queens, New York, south of a line
drawn from the western end of La
Guardia Airport at approximate position
40°46′47″ N 073°53′05″ W to the Rikers
Island Bridge at approximate position
40°46′51″ N 073°53′21″ W and east of a
line drawn between the point at the
Rikers Island Bridge to a point on the
shore in Queens, New York, at
approximate position 40°46′36″ N
073°53′31″ W (NAD 1983).
(4) United Nations. All waters of the
East River bound by the following
points: 40°44′37″ N, 073°58′16.5″ W (the
base of East 35th Street, Manhattan),
then east to 40°44′34.5″ N, 073°58′10.5″
W (about 175 yards offshore of
Manhattan), then northeasterly to
40°45′29″ N, 073°57′26.5″ W (about 125
yards offshore of Manhattan at the
Queensboro Bridge), then northwesterly
to 40°45′31″ N, 073°57′30.5″ W
(Manhattan shoreline at the Queensboro
Bridge), then southerly to the starting
point at 40°44′37″ N, 073°58′16.5″ W
(NAD 1983).
(5) United Nations West Channel
Closure. All waters of the East River
north of a line drawn from approximate
position 40°44′37″ N, 073°58′16.5″ W
(the base of East 35th Street,
Manhattan), to approximate position
40°44′31.04″ N, 073°58′03.10″ W
(approximately 400 yards east of the
Manhattan shoreline), all waters west of
a line drawn from approximate position
40°44′31.04″ N, 073°58′ 03.10″ W
(approximately 400 yards east of the
Manhattan shoreline), to the southern
tip of Roosevelt Island at approximate
position 40°44′57.96″ N, 073°57′41.57″
W, then along the western shoreline of
Roosevelt Island to the Queensboro
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Bridge, and all waters south of the
Queensboro Bridge (NAD 1983).
(6) United Nations Full River Closure.
All waters of the East River north of a
line drawn from approximate position
40°44′37″ N, 073°58′16.5″ W (the base of
East 35th Street, Manhattan), to
approximate position 40°44′23″ N,
073°57′44.5″ W (Hunters Point, Long
Island City), and south of the
Queensboro Bridge (NAD 1983).
(b) Definitions.
As used in this section—
Designated representative means any
Coast Guard commissioned, warrant, or
petty officer who has been designated
by the COTP to act on the COTP’s
behalf. The designated representative
may be on a Coast Guard vessel, or
onboard a federal, state, or local agency
vessel that is authorized to act in
support of the Coast Guard.
Dignitary means the President or Vice
President of the United States, or
visiting heads of foreign states or
governments.
(c) Regulations.
(1) In accordance with the general
regulations in 33 CFR part 165, no
person or vessel may enter or move
within a security zone created by this
section while it is activated unless
granted permission to do so by the
COTP New York or the designated
representative.
(2) The security zone described in
paragraph (a)(4) of this section is in
effect at all times.
(d) Notification of Enforcement. Coast
Guard Sector New York will provide
actual notice to mariners for the purpose
of enforcement. The COTP will also
provide notice to the maritime public
regarding the activation of these security
zones by appropriate means, which may
include but are not limited to a Local
Notice to Mariners or marine
information broadcasts, and at https://
homeport.uscg.mil/newyork.
(e) Contact Information. Vessel
operators desiring to enter or operate
within the security zone shall telephone
the COTP at 718–354–4356 or the
designated representative via VHF
channel 16 to request permission to do
so.
(f) Vessel Operators and Persons
Authorized within a Security Zone.
Vessel operators and persons given
permission to enter or operate in the
security zone must comply with all
directions given to them by the COTP or
the designated representative. Upon
being hailed by a U.S. Coast Guard or
New York City police vessel by siren,
radio, flashing lights, or other means,
the operator of a vessel shall proceed as
directed. Those vessels may be required
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55781
to anchor or moor up to a waterfront
facility.
*
*
*
*
*
Dated: July 23, 2012.
G. Loebl,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the
Port New York.
[FR Doc. 2012–22293 Filed 9–10–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–04–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Coast Guard
33 CFR Part 167
[USCG–2011–0351]
Port Access Route Study: The Atlantic
Coast from Maine to Florida
Coast Guard, DHS.
Notice of availability; interim
AGENCY:
ACTION:
report.
The U. S. Coast Guard is
making available an interim report
issued by the Atlantic Coast Port Access
Route Study (ACPARS) workgroup. The
interim report provides status of the
workgroup efforts and the remaining
requirements to complete the study. The
Coast Guard welcomes comments on the
interim report or submission of
additional information for consideration
by the workgroup.
DATES: Comments and related material
must reach the Docket Management
Facility on or before October 11, 2012.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
identified by docket number USCG–
2011–0351 using any one of the
following methods:
(1) Federal eRulemaking Portal:
https://www.regulations.gov.
(2) Fax: 202–493–2251.
(3) Mail: Docket Management Facility
(M–30), U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building Ground
Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590–
0001.
(4) Hand delivery: Same as mail
address above, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays. The telephone number
is 202–366–9329. To avoid duplication,
please use only one of these four
methods. See the ‘‘Public Participation
and Request for Comments’’ portion of
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
below for instructions on submitting
comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If
you have questions on this notice of
study contact Emile Benard, ACPARS
Project Manager, telephone 757–398–
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\11SEP1.SGM
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55782
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 176 / Tuesday, September 11, 2012 / Proposed Rules
6221, email Emile.R.Benard@uscg.mil or
submit questions to ACPARS@uscg.mil.
If you have questions on viewing or
submitting material to the docket, call
Ms. Renee K. Wright, Program Manager,
Docket Operations, telephone 202–366–
9826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Public Participation and Request for
Comments
We encourage you to participate in
this study by submitting comments and
related materials. All comments
received will be posted, without change,
to https://www.regulations.gov and will
include any personal information you
have provided.
srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
A. Submitting Comments
If you submit comments, please
include the docket number for this
rulemaking (USCG–2011–0351),
indicate the specific section of this
document to which each comment
applies, and provide a reason for each
suggestion or recommendation. You
may submit your comments and
material online, or by fax, mail or hand
delivery, but please use only one of
these means. 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.
To submit your comment online, go to
https://www.regulations.gov, click on the
‘‘submit a comment’’ box, which will
then become highlighted in blue. In the
‘‘Document Type’’ drop down menu
select ‘‘Notice’’ and enter ‘‘USCG–2011–
0351’’ in the ‘‘Keyword’’ box. Click
‘‘Search’’ then click on the balloon
shape in the ‘‘Actions’’ column and type
your comments. If you submit your
comments by mail or hand delivery,
submit them in an unbound format, no
larger than 8c by 11 inches, suitable for
copying and electronic filing. If you
submit them by mail and would like to
know that they reached the Facility,
please enclose a stamped, self-addressed
postcard or envelope. We will consider
all comments and material received
during the comment period.
B. Viewing the Comments and
Documents
To view the comments and
documents mentioned in this preamble
as being available in the docket, go to
https://www.regulations.gov, click on the
‘‘read comments’’ box, which will then
become highlighted in blue. In the
‘‘Keyword’’ box enter ‘‘USCG–2011–
0351’’ and click ‘‘Search.’’ Click the
‘‘Open Docket Folder’’ in the ‘‘Actions’’
VerDate Mar<15>2010
18:01 Sep 10, 2012
Jkt 226001
column. If you do not have access to the
internet, you may view the docket
online by visiting the Docket
Management Facility in Room W12–140
on the ground floor of the Department
of Transportation West Building, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington,
DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays. We have an agreement with
the Department of Transportation to use
the Docket Management Facility.
C. 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
by the individual 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 our public dockets in
the January 17, 2008, issue of the
Federal Register (73 FR 3316).
II. Background and Purpose
The Coast Guard announced in the
Federal Register (76 FR 27288, May 11,
2011) that it was conducting a Port
Access Route Study (PARS) to evaluate
the continued applicability of, and the
need for modifications to, current vessel
routing measures or the creation of new
routing measures off the Atlantic Coast
from Maine to Florida. The impetus for
the study was the Department of
Interior’s launch of the ‘‘Smart from the
Start’’ renewable energy initiative that
began with planning for wind
development off the Atlantic Coast. The
original comment period closed on
August 9, 2011. A second comment
period was announced to gather
additional information and closed
January 31, 2012. The initial
announcement contains definitions and
useful background information
concerning the PARS. The public is
encouraged to review the initial
announcement.
The data gathered during the Atlantic
Coast Port Access Route Study
(ACPARS) may result in establishment
of one or more new vessel routing
measures, modification of existing
routing measures, or disestablishment of
existing routing measures off the
Atlantic Coast from Maine to Florida.
The goal of the ACPARS is to maintain
or enhance navigational safety by
examining existing shipping routes and
waterway uses, and, to the extent
practicable, reconcile the paramount
right of navigation within designated
port access routes with other reasonable
waterway uses such as the leasing of
outer continental shelf blocks for the
construction and operation of offshore
PO 00000
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Sfmt 4702
renewable energy facilities. The
recommendations of the study may lead
to future rulemaking action or
appropriate international agreements.
The Coast Guard established the
Atlantic Coast Port Access Route Study
Workgroup to carry out the study and
also coordinate efforts to support Coast
Guard participation as a Cooperating
Agency in the Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management’s efforts to identify priority
areas for wind development.
The progress of the WG to date, as
well as what remains to be
accomplished have been compiled in an
interim report dated July 13, 2012. The
ACPARS Interim Report is being made
available to the public through this
Federal Register notice. The report will
be available on the Federal Register
docket and also on the ACPARS Web
site at www.uscg.mil/lantarea/acpars.
III. ACPARS Interim Report—Executive
Summary
The Atlantic Coast Port Access Route
Study Workgroup (WG) was chartered
on 11 May 2011, and was given three
objectives to complete within the limits
of available resources: (1) Determine
whether the Coast Guard should initiate
actions to modify or create safety
fairways, Traffic Separation Schemes
(TSSs) or other routing measures; (2)
Provide data, tools and/or methodology
to assist in future determinations of
waterways suitability for proposed
projects; and (3) Develop, in the near
term, Automated Identification System
(AIS) products and provide other
support as necessary to assist Districts
with all emerging coastal and offshore
energy projects. The WG has conducted
public and stakeholder outreach
including two public comment periods
advertised in the Federal Register. The
WG has faced challenges in the lack of
Coast Guard (CG) capability to fully
analyze AIS data and in identifying
funding to perform modeling and
analysis. This resulted in an inability to
predict changes in traffic patterns or
determine the resultant change in
navigational safety risk given different
siting scenarios of offshore renewable
energy installations. However, the WG
has developed a methodology for
initially classifying lease blocks as: not
suitable (Red), may be suitable with
more study (Yellow) or suitable (Green),
based on proximity to shipping routes.
This methodology has been used by the
CG to provide input to the Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)
regarding the potential impact to
navigation of areas being proposed for
wind energy development. The WG has
determined, given the lack of complete
AIS data and rudimentary analysis to
E:\FR\FM\11SEP1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 176 / Tuesday, September 11, 2012 / Proposed Rules
date, that recommending even
preliminary routing measures is not
appropriate at this time. The WG has
concluded that modeling and analysis,
as described in the Phase 3 of the
ACPARS interim report, is critical to
determine if routing measures are
appropriate and to evaluate the change
in navigational safety risk resulting from
different siting and routing scenarios.
The CG is working with BOEM to
develop a project to perform the Phase
3 modeling and analysis. This project is
scheduled to begin in late summer 2012.
The Coast Guard is also contracting the
services of a Geographic Information
System (GIS) analyst to support efforts
to better characterize vessel traffic and
further explore creating initial proposals
for routing measures independent of the
Phase 3 modeling and analysis.
This notice is issued under authority
of 33 U.S.C. 1223(c) and 5 U.S.C. 552.
Dated: August 31, 2012.
Robert C. Parker,
Vice Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander,
Atlantic Area.
[FR Doc. 2012–22295 Filed 9–10–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–04–P
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Copyright Office
37 CFR Part 201
[Docket No. 2012–5]
Verification of Statements of Account
Submitted by Cable Operators and
Satellite Carriers
Copyright Office, Library of
Congress.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking:
Extension of reply comment period.
AGENCY:
The Copyright Office is
extending the deadline for filing reply
comments in response to its Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking concerning the
verification of Statements of Account
and royalty payments that are deposited
with the Office by cable operators and
satellite carriers. Initial comments are
available for review on the Copyright
Office Web site.
DATES: Reply comments on the
proposed regulation must be received in
the Office of the General Counsel of the
Copyright Office no later than 5 p.m.
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on October
3, 2012.
ADDRESSES: The Copyright Office
strongly prefers that comments be
submitted electronically. A comment
submission page is posted on the
Copyright Office Web site at https://
srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
18:01 Sep 10, 2012
Jkt 226001
www.copyright.gov/docs/soaaudit. The
Web site interface requires submitters to
complete a form specifying name and
other required information, and to
upload comments as an attachment. To
meet accessibility standards, all
comments must be uploaded in a single
file in either the Adobe Portable
Document File (PDF) format that
contains searchable, accessible text (not
an image); Microsoft Word;
WordPerfect; Rich Text Format (RTF); or
ASCII text file format (not a scanned
document). The maximum file size is 6
megabytes (MB). The name of the
submitter and organization should
appear on both the form and the face of
the comments. All comments will be
posted publicly on the Copyright Office
Web site exactly as they are received,
along with names and organizations if
provided. If electronic submission of
comments is not feasible, please contact
the Copyright Office at (202) 707–8380
for special instructions.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tanya Sandros, Deputy General
Counsel, or Erik Bertin, Attorney
Advisor, Copyright GC/I&R, P.O. Box
70400, Washington, DC 20024.
Telephone: (202) 707–8380. Telefax:
(202) 707–8366.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June
14, 2012, the Copyright Office published
a notice of proposed rulemaking and
request for comments concerning a new
regulation that will allow copyright
owners to audit the Statements of
Account and royalty fees that cable
operators and satellite carriers deposit
with the Copyright Office under
Sections 111 and 119 of the Copyright
Act. The Office received comments on
the proposed regulation from groups
representing copyright owners, cable
operators, and satellite carriers, which
have been posted on the Copyright
Office Web site at https://
www.copyright.gov/docs/soaaudit/
comments/. The notice of
proposed rulemaking stated that reply
comments would be due on September
12, 2012.
On August 24, 2012, the Office
received a joint motion to extend the
reply comment period by three weeks
[https://www.copyright.gov/docs/
soaaudit/soa_audit.html]. The motion
was filed by the National Cable &
Telecommunications Association
(‘‘NCTA’’),1 the Joint Sports Claimants,
1 The NCTA is a trade association that represents
cable operators. Many of the NCTA’s members file
Statements of Account with and pay royalties to the
Copyright Office under the statutory license set
forth in Section 111 of the Copyright Act, which
allows them to retransmit television and radio
programs that are embodied in local and distant
broadcast transmissions.
PO 00000
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55783
and the Program Suppliers.2
Specifically, the moving parties asked
the Office to extend the deadline for
reply comments until October 3, 2012 in
order to determine whether there is any
common ground among the NCTA, the
Joint Sports Claimants, and the Program
Suppliers concerning certain aspects of
the proposed regulation. If so, the
moving parties stated that they may be
able to narrow the issues that they
discuss in their reply comments, which
in turn, may narrow the issues that need
to be resolved in this rulemaking. The
NCTA, the Joint Sports Claimants, and
the Program Suppliers stated that they
have been in contact with each other,
but due to prior commitments, they will
not be able to engage in meaningful
negotiations until shortly before the
current deadline.
In the interest of giving the NCTA, the
Joint Sports Claimants, the Program
Suppliers, and any other interested
parties an opportunity to discuss the
proposed regulation amongst
themselves and to determine if the
parties are able to narrow the issues that
the Office needs to consider, the Office
has decided to extend the deadline for
filing reply comments by a period of
three weeks, making reply comments
due by October 3, 2012.
Dated: September 6, 2012.
Tanya Sandros,
Deputy General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2012–22320 Filed 9–10–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1410–30–P
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Copyright Office
37 CFR Part 201 and 210
[Docket No. 2012–7]
Mechanical and Digital Phonorecord
Delivery Compulsory License
Copyright Office, Library of
Congress.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking:
Extension of comment and reply
comment periods.
AGENCY:
The Copyright Office is
extending the deadline for filing
comments and reply comments
SUMMARY:
2 Both the Joint Sports Claimants and the Program
Suppliers represent copyright owners who are the
beneficiaries of the royalties that are paid under the
Section 111 and 119 statutory licenses. Generally
speaking, the Joint Sports Claimants represent
copyright owners that produce professional and
college sports programming, while the Program
Suppliers represent copyright owners that produce
and/or syndicate movies, programs, and specials
that are broadcast by television stations.
E:\FR\FM\11SEP1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 176 (Tuesday, September 11, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 55781-55783]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-22295]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
33 CFR Part 167
[USCG-2011-0351]
Port Access Route Study: The Atlantic Coast from Maine to Florida
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of availability; interim report.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U. S. Coast Guard is making available an interim report
issued by the Atlantic Coast Port Access Route Study (ACPARS)
workgroup. The interim report provides status of the workgroup efforts
and the remaining requirements to complete the study. The Coast Guard
welcomes comments on the interim report or submission of additional
information for consideration by the workgroup.
DATES: Comments and related material must reach the Docket Management
Facility on or before October 11, 2012.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2011-0351 using any one of the following methods:
(1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
(2) Fax: 202-493-2251.
(3) Mail: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
(4) Hand delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone
number is 202-366-9329. To avoid duplication, please use only one of
these four methods. See the ``Public Participation and Request for
Comments'' portion of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for
instructions on submitting comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice
of study contact Emile Benard, ACPARS Project Manager, telephone 757-
398-
[[Page 55782]]
6221, email Emile.R.Benard@uscg.mil or submit questions to
ACPARS@uscg.mil. If you have questions on viewing or submitting
material to the docket, call Ms. Renee K. Wright, Program Manager,
Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Public Participation and Request for Comments
We encourage you to participate in this study by submitting
comments and related materials. All comments received will be posted,
without change, to https://www.regulations.gov and will include any
personal information you have provided.
A. Submitting Comments
If you submit comments, please include the docket number for this
rulemaking (USCG-2011-0351), indicate the specific section of this
document to which each comment applies, and provide a reason for each
suggestion or recommendation. You may submit your comments and material
online, or by fax, mail or hand delivery, but please use only one of
these means. 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.
To submit your comment online, go to https://www.regulations.gov,
click on the ``submit a comment'' box, which will then become
highlighted in blue. In the ``Document Type'' drop down menu select
``Notice'' and enter ``USCG-2011-0351'' in the ``Keyword'' box. Click
``Search'' then click on the balloon shape in the ``Actions'' column
and type your comments. If you submit your comments by mail or hand
delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 8[frac12] by
11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. If you submit
them by mail and would like to know that they reached the Facility,
please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will
consider all comments and material received during the comment period.
B. Viewing the Comments and Documents
To view the comments and documents mentioned in this preamble as
being available in the docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov, click
on the ``read comments'' box, which will then become highlighted in
blue. In the ``Keyword'' box enter ``USCG-2011-0351'' and click
``Search.'' Click the ``Open Docket Folder'' in the ``Actions'' column.
If you do not have access to the internet, you may view the docket
online by visiting the Docket Management Facility in Room W12-140 on
the ground floor of the Department of Transportation West Building,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. We have an
agreement with the Department of Transportation to use the Docket
Management Facility.
C. 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
by the individual 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 our public dockets in the
January 17, 2008, issue of the Federal Register (73 FR 3316).
II. Background and Purpose
The Coast Guard announced in the Federal Register (76 FR 27288, May
11, 2011) that it was conducting a Port Access Route Study (PARS) to
evaluate the continued applicability of, and the need for modifications
to, current vessel routing measures or the creation of new routing
measures off the Atlantic Coast from Maine to Florida. The impetus for
the study was the Department of Interior's launch of the ``Smart from
the Start'' renewable energy initiative that began with planning for
wind development off the Atlantic Coast. The original comment period
closed on August 9, 2011. A second comment period was announced to
gather additional information and closed January 31, 2012. The initial
announcement contains definitions and useful background information
concerning the PARS. The public is encouraged to review the initial
announcement.
The data gathered during the Atlantic Coast Port Access Route Study
(ACPARS) may result in establishment of one or more new vessel routing
measures, modification of existing routing measures, or
disestablishment of existing routing measures off the Atlantic Coast
from Maine to Florida. The goal of the ACPARS is to maintain or enhance
navigational safety by examining existing shipping routes and waterway
uses, and, to the extent practicable, reconcile the paramount right of
navigation within designated port access routes with other reasonable
waterway uses such as the leasing of outer continental shelf blocks for
the construction and operation of offshore renewable energy facilities.
The recommendations of the study may lead to future rulemaking action
or appropriate international agreements.
The Coast Guard established the Atlantic Coast Port Access Route
Study Workgroup to carry out the study and also coordinate efforts to
support Coast Guard participation as a Cooperating Agency in the Bureau
of Ocean Energy Management's efforts to identify priority areas for
wind development.
The progress of the WG to date, as well as what remains to be
accomplished have been compiled in an interim report dated July 13,
2012. The ACPARS Interim Report is being made available to the public
through this Federal Register notice. The report will be available on
the Federal Register docket and also on the ACPARS Web site at
www.uscg.mil/lantarea/acpars.
III. ACPARS Interim Report--Executive Summary
The Atlantic Coast Port Access Route Study Workgroup (WG) was
chartered on 11 May 2011, and was given three objectives to complete
within the limits of available resources: (1) Determine whether the
Coast Guard should initiate actions to modify or create safety
fairways, Traffic Separation Schemes (TSSs) or other routing measures;
(2) Provide data, tools and/or methodology to assist in future
determinations of waterways suitability for proposed projects; and (3)
Develop, in the near term, Automated Identification System (AIS)
products and provide other support as necessary to assist Districts
with all emerging coastal and offshore energy projects. The WG has
conducted public and stakeholder outreach including two public comment
periods advertised in the Federal Register. The WG has faced challenges
in the lack of Coast Guard (CG) capability to fully analyze AIS data
and in identifying funding to perform modeling and analysis. This
resulted in an inability to predict changes in traffic patterns or
determine the resultant change in navigational safety risk given
different siting scenarios of offshore renewable energy installations.
However, the WG has developed a methodology for initially classifying
lease blocks as: not suitable (Red), may be suitable with more study
(Yellow) or suitable (Green), based on proximity to shipping routes.
This methodology has been used by the CG to provide input to the Bureau
of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) regarding the potential impact to
navigation of areas being proposed for wind energy development. The WG
has determined, given the lack of complete AIS data and rudimentary
analysis to
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date, that recommending even preliminary routing measures is not
appropriate at this time. The WG has concluded that modeling and
analysis, as described in the Phase 3 of the ACPARS interim report, is
critical to determine if routing measures are appropriate and to
evaluate the change in navigational safety risk resulting from
different siting and routing scenarios. The CG is working with BOEM to
develop a project to perform the Phase 3 modeling and analysis. This
project is scheduled to begin in late summer 2012. The Coast Guard is
also contracting the services of a Geographic Information System (GIS)
analyst to support efforts to better characterize vessel traffic and
further explore creating initial proposals for routing measures
independent of the Phase 3 modeling and analysis.
This notice is issued under authority of 33 U.S.C. 1223(c) and 5
U.S.C. 552.
Dated: August 31, 2012.
Robert C. Parker,
Vice Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, Atlantic Area.
[FR Doc. 2012-22295 Filed 9-10-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P
