America's Marine Highway Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment and Public Comment Period, 40838-40839 [2014-16298]

Download as PDF 40838 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 134 / Monday, July 14, 2014 / Notices DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Maritime Administration [Docket Number MARAD–2012–0015] America’s Marine Highway Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment and Public Comment Period Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation. ACTION: Notice of availability, request for comments. AGENCY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) has prepared a draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to evaluate potential environmental impacts associated with the execution of the ‘‘America’s Marine Highway’’ Program. The draft PEA identifies and assesses hypothetical scenarios associated with the operation of potential Marine Highway services in five distinct regions throughout the continental United States. Once finalized, the PEA will serve as a guidance document from which future site specific NEPA analyses can be initiated. DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 13, 2014. MARAD will consider comments filed after this date to the extent practicable. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket Number MARAD–2012–0015 by any of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. Search MARAD– 2012–0015 and follow the instructions for submitting comments. • Email Mr. Andrew Larimore at Rulemakings.MARAD@dot.gov. Include MARAD–2012–0015 in the subject line of the message. • Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Room W12– 140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays. • Facsimile/Fax: (202) 493–2251. Instructions: All submissions received must be written in English and include the agency name and docket number. All comments received will be posted without change to the docket at www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. For detailed instructions on submitting comments, see the section entitled Public Participation. Note: If you mail or hand-deliver your comments, we recommend that you mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 19:25 Jul 11, 2014 Jkt 232001 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. Docket: For access to the docket to read the PEA or comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov at any time or to Room W12–401 of the Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Yuska, Office of Environment, (202) 366–0714 or via email at Daniel.Yuska@dot.gov. 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 24 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 Mr. Yuska at Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Office of Environment, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590–0001. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (2007 Energy Act) directed the Secretary of Transportation to establish a ‘‘short sea’’ transportation program, and to designate short sea transportation routes and projects to be conducted under the program, for the purpose of mitigating landside congestion. Pursuant to the statutory mandate, in 2010, MARAD established the ‘‘America’s Marine Highway’’ Program (the Program), designating criteria, eligibility requirements and information for applicants seeking to establish America’s Marine Highway (AMH) routes and projects. Projects designated under the program must use U.S. documented vessels, transport passengers or freight (in containers or trailers) and must operate on a designated Marine Highway route. Section 405 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012 expanded the geographic scope of the program to include routes between all U.S. ports, including U.S. ports with no contiguous landside connection, as well as routes between U.S. ports and ports in Canada located in the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System. The Act also added the purpose of promoting the use of short sea transportation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PO 00000 Frm 00134 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 The Program itself does not develop or operate Marine Highway services. Rather, the program provides a set of tools for use by ports, state and local governments, and private industry to consider expansion of AMH services. Where such designations are made, MARAD may encourage development of particular AMH projects or services when funding is available. MARAD has prepared a programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) to analyze the potential environmental impacts of performance of the AMH program. As a programmatic document, the PEA does not analyze the environmental impacts of specific AMH route or project designations or the establishment of specific AMH services. Such analyses can only be done in the context of specific proposals, with known ports, infrastructure, natural environments, transportation volumes, etc. MARAD envisions that additional environmental analyses of the federal aspects of future project and service development along designated AMH routes will be necessary. Those future analyses may use this PEA as a starting point, to analyze the specific environmental impacts of each particular proposal. Public Participation We encourage you to participate 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 All submissions must be written in English and include the agency name and docket number for this rulemaking (MARAD–2012–0015), and should provide support for each suggestion or recommendation. You may submit your comments and material online via https://www.regulations.gov or by email, fax, mail, or hand delivery, but please use only one of these means for your submission. If you submit a comment online via www.regulations.gov or email, it will be considered received by MARAD when it posts to the www.regulations.gov Web site. (Please Note: Comments submitted to www.regulations.gov or via email are not immediately posted to the Web site. It may take several business days before your comments will be posted on the electronic docket.) If you fax, hand deliver, or mail your comment, it will be considered as having been received by MARAD when it is received at the Docket Management Facility. We recommend that you include your name E:\FR\FM\14JYN1.SGM 14JYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 134 / Monday, July 14, 2014 / Notices Management System (FDMS) in the Federal Register published on January 17, 2008, (73 FR 3316) at https:// edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8785.pdf. B. Viewing Comments and Documents To view comments, go to https:// www.regulations.gov, type the docket number ‘‘MARAD–2012–0015’’ in the ‘‘SEARCH’’ box and click ‘‘Search.’’ Click and Open the Docket Folder on the line associated with this rulemaking. You may also visit 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. The draft PEA will be posted by MARAD to the electronic docket at www.regulations.gov and may be accessed using the same search as described above. You may also view the draft PEA by visiting MARAD’s Marine Highway Web page at https:// www.marad.dot.gov/ships_shipping_ landing_page/mhi_home/mhi_ home.htm and clicking on ‘‘Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment.’’ Please note that even after the comment period has closed, MARAD will continue to file relevant information in the Docket as it becomes available. Accordingly, MARAD recommends that you periodically check the Docket for new material. mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 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, type the docket number (MARAD–2012–0015) in the ‘‘SEARCH’’ box and click ‘‘SEARCH.’’ Click on ‘‘Submit a Comment’’ on the line associated with this rulemaking. If you submit your comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 81⁄2 by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. If you submit comments 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. Pursuant to Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–463; 5 U.S.C. App. I), notice is hereby given of a meeting of the Advisory Board of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC), to be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, August 6, 2014 via conference call at the SLSDC’s Policy Headquarters, 55 M Street SE., Suite 930, Washington, DC 20003. The agenda for this meeting will be as follows: Opening Remarks; Consideration of Minutes of Past Meeting; Quarterly Report; Old and New Business; Closing Discussion; Adjournment. Attendance at the meeting is open to the interested public but limited to the space available. With the approval of the Administrator, members of the public may present oral statements at the meeting. Persons wishing further information should contact, not later than Friday, August 1, 2014, Anita K. Blackman, Senior Advisor to the Administrator, Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590; 202–366–0091. Any member of the public may present a written statement to the Advisory Board at any time. C. Privacy Act Anyone is able to 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.). You may review the DOT Privacy Act system of records notice for the Federal Docket VerDate Mar<15>2010 19:25 Jul 11, 2014 Jkt 232001 Authority: 49 CFR 1.92 and 1.93. * * * * * By Order of the Maritime Administrator. Dated: July 8, 2014. Thomas M. Hudson, Secretary, Maritime Administration. [FR Doc. 2014–16298 Filed 7–11–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–81–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation Advisory Board; Notice of Meeting Issued at Washington, DC, on July 7, 2014. Carrie Lavigne, Chief Counsel. [FR Doc. 2014–16395 Filed 7–11–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–61–P PO 00000 Frm 00135 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 40839 DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Office of Foreign Assets Control Additional Designations, Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing the names of 12 individuals and 14 entities whose property and interests in property have been blocked pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) (21 U.S.C. 1901–1908, 8 U.S.C. 1182). DATES: The designation by the Director of OFAC of the 12 individuals and 14 entities identified in this notice pursuant to section 805(b) of the Kingpin Act is effective on July 1, 2014. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Assistant Director, Sanctions Compliance & Evaluation, Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20220, Tel: (202) 622–2490. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: Electronic and Facsimile Availability This document and additional information concerning OFAC are available on OFAC’s Web site at https:// www.treasury.gov/ofac or via facsimile through a 24-hour fax-on-demand service at (202) 622–0077. Background The Kingpin Act became law on December 3, 1999. The Kingpin Act establishes a program targeting the activities of significant foreign narcotics traffickers and their organizations on a worldwide basis. It provides a statutory framework for the imposition of sanctions against significant foreign narcotics traffickers and their organizations on a worldwide basis, with the objective of denying their businesses and agents access to the U.S. financial system and the benefits of trade and transactions involving U.S. companies and individuals. The Kingpin Act blocks all property and interests in property, subject to U.S. jurisdiction, owned or controlled by significant foreign narcotics traffickers as identified by the President. In addition, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Secretary of E:\FR\FM\14JYN1.SGM 14JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 134 (Monday, July 14, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40838-40839]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-16298]



[[Page 40838]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket Number MARAD-2012-0015]


America's Marine Highway Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Assessment and Public Comment Period

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of availability, request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) has prepared a draft 
Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) in compliance with the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to evaluate potential 
environmental impacts associated with the execution of the ``America's 
Marine Highway'' Program. The draft PEA identifies and assesses 
hypothetical scenarios associated with the operation of potential 
Marine Highway services in five distinct regions throughout the 
continental United States. Once finalized, the PEA will serve as a 
guidance document from which future site specific NEPA analyses can be 
initiated.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 13, 2014. MARAD 
will consider comments filed after this date to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket Number 
MARAD-2012-0015 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Search MARAD-2012-0015 and follow the instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Email Mr. Andrew Larimore at Rulemakings.MARAD@dot.gov. 
Include MARAD-2012-0015 in the subject line of the message.
     Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management Facility, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West 
Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.
     Facsimile/Fax: (202) 493-2251.
    Instructions: All submissions received must be written in English 
and include the agency name and docket number. All comments received 
will be posted without change to the docket at www.regulations.gov, 
including any personal information provided. For detailed instructions 
on submitting comments, see the section entitled Public Participation.
    Note: If you mail or hand-deliver your comments, 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.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read the PEA or comments 
received, go to https://www.regulations.gov at any time or to Room W12-
401 of the Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal Holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Yuska, Office of Environment, 
(202) 366-0714 or via email at Daniel.Yuska@dot.gov. 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 24 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 Mr. Yuska at 
Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Office of 
Environment, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Energy Independence and Security Act of 
2007 (2007 Energy Act) directed the Secretary of Transportation to 
establish a ``short sea'' transportation program, and to designate 
short sea transportation routes and projects to be conducted under the 
program, for the purpose of mitigating landside congestion. Pursuant to 
the statutory mandate, in 2010, MARAD established the ``America's 
Marine Highway'' Program (the Program), designating criteria, 
eligibility requirements and information for applicants seeking to 
establish America's Marine Highway (AMH) routes and projects. Projects 
designated under the program must use U.S. documented vessels, 
transport passengers or freight (in containers or trailers) and must 
operate on a designated Marine Highway route. Section 405 of the Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012 expanded the geographic 
scope of the program to include routes between all U.S. ports, 
including U.S. ports with no contiguous landside connection, as well as 
routes between U.S. ports and ports in Canada located in the Great 
Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System. The Act also added the purpose of 
promoting the use of short sea transportation.
    The Program itself does not develop or operate Marine Highway 
services. Rather, the program provides a set of tools for use by ports, 
state and local governments, and private industry to consider expansion 
of AMH services. Where such designations are made, MARAD may encourage 
development of particular AMH projects or services when funding is 
available.
    MARAD has prepared a programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) to 
analyze the potential environmental impacts of performance of the AMH 
program. As a programmatic document, the PEA does not analyze the 
environmental impacts of specific AMH route or project designations or 
the establishment of specific AMH services. Such analyses can only be 
done in the context of specific proposals, with known ports, 
infrastructure, natural environments, transportation volumes, etc. 
MARAD envisions that additional environmental analyses of the federal 
aspects of future project and service development along designated AMH 
routes will be necessary. Those future analyses may use this PEA as a 
starting point, to analyze the specific environmental impacts of each 
particular proposal.

Public Participation

    We encourage you to participate 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

    All submissions must be written in English and include the agency 
name and docket number for this rulemaking (MARAD-2012-0015), and 
should provide support for each suggestion or recommendation. You may 
submit your comments and material online via https://www.regulations.gov 
or by email, fax, mail, or hand delivery, but please use only one of 
these means for your submission. If you submit a comment online via 
www.regulations.gov or email, it will be considered received by MARAD 
when it posts to the www.regulations.gov Web site. (Please Note: 
Comments submitted to www.regulations.gov or via email are not 
immediately posted to the Web site. It may take several business days 
before your comments will be posted on the electronic docket.) If you 
fax, hand deliver, or mail your comment, it will be considered as 
having been received by MARAD when it is received at the Docket 
Management Facility. We recommend that you include your name

[[Page 40839]]

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, 
type the docket number (MARAD-2012-0015) in the ``SEARCH'' box and 
click ``SEARCH.'' Click on ``Submit a Comment'' on the line associated 
with this rulemaking.
    If you submit your comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them 
in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for 
copying and electronic filing. If you submit comments 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 Comments and Documents

    To view comments, go to https://www.regulations.gov, type the docket 
number ``MARAD-2012-0015'' in the ``SEARCH'' box and click ``Search.'' 
Click and Open the Docket Folder on the line associated with this 
rulemaking. You may also visit 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.
    The draft PEA will be posted by MARAD to the electronic docket at 
www.regulations.gov and may be accessed using the same search as 
described above. You may also view the draft PEA by visiting MARAD's 
Marine Highway Web page at https://www.marad.dot.gov/ships_shipping_landing_page/mhi_home/mhi_home.htm and clicking on ``Draft 
Programmatic Environmental Assessment.''
    Please note that even after the comment period has closed, MARAD 
will continue to file relevant information in the Docket as it becomes 
available. Accordingly, MARAD recommends that you periodically check 
the Docket for new material.

C. Privacy Act

    Anyone is able to 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.). You may review the DOT 
Privacy Act system of records notice for the Federal Docket Management 
System (FDMS) in the Federal Register published on January 17, 2008, 
(73 FR 3316) at https://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-785.pdf.

    Authority: 49 CFR 1.92 and 1.93.
* * * * *

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.

    Dated: July 8, 2014.
Thomas M. Hudson,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2014-16298 Filed 7-11-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P
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