Port Access Route Study: In the Chukchi Sea, Bering Strait and Bering Sea, 11935 [2017-03771]

Agencies

• Coast Guard
• DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 37 (Monday, February 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 11935]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-03771]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2014-0941]


Port Access Route Study: In the Chukchi Sea, Bering Strait and 
Bering Sea

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of study availability; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Seventeenth Coast Guard District has concluded the Port 
Access Route Study (PARS) of the Chukchi Sea, Bering Strait and Bering 
Sea and announces the availability of the report. The Coast Guard is 
also requesting comments on the preliminary findings contained in the 
report. Any comments received will be reviewed and considered as the 
Coast Guard deliberates advancing the recommendations from this study 
forward into a domestic rulemaking or international agreement.

DATES: Comments must be submitted to the online docket via https://www.regulations.gov, or reach the Docket Management Facility, on or 
before May 30, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2014-0941 using the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. See the ``Public Participation and Request for 
Comments'' portion of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for further 
instructions on submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about this document 
call or email Mr. David Seris, Seventeenth Coast Guard District, 
telephone (907) 463-2267, email David.M.Seris@uscg.mil, or LT Kody 
Stitz, Seventeenth Coast Guard District, telephone (907) 463-2270; 
email Kody.J.Stitz@uscg.mil.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation and Comments

    We encourage you to submit comments (or related material) on this 
notice of study availability. We will consider all submissions and may 
adjust our final action based on your comments. If you submit a 
comment, please include the docket number for this notice, indicate the 
specific section of this document to which each comment applies, and 
provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation.
    We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be 
submitted using https://www.regulations.gov, contact the person in the 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for alternate 
instructions. Documents mentioned in this notice and all public 
comments, are in our online docket at https://www.regulations.gov and 
can be viewed by following that Web site's instructions. Additionally, 
if you go to the online docket and sign up for email alerts, you will 
be notified when comments are posted or a final rule is published.
    We accept anonymous comments. All comments received will be posted 
without change to https://www.regulations.gov and will include any 
personal information you have provided. For more about privacy and the 
docket, you may review a Privacy Act notice regarding the Federal 
Docket Management System in the March 24, 2005, issue of the Federal 
Register (70 FR 15086).

Viewing Documents and Comments

    The final report and all public comments are in our online docket 
at https://www.regulations.gov and can be viewed by following that Web 
site's instructions. The digital size of the final report is in excess 
of 100 MB which may prevent some people from being able to download and 
view it. For those unable to download the digital file at https://www.regulations.gov, please contact the person listed in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to request a digital file or a 
printed copy of the report.

Discussion

    The Coast Guard announced a port access route study of the Bering 
Strait in the Federal Register on November 8, 2010 (75 FR 68568). The 
purpose of the PARS was to solicit public comments on whether a vessel 
routing system was needed and if it could increase vessel safety in the 
area. At that time the Coast Guard did not propose a specific vessel 
routing system, but instead sought more general comments about whether 
a vessel routing system was needed or advisable in the study area. The 
Coast Guard received twenty five comments, and after reviewing them, 
determined that a specific vessel route needed to be proposed so more 
specific comments and concerns could be gathered and evaluated before 
determining if a routing system would be beneficial. The Coast Guard 
further determined that the study area should include a larger 
geographic area than was initially studied before finalizing the study 
and publishing the results.
    On December 5, 2014 the Coast Guard announced via the Federal 
Register (79 FR 72157) its intent to continue the PARS started in 2010 
by expanding the study area to include most of the Bering Sea, 
proposing a two-way route as a vessel routing system and requesting 
additional public comments. The Coast Guard's goal of the study 
remained the same in that the study was focused on gathering factual 
and relevant information to aid the Coast Guard in reducing the risk of 
marine casualties and increasing the efficiency of vessel traffic in 
the region. The Coast Guard received twenty nine comments in response 
to this request for comment and after reviewing them, developed the 
PARS report. The preliminary findings in this report include some 
changes to previous proposals on which the Coast Guard solicited 
comments. Additional waypoints have been added to the proposed route, 
and Areas to Be Avoided (ATBA's) have been proposed as additional 
routing measures. Upon review of any public comments received in 
response to this notice of study availability, the Coast Guard may 
adjust the proposed route and ATBAs accordingly before submitting a 
final proposal to the International Maritime Organization for formal 
adoption.
    This notice is issued under authority of 33 U.S.C 1223(c) and 5 
U.S.C. 552(a).

    Dated: January 17, 2017.
M. F. McAllister,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, Seventeenth Coast Guard 
District.
[FR Doc. 2017-03771 Filed 2-24-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9110-04-P