Use of Wing-in-Ground Craft in Logistical Support of Offshore Platform Operations, 47437-47439 [2022-16626]
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lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 148 / Wednesday, August 3, 2022 / Notices
the Office of Research on Women’s
Health.
ADDRESSES: Submissions must be sent
electronically to RFI submission website
at: https://rfi.grants.nih.gov/?s=
62c5e1a9fe640000ed002eb2.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about this RFI should be
directed to Juliane Caviston, Ph.D.,
Office of Research on Women’s Health,
6707 Democracy Boulevard, Suite 400,
Bethesda, MD 20817, NIHWideSPWH@
nih.gov, 301–435–0971.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ORWH
was established in the Office of the NIH
Director by the Public Health Service
Act to (a) identify projects and
multidisciplinary research related to
women’s health; (b) encourage research
on sex differences and promote
coordination among research entities;
(c) assist NIH efforts to include women
as participants in clinical research; and
(d) develop opportunities and support
for women in biomedical careers. These
efforts will continue to be part of the
office’s core mission. Please see https://
orwh.od.nih.gov/about/mission/ for
more on the ORWH mission.
ORWH is responsible for an NIH-wide
strategic plan for research on the health
of women that promotes allocation of
NIH resources for conducting and
supporting research efforts on the health
of women across NIH Institutes and
Centers. The NIH Strategic Plan for
Women’s Health Research FY 2019–
2023 https://orwh.od.nih.gov/sites/
orwh/files/docs/ORWH_Strategic_Plan_
2019_508C_0.pdf was developed by a
collaborative group of leaders from the
NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices
(ICOs); external stakeholders; and the
public. The plan incorporates the
missions of the NIH ICOs with ORWH’s
mission to pave the way toward
scientific and workforce efforts that
ultimately benefit the health and
biomedical research careers of women.
ORWH is currently in the process of
updating the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan
for Research on the Health of Women.
Recent, significant public health events
(e.g., the COVID pandemic) have had
significant effects on the health of
women. Several topics relevant to the
health of women were reviewed by the
NIH and the NIH Advisory Committee
on Research on Women’s Health
(ACRWH) in 2021, through the
congressionally directed and ORWH-led
Women’s Health Conference https://
orwh.od.nih.gov/research/2021womens-health-research-conference.
This required a review of NIH activities
to identify research opportunities to
address maternal mortality and
morbidity, survival rates of cervical
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cancer, and chronic and debilitating
diseases in women. The
recommendations that the ACRWH
made consequent to this conference as
well as recent scientific advances; new
technologies; current health priorities;
and feedback from this Request for
Information will all be considered in the
development of the next NIH-Wide
Strategic Plan for Research on the
Health of Women to help guide future
NIH research efforts to improve the
health of all women throughout the
entire life course.
Request for Information
Please provide your perspective on
the following topics:
• Research opportunities in the NIH
Strategic Plan for Women’s Health
Research FY 2019–2023 https://
orwh.od.nih.gov/sites/orwh/files/docs/
ORWH_Strategic_Plan_2019_508C_
0.pdf that should be modified to
account for recent scientific advances.
• Emerging research needs and
opportunities that reflect the changing
landscape of the study of the health of
women that should be added to the
plan.
• Cross-cutting scientific themes (for
example, multidisciplinary research,
and/or utilizing data science, natural
language processing, and artificial
intelligence) or research-related themes
that should be common to all future
strategic goals and objectives (such as
considerations of sex, gender, and age
on health and disease, and health
disparities).
How To Submit a Response
All responses should be submitted
electronically at the RFI submission
website at: https://rfi.grants.nih.gov/?s=
62c5e1a9fe640000ed002eb2 by 11:59:59
p.m. (ET) on September 29, 2022. You
will see an electronic confirmation
acknowledging receipt of your response.
Responses to this RFI are voluntary
and may be submitted anonymously.
You may voluntarily include your name
and contact information with your
response. If you choose to provide NIH
with this information, NIH will not
share your name and contact
information outside of NIH unless
required by law.
Other than your name and contact
information, please do not include any
personally identifiable information or
any information that you do not wish to
make public. Proprietary, classified,
confidential, or sensitive information
should not be included in your
response. The Government will use the
information submitted in response to
this RFI at its discretion. Other than
your name and contact information, the
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47437
Government reserves the right to use
any submitted information on public
websites, in reports, in summaries of the
state of the science, in any possible
resultant solicitation(s), grant(s), or
cooperative agreement(s), or in the
development of future funding
opportunity announcements. This RFI is
for informational and planning purposes
only and is not a solicitation for
applications or an obligation on the part
of the Government to provide support
for any ideas identified in response to
it. Please note that the Government will
not pay for the preparation of any
information submitted or for use of that
information.
We look forward to your input and
hope that you will share this RFI
opportunity with your colleagues.
Dated: July 25, 2022.
Tara A. Schwetz,
Acting Principal Deputy Director, National
Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2022–16546 Filed 8–2–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG–2021–0827]
Use of Wing-in-Ground Craft in
Logistical Support of Offshore
Platform Operations
Coast Guard, Department of
Homeland Security (DHS).
ACTION: Request for information.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Coast Guard seeks
input from the public on wing-inground (WIG) craft. This information
will support the Coast Guard’s
compliance with Section 8431 of the
William M. (Mac) Thornberry National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2021. In addition, public input will
help in assessing the current state of
WIG craft development and the
technology to provide transportation
support to offshore energy facilities on
the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.
Finally, public input will aid in
developing a plan to demonstrate WIG
craft capability to conduct such
operations.
DATES: Comments must be received by
the Coast Guard on or before November
1, 2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
using the Federal Decision Making
Portal at https://www.regulations.gov.
See the ‘‘Public Participation and
Request for Comments’’ portion of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\03AUN1.SGM
03AUN1
47438
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 148 / Wednesday, August 3, 2022 / Notices
further instructions on submitting
comments.
For
information about this document, call or
email Lieutenant Commander Dimitri
Wiener, U.S. Coast Guard; telephone
202–372–1414, email
dimitrios.n.wiener@uscg.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
I. Public Participation and Comments
The Coast Guard views public
participation as essential to
understanding the current state of wingin-ground (WIG) craft development and
technology, their potential ability to
operate on coastwise and offshore
routes, and the Coast Guard’s role with
regard to such technologies. The Coast
Guard will consider all information,
comments, and material received during
the comment period. 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.
Methods for submitting comments.
We encourage you to submit comments
through the Federal Decision Making
Portal at www.regulations.gov. To do so,
go to www.regulations.gov, type USCG–
2021–0827 in the search box and click
‘‘Search.’’ Next, look for this document
in the Search Results column, and click
on it. Then click on the Comment
option. If your material cannot be
submitted using www.regulations.gov,
contact the person in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
document for alternate instructions.
Public comments will be in our online
docket at www.regulations.gov and can
be viewed by following that website’s
instructions, provided on its Frequently
Asked Questions page. We review all
comments received, but we will only
post comments that address the topic of
this request for information. We may
choose not to post off-topic,
inappropriate, or duplicate comments
that we receive.
The Coast Guard will not issue a
separate response to the comments
received. We will carefully consider all
comments and may use them to form
recommendations to Congress. The
Coast Guard is not currently
contemplating regulatory changes on
this topic; if the Coast Guard were to
undertake any regulatory changes as a
result of comments received, that
change would be separately announced
in the Federal Register.
Personal information. We accept
anonymous comments. Comments we
post to www.regulations.gov will
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:39 Aug 02, 2022
Jkt 256001
include any personal information you
have provided. For more about privacy
and submissions to the docket in
response to this document, see the
Department of Homeland Security’s
(DHS) eRulemaking System of Records
notice (85 FR 14226, March 11, 2020).
II. Abbreviations
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FR Federal Register
NDAA William M. (Mac) Thornberry
National Defense Authorization Act
OCS U.S. Outer Continental Shelf
RFI Request for information
U.S.C. United States Code
WIG Wing-in-ground
III. Purpose
The Coast Guard is issuing this
request for information (RFI) in
response to Section 8431 of the William
M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal
Year 2021, Public Law 116–283. In that
section, Congress required the Coast
Guard, in coordination with the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA), to
develop plans for a demonstration
program that will determine whether a
WIG craft, carrying at least one
individual, is capable of the following:
(1) Providing transportation in areas
in which energy exploration,
development, or production activity
takes place on the Outer Continental
Shelf; and
(2) Safely reaching helidecks or
platforms located on offshore energy
facilities under the WIG craft’s own
power.
Congress directed that Coast Guard
and the FAA report on, among other
things, any regulatory changes with
regard to inspections or manning that
would be necessary to allow for craft
operation between onshore and offshore
facilities, any regulatory changes with
regard to airspace and other aircraft
operations necessary to allow for safe
operations on or near helidecks and
platforms on offshore energy facilities,
and any other statutory or regulatory
changes related to FAA authority over
craft operation.
The Coast Guard will use the public
comments received in response to this
RFI as the first step in developing a WIG
craft demonstration program, and to
better understand the state of WIG craft
development.
IV. Background—Wing-in-Ground
(WIG) Craft
As statutorily defined in 46 U.S.C.
2101(54), a WIG craft is ‘‘a vessel that
is capable of operating completely above
the surface of the water on a dynamic
air cushion created by aerodynamic lift,
due to the ground effect between the
PO 00000
Frm 00055
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
vessel and the water’s surface.’’ As
defined in 46 U.S.C. 2101(45), WIG craft
that can carry one or more passengers
for hire are ‘‘small passenger vessels,’’
and are regulated as such by the Coast
Guard.
A WIG craft relies on ground effect, an
aerodynamic effect that creates an air
cushion between the craft’s wings and
the surface. When a WIG craft is
operating very close to the surface and
under the influence of ground effect,
there is a reduction in the upwash,
downwash, and wingtip vortices
generated by its wing that results in a
condition of improved performance. As
a result of the reduced wingtip vortices,
there is a reduction in induced drag.
Operating within ground effect
significantly improves a craft’s
performance when its wing is at a height
of about one-half its wingspan or less
above the surface. Accordingly, a WIG
craft cannot fly very far above the
surface before it loses the advantage of
ground effect. It may also not be able to
maintain sustained flight at higher
altitudes.
When operating within ground effect,
the reduced drag allows WIG craft to
carry a payload with less propulsion
energy than would be required by an
aircraft operating out of ground effect.
Operating within ground effect and not
in contact with the surface also permits
a WIG craft to operate at higher speeds
than conventional watercraft. This
makes WIG craft particularly attractive
for passenger service on waterway
routes.
Because WIG craft can operate very
close to the surface, and because
waterways provide an effective
operational route for WIG craft,
Congress has made the legislative choice
to designate WIG craft as vessels when
operating in the maritime domain.
Accordingly, the Coast Guard has
statutory responsibility for the
certification and regulation of WIG craft
that operate on U.S. waters. This
authority, however, is not exclusive,
and does not restrict the ability of any
other agency, such as the FAA, from
regulating these craft when their
operation falls within its statutory
jurisdiction.
V. Request for Information
The Coast Guard requests relevant
comments and information from the
public, and particularly from offshore
facility operators, including gas and oil
facility operators, wind farm operators,
the WIG craft community (designers,
manufacturers, and operators), and
persons conducting operations in
airspace that may be affected by the
operation of WIG craft.
E:\FR\FM\03AUN1.SGM
03AUN1
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 148 / Wednesday, August 3, 2022 / Notices
When considering your comments
and suggestions, we ask that you keep
in mind the Coast Guard’s mission to
ensure a safe, secure, and resilient
marine transportation system that
facilitates commerce and protects
national security interests. Commenters
should feel free to answer as many
questions as they would like, but also
provide specificity, detail, and the logic
behind any finding or numerical
estimates.
The following information is
requested; please provide as much
detail as possible:
(1) From offshore facility operators:
(a) What interest is there in
participating in a WIG craft
demonstration?
(b) What are the potential advantages,
drawbacks, and concerns, cost-related or
otherwise, with respect to using WIG
craft for transportation support?
(c) What is the feasibility of a WIG
craft to safely land and take off from a
helideck (airborne mode), or to taxi up
to an offshore platform (afloat mode)?
(d) What modifications to offshore
platforms would be required in order to
enable such operations?
(2) From the WIG craft community:
(a) What is the current state of WIG
craft development, both domestic and
foreign?
(b) What WIG craft are currently
available, or will be available within 1
year, for an operational demonstration
to an offshore platform?
(c) What are the capabilities of
existing WIG craft to reach helidecks or
platforms located on offshore energy
facilities, and how many existing WIG
craft are operational for any route, or
working prototypes under test and
evaluation, or designs in progress?
(d) What are the dimensions and
operational characteristics of WIG craft;
for example, speed, range, ground effect
altitude, and passenger and cargo
capacity?
(e) What are the weather and other
factors that might limit WIG craft
operations on exposed offshore routes?
(f) What are the costs and time
estimates to manufacture WIG craft, and
what resources are needed to
manufacture them; for example,
personnel, equipment, and raw
material?
(3) In general, from both offshore
facility operators and the WIG craft
communities:
(a) What are the resources needed to
plan and conduct a demonstration of
offshore WIG craft operations?
(b) What would be the milestones and
timeframe to conduct such a
demonstration?
(4) Should current aircraft, airman, air
carrier, and commercial operator
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:39 Aug 02, 2022
Jkt 256001
requirements, as set forth in 49 U.S.C.
and Title 14 of the Code of Federal
Regulations apply to the certification
and operation of WIG craft? (Note: 49
U.S.C. 40102(a)(6) defines an ‘‘aircraft’’
as ‘‘any contrivance invented, used, or
designed to navigate, or fly in, the air.’’)
If current requirements should be
revised, please indicate what changes
would be considered necessary.
(5) Are any additional regulatory,
guidance, or policy changes needed to
facilitate development of a domestic
WIG industry? Where appropriate,
please include why the changes are
necessary.
(6) What is the predicted growth and
scope of the WIG craft technology in
terms of its domestic deployment in
industry?
(7) Regarding credentialing:
(a) Should WIG operators be required
to hold a Merchant Mariner Credential
with the appropriate route and tonnage
limitations for the vessel?
(b) Should current airman
certification requirements apply to the
operation of WIG craft? If current
requirements should be revised, please
indicate what changes would be
considered necessary (e.g. category and
class ratings, aeronautical knowledge,
flight proficiency, aeronautical
experience).
(c) Should WIG credentials be one
endorsement that covers both the
maritime and aviation aspects, or
should there be individual certificates
or endorsements for each aspect?
(d) Should aviation or maritime
simulation training be required to obtain
certification or an endorsement to
conduct WIG operations?
(f) Should aeronautical experience be
credited toward any service
requirements to qualify for a WIG
endorsement?
(g) If credit for aeronautical
experience is to be given, what is the
appropriate conversion of flight time to
maritime service time?
(8) Finally, the Coast Guard seeks
public comments on WIG craft
development and technology and their
potential ability to operate on coastwise
and offshore routes that may not be
covered in the questions above.
Dated: July 29, 2022.
W.R. Arguin,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Assistant
Commandant for Prevention Policy.
[FR Doc. 2022–16626 Filed 8–2–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–04–P
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47439
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
[Docket No. FEMA–2022–0021]
Privacy Act of 1974; System of
Records
Federal Emergency
Management Agency, U.S. Department
of Homeland Security.
ACTION: Notice of a new system of
records.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Privacy Act of 1974, the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) proposes to establish a new DHS
system of records titled, ‘‘DHS/Federal
Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA)-017 Individuals and
Households Program Equity Analysis
Records System of Records.’’ This
system of records allows DHS/FEMA to
collect from and maintain records on
applicants for its disaster assistance
programs, which provide financial and
other tangible assistance to survivors of
presidentially declared disasters or
emergencies, to assess and ensure that
access to and participation in the
Individuals and Households Program
(IHP) is accomplished in an equitable
and impartial manner.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
September 2, 2022. This new system
will be effective upon publication.
Routine uses will be effective September
2, 2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by docket number FEMA–
2022–0021, by one of the following
methods:
• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• Fax: 202–343–4010.
• Mail: Lynn Parker Dupree, Chief
Privacy Officer, Privacy Office, U.S.
Department of Homeland Security,
Washington, DC 20528–0655.
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the agency name and
docket number FEMA–2022–0021. All
comments received will be posted
without change to https://
www.regulations.gov including any
personal information provided.
Docket: For access to the docket to
read background documents or
comments received, go to https://
www.regulations.gov.
SUMMARY:
For
general questions, please contact:
Tammi Hines, (202) 212–5100, FEMAPrivacy@fema.dhs.gov, Senior Director
for Information Management, Federal
Emergency Management Agency,
Washington, DC 20472–0001. For
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
E:\FR\FM\03AUN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 148 (Wednesday, August 3, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47437-47439]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-16626]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG-2021-0827]
Use of Wing-in-Ground Craft in Logistical Support of Offshore
Platform Operations
AGENCY: Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
ACTION: Request for information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Coast Guard seeks input from the public on wing-in-
ground (WIG) craft. This information will support the Coast Guard's
compliance with Section 8431 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. In addition,
public input will help in assessing the current state of WIG craft
development and the technology to provide transportation support to
offshore energy facilities on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.
Finally, public input will aid in developing a plan to demonstrate WIG
craft capability to conduct such operations.
DATES: Comments must be received by the Coast Guard on or before
November 1, 2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments using the Federal Decision Making
Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. See the ``Public Participation
and Request for Comments'' portion of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section for
[[Page 47438]]
further instructions on submitting comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about this document,
call or email Lieutenant Commander Dimitri Wiener, U.S. Coast Guard;
telephone 202-372-1414, email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Public Participation and Comments
The Coast Guard views public participation as essential to
understanding the current state of wing-in-ground (WIG) craft
development and technology, their potential ability to operate on
coastwise and offshore routes, and the Coast Guard's role with regard
to such technologies. The Coast Guard will consider all information,
comments, and material received during the comment period. 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.
Methods for submitting comments. We encourage you to submit
comments through the Federal Decision Making Portal at
www.regulations.gov. To do so, go to www.regulations.gov, type USCG-
2021-0827 in the search box and click ``Search.'' Next, look for this
document in the Search Results column, and click on it. Then click on
the Comment option. If your material cannot be submitted using
www.regulations.gov, contact the person in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this document for alternate instructions. Public
comments will be in our online docket at www.regulations.gov and can be
viewed by following that website's instructions, provided on its
Frequently Asked Questions page. We review all comments received, but
we will only post comments that address the topic of this request for
information. We may choose not to post off-topic, inappropriate, or
duplicate comments that we receive.
The Coast Guard will not issue a separate response to the comments
received. We will carefully consider all comments and may use them to
form recommendations to Congress. The Coast Guard is not currently
contemplating regulatory changes on this topic; if the Coast Guard were
to undertake any regulatory changes as a result of comments received,
that change would be separately announced in the Federal Register.
Personal information. We accept anonymous comments. Comments we
post to www.regulations.gov will include any personal information you
have provided. For more about privacy and submissions to the docket in
response to this document, see the Department of Homeland Security's
(DHS) eRulemaking System of Records notice (85 FR 14226, March 11,
2020).
II. Abbreviations
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FR Federal Register
NDAA William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act
OCS U.S. Outer Continental Shelf
RFI Request for information
U.S.C. United States Code
WIG Wing-in-ground
III. Purpose
The Coast Guard is issuing this request for information (RFI) in
response to Section 8431 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, Public Law 116-
283. In that section, Congress required the Coast Guard, in
coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to develop
plans for a demonstration program that will determine whether a WIG
craft, carrying at least one individual, is capable of the following:
(1) Providing transportation in areas in which energy exploration,
development, or production activity takes place on the Outer
Continental Shelf; and
(2) Safely reaching helidecks or platforms located on offshore
energy facilities under the WIG craft's own power.
Congress directed that Coast Guard and the FAA report on, among
other things, any regulatory changes with regard to inspections or
manning that would be necessary to allow for craft operation between
onshore and offshore facilities, any regulatory changes with regard to
airspace and other aircraft operations necessary to allow for safe
operations on or near helidecks and platforms on offshore energy
facilities, and any other statutory or regulatory changes related to
FAA authority over craft operation.
The Coast Guard will use the public comments received in response
to this RFI as the first step in developing a WIG craft demonstration
program, and to better understand the state of WIG craft development.
IV. Background--Wing-in-Ground (WIG) Craft
As statutorily defined in 46 U.S.C. 2101(54), a WIG craft is ``a
vessel that is capable of operating completely above the surface of the
water on a dynamic air cushion created by aerodynamic lift, due to the
ground effect between the vessel and the water's surface.'' As defined
in 46 U.S.C. 2101(45), WIG craft that can carry one or more passengers
for hire are ``small passenger vessels,'' and are regulated as such by
the Coast Guard.
A WIG craft relies on ground effect, an aerodynamic effect that
creates an air cushion between the craft's wings and the surface. When
a WIG craft is operating very close to the surface and under the
influence of ground effect, there is a reduction in the upwash,
downwash, and wingtip vortices generated by its wing that results in a
condition of improved performance. As a result of the reduced wingtip
vortices, there is a reduction in induced drag. Operating within ground
effect significantly improves a craft's performance when its wing is at
a height of about one-half its wingspan or less above the surface.
Accordingly, a WIG craft cannot fly very far above the surface before
it loses the advantage of ground effect. It may also not be able to
maintain sustained flight at higher altitudes.
When operating within ground effect, the reduced drag allows WIG
craft to carry a payload with less propulsion energy than would be
required by an aircraft operating out of ground effect. Operating
within ground effect and not in contact with the surface also permits a
WIG craft to operate at higher speeds than conventional watercraft.
This makes WIG craft particularly attractive for passenger service on
waterway routes.
Because WIG craft can operate very close to the surface, and
because waterways provide an effective operational route for WIG craft,
Congress has made the legislative choice to designate WIG craft as
vessels when operating in the maritime domain. Accordingly, the Coast
Guard has statutory responsibility for the certification and regulation
of WIG craft that operate on U.S. waters. This authority, however, is
not exclusive, and does not restrict the ability of any other agency,
such as the FAA, from regulating these craft when their operation falls
within its statutory jurisdiction.
V. Request for Information
The Coast Guard requests relevant comments and information from the
public, and particularly from offshore facility operators, including
gas and oil facility operators, wind farm operators, the WIG craft
community (designers, manufacturers, and operators), and persons
conducting operations in airspace that may be affected by the operation
of WIG craft.
[[Page 47439]]
When considering your comments and suggestions, we ask that you
keep in mind the Coast Guard's mission to ensure a safe, secure, and
resilient marine transportation system that facilitates commerce and
protects national security interests. Commenters should feel free to
answer as many questions as they would like, but also provide
specificity, detail, and the logic behind any finding or numerical
estimates.
The following information is requested; please provide as much
detail as possible:
(1) From offshore facility operators:
(a) What interest is there in participating in a WIG craft
demonstration?
(b) What are the potential advantages, drawbacks, and concerns,
cost-related or otherwise, with respect to using WIG craft for
transportation support?
(c) What is the feasibility of a WIG craft to safely land and take
off from a helideck (airborne mode), or to taxi up to an offshore
platform (afloat mode)?
(d) What modifications to offshore platforms would be required in
order to enable such operations?
(2) From the WIG craft community:
(a) What is the current state of WIG craft development, both
domestic and foreign?
(b) What WIG craft are currently available, or will be available
within 1 year, for an operational demonstration to an offshore
platform?
(c) What are the capabilities of existing WIG craft to reach
helidecks or platforms located on offshore energy facilities, and how
many existing WIG craft are operational for any route, or working
prototypes under test and evaluation, or designs in progress?
(d) What are the dimensions and operational characteristics of WIG
craft; for example, speed, range, ground effect altitude, and passenger
and cargo capacity?
(e) What are the weather and other factors that might limit WIG
craft operations on exposed offshore routes?
(f) What are the costs and time estimates to manufacture WIG craft,
and what resources are needed to manufacture them; for example,
personnel, equipment, and raw material?
(3) In general, from both offshore facility operators and the WIG
craft communities:
(a) What are the resources needed to plan and conduct a
demonstration of offshore WIG craft operations?
(b) What would be the milestones and timeframe to conduct such a
demonstration?
(4) Should current aircraft, airman, air carrier, and commercial
operator requirements, as set forth in 49 U.S.C. and Title 14 of the
Code of Federal Regulations apply to the certification and operation of
WIG craft? (Note: 49 U.S.C. 40102(a)(6) defines an ``aircraft'' as
``any contrivance invented, used, or designed to navigate, or fly in,
the air.'') If current requirements should be revised, please indicate
what changes would be considered necessary.
(5) Are any additional regulatory, guidance, or policy changes
needed to facilitate development of a domestic WIG industry? Where
appropriate, please include why the changes are necessary.
(6) What is the predicted growth and scope of the WIG craft
technology in terms of its domestic deployment in industry?
(7) Regarding credentialing:
(a) Should WIG operators be required to hold a Merchant Mariner
Credential with the appropriate route and tonnage limitations for the
vessel?
(b) Should current airman certification requirements apply to the
operation of WIG craft? If current requirements should be revised,
please indicate what changes would be considered necessary (e.g.
category and class ratings, aeronautical knowledge, flight proficiency,
aeronautical experience).
(c) Should WIG credentials be one endorsement that covers both the
maritime and aviation aspects, or should there be individual
certificates or endorsements for each aspect?
(d) Should aviation or maritime simulation training be required to
obtain certification or an endorsement to conduct WIG operations?
(f) Should aeronautical experience be credited toward any service
requirements to qualify for a WIG endorsement?
(g) If credit for aeronautical experience is to be given, what is
the appropriate conversion of flight time to maritime service time?
(8) Finally, the Coast Guard seeks public comments on WIG craft
development and technology and their potential ability to operate on
coastwise and offshore routes that may not be covered in the questions
above.
Dated: July 29, 2022.
W.R. Arguin,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Assistant Commandant for Prevention
Policy.
[FR Doc. 2022-16626 Filed 8-2-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P
