Use of Wing-in-Ground Craft in Logistical Support of Offshore Platform Operations, 47437-47439 [2022-16626]

Download as PDF 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 VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:39 Aug 02, 2022 Jkt 256001 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 PO 00000 Frm 00054 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 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 PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 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 03AUN1

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


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