Notice2022-18453
Port Access Route Study: The Pacific Coast From Washington to California
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 26, 2022
Issuing agencies
Homeland Security DepartmentCoast Guard
Abstract
The Coast Guard announces the availability of the draft Pacific Coast Port Access Route Study (PAC-PARS) and requests public comments on the draft. This study evaluates safe access routes for the movement of vessel traffic proceeding to or from ports or places along the western seaboard of the United States and aims to determine whether a shipping safety fairway ("fairway") and/or routing measures should be established, adjusted or modified.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 165 (Friday, August 26, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 165 (Friday, August 26, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52587-52588]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-18453]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG-2021-0345]
Port Access Route Study: The Pacific Coast From Washington to
California
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of availability of draft study and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces the availability of the draft
Pacific Coast Port Access Route Study (PAC-PARS) and requests public
comments on the draft. This study evaluates safe access routes for the
movement of vessel traffic proceeding to or from ports or places along
the western seaboard of the United States and aims to determine whether
a shipping safety fairway (``fairway'') and/or routing measures should
be established, adjusted or modified.
DATES: Comments must be submitted to the online docket via <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> on or before October 25, 2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2021-0345 using the Federal Decision Making Portal at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. 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 LCDR Sara Conrad, Coast Guard Pacific Area (PAC-54), U.S.
Coast Guard; telephone (510) 437-3813, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#17447665763952395478796576735762647470397a7e7b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f6a5978497d8b3d8b59998849792b683859591d89b9f9a">[email protected]</span></a> or
Mr. Tyrone Conner, Eleventh Coast Guard District (dpw), U.S. Coast
Guard; telephone (510) 437-2968, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#67331e15080902492b492408090902152712140400490a0e0b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b6e2cfc4d9d8d398fa98f5d9d8d8d3c4f6c3c5d5d198dbdfda">[email protected]</span></a> or Mr.
John Moriarty, Thirteenth Coast Guard District (dpw), U.S. Coast Guard;
telephone (206) 220-7274, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5913363137771f7714362b30382b2d20192c2a3a3e77343035"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2e6441464000680063415c474f5c5a576e5b5d4d4900434742">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Participation and Comments
We encourage you to submit comments regarding the results of the
draft Pacific Coast Port Access Route Study. 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.
Submitting comments. We encourage you to submit comments through
the Federal Decision Making Portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. To do
so, go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, type USCG-2021-0345 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 <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>, contact the person in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this document for alternate instructions.
Viewing material in docket. To view documents mentioned in this
notice as being available in the docket, find the docket as described
in the previous paragraph, and then select ``Supporting & Related
Material'' in the Document Type column. Public comments will also be
placed in our online docket and can be viewed by following instructions
on the <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> Frequently Asked Questions web page.
We review all comments received, but we may choose not to post off-
topic, inappropriate, or duplicate comments that we receive.
Personal information. We accept anonymous comments. Comments we
post to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> will include any personal
information you have provided. For more about privacy and submissions
in response to this document, see DHS's eRulemaking System of Records
notice (85 FR 14226, March 11, 2020).
Public Meeting
We plan to hold several public meetings to receive oral comments on
this draft PAC-PARS. The dates, times, and locations will be announced
on our project web page Pacific Coast Port Access Route Study (PAC-
PARS) and via a separate document published in the Federal Register.
Background
The Ports and Waterways Safety Act, (PWSA)(46 U.S.C. 70003(c)(1)),
authorizes the Commandant of the Coast Guard to designate necessary
fairways and traffic separations schemes (TSSs) to provide safe access
routes for vessels proceeding to and from United States ports. The
designation of fairways and TSSs recognizes the paramount right of
navigation over all other uses in the designated areas.
Before establishing or adjusting fairways, 46 U.S.C. 70003(c)(1)
requires the Coast Guard to study potential traffic density and assess
the need for safe access routes for vessels. During this process, the
Coast Guard considers the views of the maritime community,
environmental groups, and other stakeholders to reconcile the need for
safe access routes with reasonable waterway uses. See 46 U.S.C.
70003(c)(3).
On July 29, 2021, the Coast Guard announced that the Coast Guard
Pacific Area Command would conduct a Pacific Coast Port Access Route
Study (PAC-PARS) (86 FR 40791). The study area encompasses all vessel
traffic patterns approaching and departing major ports along the west
coast to include all current Traffic Separation Schemes and vessel
maneuvering along the Pacific Coast from Washington to California and
all federal navigable waters out to the EEZ. The PAC-PARS is focused on
vessel traffic and navigation mitigation techniques to improve and
support safe navigation transits within the major Pacific Coast Ports
and the United States EEZ.
The PAC-PARS aims to enhance navigational safety by examining
existing shipping routes and waterway uses and, to the extent
practicable, reconciling the paramount right of navigation within
designated port access routes with other waterway uses such as the
development of aquaculture farms, offshore renewable energy, commercial
space ports/re-entry sites, marine sanctuaries, ports supporting
Panamax vessels, potential LNG ports and additional commercial vessel
traffic.
After analyzing current and historical vessel traffic, fishing
vessel information, agency and stakeholder experience in vessel traffic
management, navigation, ship handling, and effects of weather, we have
determined that there is a need to establish voluntary fairways for
coastwise and nearshore vessel traffic to promote safety of navigation
in the study area. As part of the draft PAC-PARS report, which is
available for public review in this docket, charts of the recommended
fairways are included as Appendices I, II, and III. Examples of public
notice and outreach documents are included in Appendices IV-XI. Two
vessel traffic analyses, for coastal waters and port approaches, are
included as
[[Page 52588]]
Enclosures 1 and 2, respectively. Earlier Federal Register
announcements associated with this effort are included as Enclosures 3
and 4. Finally, the three memorandums from each Coast Guard command
involved in this study are provided in Enclosures 5, 6, and 7. The
draft and appendices can also be found on our project web page.
We request your comments on any aspect of this study. Information
received during this additional public comment period may result in
changes to the study's recommendations prior to any future rulemakings
or appropriate international agreements.
This notice is issued under authority of 46 U.S.C. 70003(c)(1).
Dated: August 22, 2022.
A.J. Tiongson,
Vice Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, Pacific Area.
[FR Doc. 2022-18453 Filed 8-25-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P
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