Notice2026-11727
Availability of Retrospective Analysis of 2012 Ballast Water Discharge Standards
Primary source
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Published
June 11, 2026
Issuing agencies
Homeland Security DepartmentCoast Guard
Abstract
The Coast Guard announces the availability of a report titled "Retrospective Analysis of USCG 2012 Ballast Water Discharge Standards." This report revisits the Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) we conducted for a 2012 final rule titled "Standards for Living Organisms in Ships' Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters" utilizing new data sources and updated methods to assess the costs and benefits of the rule. The Coast Guard requests public comments on the data, methodology, and findings presented in the retrospective analysis report.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 112 (Thursday, June 11, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 112 (Thursday, June 11, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35491-35492]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-11727]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG-2026-0111]
Availability of Retrospective Analysis of 2012 Ballast Water
Discharge Standards
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces the availability of a report titled
``Retrospective Analysis of USCG 2012 Ballast Water Discharge
Standards.'' This report revisits the Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA)
we conducted for a 2012 final rule titled ``Standards for Living
Organisms in Ships' Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters'' utilizing
new data sources and updated methods to assess the costs and benefits
of the rule. The Coast Guard requests public comments on the data,
methodology, and findings presented in the retrospective analysis
report.
DATES: Comments must be submitted to the online docket via <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> on or before August 10, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2026-0111 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
email
[[Page 35492]]
Mr. Chris Lauer, Coast Guard; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#82c1eaf0ebf1f6edf2eae7f0ace8aceee3f7e7f0c2f7f1e1e5acefebee"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="511239233822253e213934237f3b7f3d3024342311242232367f3c383d">[email protected]</span></a>;
phone: (206) 827-4319.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Participation and Comments
We encourage you to submit comments (or related material) on the
retrospective analysis. We will consider all submissions and may adjust
our final report 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 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-2026-0111 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.
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).
Discussion
The Coast Guard is making available the ``Retrospective Analysis of
USCG 2012 Ballast Water Discharge Standards,'' prepared by the Volpe
National Transportation Systems Center. A copy of this report is
available in the docket where indicated under the ``Public
Participation and Comments'' section of this notice. In 2012, the Coast
Guard issued a rule titled ``Standards for Living Organisms in Ships'
Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters'' (77 FR 17254, March 23, 2012)
(2012 rule) to reduce the introduction and spread of non-indigenous
species (NIS) via ballast water.
This retrospective analysis serves two primary purposes:
1. Update 2012 RIA Parameters: It updates key parameters used in
the 2012 rule Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) using new data sources
developed over the last decade, including the CABI Invasive Species
Compendium, the Smithsonian's National Estuarine and Marine Exotic
Species Information System (NEMESIS), and the National Ballast
Information Clearinghouse (NBIC).
2. Reevaluate Costs and Benefits: It reevaluates the costs and
benefits of the 2012 rule by leveraging historical data on Ballast
Water Management System (BWMS) adoption and NIS establishment.
Key findings of the report indicate that the 2012 rule is likely to
be net beneficial in the long term. While the analysis found that
equipping the fleet with BWMS involved significant upfront costs,
particularly for retrofitting, the annual benefits of avoided NIS
accumulation are projected to grow and eventually surpass annual costs
by the year 2050. This finding was robust to a variety of sensitivity
cases.
We request your comments on the data, methodology, and findings
presented in the Retrospective Analysis. We request comments on the
estimated invasion rates, BWMS cost models, and the assumptions
regarding fleet growth and retrofitting costs.
This notice is issued under authority of 5 U.S.C. 552, Executive
Order 12866, and OMB Circular A-4.
Timothy M. Brown,
Chief, Office of Standards Evaluation and Development.
[FR Doc. 2026-11727 Filed 6-10-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P
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