Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 166 / Friday, August 28, 2009 / Notices 44673 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

Coast Guard 

[USCG–2001–10486] 

Standards for Living Organisms in 

Ships’ Ballast Water Discharged in 

U.S. Waters; Draft Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement 

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. 

ACTION: Notice of availability and 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces 

the availability of a Draft Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement 

(DPEIS) for the rulemaking entitled 

‘‘Standards for Living Organisms in 

Ships’ Ballast Water’’ (Docket No. 

USCG–2001–10486), published 

elsewhere in today’s issue of the 

Federal Register. This DPEIS provides 

an assessment of the potential 

environmental impacts associated with 

the proposed establishment of ballast 

water discharge standards. The 

standards would be used to approve 

alternative ballast water management 

methods that are effective in preventing 

or reducing the introduction of 

nonindigenous species via discharged 

ballast water into United States waters. 

We request your comments on this 

DPEIS. 

DATES: Comments and related material 

must either be submitted to our online 

docket via http://www.regulations.gov 

on or before November 27, 2009 or reach 

the Docket Management Facility by that 

date. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by docket number USCG– 

2001–10486 using any one of the 

following methods: 

(1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

(2) Fax: 202–493–2251. 

(3) Mail: Docket Management Facility 

(M–30), U.S. Department of 

Transportation, West Building Ground 

Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590– 

0001. 

(4) Hand delivery: Same as mail 

address above, between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. The telephone number 

is 202–366–9329. 

To avoid duplication, please use only 

one of these four methods. See the 

‘‘Public Participation and Request for 

Comments’’ portion of the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 

below for instructions on submitting 

comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If 

you have questions on this notice, call 

or e-mail Mr. John Morris, Project 

Manager, Environmental Standards 

Division, U.S. Coast Guard 

Headquarters, telephone 202–372–1433, 

e-mail: John.C.Morris@uscg.mil. If you 

have questions on viewing or submitting 

material to the docket, call Renee V. 

Wright, Program Manager, Docket 

Operations, telephone 202–366–9826. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Participation and Request for 

Comments 

We encourage you to submit 

comments and related material on the 

Draft Programmatic Environmental 

Impact Statement (DPEIS). All 

comments received will be posted, 

without change, to http:// 

www.regulations.gov and will include 

any personal information you have 

provided. 

Submitting comments: If you submit a 

comment, please include the docket 

number for this notice (USCG–2001– 

10486) and provide a reason for each 

suggestion or recommendation. You 

may submit your comments and 

material online, or by fax, mail or hand 

delivery, but please use only one of 

these means. We recommend that you 

include your name and a mailing 

address, an e-mail address, or a 

telephone number in the body of your 

document so that we can contact you if 

we have questions regarding your 

submission. 

To submit your comment online, go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and click on 

the ‘‘submit a comment’’ box, which 

will then become highlighted in blue. 

Insert ‘‘USCG–2001–10486’’ in the 

Keyword box, click ‘‘Search’’, and then 

click on the balloon shape in the 

Actions column. If you submit your 

comments by mail or hand delivery, 

submit them in an unbound format, no 

larger than 81⁄2; by 11 inches, suitable 

for copying and electronic filing. If you 

submit them by mail and would like to 

know that they reached the Facility, 

please enclose a stamped, self-addressed 

postcard or envelope. We will consider 

all comments and material received 

during the comment period. 

Viewing the comments and DPEIS: To 

view the comments and the DPEIS, go 

to http://www.regulations.gov, enter the 

docket number for this rulemaking 

(USCG–2001–10486) in the Keyword 

box, and click ‘‘Search’’. If you do not 

have access to the Internet, you may 

view the docket by visiting the Docket 

Management Facility in Room W12–140 

on the ground floor of the Department 

of Transportation West Building, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, 

DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. We have an agreement with 

the Department of Transportation to use 

the Docket Management Facility. 

Privacy Act: Anyone can search the 

electronic form of comments received 

into any of our dockets by the name of 

the individual submitting the comment 

(or signing the comment, if submitted 

on behalf of an association, business, 

labor union, etc.). You may review a 

Privacy Act system of records notice 

regarding our public dockets in the 

January 17, 2008, issue of the Federal 

Register (73 FR 3316). 

Background and Purpose 

The United States Coast Guard 

(USCG) has evaluated the impacts to the 

environment from a range of alternative 

ballast water discharge standards 

(BWDS). BWDS would be used to 

approve ballast water management 

systems (BWMS) that are at least as 

effective as ballast water exchange in 

preventing or reducing the introduction 

of nonindigenous species (NIS) via 

discharged ballast water. 

Ballast water is taken on by a vessel 

to increase the water draft, change the 

trim, regulate the stability, or maintain 

stress loads within acceptable 

operational limits. The term NIS refers 

to organisms found outside of their 

native or historical range. In cases 

where they invade ecosystems, NIS may 

alter aquatic and marine ecosystems and 

biodiversity, impact commercial and 

recreational fisheries, cause 

infrastructure damage, contribute to 

potential risks to human health, and 

generally create detrimental economic 

impacts. Ballast water discharge (BWD) 

is a major pathway for NIS introduction 

from vessels operating in or entering 

United States waters. 

On September 26, 2003, the USCG 

announced its proposed action to 

establish BWDS that would be effective 

in preventing the introduction and 

spread of NIS via discharged ballast 

water. (68 FR 55559). This Draft 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement (DPEIS) addresses the effects 

on the human and natural environment 

of five alternatives for the proposed 

regulatory action to establish BWDS. 

This DPEIS is issued in conjunction 

with a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 

published elsewhere in today’s Federal 

Register. The DPEIS will be used to 

make an informed decision about BWDS 

and to understand the nationwide 

environmental and socioeconomic 

implications of the decision. 


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44674 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 166 / Friday, August 28, 2009 / Notices 

Draft Programmatic Environmental 

Impact Statement (DPEIS) 

We request your comments on the 

alternatives analyzed in the DPEIS, 

methodologies used in the DPEIS, and 

possible sources of data or information 

not included in the DPEIS. Your 

comments will be considered in 

preparing the Final Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement 

(FPEIS). 

The USCG is the lead federal agency 

for this action under the Nonindigenous 

Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and 

Control Act of 1990 (NANPCA) as 

reauthorized and amended in the 

National Invasive Species Act of 1996 

(NISA). 

Dated: August 17, 2009. 

F.J. Sturm, 

Acting Director of Commercial Regulations 

and Standards, U.S. Coast Guard. 

[FR Doc. E9–20313 Filed 8–27–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 


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