This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

44427

Vol. 62, No. 162

Thursday, August 21, 1997

NORTHEAST DAIRY COMPACT

COMMISSION

7 CFR Chapter XIII

Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: Northeast Dairy Compact

Commission.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Compact Commission

will hold its regular monthly meeting to

consider whether to initiate the notice

and comment procedure for rulemaking

related to re-establishment of a Compact

Over-Order Price Regulation. The

current price regulation expires on

December 31, 1997. The Commission

will also consider certain matters

relating to office administration and

implementation of its current over-order

price regulation.

DATES: The meeting is scheduled for

August 28, 1997 commencing at 10:00

a.m. to adjournment.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in

Room 301–303 at the New Hampshire

Legislative Office Building located on

33 North State Street in Concord, NH

(exit 14 off Interstate 93).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Daniel Smith, Executive Director,

Northeast Dairy Compact Commission,

43 State Street, PO Box 1058,

Montpelier, VT 05601. Telephone (802)

229–1941.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is

hereby given that the Northeast Dairy

Compact Commission will hold its

regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

The Commission will consider whether

to initiate the notice and comment

procedure under Section 11 of the

Compact, including the conduct of a

public hearing, for rulemaking related to

re-establishment of a Compact OverOrder Price regulation. The current

price regulation expires December 31,

1997. The Commission will also

consider certain administrative matters,

a technical change to the bylaws, and

issues relating to administration and

enforcement of the present Compact

Over-Order Price regulation.

(Authority: (a) Article V, Section 11 of the

Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact, and all

other applicable Articles and Sections, as

approved by 7 U.S.C. 7256, and as thereby set

forth in S.J. Res. 28(1)(b) of the 104th

Congress; Finding of Compelling Public

Interest by United States Department of

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, August

8, 1996 and March 20, 1997. (b) Bylaws of

the Northeast Dairy Compact Commission,

adopted November 21, 1996.)

Daniel Smith,

Executive Director.

[FR Doc. 97–22173 Filed 8–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 1650–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

15 CFR Part 922

[Docket No. 970626156–7156–01]

RIN 0648–AK01

Operation of Motorized Personal

Watercraft in the Gulf of the Farallones

National Marine Sanctuary

AGENCY: Sanctuaries and Reserves

Division (SRD), Office of Ocean and

Coastal Resource Management (OCRM),

National Ocean Service (NOS), National

Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA), Department of

Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Notice of inquiry; request for

information.

SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA)

Sanctuaries and Reserves Division

(SRD) is soliciting any information from

interested parties that would assist in

evaluating the operation of motorized

personal watercraft (e.g., jet skis, wet

bikes, surf jets, etc.), also referred to as

‘‘thrill craft,’’ in the area of the Gulf of

the Farallones National Marine

Sanctuary (GFNMS or Sanctuary). This

information will be used by NOAA in

assessing the present and potential use

and impacts of motorized personal

watercraft in the Sanctuary and the

need, if any, for appropriate regulation

to protect Sanctuary resources or reduce

user conflict in the Sanctuary.

DATES: Comments must be received by

October 6, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to

Ed Ueber, Gulf of the Farallones

National Marine Sanctuary, Fort Mason,

Building #201, San Francisco,

California, 94123, or Elizabeth Moore,

Sanctuaries and Reserves Division,

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration, 1305 East West

Highway, SSMC4, N/ORM2, Silver

Spring, Maryland, 20910. Comments

will be available for public inspection at

the same addresses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ed

Ueber at (415) 561–6622 or Elizabeth

Moore at (301) 713–3141 ext. 170.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In

recognition of the national significance

of the unique marine environment

centered around the Farallon Islands,

California, the Gulf of the Farallones

National Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS or

Sanctuary) was designated in January

1981. Final regulations to implement

that designation (15 CFR Part 922

Subpart H) were issued on January 26,

1981. The GFNMS regulations at 15 CFR

922.82 prohibit a relatively narrow

range of activities and thus makes it

unlawful for any person to conduct

them or cause them to be conducted.

Operation of motorized personal

watercraft (e.g., jet skis, wet bikes, surf

jets, etc.), also referred to as ‘‘thrill

craft,’’ in the Sanctuary is currently

neither directly regulated nor prohibited

by Sanctuary regulations, although it is

within NOAA’s purview to do so.

SRD received a petition on April 18,

1996, from the Environmental Action

Committee of West Marin, California

(EAC) to ban the use of motorized

personal watercraft in the GFNMS. EAC

believes that ‘‘the use of motorized

personal watercraft . . . is completely

incompatible with the existence of a

marine sanctuary,’’ and gives such

reasons as the danger of such craft to

biological resources, and users of the

Sanctuary. SRD has also received 195

letters from members of the public in

response to media publicity about the

petition. Sixty-four percent are against

any regulation of motorized personal

watercraft, with the majority of these

letters from owners of motorized

personal watercraft. Thirty-three percent

of the letters support a ban; of these,

nine were from environmental

organizations, two were from civic

groups, and two were from kayaking

groups. Three percent of the letters

expressed no clear position.
44428 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 162 / Thursday, August 21, 1997 / Proposed Rules

SRD has been reviewing the petition

and obtaining information from various

sources in order to determine the

present and potential use and impacts of

motorized personal watercraft in the

Sanctuary. In order to facilitate the

review of the petition, SRD is seeking

the following information: (1) The

number of motorized personal

watercraft being operated in the

Sanctuary; (2) possible future trends in

such numbers; (3) the customary

launching areas for motorized personal

watercraft in or near the Sanctuary; (4)

the areas of use of motorized personal

watercraft activity in the Sanctuary,

including areas of concentrated use; (5)

the periods (e.g., time of year) of use of

motorized personal watercraft in the

Sanctuary, including periods of high

incidence of use; (6) studies or technical

articles concerning the impacts of

motorized personal watercraft on

marine resources and other users; (7)

first person or documented accounts of

impacts of motorized personal

watercraft on marine resources and

other users; and (8) any other

information or other comments that may

be pertinent to this issue.

List of Subjects in 15 CFR Part 922

Administrative practice and

procedure, Coastal zone, Education,

Environmental protection, Marine

resources, Natural resources, Penalties,

Recreation and recreation areas,

Reporting and recordkeeping

requirements, Research.

Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog

Number 11.429. Marine Sanctuary

Program.

Dated: August 14, 1997.

Nancy Foster,

Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services

and Coastal Zone Management.

[FR Doc. 97–22172 Filed 8–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–08–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 167

[CGD 97–044]

Port Access Routes; Approaches to

the Mississippi River via Southwest

Pass, South Pass, Tiger Pass Including

the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of study.

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is

conducting a port access route study to

evaluate the need for vessel routing or

other traffic management measures in

the approaches to the Mississippi River.

Concerns for the safety of navigation in

these areas have been expressed by the

Associated Branch Pilots and the Coast

Guard Marine Safety Office in New

Orleans, LA. This port access route

study will determine what, if any, vessel

routing or other traffic management

measures are needed in the approaches

to the Mississippi River and the

Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. As a

result of the study, vessel routing

measures or other vessel operating

requirements may be proposed in the

Federal Register.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before November 19, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be

mailed to Commander (mov–1), Eighth

Coast Guard District, Hale Boggs Federal

Building, 501 Magazine Street, New

Orleans, LA 70130–3396. The comments

and other materials related to this notice

will be available for inspection and

copying at 501 Magazine Street, New

Orleans, LA, room 1341. Normal office

hours are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday

through Friday, except holidays.

Comments may also be hand delivered

to this address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Captain M.M. Ledet (504) 589–4686 or

M.Ledet/

D8m@mailgatehq.comdt.uscg.mil

(Internet), or Margie Hegy (202) 267–

0415 or MHegy@comdt.uscg.mil

(Internet).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

The Coast Guard is interested in

receiving information and opinions

from persons who have an interest in

safe routing of ships in the study area.

Vessel owners and operators are

specifically invited to comment on any

safety concerns they may have when

operating in the study area. Negative

impacts that may result from the

establishment of a routing measure,

such as a traffic separation scheme

(TSS), or a regulated navigation area

(RNA) with vessel operating

requirements should be identified and

supported with documentation of any

costs or benefits.

Commenters should include their

names and addresses, identify this

notice (CGD 97–044), and give reasons

for each comment. Receipt of comments

will be acknowledged if a stamped, selfaddressed post card or envelope is

enclosed. In addition to the specific

questions asked herein, comments from

the maritime community, offshore

development concerns, environmental

groups and any other interested parties

are invited. All comments received

during the comment period will be

considered in the study and in

development of any regulatory

proposals.

The Coast Guard intends to hold at

least one public meeting to listen to the

users, both commercial and recreational,

of the waters in the study area. We are

particularly interested in the source of

delays that slow down commercial

vessels and the source of upsets that

interfere with the recreational boaters

enjoyment of the waterway. Details of

the meeting will be announced in a

separate notice as well as locally.

The Eighth Coast Guard District will

conduct the study and develop

recommendations. Captain M.M. Ledet,

Vessel Traffic Management Section,

Marine Safety Branch, Eighth Coast

Guard District (504) 589–4686 is the

project officer responsible for the study.

Background and Purpose

The 1978 amendments to the Ports

and Waterways Safety Act (PWSA), 33

U.S.C. 1223(c), require that a port access

route study be conducted prior to

establishing or adjusting fairways or

TSS’s. The Coast Guard is undertaking

a port access route study to determine

if a vessel routing system is needed in

the study area.

An internationally recognized vessel

routing system is one or more routes or

routing measures aimed at reducing the

risk of casualties. A system may include

TSS’s, two-way routes, recommended

tracks, areas to be avoided, inshore

traffic zones, roundabouts,

precautionary areas, and deep-water

routes.

A TSS is a routing measure which

minimizes the risk of collision by

separating vessels into opposing streams

of traffic through the establishment of

traffic lanes.

A two-way route is a route within

defined limits inside which two-way

traffic is established, aimed at providing

safe passage of ships through waters

where navigation is difficult or

dangerous.

A recommended track is a route

which has been specially examined to

ensure so far as possible that it is free

of dangers and along which ships are

advised to navigate.

An area to be avoided is a routing

measure comprising an area within

defined limits in which either

navigation is particularly hazardous or

it is exceptionally important to avoid

casualties and which should be avoided

by all ships, or certain classes of ships.

An inshore traffic zone comprises a

designated area between the landward

boundary of a TSS and the adjacent