4320 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 23, 2024 / Notices 

you want Committee members to review 

your comment before the meetings, 

please submit your comments no later 

than February 28, 2024. We are 

particularly interested in comments on 

the topics in the ‘‘Agenda’’ section 

below. We encourage you to submit 

comments through the Federal Decision 

Making Portal at https://

www.regulations.gov. To do so, go to 

https://www.regulations.gov, type 

USCG–2023–0924 in the search box and 

click ‘‘Search.’’ Next, look for this 

document in the Search Results column, 

and click on it. If your material cannot 

be submitted using https://

www.regulations.gov, email the 

individual in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section of this 

document for alternate instructions. You 

must include the docket number USCG– 

2023–0924. Comments received will be 

posted without alteration at http://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information provided. You 

may wish to review the Privacy and 

Security Notice, found via link on the 

homepage https://www.regulations.gov. 

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). If you 

encounter technical difficulties with 

comment submission, contact the 

individual listed in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section of this 

notice. 

Docket Search: Documents mentioned 

in this notice as being available in the 

docket, and all public comments, will 

be in our online docket at https://

www.regulations.gov and can be viewed 

by following that website’s instructions. 

Additionally, if you go to the online 

docket and sign-up for email alerts, you 

will be notified when comments are 

posted. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Patrick W. Clark, Designated Federal 

Officer of the National Offshore Safety 

Advisory Committee, 2703 Martin 

Luther King Jr Ave SE, Stop 7509, 

Washington, DC 20593–7509, telephone 

571–607–8236 or email patrick.w.clark@

uscg.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of 

this meeting is given pursuant to the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. 

L. 117–286, 5 U.S.C., ch. 10). The 

National Offshore Safety Advisory 

Committee was established on 

December 4, 2018, by section 601 of the 

Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard 

Authorization Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115– 

282, 132 Stat. 4192), and amended by 

section 8331 of the Elijah E. Cummings 

Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 

(Pub. L. 116–283) and is codified in 46 

U.S.C. 15106. The Committee operates 

under the provisions of the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act, and 46 U.S.C. 

15109. The Committee provides advice 

and recommendations to the Secretary 

of Homeland Security on matters 

relating to activities directly involved 

with, or in support of, the exploration 

of offshore mineral and energy 

resources, to the extent that such 

matters are within the jurisdiction of the 

United States Coast Guard. 

Agenda 

Tuesday, March 12, 2024 

Two subcommittees will meet to 

discuss the following task statements. 

(1)Task Statement 02–2023: 33 CFR 

Subchapter N 

(2)Task Statement 01–2023: SEACOR 

POWER 

The task statements and other 

subcommittee information are located at 

Pages—Missions Content (uscg.mil). 

Wednesday, March 13, 2024 

The agenda for the March 13, 2024 

Committee meeting is as follows: 

(1) Call to order. 

(2) Roll call and determination of 

quorum. 

(3) Installation of new Chair and ViceChair. 

(4) Adoption of previous meeting 

minutes and agenda. 

(5) Opening remarks. 

(6) Update/Final Report from the 33 

CFR Subchapter N Subcommittee. 

(7) Update/Final Report from the 

SEACOR POWER Subcommittee. 

(8) New business. 

(9) Public comment period. 

(10) Closing remarks/plans for next 

meeting. 

(11) Adjournment of meeting. 

A copy of all pre-meeting 

documentation will be available at: 

Pages—Missions Content (uscg.mil) no 

later than February 28, 2024. 

Alternatively, you may contact Mr. 

Patrick Clark as noted in the FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section 

above. 

During the March 13, 2024, 

Committee meeting, a public comment 

period will be held from approximately 

4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. (CDT). Speakers are 

requested to limit their comments to 3 

minutes. Please note that this public 

comment period may start before 4:30 

p.m. (CDT) if all other agenda items 

have been covered and may end before 

5 p.m. (CDT) if all of those wishing to 

comment have done so. Please contact 

the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section to register 

as a speaker. 

Dated: January 17, 2024. 

Jeffrey G. Lantz, 

Director of Commercial Regulations and 

Standards. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01229 Filed 1–22–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9110–04–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

Coast Guard 

[Docket No. USCG–2023–0928] 

Shipping Safety Fairways Along the 

Atlantic Coast 

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement; notice of virtual and inperson scoping meetings; and request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard, as the lead 

agency, announces its intent to prepare 

a Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement that will evaluate the 

potential environmental consequences 

of the Coast Guard’s Proposed Action to 

establish shipping safety fairways and 

other routing measures along the 

Atlantic Coast of the United States. 

While vessels are not required to use 

them, fairways are designed to keep 

traditional navigation routes free from 

fixed structures that could impact 

navigation safety and impede other 

shared offshore activities. This Notice of 

Intent is intended to solicit feedback on 

preliminary alternatives to help the 

Coast Guard narrow the scope of the 

PEIS. The Coast Guard intends to host 

three in-person meetings and one virtual 

scoping public meeting to provide 

additional information to the public and 

to solicit input on potential issues, 

concerns, and reasonable alternatives 

that should be considered in the PEIS. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted at 

one of the public meetings or in writing 

to the online docket via https://

www.regulations.gov on or before March 

8, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by docket number USCG– 

2023–0928 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 

further instructions on submitting 

comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information about this document call or 

email Maureen Kallgren, Coast Guard; 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 23, 2024 / Notices 4321 

telephone 202–372–1561, email 

Maureen.R.Kallgren2@uscg.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Participation and Request for 

Comments 

We encourage you to submit 

comments (or related material) on 

preliminary alternatives to help the 

Coast Guard narrow the scope of the 

PEIS. 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 

https://www.regulations.gov. To do so, 

go to https://www.regulations.gov, type 

USCG–2023–0928 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 https://

www.regulations.gov, 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 https://www.regulations.gov 

Frequently Asked Questions web page. 

We review all comments received, but 

we may choose not to post off-topic, 

inappropriate, or duplicate comments. 

Personal information. We accept 

anonymous comments. Comments we 

post to https://www.regulations.gov 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 Meetings 

We plan to hold four public meetings, 

three of which will be held in person 

and one will be held virtually to solicit 

feedback. At these meetings, the Coast 

Guard will present an overview of the 

fairway development process and the 

environmental review process before 

holding a question-and-answer session 

with questions from the public. 

The first in-person meeting will be 

from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on January 31 at 

White’s of Westport, 66 State Road, 

Westport, MA. The second in-person 

meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 

p.m. on February 7 at the Georgia 

Southern University, Armstrong 

Campus Student Union, Ogeechee 

Theatre, 11935 Abercorn Street, 

Savannah, GA. The third in-person 

meeting will take place from 5 p.m. to 

7 p.m. on February 12 at the Jordan 

Newby Branch at Broad Creek of the 

Norfolk Public Library, 1425 Norchester 

Ave, Norfolk, VA 23504. The fourth 

meeting will be held virtually on 

February 15 at https://

www.zoomgov.com/j/1616731053, 

Meeting ID: 161 673 1053, or by 

telephone toll free at (833) 568–8864. 

The public is encouraged to preregister for these meetings using https:// 

www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/ 

vJIscuGopz0sHYZCW1ycTGmfy

cGxN5CCF7k. 

For information on facilities or 

services for individuals with disabilities 

or to request special assistance at the 

public meeting, contact the person 

named in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section, above. 

Background 

This NOI briefly summarizes the 

Proposed Action, including the purpose 

and need and possible alternatives. As 

required by the National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) and its implementing 

regulations (40 CFR 1500 through 1508, 

specifically 40 CFR 1502.3), a Federal 

agency must prepare an EIS if it is 

proposing a major Federal action. For 

this action, the Coast Guard has 

determined that a PEIS is the most 

appropriate type of environmental 

review because of the large geographic 

footprint of the proposed fairways. This 

process is designed to analyze the 

environmental consequences of each 

alternative to inform the agency’s 

decision. 

Purpose and Need for the Proposed 

Action 

The Ports and Waterways Safety Act 

authorizes the Coast Guard to take 

certain actions to advance port, harbor, 

and coastal facility safety and security. 

Specifically, 46 U.S.C. 70001 and 70034 

authorize the Secretary of the 

department in which the Coast Guard is 

operating to promulgate regulations to 

establish reporting and operating 

requirements, surveillance and 

communications systems, routing 

systems, and shipping safety fairways. 

The Secretary has delegated this 

authority to the Commandant of the 

Coast Guard (Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS) Delegation 00170.1, 

Revision No. 01.3, paragraph (II)(70)). 

The Coast Guard proposes to codify 

existing vessel traffic patterns into 

shipping safety fairways, traffic 

separation schemes (TSSs), and 

precautionary areas along the Atlantic 

Coast of the United States. The Coast 

Guard recognizes current offshore 

development trends and other increased 

shared commercial activities on the 

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 

necessitate coordination between 

industries. We believe that OCS users 

are best served by the establishment of 

consistent and clearly defined 

navigation systems. More information 

on the proposed rules can be found in 

the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 

(NPRM) 89 FR 3587. 

Preliminary Proposed Action and 

Alternatives 

Coast Guard has identified a Proposed 

Action and preliminary Alternatives for 

potential consideration in the PEIS. 

These alternatives, described below, 

represent the many potential forms that 

the fairways might ultimately take. 

These forms range from establishing no 

fairways at all to the extension of the 

proposed fairways to the outer limit of 

our authority on the OCS. This NOI is 

intended to solicit feedback on these 

alternatives to help the Coast Guard 

narrow the scope of the PEIS. Maps are 

available in the docket to help readers 

visualize the fairways and distinguish 

one alternative from another. 

No Action 

The Coast Guard will analyze a NoAction Alternative. For the purposes of 

this PEIS, the No-Action Alternative is 

defined as not establishing any fairways 

along the Atlantic Coast. 

Alternative 1—Fairway Proposals Found 

in the Advanced Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking (ANPRM) 

Alternative 1 would establish 

shipping safety fairways consistent with 

those described in the 2020 ANPRM (85 

FR 37034). This design is based on 

navigation safety corridors identified in 

the Atlantic Coast Port Access Route 

Study (Atlantic Coast PARS or 

ACPARS) prior to adaptations made 

based on further study and public input 

since 2020. In the ACPARS, the Coast 

Guard used Automatic Identification 

System (AIS) data and information from 

towing vessel and deep draft shipping 

organizations to identify traditionally 

used navigation routes. 

The ACPARS identified nine primary 

navigation safety corridors as 

potentially suitable for designation as 

fairways. Three of these are primary 

navigation safety corridors along the 

coast and would most likely be used by 

smaller and slower moving vessels. Six 

offshore fairways are most likely to be 


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used by larger and faster moving deepdraft vessels. The fairways proposed in 

the ACPARS vary in width from 5 to 10 

nautical miles in width. 

Alternative 2 (Proposed Action): The 

Proposed Rule: Fairways and Other 

Routing Measures Proposed in the 

NPRM 

Alternative 2 (Proposed Action) 

would establish shipping safety 

fairways, TSS, precautionary areas, and 

one fairway anchorage included in the 

Notice of Proposed Rule Making 

(NPRM). 89 FR 3587. In the Proposed 

Rule, the Coast Guard is proposing 18 

fairways, three TSS extensions, four 

new precautionary areas, two modified 

precautionary areas and one fairway 

anchorage. The proposed fairways vary 

in width from 3 to 35 nautical miles in 

width. 

Alternative 3—Proposed Rule Plus Gulf 

of Maine Fairways 

Alternative 3 would establish 

shipping safety fairways included in the 

Proposed Rule with the addition of 

fairways in the Gulf of Maine. As 

described in the Approaches to Maine, 

New Hampshire, and Massachusetts 

PARS, these additional fairways would 

include the Massachusetts Bay Fairway, 

the Gulf of Maine Fairway, the Coastal 

Zone Fairway, and two Portland 

approach fairways. See 88 FR 20547 for 

more information. 

Alternative 4—Proposed Rule Plus 

South Florida Fairways 

Alternative 4 establish shipping safety 

fairways included in the Proposed Rule 

with the addition of fairways in 

southern Florida. The additional 

fairways would be extended to include 

an area from approximately Port St. 

Lucie south to the approaches to the 

Port of Miami. Extensive port access 

studies are underway for this area but 

are in the preliminary stages of 

development. 

Alternative 5—Proposed Rule Plus 

Maine and South Florida Fairways 

Alternative 5 establish shipping safety 

fairways included in the Proposed Rule 

with the addition of fairways both in the 

Gulf of Maine and South Florida. As a 

result, this alternative would include 

fairways from the Gulf of Maine to the 

southern extent of Florida on the 

Atlantic Coast. 

Alternative 6—Proposed Rule Plus East 

to West Extension to Exclusive 

Economic Zone (EEZ) for Specific 

Fairways 

Alternative 6 would establish 

shipping safety fairways included in the 

Proposed Rule with the addition of 

several extensions that would expand 

certain east-west port-approach fairways 

out to the limit of the exclusive 

economic zone (EEZ). These extensions 

would cover approaches to and 

departures from the Port of New York/ 

New Jersey, the Delaware Bay, the 

Chesapeake Bay, the Port of Morehead 

City in North Carolina, and the Port of 

Wilmington in North Carolina. 

Alternative 7—Proposed Rule Plus Gulf 

of Maine, South Florida, and East to 

West Extension to EEZ for Specific 

Fairways 

Alternative 7 would establish 

shipping safety fairways included in the 

Proposed Rule with the addition of 

fairways in the Gulf of Maine, fairways 

in South Florida, and several extensions 

that would expand certain east-west 

port-approach fairways out to the limit 

of the EEZ. These additions would 

include all the extensions considered by 

Alternative 6 with the addition of two 

extensions that would cover approaches 

to and departures from Portland, ME, 

and the Gulf of Maine. 

Summary of Expected Impacts 

NEPA requires the identification and 

evaluation of impacts to the human 

environment likely to be caused by an 

agency’s proposed action. The PEIS 

proposed in this NOI will be a planninglevel document and the Coast Guard 

will work toward environmental 

compliance during the design and 

designation of the fairways. The PEIS 

will analyze potential impacts to the 

human environment caused by each of 

the alternatives. 

The broad geographic area of the 

Proposed Action may impact physical, 

biological, and socioeconomic 

resources. Impacts to resources 

associated with proposed fairways are 

generally due to disturbance, vessel 

strikes, noise, ballast and biofouling, 

and gas emissions. Biological and 

physical resources impacted by the 

proposed fairways may include water 

quality, air quality, habitat (e.g., benthic 

and water column habitats), managed 

and non-managed fishery resources 

(e.g., fish, elasmobranchs, such as 

sharks, and invertebrates), and protected 

resources including migratory birds, 

corals, fish (including elasmobranchs 

such as sharks), sea turtles and marine 

mammals. Impacts to these biological 

and physical resources that may be 

considered include protected species 

interactions (e.g., entanglement, vessel 

strikes); alteration to habitats; disease 

transmission risk; escapement risk (e.g., 

invasive species); water quality changes 

(e.g., nutrients, contaminants); habitat 

displacement and fragmentation (e.g., 

avoidance of high-density vessel traffic 

areas, increased marine debris); impacts 

to Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) such as 

fish migratory routes, open waters, hard 

bottom necessary for spawning, 

estuarine habitats, and coral reefs); 

ecosystem impacts (e.g., alteration of 

predator prey interactions); and 

acoustic, lighting and visual 

disturbances. 

Under the Proposed Action, vessel 

noise, vessel operations, and vessel 

movement are not expected to result in 

significant impacts to the following 

resources: air quality, ambient sound, 

marine vegetation, marine invertebrates, 

flying insects, birds, bats, marine fish, 

EFH, commercial fishing, marine 

construction, mineral extraction, oil and 

gas extraction, recreation and tourism, 

existing renewable energy projects, 

research, transportation and shipping, 

and subsistence fishing and hunting. 

Pursuant to the Endangered Species Act 

of 1973 (ESA) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), 

listed species and critical habitats 

expected to occur in the Project Area 

include: fish (Atlantic salmon, Atlantic 

sturgeon, shortnose sturgeon, Nassau 

grouper, oceanic whitetip shark, 

scalloped hammerhead shark, giant 

manta ray), whales (North Atlantic right 

whale, blue whale, fin whale, sperm 

whale, Rice’s whale, sei whale), sea 

turtles (green, Kemp’s ridley, 

leatherback, loggerhead, hawksbill, and 

olive Ridley), and corals (boulder star, 

elkhorn, lobed star, mountainous star, 

pillar, rough cactus). 

Pursuant to the Migratory Bird Treaty 

Act (MBTA; 16 U.S.C. 703–712 et seq.), 

the Proposed Action is not expected to 

result in a significant adverse effect on 

migratory bird populations. Pursuant to 

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(MSA; 16 U.S.C. 1801–1882), the 

Proposed Action is not expected to 

adversely affect the quality or quantity 

of EFH in the Project Area. 

Socioeconomic impacts considered in 

the PEIS may include impacts to 

commercial and recreational fishing; 

tourism and recreation; public health 

and safety; transportation; 

communications infrastructure; 

domestic and international seafood 

markets; oil, gas and alternative energy 

development and infrastructure; 

military preparedness; local ports, 

marinas and communities; and local job 

markets. Cultural and historic resources 

impacted could include archaeological 

sites, traditional fishing grounds and 

American Indian traditional uses. 

Environmental justice impacts 

considered include potential impacts of 

the action on vulnerable communities. 


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Wherever possible and supported by 

the best available science, the PEIS will 

recommend mitigation strategies to 

address potential impacts associated 

with Atlantic fairways establishment 

along the U.S. coast. 

Anticipated Permits and Authorizations 

The Coastal Zone Management Act 

(CZMA; 16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.) was 

enacted to protect the coastal 

environment from demands associated 

with residential, recreational, and 

commercial uses. The Coast Guard will 

determine the impact of the Proposed 

Action and provide a Coastal 

Consistency Determination or Negative 

Determination to the appropriate state 

agencies. 

The MSA requires Federal agencies to 

consult with the Secretary of Commerce, 

through the National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), with respect to ‘‘any 

action authorized, funded, or 

undertaken, or proposed to be 

authorized, funded, or undertaken, by 

such agency that may adversely affect 

any essential fish habitat identified 

under this Act,’’ 16 U.S.C. 1855(b)(2). 

The Coast Guard will determine the 

impact of the Proposed Rule and consult 

with the NMFS if necessary. 

The ESA provides for the 

conservation of endangered and 

threatened species and the ecosystems 

on which they depend. The Coast Guard 

anticipates consulting under Section 7 

of the ESA with the National Marine 

Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, which have 

jurisdiction over the species (50 CFR 

part 402.14(a)). 

The MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) 

established, with limited exceptions, a 

moratorium on the ‘‘taking’’ of marine 

mammals under U.S. jurisdiction, and 

on the High Seas by vessels or persons 

under U.S. jurisdiction. The MMPA 

further regulates ‘‘takes’’ of marine 

mammals on the High Seas. The term 

‘‘take,’’ as defined in Section 3 (16 

U.S.C. 1362) of the MMPA, means ‘‘to 

harass, hunt, capture, or kill, or attempt 

to harass, hunt, capture, or kill any 

marine mammal’’. ‘‘Harassment’’ was 

further defined in the 1994 amendments 

to the MMPA as any act of pursuit, 

torment, or annoyance which (i) has the 

potential to injure a marine mammal or 

marine mammal stock in the wild (i.e., 

Level A Harassment); or (ii) has the 

potential to disturb a marine mammal or 

marine mammal stock in the wild by 

causing disruption of behavioral 

patterns, including, but not limited to, 

migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, 

feeding, or sheltering (i.e., Level B 

Harassment). The Coast Guard 

anticipates requesting a Letter of 

Authorization to ‘‘take’’ marine 

mammals, defined as Level B 

harassment. 

The Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1251, 

et seq.), Section 404 regulates the 

discharge of dredged or fill material into 

waters of the United States and the 

Rivers and Harbors Act (33 U.S.C. 403), 

Section 10 regulates the obstruction or 

alteration of navigable waters of the 

United States. The Coast Guard 

anticipates that a very limited amount of 

work conducted as part of the Proposed 

Action may require a permit from the 

Corps of Engineers under either the 

Clean Water Act or Rivers and Harbors 

Act. 

The National Historic Preservation 

Act (NHPA; 16 U.S.C. 470, et seq.), 

Section 106, requires that each federal 

agency identify and assess the effects its 

actions may have on historic resources, 

including potential effects on historic 

structures, archaeological resources, and 

tribal resources. The Coast Guard will 

determine if any historic resources are 

present in the project area, evaluate the 

potential for the proposed action to 

adversely affect these resources, and 

consult with the relevant State Historic 

Preservation Officer and any interested 

or affected Tribes to resolve any adverse 

effects by developing and evaluating 

alternatives or measures that could 

avoid, minimize, or mitigate impacts. 

The Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401, et 

seq.) regulates emissions from both 

stationary (industrial) sources and 

mobile sources. The Coast Guard would 

evaluate the potential for increased 

emissions during implementation of the 

fairways in order to determine if the 

emissions would be in conformity with 

the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for 

attainment of National Ambient Air 

Quality Standards. Since January 2020, 

all ships must burn fuel with a content 

of 0.5 percent sulfur to comply with an 

International Maritime Organization 

amendment to the International 

Convention for the Prevention of 

Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). 

In addition, Coast Guard will 

complete Consultation with all affected 

Federally Recognized Tribes on a 

government-to-government basis in 

accordance with Executive Order 13175. 

Schedule for the Decision-Making 

Process 

Following the scoping period 

announced in this Notice of Intent, and 

after consideration of all comments 

received during scoping, Coast Guard 

will prepare a Draft PEIS for the 

Proposed Action to establish shipping 

safety fairways (‘‘fairways’’) along the 

Atlantic Coast of the United States. 

Once the Draft PEIS is completed, it will 

be made available for a 45-day public 

review and comment period. Coast 

Guard will announce the availability of 

the Draft PEIS in the Federal Register 

and local media outlets. Coast Guard 

expects the Draft PEIS will be available 

for public review and comment in 2024. 

In meeting CEQ regulations requiring 

EISs to be completed within 2 years, the 

Coast Guard anticipates the Final PEIS 

would be available in 2026. The Final 

PEIS would be published in the Federal 

Register. Should new information 

become available after the completion of 

the Draft or Final PEIS, supplemental 

NEPA documentation may be prepared 

in support of new information or 

changes in the Proposed Action 

considered under the PEIS. 

Public Scoping Process 

This NOI initiates the scoping 

process, which guides the development 

of the PEIS. The Coast Guard is seeking 

comments on the potential 

environmental impacts that may result 

from the Proposed Action or 

preliminary Alternatives. The Coast 

Guard is also seeking input on relevant 

information, studies, or analyses of any 

kind concerning impacts potentially 

affecting the quality of the human 

environment as a result of the Proposed 

Action. NEPA requires federal agencies 

to consider environmental impacts that 

may result from a Proposed Action, to 

inform the public of potential impacts 

and alternatives, and to facilitate public 

involvement in the assessment process. 

The PEIS would include, among other 

topics, discussions of the purpose and 

need for the Proposed Action, a 

description of alternatives, a description 

of the affected environment, and an 

evaluation of the environmental impact 

of the Proposed Action and alternatives. 

The Coast Guard intends to follow the 

CEQ regulations (40 CFR 1500 et. seq.) 

by scoping through public comments. 

Scoping, which is integral to the process 

for implementing NEPA, provides a 

process to ensure that (1) issues are 

identified early and properly studied; 

(2) issues of little significance do not 

consume substantial time and effort; (3) 

the Draft PEIS is thorough and balanced; 

and (4) delays caused by an inadequate 

PEIS are avoided. 

Public scoping is a process for 

determining the scope of issues to be 

addressed in this PEIS and for 

identifying the issues related to the 

Proposed Action that may have a 

significant effect on the environment. 

The scoping process begins with 

publication of this notice. The Coast 

Guard seeks to do the following during 

the scoping process: 


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• Invite the participation of Federal, 

State, and local agencies, any affected 

Indian tribe, and other interested 

persons; 

• Consult with affected Federally 

Recognized Tribes on a government-togovernment basis in accordance with 

Executive Order 13175 and other 

policies. Native American concerns, 

including potential impacts on Treaty 

rights, Indian trust assets, and cultural 

resources, will be given appropriate 

consideration; 

• Determine the scope and the issues 

to be analyzed in depth in the PEIS; 

• Indicate any related environmental 

assessments or environmental impact 

statements that are not part of the PEIS; 

• Identify other relevant 

environmental review and consultation 

requirements, such as Coastal Zone 

Management Act consistency 

evaluations, and threatened and 

endangered species and habitat impacts; 

and 

• Indicate the relationship between 

timing of the environmental review and 

other aspects of the application process. 

With this NOI, Federal, State, Tribal, 

and local agencies with jurisdiction or 

special expertise with respect to 

environmental issues in the project area 

are asked to formally cooperate with the 

Coast Guard in the preparation of the 

PEIS. 

Once the scoping process is complete, 

Coast Guard will prepare a Draft PEIS 

and will publish a Federal Register 

notice announcing its public 

availability. The public will be provided 

with an opportunity to review and 

comment on the Draft PEIS. After Coast 

Guard considers those comments, the 

Final PEIS will be prepared and its 

availability similarly announced to 

solicit public review and comment. 

Comments received during the Draft 

PEIS review period will be available in 

the public docket and made available in 

the Final PEIS. 

Pursuant to the CEQ regulations, 

Coast Guard invites public participation 

in the NEPA process. This notice 

requests public participation in the 

scoping process, establishes a public 

comment period, and provides 

information on how to participate. 

The 45-day public scoping period 

begins January 23, 2024 and ends March 

8, 2024. Comments and related material 

submitted to the online docket via 

https://www.regulations.gov/ must be 

received by the Coast Guard on or before 

March 8, 2024 must be postmarked on 

or before that same date. Comments may 

also be provided at one of the public 

meetings referenced in the ‘‘Public 

Participation and Request for 

Comments’’ portion of the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. 

We encourage you to submit specific, 

timely, substantive, and relevant 

comments through the Federal Decision 

Making Portal at https://

www.regulations.gov, on the site 

provided when searching the above 

docket number. 

In submissions, please include the 

docket number for this Notice of Intent 

and provide reasoning for comments. To 

be considered timely, comments must 

be received on or before February 27, 

2024 to be considered in the Draft PEIS. 

We will consider all substantive and 

relevant comments received during the 

comment period. 

We accept anonymous comments. 

Comments we post to https://

www.regulations.gov 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). 

We review all comments received, but 

we will only post comments that 

address the topic of the notice. We may 

choose not to post off-topic, 

inappropriate, or duplicate comments 

that we receive. Documents mentioned 

in this Notice of Intent as being 

available in the docket, and posted 

public comments, will be in the online 

docket at https://www.regulations.gov 

and can be viewed by following that 

website’s instructions. 

This notice is issued under authority 

found in 42 U.S.C. 4332. 

Dated: January 17, 2024. 

M.D. Emerson, 

Director, Marine Transportation System. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01215 Filed 1–19–24; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 9110–04–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

[Docket No. FR–7092–N–09] 

Privacy Act of 1974; System of 

Records 

AGENCY: Office of Policy Development 

and Research, HUD. 

ACTION: Notice of a new system of 

records. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of 

the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, 

the Department of the Housing and 

Urban Development (HUD), Office of 

Policy Development & Research (PD&R) 

is issuing a public notice of its intent to 

establish a Privacy Act system of 

records titled ‘‘Moving to Work (MTW) 

Asset Building Cohort Evaluation Data 

Files.’’ The purpose of the system is to 

serve as a repository that stores and 

maintains statistically analyzed data 

collected to evaluate asset building 

programs implemented by the Public 

Housing Agencies (PHAs) participating 

in the Moving to Work (MTW) Asset 

Building Cohort. 

DATES: Comments will be accepted on or 

before February 22, 2024. This proposed 

action will be effective on the date 

following the end of the comment 

period unless comments are received 

which result in a contrary 

determination. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by docket number, by one of 

the following methods: 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: https:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions provided on that site to 

submit comments electronically. 

Fax: 202–619–8365 

Email: privacy@hud.gov. 

Mail: Attention: Privacy Office; 

LaDonne White, Chief Privacy Officer; 

Office of the Executive Secretariat; 451 

Seventh Street SW, Room 10139; 

Washington, DC 20410–0001. 

Instructions: All submissions received 

must include the agency name and 

docket number for this rulemaking. 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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The 

Privacy Office; LaDonne White; 451 

Seventh Street SW, Room 10139; 

Washington, DC 20410; telephone 

number (202) 708–3054 (this is not a 

toll-free number). HUD welcomes and is 

prepared to receive calls from 

individuals who are deaf or hard of 

hearing, as well as individuals with 

speech or communication disabilities. 

To learn more about how to make an 

accessible telephone call, please visit 

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/ 

telecommunications-relay-service-trs. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 

2016 authorized HUD to award Moving 

to Work (MTW) authority to 100 

additional Public Housing Authorities 

(PHAs) by September 2023, and 

required that new MTW agencies be 

selected in cohorts with a specific 

policy focus. The participating PHAs 

will implement either a rent reporting 

for credit building program, an opt-out 

savings account program, or a PHAVerDate Sep<11>2014 17:41 Jan 22, 2024 Jkt 262001 PO 00000 Frm 00051 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\23JAN1.SGM 23JAN1

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