Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 9, 2000 / Proposed Rules 6351

may contact Lieutenant Michael Dreier,

Office of Standards, Evaluation and

Development (G–MSR), Coast Guard,

telephone 202–267–6490, e-mail

Mdreier@comdt.uscg.mil. For questions

on viewing or submitting material to the

docket, call Dorothy Walker, Chief,

Dockets, Department of Transportation

at 202–366–9329.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

We encourage you to participate in

this rulemaking by submitting

comments and related material. If you

do so, please include your name and

address, identify the docket number for

this rulemaking (USCG 1999–6097),

indicate the specific section of this

document to which each comment

applies, and give the reason for each

comment. You may submit your

comments and material by mail,

delivery, fax, or electronic means to the

Docket Management Facility at the

address under ADDRESSES but please

submit your comments and material by

only one means. If you submit them by

mail or 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 they

reached the facility, please enclose a

self-addressed, stamped postcard or

envelope. We will consider all

comments and material received during

the comment period. We may change

this proposed rule in view of the

comments.

Information on Services for Individuals

With Disabilities

For information on facilities or

services for individuals with

disabilities, or to request special

assistance at the meeting, contact Mr.

Timothy Farley, phone 202–267–1414,

e-mail Tfarley@comdt.uscg.mil, as soon

as possible.

Background and Purpose

Under 46 U.S.C. 8503(a) the Secretary

of Transportation may require a

Federally-licensed pilot to be aboard a

self-propelled vessel engaged in foreign

trade and operating on the navigable

waters of the United States when State

law does not require a pilot. 46 U.S.C.

8503(b) provides the Coast Guard the

authority to require Federally-licensed

pilots on vessels engaged in foreign

trade. This authority terminates when

the State having jurisdiction establishes

a superseding requirement for a State

pilot and notifies the Coast Guard of

that fact.

Commercial vessels transit the

navigable waters of the State of

Maryland carrying various types of

freight, oil, and hazardous substances

and materials, as well as large quantities

of bunkers. Under Maryland law

[General Statutes of Maryland, § 11–

501], every vessel (foreign or domestic)

sailing under register must use a Statelicensed pilot if it is under the control

of a docking master while maneuvering

with tug assistance during berthing or

unberthing, or shifting within a port.

Maryland does not license, establish

qualifications for, or regulate the

competency of docking masters.

Although all docking masters now

operating in the Port of Baltimore

already hold valid Federal pilots’

licenses (or pilotage endorsements on

Federal licenses), holding these is

voluntary and is as yet neither a State

nor a Federal requirement. Anyone may

serve as a docking master, and, by law,

no one needs to demonstrate proficiency

or competency to do so.

We have determined that it is unsafe

for certain vessels to undertake intraport transits, or otherwise navigate in

the waters of the State of Maryland,

except when under the direction and

control of pilots accountable to the State

or the Coast Guard. Operating these

vessels with docking masters who are

either not licensed (or endorsed) as

Federal or State pilots or not operating

under the authority of pilots’ licenses

presents an unacceptable risk to human

life, property, and the environment.

To ensure accountability, the Coast

Guard proposed changes to its licensing

regulations in a notice of proposed

rulemaking entitled, ‘‘Federal Pilotage

for Foreign-Trade Vessels in Maryland’’

[October 21, 1999 (64 FR 56720)]. These

changes would require persons

providing pilotage to operate under the

authority of either a valid State or a

valid Federal pilot’s license. The

proposed rule would add a new section

to Subpart I of 46 CFR part 15 to require

that a foreign-trade vessel be under the

direction and control of a Federallylicensed pilot when operating in

designated waters of Baltimore Harbor

from the Key Bridge to moor, except

when under the direction and control of

a State-licensed pilot operating under

the authority of his or her State license.

The rule would ensure that vessels are

navigated by competent, qualified

persons, knowledgeable in the local area

and accountable to either the State or

the Coast Guard. It would also promote

navigational safety by increasing the

level of accountability and reducing the

risk of marine casualties in the waters

of Maryland.

Dated: February 2, 2000.

Joseph J. Angelo,

Acting Assistant Commandant for Marine

Safety and Environmental Protection.

[FR Doc. 00–2894 Filed 2–8–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[I.D. 012400C]

Western Pacific Fishery Management

Council; Notice of Intent; Public

Scoping Meetings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

EIS; notice of intent to prepare

amendments; public scoping sessions;

request for comments.

SUMMARY: The Western Pacific Fishery

Management Council (Council)

announces its intention to prepare an

environmental impact statement (EIS)

on the Federal management of precious

corals in the Western Pacific Region.

The scope of the EIS analysis will

include all activities related to the

conduct of the fisheries and will

examine the impacts of precious coral

harvest on, among other things,

protected species. The Council will hold

public scoping meetings and accept

written comments to provide for public

input into the range of actions,

alternatives, and impacts that the EIS

should consider.

The Council also announces its

intention to develop amendments to the

Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for

Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish

Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region,

the FMP for Crustacean Fisheries of the

Western Pacific Region, and the FMP for

Precious Coral Fisheries of the Western

Pacific Region. The Council will hold

meetings to give the public an

opportunity to consider management

alternatives and provide comments on

these amendments.

DATES: Written comments on the intent

to prepare an EIS will be accepted on or

before March 15, 2000. Public scoping

meeting will be held between February

16 and March 1, 2000. See

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific

dates, times and locations.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on

suggested alternatives and potential

6352 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 9, 2000 / Proposed Rules

impacts should be sent to Kitty

Simonds, Executive Director, Western

Pacific Regional Fishery Management

Council, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400,

Honolulu, HI 96813, and to Dr. Charles

Karnella, Administrator, National

Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands

Area Office, 2570 Dole St., Honolulu, HI

96822. Copies of the documents for the

precious corals EIS are available from

the Council office. Public scoping

meetings will be held in Hawaii and the

Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands

(CNMI). See SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION for specific scoping

meeting locations and for special

accommodations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director,

Western Pacific Fishery Management

Council, 808–522–8220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Scoping

meetings for the precious corals EIS will

be held at the locations listed here. A

summary of the current Federal

management system for precious corals

in the western Pacific region will be

reviewed during a public scoping

hearing. A principal objective of the

scoping and public input process is to

identify a reasonable set of management

alternatives that, with adequate

analysis, will sharply define critical

issues and provide a clear basis for

choice among the alternatives. The

intent of the EIS is to present an overall

picture of the environmental effects of

fishing as conducted under the FMPs.

The EIS will include a range of

reasonable management alternatives and

an analysis of their impacts in order to

define issues and provide a clear basis

for public comments and for choices

among options by the Council.

The EIS will discuss the impacts of

potential precious coral harvest on the

human environment and consider a

range of representative alternative

management regulations. Alternatives

will be assessed for impacts on essential

fish habitat, target and non-target

species of fish, discarded fish, marine

mammals (Hawaiian monk seals and

cetaceans), and other protected species

present in the western Pacific

ecosystem. In addition, the

environmental consequences section

will contain an analysis of socioeconomic impacts of the fishery on the

following groups of individuals: (1)

Those who participate in harvesting the

fishery resources and other living

marine resources; (2) those who process

and market the fish and fish products;

(3) those who are involved in allied

support industries; (4) those who

consume fish products; (5) those who

rely on living marine resources in the

management area, either for subsistence

needs or for recreational benefits; (6)

those who benefit from nonconsumptive uses of living marine

resources; (7) those involved in

managing and monitoring fisheries; and

(8) fishing communities.

The Council is evaluating the need to

amend the bottomfish, crustacean and

precious corals FMPs to better achieve

the management objectives of these

FMPs. Currently, no Federal regulations

are in place to manage the bottomfish,

crustacean and precious coral fishery

resources in the EEZ waters surrounding

the CNMI. There are also no Federal

regulations for the bottomfish and

crustacean fisheries for the EEZ waters

surrounding the Pacific Remote Island

Areas (PRIAs). The amendments will

consider a wide range of management

alternatives to address data shortfalls

and possible impacts from the

bottomfish, crustacean, and precious

coral fisheries in the PRIAs and the

CNMI. The Council seeks to solicit

public comment and input on a wide

range of management alternatives

including, but not limited to, the

following: Federal permit and data

reporting requirements; limited access;

vessel monitoring systems; observer

program; closed season; closed areas;

gear restrictions; size limits; catch

quotas; and prohibitions on the use of

destructive fishing techniques,

including the use of explosives, poisons,

bottomset gill-nets, bottom trawls, and

tangle nets.

Dates, Times, and Locations of the

Scoping Meetings

The public scoping meetings will be

held on:

Wednesday, February 16, 2000, from

6:30–8:30 p.m., Joeten-Kiyu Public

Library Conference Room, Saipan,

CNMI. Phone the Division of Fish and

Wildlife Resources, 670–322–9834, for

information;

Thursday, February 24, 2000, from

8:30 a.m–12:00 p.m., 73rd Scientific and

Statistical Committee meeting, Council

Office Conference Room, Honolulu, HI.

Phone the Council Office, 808–522–

8220, for information; and

Thursday, March 1, 2000, Hibiscus

Ballroom, Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu,

HI. Phone the Council Office, 808–522–

8220, for information.

These meetings will be advertised in

the local newspapers.

Special Accommodations

These meetings are physically

accessible to people with disabilities.

Requests for sign language

interpretation or other auxiliary aids

should be directed to Kitty M. Simonds,

808–522–20 (voice) or 808–522–8226

(fax), at least 5 days prior to the meeting

date.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated: February 3, 2000.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–2933 Filed 2–8–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F