Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 53 / Friday, March 18, 2022 / Notices 15443 

Dated: March 15, 2022. 

Melanie J. Pantoja, 

Program Analyst, Office of Federal Advisory 

Committee Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2022–05771 Filed 3–17–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4140–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

Coast Guard 

[Docket Number USCG–2021–0191] 

Final Programmatic Environmental 

Impact Statement Waterways 

Commerce Cutter Acquisition Program 

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Coast Guard 

announces the availability of the Final 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement (PEIS) for the Waterways 

Commerce Cutter (WCC) Program’s 

acquisition and operation of a planned 

30 WCCs. In accordance with National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

the Council on Environmental Quality 

(CEQ) NEPA implementing regulations, 

the Final PEIS analyzes the potential 

environmental and socioeconomic 

impacts, and identifies related 

mitigation measures, associated with 

acquisition and operation of a planned 

30 WCCs to replace the capabilities of 

the existing inland tender fleet 

(Proposed Action). 

DATES: Comments and related material 

must be post-marked or received by the 

Coast Guard on or before April 18, 2022. 

No decision will be made until at least 

30 days after publication of the Notice 

of Availability (NOA) in the Federal 

Register by the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency, at which time the 

Coast Guard may execute a Record of 

Decision (ROD). 

ADDRESSES: The Final PEIS is available 

in the docket which can be found by 

searching the docket number USCG– 

2021–0191 using the Federal Decision 

Making Portal at https://

www.regulations.gov and for download 

on the project website at https://

www.dcms.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/ 

Assistant-Commandant-for-EngineeringLogistics-CG-4-/Program-Offices/ 

Environmental-Management/ 

Environmental-Planning-and-HistoricPreservation/. Requests for additional 

information should be sent to U.S. Coast 

Guard Headquarters, ATTN: LCDR S. 

Krolman (CG–9327), 2703 Martin Luther 

King Jr. Ave. SE, Stop 7800, 

Washington, DC 20593. 

We encourage you to submit 

comments and related material on the 

Final PEIS. We will consider all 

submissions and may adjust our final 

action 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: You may 

submit comments on the Final PEIS by 

one of the following methods: 

• Via the Web: You may submit 

comments identified by docket number 

USCG–2021–0191 using the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal at https://

www.regulations.gov. 

• Via U.S. Mail: U.S. Coast Guard 

Headquarters, ATTN: LCDR S. Krolman 

(CG–9327), 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. 

Ave. SE, Stop 7800, Washington, DC 

20593. Please note that mailed 

comments must be postmarked on or 

before the comment deadline of 30 days 

following publication of this notice to 

be considered. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Please contact Lieutenant Commander 

S. Krolman, Waterways Commerce 

Cutter Program, U.S. Coast Guard; 

phone 202–475–3104; email HQS-SMBCG-WaterwaysCommerceCutter@

uscg.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Coast 

Guard has a statutory mission to 

establish, maintain, and operate aids to 

navigation (ATON) in the Inland 

Waterways and Western Rivers 

(IW&WR). The IW&WR includes the 

Gulf and Atlantic Intracoastal 

Waterway; the Mississippi, Missouri, 

Alabama, Tennessee, Columbia, and 

Ohio Rivers, their associated tributaries 

and other connecting waterways; 

portions of the Alaska Inside Passage; 

portions of the Great Lakes; and several 

other navigable waterways around the 

United States. The 35 cutters and 

associated 27 barges that comprise the 

existing inland tender fleet servicing the 

IW&WR are, on average, more than 54 

years old and all have significantly 

exceeded their design service life of 30 

years. There is no redundant vessel 

capability within the Coast Guard, 

Department of Homeland Security 

(DHS), or other government agencies. 

Without replacement of the existing 

inland tender fleet, the Coast Guard 

could face an increasing risk of failure 

to maintain the capability to execute its 

ATON mission and provide timely 

ATON services in the IW&WR and other 

navigable waters around the United 

States. The Proposed Action would 

enable the continued safe navigation of 

waters that support the nation’s 

economy through maritime commerce 

throughout the Marine Transportation 

System. 

Similar to the existing inland tender 

fleet’s operations, the Proposed Action 

would include vessel operations to 

establish, operate, and maintain the 

lighted and unlighted buoys and 

beacons to maintain the United States 

Visual ATON System. This mission 

contributes to protecting national 

interests by ensuring safe and efficient 

flow of commercial vessel traffic 

through our nation’s waters. 

Full operational capability would be 

achieved when all planned WCCs have 

been produced and are operational. 

Coast Guard WCC operations and 

training would occur after delivery of 

each WCC from the shipbuilder to the 

Coast Guard. For example, the first WCC 

delivery to the Coast Guard is expected 

in 2024 and the cutter would then be 

operational in 2025. The last WCC is 

expected to be delivered and 

operational approximately by 2030. 

The Proposed Action would include 

WCC operation, maintenance, and 

commissioning of a planned 11 WCC 

construction class (WLIC) tenders to 

replace the existing capabilities of 13 

inland construction tenders; a planned 

16 River Buoy class (WLR) tenders to 

replace the capabilities of the river buoy 

tenders; and a planned three Inland 

Buoy class (WLI) tenders to replace the 

capabilities of the inland buoy tenders. 

Although there are three classes 

proposed and design specifications are 

not final, the design would maximize 

commonality between the three classes 

to reduce sustainment costs, training 

needs, and other associated 

requirements. 

The Final PEIS analyzes the potential 

environmental and socioeconomic 

impacts associated with the Proposed 

Action, including direct, indirect, and 

cumulative effects, and mitigation 

measure to minimize impacts. 

The Coast Guard completed an 

Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7 

and Essential Fish Habitat consultation 

with the National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS) on U.S. Coast Guard 

Federal Aids to Navigation Program on 


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15444 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 53 / Friday, March 18, 2022 / Notices 

April 19, 2018. The Coast Guard 

obtained U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(USFWS) concurrence on the 

determination that there would be no 

effect to ESA listed species from vessel 

design and construction. An ESA 

Section 7 consultation with the USFWS 

on U.S. Coast Guard Federal Aids to 

Navigation Program remains on-going 

and is inclusive of all WCC operations, 

which is expected to be completed 

before the first planned WCC is 

operational in 2025. The USFWS 

expects to complete formal consultation 

and issue their opinion on the USCG 

ATON Biological Evaluation in 

December 2022 and before the first new 

WCC is constructed. The WCC Proposed 

Action is included in the ESA 

consultations with NMFS and the 

USFWS. 

The Coast Guard identified three 

reasonable alternatives that would meet 

the purpose and need of the Proposed 

Action; these three Action Alternatives 

are analyzed in detail in the Final PEIS. 

1. Alternative 1 (Preferred 

Alternative): The Coast Guard would 

acquire a planned 30 WCCs to replace 

the capabilities of the existing inland 

tender fleet (consisting of 35 cutters and 

27 barges) to fulfill mission 

requirements in federal waterways, 

including the vast network of the 

IW&WR. The proposed WCCs would 

consist of a planned 16 WLRs, a 

planned 11 WLICs, and a planned three 

WLIs. The first WCCs would potentially 

be operational as soon as 2025, with a 

planned 30 WCCs delivered and 

operational approximately by 2030. A 

planned four WLR and WLIC vessels 

could be constructed per year, 

dependent upon industry capability, 

beginning in 2025 and continuing until 

27 total WLRs and WLICs have been 

received. The first WLI would not be 

expected until 2027 with a planned two 

WLIs being delivered in a year, 

dependent upon industry capability. 

WCCs are expected to be operational 

within 3 months of the time of 

acceptance from the contractor. During 

construction of the WCCs, Coast Guard 

would have up to two dozen personnel 

imbedded in the contractor’s 

workspaces for design and construction 

review and inspection. This 

construction schedule would allow for 

the existing inland tender fleet to 

remain present with no service 

interruptions to Coast Guard missions. 

2. Alternative 2: The Coast Guard 

would explore hybrid government and 

contracted options for mission 

performance. Ship platforms would 

meet similar technical specifications 

discussed in Alternative 1. Scenarios 

include: Contractor-owned vessels that 

are government-operated (Coast Guard 

employees or a partner agency provides 

the crew for third-party, contractorowned vessels); government-owned 

vessels that are contractor-operated (a 

commercial operating company 

provides the crew for Coast Guard or 

partner agency owned vessels); or 

contractor-owned and contractoroperated systems (Coast Guard provides 

neither the vessels nor personnel). 

The logistical costs of contracting a 

combination of unique hulls to satisfy 

the requirements to service ATON in the 

proposed action areas would exceed the 

corresponding costs of maintaining a 

class of 30 cutters that would be built 

specifically to conduct missions in the 

Coast Guard’s proposed action areas. 

Similarly, one-for-one replacement 

would cost far more per replacement 

hull because it eliminates any workforce 

savings associated with a ship with 

capabilities designed specifically to 

conduct Coast Guard missions in the 

IW&WR. Major challenges to any 

combined fleet are that the assets would 

not be able to communicate in real time, 

they would operate at differing levels of 

efficiency (resulting in decreased 

efficiency throughout the ATON 

system), and they would incur increased 

maintenance costs. 

3. Alternative 3: The mixed fleet 

alternative would involve a combination 

of cutters and shore-based assets 

(including Aids to Navigation team 

units), implementation of electronic 

ATON, and use of contracted ATON 

services to achieve Coast Guard ATON 

missions throughout the IW&WR. To 

accomplish a mixed fleet solution, 

additional Coast Guard ATON 

personnel and teams would be required. 

To accommodate the additional ATON 

teams, existing facilities would require 

expansion and construction of new 

shore based facilities could be 

necessary. Use of electronic ATON 

instead of physical ATON could also 

prove necessary. Similar to Alternative 

2, the logistical costs to satisfy the 

requirements to service ATON in the 

proposed action areas would exceed the 

corresponding costs of maintaining a 

class of 30 cutters that would be built 

specifically to conduct missions in the 

IW&WR. Additionally, similar to 

Alternative 2, major challenges with this 

approach are that assets would not be 

able to communicate in real time, they 

would operate at differing levels of 

efficiency (resulting in decreased 

efficiency throughout the system), and 

they would incur increased 

maintenance costs. 

The Coast Guard also carried forward 

the No Action Alternative for detailed 

analysis in the Final PEIS. While the No 

Action Alternative would not satisfy the 

purpose and need for the Proposed 

Action, this alternative was retained to 

provide a comparative against which to 

analyze the effects of the Action 

Alternatives as required under CEQ’s 

NEPA regulation. 

Resource areas analyzed in the Final 

PEIS include: Air quality, ambient 

sound, bottom habitat and sediments, 

water quality, biological resources and 

critical habitat, and socioeconomic 

resources. 

Stressors analyzed in the Final PEIS 

include: Acoustic stressors (fathometer 

and Doppler speed log noise, vessel 

noise, ATON signal testing noise, tool 

noise, and pile driving noise) and 

physical stressors (vessel movement, 

bottom devices, construction, brushing, 

pile driving, unrecovered jet cone 

moorings, ATON retrieval devices, and 

tow lines). 

Based on the analysis presented in the 

Final PEIS, potentially adverse impacts 

could occur to biological resources (that 

is, from disturbance); however, practical 

mitigation measures presented in the 

Final PEIS reduce any of these potential 

adverse effects. As a result, impacts to 

all resource areas would be less-thansignificant (that is, negligible, minor, or 

moderate) adverse or beneficial, which 

may result in the Coast Guard making a 

finding of no significant impact in the 

ROD. However, these findings are not 

final until the Coast Guard executes a 

ROD. 

The Coast Guard held two virtual 

public scoping meetings and on 

September 24, 2021, the Coast Guard 

published a Notice of Availability 

(NOA) and a request for comments on 

the Draft PEIS (86 FR 53086). The Coast 

Guard received three letters 

commenting on the Draft PEIS. The 

Coast Guard considered and addressed 

in the Final PEIS comments received on 

the Draft PEIS during the comment 

period. Public comments did not result 

in the addition of substantive revisions 

to the Draft PEIS. Responses to 

comments are in Appendix G of the 

Final PEIS. An electronic copy of the 

Final PEIS is posted on the following 

web page: https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/ 

Our-Organization/AssistantCommandant-for-Engineering-LogisticsCG-4-/Program-Offices/EnvironmentalManagement/Environmental-Planningand-Historic-Preservation/. 

After publication of this NOA of the 

Final PEIS, the Coast Guard will prepare 

and publish its ROD announcing which 

Alternative is environmentally preferred 

and which Alternative it selects for 

implementation. Publication of the 

Final ROD will occur no sooner than 30 

days after the publication of the Final 


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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 53 / Friday, March 18, 2022 / Notices 15445 

PEIS. This notice is issued under 

authority of NEPA, specifically in 

compliance with 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C) 

and CEQ implementing regulations in 

40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508. 

Dated: March 14, 2022. 

Aaron Pagnotti, 

Waterways Commerce Cutter Program 

Manager. 

[FR Doc. 2022–05703 Filed 3–17–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9110–04–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection 

Quarterly IRS Interest Rates Used in 

Calculating Interest on Overdue 

Accounts and Refunds on Customs 

Duties 

AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection, Department of Homeland 

Security. 

ACTION: General notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice advises the public 

that the quarterly Internal Revenue 

Service interest rates used to calculate 

interest on overdue accounts 

(underpayments) and refunds 

(overpayments) of customs duties will 

increase from the previous quarter. For 

the calendar quarter beginning April 1, 

2022, the interest rates for overpayments 

will be 3 percent for corporations and 4 

percent for non-corporations, and the 

interest rate for underpayments will be 

4 percent for both corporations and noncorporations. This notice is published 

for the convenience of the importing 

public and U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection personnel. 

DATES: The rates announced in this 

notice are applicable as of April 1, 2022. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bruce Ingalls, Revenue Division, 

Collection Refunds & Analysis Branch, 

6650 Telecom Drive, Suite #100, 

Indianapolis, Indiana 46278; telephone 

(317) 298–1107. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 1505 and 

Treasury Decision 85–93, published in 

the Federal Register on May 29, 1985 

(50 FR 21832), the interest rate paid on 

applicable overpayments or 

underpayments of customs duties must 

be in accordance with the Internal 

Revenue Code rate established under 26 

U.S.C. 6621 and 6622. Section 6621 

provides different interest rates 

applicable to overpayments: One for 

corporations and one for noncorporations. 

The interest rates are based on the 

Federal short-term rate and determined 

by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on 

behalf of the Secretary of the Treasury 

on a quarterly basis. The rates effective 

for a quarter are determined during the 

first-month period of the previous 

quarter. 

In Revenue Ruling 2022–05, the IRS 

determined the rates of interest for the 

calendar quarter beginning April 1, 

2022, and ending on June 30, 2022. The 

interest rate paid to the Treasury for 

underpayments will be the Federal 

short-term rate (1%) plus three 

percentage points (3%) for a total of four 

percent (4%) for both corporations and 

non-corporations. For corporate 

overpayments, the rate is the Federal 

short-term rate (1%) plus two 

percentage points (2%) for a total of 

three percent (3%). For overpayments 

made by non-corporations, the rate is 

the Federal short-term rate (1%) plus 

three percentage points (3%) for a total 

of four percent (4%). These interest 

rates used to calculate interest on 

overdue accounts (underpayments) and 

refunds (overpayments) of customs 

duties are increased from the previous 

quarter. These interest rates are subject 

to change for the calendar quarter 

beginning July 1, 2022, and ending on 

September 30, 2022. 

For the convenience of the importing 

public and U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection personnel, the following list 

of IRS interest rates used, covering the 

period from July of 1974 to date, to 

calculate interest on overdue accounts 

and refunds of customs duties, is 

published in summary format. 

Beginning date Ending date Under-payments 

(percent) 

Over-payments 

(percent) 

Corporate overpayments 

(eff. 1–1–99) 

(percent) 

070174 ................................................... 063075 .................................................. 6 6 ..............................

070175 ................................................... 013176 .................................................. 9 9 ..............................

020176 ................................................... 013178 .................................................. 7 7 ..............................

020178 ................................................... 013180 .................................................. 6 6 ..............................

020180 ................................................... 013182 .................................................. 12 12 ..............................

020182 ................................................... 123182 .................................................. 20 20 ..............................

010183 ................................................... 063083 .................................................. 16 16 ..............................

070183 ................................................... 123184 .................................................. 11 11 ..............................

010185 ................................................... 063085 .................................................. 13 13 ..............................

070185 ................................................... 123185 .................................................. 11 11 ..............................

010186 ................................................... 063086 .................................................. 10 10 ..............................

070186 ................................................... 123186 .................................................. 9 9 ..............................

010187 ................................................... 093087 .................................................. 9 8 ..............................

100187 ................................................... 123187 .................................................. 10 9 ..............................

010188 ................................................... 033188 .................................................. 11 10 ..............................

040188 ................................................... 093088 .................................................. 10 9 ..............................

100188 ................................................... 033189 .................................................. 11 10 ..............................

040189 ................................................... 093089 .................................................. 12 11 ..............................

100189 ................................................... 033191 .................................................. 11 10 ..............................

040191 ................................................... 123191 .................................................. 10 9 ..............................

010192 ................................................... 033192 .................................................. 9 8 ..............................

040192 ................................................... 093092 .................................................. 8 7 ..............................

100192 ................................................... 063094 .................................................. 7 6 ..............................

070194 ................................................... 093094 .................................................. 8 7 ..............................

100194 ................................................... 033195 .................................................. 9 8 ..............................

040195 ................................................... 063095 .................................................. 10 9 ..............................

070195 ................................................... 033196 .................................................. 9 8 ..............................

040196 ................................................... 063096 .................................................. 8 7 ..............................

070196 ................................................... 033198 .................................................. 9 8 ..............................


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