20844 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 75 / Tuesday, April 18, 2000 / Notices

Transportation, as represented by the

Maritime Administration (MARAD), is

authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.

build requirement of the coastwise laws

under certain circumstances. A request

for such a waiver has been received by

MARAD. The vessel, and a description

of the proposed service, is listed below.

Interested parties may comment on the

effect this action may have on U.S.

vessel builders or businesses in the U.S.

that use U.S.-flag vessels. If MARAD

determines that in accordance with

Pub.L. 105–383 and MARAD’s

regulations at 46 CFR 388 (65 FR 6905;

February 11, 2000) that the issuance of

the waiver will have an unduly adverse

effect on a U.S.-vessel builder or a

business that uses U.S.-flag vessels, a

waiver will not be granted.

DATES: Submit comments on or before

May 18, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to

docket number MARAD–2000–7245.

Written comments may be submitted by

hand or by mail to the Docket Clerk,

U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL–401,

Department of Transportation, 400 7th

St., SW., Washington, DC 20590–0001.

You may also send comments

electronically via the Internet at http://

dmses.dot.gov/submit/. All comments

will become part of this docket and will

be available for inspection and copying

at the above address between 10 a.m.

and 5 p.m., E.T., Monday through

Friday, except federal holidays. An

electronic version of this document and

all documents entered into this docket

is available on the World Wide Web at

http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Hokana, U.S. Department of

Transportation, Maritime

Administration, MAR 832 Room 7201,

400 Seventh Street, SW, Washington,

DC 20590. Telephone 202–366–0760.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title V of

P.L. 105–383 provides authority to the

Secretary of Transportation to

administratively waive the U.S.-build

requirements of the Jones Act, and other

statutes, for small commercial passenger

vessels (less than 12 passengers). This

authority has been delegated to the

Maritime Administration per 49 CFR

1.66, Delegations to the Maritime

Administrator, as amended. By this

notice, MARAD is publishing

information on a vessel for which a

request for a U.S.-build waiver has been

received, and for which MARAD

requests comments from interested

parties. Comments should refer to the

docket number of this notice and the

vessel name in order for MARAD to

properly consider the comments.

Comments should also state the

commentor’s interest in the waiver

application, and address the waiver

criteria given in § 388.4 of MARAD’S

regulations at 46 CFR 388.

Vessel Proposed for Waiver of the U.S.–

Build Requirement

(1) Name of vessel and owner for

which waiver is requested:

Name of vessel: YANKEE Owner:

Yankee Sailing LLC.

(2) Size, capacity and tonnage of

vessel: According to the Applicant ‘‘50′

7’’ OAL, Breadth 15.6′, draft 4.4′ Gross

tonnage 12 tons, Net Tonnage 11. Tons,

Displacement 38 tons. (Title 46 U.S.C.

simplified measurement system.)’’

(3) Intended use for vessel, including

geographic region of intended operation

and trade. According to the applicant:

‘‘Intended use, Geographic area:

Carrying passengers for hire for coastal

sailing excursions for sail and

navigational training purposes where

passengers are encouraged and taught to

participate in the operation of the

vessel. Pending USCG certification of

the vessel these excursions will involve

6 passengers or less. If certification is

obtained under this waiver, the number

of passengers will not exceed 12

passengers. Current plans are to operate

the vessel along the Northeast coast

between New York and Eastport Maine.

It is intended that the center of

operation will be out of New London

CT.’’

(4) Date and place of construction and

(if applicable) rebuilding. Date of

construction: 1959, place of

construction: Scheepswerf Westhaven,

Zaadam, Holland.

(5) A statement on the impact this

waiver will have on other commercial

passenger vessel operators. According to

the applicant: ‘‘The impact would be

minimal. There are currently no sailing

vessels carrying passengers out of the

New London harbor. Neighboring

harbors that have commercial sailing

vessels are mostly offering day trips of

two to three hours as opposed to inter

port excursions.’’

(6) A statement on the impact this

waiver will have on U.S. shipyards.

According to the applicant: ‘‘Since the

vessel was purchased by the current

owner and documented as a U.S. vessel

in January of 1999, over $50,000 dollars

has been spent on the vessel in local

boat yards and on U.S. manufactured

wiring, plumbing and electronics

products. If the vessel can establish

itself in the area as a successful small

business with USCG certification it will

continue to require the services of the

local marine industry here in eastern

Connecticut.’’

Dated: April 13, 2000.

By order of the Maritime Administrator.

Joel C. Richard,

Secretary, Maritime Administration.

[FR Doc. 00–9682 Filed 4–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket No. MARAD–2000–7247]

Request for Public Comments on an

Evaluation of the Maritime Security

Program/Voluntary Intermodal Sealift

Agreement Program

AGENCY: Maritime Administration,

United States Department of

Transportation.

ACTION: Notification of open docket for

public comment.

SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration

(MARAD) is assessing the impact of the

Maritime Security Program (MSP) and

its associated Emergency Preparedness

Program (EPP), the Voluntary

Intermodal Sealift (VISA) program. The

evaluation will seek to determine the

contribution of MSP/VISA to the

achievement of Department of

Transportation (DOT) and MARAD

national security goals by identifying

the causal relationship between MSP/

VISA and the goals, to the extent that

causality can be reliably measured. As

part of DOT’s implementation of the

Government Performance and Results

Act, MARAD has been investigating indepth how well its major programs are

working to achieve stated objectives. As

set out in DOT and MARAD strategic

plans to meet U.S. national security

goals, the MSP is designed to help

ensure that an active U.S. merchant

fleet—and the trained personnel needed

to operate both privately-owned active

commercial vessels and Governmentowned and controlled reserve ships—

will be available to meet Department of

Defense (DoD) requirements for sealift

during national emergencies. In FY

2000, these requirements include DoD

access to 165,000 TEUs (20-foot

equivalent units of container capacity)

or 14.5 million square feet of U.S.-flag

commercial vessel capacity and to

carriers’ intermodal transportation

equipment and service networks.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Raymond R. Barberesi, Director, Office

of Sealift Support, MAR–630, Room

7307, Maritime Administration, 400

Seventh Street, SW, Washington, D.C.

20590, telephone number: 202–366–

2323 or fax 202–493–2180.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March

10, 1995, the Administration submitted

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 75 / Tuesday, April 18, 2000 / Notices 20845

legislation to the Congress proposing the

MSP and the EPP, based on its analysis

of current and future national security

sealift requirements and the likely

composition of the privately-owned

U.S.-flag merchant fleet. The Congress

found that, ‘‘Without remedial action,

there simply will be no U.S. fleet to

conduct foreign commerce, and the

United States may have difficulty

manning our Ready Reserve Force (RRF)

and will have to rely on foreign-flag

shipping for all imports and exports and

for the sustainment of future military

operations’’ (Senate Report 104–167).

Public Law (P.L.) 104–239, the Maritime

Security Act of 1996, was enacted on

October 8, 1996, to ‘‘assure the

continued presence of an active,

privately owned, U.S.-flag and U.S.-

crewed merchant shipping fleet to meet

national and foreign commerce needs

and to provide sustainment sealift

capability in time of war or national

emergency.’’ P.L. 104–239 establishes

the MSP fleet ‘‘* * * of active,

militarily useful, privately-owned

vessels to meet national defense and

other security requirements and

maintain a United States presence in

international commercial shipping.’’

As authorized through FY 2005, the

MSP provides financial assistance to

vessel operators to partially offset the

higher costs of U.S.-flag operation in

international trade. In return, MSP

participants must commit enrolled

vessels and associated intermodal

resources to a DoD-approved EPP. The

VISA program is the element of the MSP

which assures DoD access to the U.S.

commercial fleet by providing

intermodal sealift and total logistical

support to DoD in a time of war,

national emergency, or whenever the

Secretary of Defense determines it is

necessary for national security. The

VISA program enables DoD to secure

space to transport military supplies and

equipment. Today, MSP vessels

constitute the vast majority (70 percent)

of VISA sealift capacity.

MARAD is seeking empirical

information from vessel operators and

other affected parties in the maritime

and transportation industries, such as

shippers, maritime labor, DoD and other

Federal agencies to assess the MSP’s

impact on DoD sealift capability and the

U.S. merchant fleet. Information is

requested on the following issues: (1)

Whether the MSP and the VISA

programs have accomplished the goals

of ‘‘ensuring the availability of a U.S.

maritime fleet for wartime or national

emergencies and * * * to retain a pool

of qualified mariners to serve on these

vessels’’; (2) The effectiveness of the

MSP as a mechanism to retain vessels

under U.S. registry; (3) The effect of the

MSP’s fixed financial assistance of $2.1

million per ship annually on the

international competitiveness of MSP

carriers; (4) The impact of the MSP

payment as an economic incentive for

carriers to replace existing vessels with

newer ships; (5) Whether other factors

have greater impact on carriers’ fleet

replacement decisions, and, if so, what

these are; (6) The aspects of the MSP or

VISA program that affect carriers’

willingness to participate; (7) The

appropriateness of the compensation

levels for carriage of contingency

cargoes; (8) The impact of statutory

restrictions—i.e., Section 656 (cargo

movements in domestic noncontiguous

trade) and Section 804 (prohibition on

operating competing foreign-flag

vessels) of the Merchant Marine Act,

1936, as amended; the cap on the

amount of cargo preference that can be

carried on MSP vessels; the requirement

to operate 320 days a year; Section 2

citizenship requirements, and trust

arrangements; (9) The external factors

that have a significant effect on program

impact; (10) MSP participant plans if

the MSP is not authorized beyond 2005;

and (11) The aspects of program

implementation that need to be changed

to accomplish program objectives.

MARAD is also soliciting comments as

to whether other complementary

programs, policies, or Federal

Government actions would meet the

statutory objectives of P.L. 104–239.

You may submit written comments by

hand or mail by the close of business on

June 15, 2000 to the Docket

Management Facility, U.S. DOT

Dockets, Room PL–401, Department of

Transportation, 400 7th St., SW,

Washington, DC 20590–0001.

Comments should refer to docket

number MARAD–2000–7247. You may

also send comments electronically via

the Internet at http://dmses.dot.gov/

submit. All comments will become part

of this docket and will be available for

inspection and copying at the above

address between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.,

E.D.T., Monday through Friday, except

federal holidays. An electronic version

of this document and all documents

entered into this docket is available on

the World Wide Web at http://

dms.dot.gov. The Maritime

Administration, as a matter of

discretion, will consider any comments

submitted and take such action with

respect thereto as may be deemed

appropriate.

Dated: April 13, 2000.

By order of the Maritime Administrator.

Joel C. Richard,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–9683 Filed 4–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs

Administration

Office of Hazardous Materials Safety;

Notice of Applications for Exemptions

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: List of Applicants for

Exemptions.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

procedures governing the application

for, and the processing of, exemptions

from the Department of Transportation’s

Hazardous Materials Regulations (49

CFR part 107, subpart B), notice is

hereby given that the Office of

Hazardous Materials Safety has received

the applications described herein. Each

mode of transportation for which a

particular exemption is requested is

indicated by a number in the ‘‘Nature of

Application’’ portion of the table below

as follows: 1—Motor vehicle, 2—Rail

freight, 3—Cargo vessel, 4—Cargo

aircraft only, 5—Passenger-carrying

aircraft.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before May 18, 2000.

ADDRESS COMMENTS TO: Records Center,

Research and Special Programs,

Administration, U.S. Department of

Transportation, Washington, DC 20590.

Comments should refer to the

application number and be submitted in

triplicate. If confirmation of receipt of

comments is desired, include a selfaddressed stamped postcard showing

the exemption application number.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Copies of the applications (See Docket

Number) are available for inspection at

the New Docket Management Facility,

PL–401, at the U.S. Department of

Transportation, Nassif Building, 400 7th

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590 or at

http://dms.dot.gov.

This notice of receipt of applications

for new exemptions is published in

accordance with Part 107 of the Federal

hazardous materials transportation law

(49 U.S.C. 5117(b); 49 CFR 1.53(b)).

Issued in Washington, DC, on April 12,

2000.

J. Suzanne Hedgepeth,

Director, Office of Hazardous Materials

Exemptions and Approvals.