Document ID: USCG-2016-0437-0009
Agency: uscg
Document Type: Notice
Title: Update to Alternative Planning Criteria (APC) National Guidelines
Posted Date: 2016-08-16T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 158 (Tuesday, August 16, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54584-54585]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-19512]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2016-0437]

Update to Alternative Planning Criteria (APC) National Guidelines

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Extension of comment period and notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard's Office of Marine 
Environmental Response Policy and Seventeenth District will meet on 
September 21, 2016, in Anchorage, Alaska. The meeting will be used as 
an opportunity to discuss Alternative Planning Criteria (APC) as they 
relate to oil spill preparedness pursuant to vessel response plan 
requirements. The meeting will be open to the public. In addition, the 
comment period for the notice published May 27, 2016, is extended.

DATES: The comment period for the notice published May 27, 2016 (81 FR 
33685) is extended. Comments and related material must be submitted on 
or before Friday, September 23, 2016. The Coast Guard will meet 
Wednesday, September 21, 2016, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please note 
that the meeting may close early if all comments have been heard.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the Robert Atwood Room (Room 
104) on the first floor of the Robert B. Atwood Building, 550 W. 7th 
Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501. Parking will be available in the adjacent 
Lilly Pacillo Parking Garage. Parking tickets can be validated at the 
Atwood Building's Security Desk.
    For information on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities, or to request special assistance at the meeting, contact 
the person listed in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT below, as soon as 
possible.
    To view the APC Guidelines, as well as public comments and any 
documents mentioned in this notice, go to http://www.regulations.gov 
and type ``USCG-2016-0437,'' and click ``Search.'' Then click ``Open 
Docket Folder.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: CDR Scott Stoermer, USCG Headquarters, 
2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE., Stop 7516, Washington, DC 20593, 
scott.a.stoermer@uscg.mil, (202) 372-2234.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This public meeting is part of the public 
comment period already announced regarding the draft National APC 
Policy (81 FR 33685). To facilitate public participation, we are 
extending the comment period and holding a public meeting, and we 
invite public comment on the issues as listed in the ``Agenda'' section 
below. Comments previously submitted do not need to be submitted again.

Submitting Written Comments

    If you submit a written comment, please include the docket number, 
indicate the specific material to which each comment applies, and 
provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation.
    We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be 
submitted using http://www.regulations.gov, contact the person in the 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for alternate 
instructions. Documents mentioned in this notice, and all public 
comments, are in our online docket at http://www.regulations.gov and 
can be viewed by following that Web site's instructions. Additionally, 
if you go to the online docket and sign up for email alerts, you will 
be notified when comments are posted or a final rule is published.
    We accept anonymous comments. All comments received will be posted 
without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any 
personal information you have provided. For more about privacy and the 
docket, you may review a Privacy Act notice regarding the Federal 
Docket Management System in the March 24, 2005, issue of the Federal 
Register (70 FR 15086).

Public Meeting

    A public comment period will be held during the meeting on 
September 21, 2016, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Speakers are requested 
to limit their comments to 3 minutes. Please note that the public 
comment period may end before the time indicated, following the last 
call for comments. Contact the individual listed below to pre-register 
as a speaker. Pre-registration is not required to speak at the meeting 
as attendees will be able to note their desire to speak via the on-site 
meeting attendance/registration form. Written comments may also be 
brought to the meeting and will be included as part of the docket. 
Written comments submitted to the docket via http://www.regulations.gov 
do not need to be brought to the meeting.
    The U.S. Coast Guard Office of Marine Environmental Response Policy 
is developing national-level policy to clarify APC submissions and 
processes pursuant to Title 33 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 
155.1065 and 155.5067. While not a regulatory or rule-making activity, 
the Coast Guard is aware of the impact of the policy related to APC and 
its critical role in tank and non-tank vessel response preparedness. 
The goals of this public meeting are to: (1) Inform public entities of 
the status of Alternative Planning Criteria policy; (2) Inform public 
entities of the comments from earlier comment period(s); (3)

[[Page 54585]]

Ensure public understanding of the Coast Guard's view of APC; and (4) 
Seek public comment & public insight into current APC policy 
challenges.

Agenda

    The Coast Guard will present information pertaining to APC and 
receive oral comments from the public. Written comments will be 
accepted at the meeting; however, it is preferred any written comments 
are submitted in advance of the meeting. The Coast Guard will present 
the following topics:
    (1) Brief, high-level summary of comments received following the 
release of District Seventeen's Draft Marine Safety Information 
Bulletin (July 2015) and during the comment period to date.
    (2) Tenets of the draft APC policy.
    (3) Open floor to receive public comments.
    The Coast Guard will review all of the information received from 
public comment and take both oral and written comments into 
consideration as it finalizes the development of national APC policy.

    Dated: August 10, 2016.
Joseph B. Loring,
Captain, Office of Marine Environmental Response Policy.
[FR Doc. 2016-19512 Filed 8-15-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9110-04-P