Document ID: USCG-2013-0070-0001
Agency: uscg
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: NPRM:  Safety Zones: Olympus Tension Leg Platform, Mississippi Canyon Block 807, Outer Continental Shelf on the Gulf of Mexico (Federal Register Publication)
Posted Date: 2013-07-18T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 138 (Thursday, July 18, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 42902-42905]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-17241]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 147

[Docket No. USCG-2013-0070]
RIN 1625-AA00

Safety Zone; Olympus Tension Leg Platform, Mississippi Canyon 
Block 807, Outer Continental Shelf on the Gulf of Mexico

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard proposes to establish a safety zone around the 
Olympus Tension Leg Platform, Mississippi Canyon Block 807 on the

[[Page 42903]]

OCS. The purpose of the safety zone is to promote the safety of life 
and property on the facilities, their appurtenances and attending 
vessels, and on the adjacent waters within the safety zones. Placing a 
safety zone around the facility will significantly reduce the threat of 
allisions, oil spills, and releases of natural gas, and thereby protect 
the safety of life, property, and the environment.

DATES: Comments and related material must be received by the Coast 
Guard on or before August 19, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number using 
any one of the following methods:
    (1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
    (2) Fax: 202-493-2251.
    (3) Mail or Delivery: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. 
Department of Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Deliveries 
accepted between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
federal holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329. See the 
``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion of the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for further instructions on 
submitting comments. To avoid duplication, please use only one of these 
three methods.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this rule, 
call or email Mr. Rusty Wright, U.S. Coast Guard, District Eight 
Waterways Management Branch; telephone 504-671-2138, 
rusty.h.wright@uscg.mil. If you have questions on viewing or submitting 
material to the docket, call Barbara Hairston, Program Manager, Docket 
Operations, telephone (202) 366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Acronyms

DHS Department of Homeland Security
USCG United States Coast Guard
FR Federal Register
NPRM Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
OCS Outer Continental Shelf

A. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We encourage you to participate in this rulemaking by submitting 
comments and related materials. All comments received will be posted 
without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any 
personal information you have provided.

1. Submitting Comments

    If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this 
rulemaking, indicate the specific section of this document to which 
each comment applies, and provide a reason for each suggestion or 
recommendation. You may submit your comments and material online at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or by fax, mail, or hand delivery, but 
please use only one of these means. If you submit a comment online, it 
will be considered received by the Coast Guard when you successfully 
transmit the comment. If you fax, hand deliver, or mail your comment, 
it will be considered as having been received by the Coast Guard when 
it is received at the Docket Management Facility. We recommend that you 
include your name and a mailing address, an email address, or a 
telephone number in the body of your document so that we can contact 
you if we have questions regarding your submission.
    To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov, 
type the docket number [USCG-2013-0070] in the ``SEARCH'' box and click 
``SEARCH.'' Click on ``Submit a Comment'' on the line associated with 
this rulemaking.
    If you submit your comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them 
in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for 
copying and electronic filing. If you submit comments by mail and would 
like to know that they reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, 
self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will consider all comments and 
material received during the comment period and may change the rule 
based on your comments.

2. Viewing Comments and Documents

    To view comments, as well as documents mentioned in this preamble 
as being available in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov, 
type the docket number (USCG-2013-0070) in the ``SEARCH'' box and click 
``SEARCH.'' Click on Open Docket Folder on the line associated with 
this rulemaking. You may also visit the Docket Management Facility in 
Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the Department of Transportation 
West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, 
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.

3. Privacy Act

    Anyone can search the electronic form of comments received into any 
of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or 
signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, 
business, labor union, etc.). You may review a Privacy Act notice 
regarding our public dockets in the January 17, 2008, issue of the 
Federal Register (73 FR 3316).

4. Public Meeting

    We do not now plan to hold a public meeting. But you may submit a 
request for one, using one of the methods specified under ADDRESSES. 
Please explain why you believe a public meeting would be beneficial. If 
we determine that one would aid this rulemaking, we will hold one at a 
time and place announced by a later notice in the Federal Register.

B. Basis and Purpose

    Coast Guard regulations permit the establishment of safety zones 
for facilities located on the OCS for the purpose of protecting life, 
property and the marine environment (33 CFR 147.1). Placing a safety 
zone around the facility will significantly reduce the threat of 
allisions, oil spills, and releases of natural gas, and thereby protect 
the safety of life, property, and the environment. The authority for 
this rule is 14 U.S.C. 85, 43 U.S.C. 1333, and Department of Homeland 
Security Delegation No. 0170.1. The purpose of the proposed rule is to 
protect life, property and the marine environment.
    Shell Exploration and Production Company requested that the Coast 
Guard establish a safety zone around the Olympus Tension Leg Platform 
facility. The request for the safety zone was made due to safety 
concerns for vessels operating in the area and the environment. Shell 
Exploration and Production Company indicated that it is highly likely 
that any allision with the facility would result in a catastrophic 
event. In evaluating this request, the Coast Guard explored relevant 
safety factors and considered several criteria, including but not 
limited to, (1) The level of shipping activity around the facility, (2) 
safety concerns for personnel aboard vessels operating in the area and 
onboard the facility, (3) concerns for the environment, (4) the 
possibility that an allision would result in a catastrophic event based 
on proximity to shipping fairways, offloading operations, production 
levels, and size of the crew, (5) the volume of traffic in the vicinity 
of the proposed area, (6) the types of vessels navigating in the 
vicinity of the proposed area, and (7) the structural configuration of 
the facility.

[[Page 42904]]

C. Discussion of Proposed Rule

    Results from a thorough and comprehensive examination of the 
criteria, International Maritime Organization guidelines, and existing 
regulations warrant the establishment of a safety zone of 500 meters 
around the facility. The proposed regulation would reduce significantly 
the threat of allisions, oil spills, and releases of natural gas and 
increase the safety of life, property, and the environment in the Gulf 
of Mexico by prohibiting entry into the zone unless specifically 
authorized by the Commander, Eighth Coast Guard District.

D. Regulatory Analyses

    We developed this proposed rule after considering numerous statutes 
and executive orders related to rulemaking. Below we summarize our 
analyses based on a number of these statutes or executive orders.

1. Regulatory Planning and Review

    This proposed rule is not a significant regulatory action under 
section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review, 
as supplemented by Executive Order 13563, Improving Regulation and 
Regulatory Review, and does not require an assessment of potential 
costs and benefits under section 6(a)(3) of Executive Order 12866 or 
under section 1 of Executive Order 13563. The Office of Management and 
Budget has not reviewed it under those Orders. This rule is not a 
significant regulatory action due to the location of the Olympus 
Tension Leg Platform on the OCS and its distance from both land and 
safety fairways. Vessels traversing waters near the proposed safety 
zone will be able to safely travel around the zone without incurring 
additional costs.

2. Impact on Small Entities

    Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612), we have 
considered the impact of this proposed rule on small entities. The 
Coast Guard certifies under 5 U.S.C. 605(b) that this proposed rule 
will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of 
small entities. This safety zone will not have a significant economic 
impact or a substantial number of small entities for the following 
reasons: This rule will enforce a safety zone around a facility that is 
in an area of the Gulf of Mexico not frequented by vessel traffic and 
is not in close proximity to a safety fairway. Further, vessel traffic 
can pass safely around the safety zone without incurring additional 
costs.
    If you think that your business, organization, or governmental 
jurisdiction qualifies as a small entity and that this rule would have 
a significant economic impact on it, please submit a comment (see 
ADDRESSES) explaining why you think it qualifies and how and to what 
degree this rule would economically affect it.

3. Assistance for Small Entities

    Under section 213(a) of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement 
Fairness Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-121), we want to assist small 
entities in understanding this proposed rule. If the rule would affect 
your small business, organization, or governmental jurisdiction and you 
have questions concerning its provisions or options for compliance, 
please contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT, above. The Coast Guard will not retaliate against small 
entities that question or complain about this proposed rule or any 
policy or action of the Coast Guard.

4. Collection of Information

    This proposed rule will not call for a new collection of 
information under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-
3520.).

5. Federalism

    A rule has implications for federalism under Executive Order 13132, 
Federalism, if it has a substantial direct effect on the States, on the 
relationship between the national government and the States, or on the 
distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of 
government. We have analyzed this proposed rule under that Order and 
determined that this rule does not have implications for federalism.

6. Protest Activities

    The Coast Guard respects the First Amendment rights of protesters. 
Protesters are asked to contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section to coordinate protest activities so that 
your message can be received without jeopardizing the safety or 
security of people, places or vessels.

7. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

    The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1531-1538) 
requires Federal agencies to assess the effects of their discretionary 
regulatory actions. In particular, the Act addresses actions that may 
result in the expenditure by a State, local, or tribal government, in 
the aggregate, or by the private sector of $100,000,000 (adjusted for 
inflation) or more in any one year. Though this proposed rule would not 
result in such an expenditure, we do discuss the effects of this rule 
elsewhere in this preamble.

8. Taking of Private Property

    This proposed rule would not cause a taking of private property or 
otherwise have taking implications under Executive Order 12630, 
Governmental Actions and Interference with Constitutionally Protected 
Property Rights.

9. Civil Justice Reform

    This proposed rule meets applicable standards in sections 3(a) and 
3(b)(2) of Executive Order 12988, Civil Justice Reform, to minimize 
litigation, eliminate ambiguity, and reduce burden.

10. Protection of Children From Environmental Health Risks

    We have analyzed this proposed rule under Executive Order 13045, 
Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety 
Risks. This rule is not an economically significant rule and would not 
create an environmental risk to health or risk to safety that might 
disproportionately affect children.

11. Indian Tribal Governments

    This proposed rule does not have tribal implications under 
Executive Order 13175, Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal 
Governments, because it would not have a substantial direct effect on 
one or more Indian tribes, on the relationship between the Federal 
Government and Indian tribes, or on the distribution of power and 
responsibilities between the Federal Government and Indian tribes.

12. Energy Effects

    This proposed rule is not a ``significant energy action'' under 
Executive Order 13211, Actions Concerning Regulations That 
Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use.

13. Technical Standards

    This proposed rule does not use technical standards. Therefore, we 
did not consider the use of voluntary consensus standards.

14. Environment

    We have analyzed this proposed rule under Department of Homeland 
Security Management Directive 023-01 and Commandant Instruction 
M16475.lD, which guide the Coast Guard in complying with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321-4370f), and

[[Page 42905]]

have made a preliminary determination that this action is one of a 
category of actions that do not individually or cumulatively have a 
significant effect on the human environment. This proposed rule 
involves the establishment of a safety zone around an OCS Facility to 
protect life, property and the marine environment. This rule is 
categorically excluded from further review under paragraph 34(g) of 
Figure 2-1 of the Commandant Instruction. A preliminary environmental 
analysis checklist supporting this determination and a Categorical 
Exclusion Determination are available in the docket where indicated 
under ADDRESSES. We seek any comments or information that may lead to 
the discovery of a significant environmental impact from this proposed 
rule.

List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 147

    Continental shelf, Marine safety, Navigation (water).

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Coast Guard proposes 
to amend 33 CFR part 147 as follows:

PART 147--SAFETY ZONES

0
1. The authority citation for part 147 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  14 U.S.C. 85; 43 U.S.C. 1333; Department of Homeland 
Security Delegation No. 0170.1.

0
2. Add Sec.  147.848 to read as follows:

Sec.  147.848  Olympus Tension Leg Platform Safety Zone

    (a) Description. The Olympus Tension Leg Platform is in the 
deepwater area of the Gulf of Mexico in Mississippi Canyon Block 807B. 
The facility is located at 28[deg]9'35.59'' N, 89[deg]14'20.86'' W. The 
area within 500 meters (1640.4 feet) from each point on the structure's 
outer edge and the area within 500 meters (1640.4 feet) of each of the 
supply boat mooring buoys is a safety zone.
    (b) Regulation. No vessel may enter or remain in this safety zone 
except the following:
    (1) An attending vessel;
    (2) A vessel under 100 feet in length overall not engaged in 
towing; or
    (3) A vessel authorized by the Commander, Eighth Coast Guard 
District or a designated representative.

    Dated: June 28, 2013.
T.A. Sokalzuk,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Acting Commander, Eighth Coast Guard 
District.
[FR Doc. 2013-17241 Filed 7-17-13; 8:45 am]
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