Hold Public

USCG Open to Comments on Proposed Regs

The U.S. Coast Guard is scheduled to hold public meetings in Oakland, Calif., Oct. 27 and New York City Oct. 29 to hear comments about a proposed rulemaking for ballast water discharge standards. These meetings are the last two of six public meetings held for the Coast Guard to receive comments about a proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register Aug. 28 (74 FR 44632) that would add ballast water discharge standards to the Coast Guard's ballast water management regulations in Title 33, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 151, Subparts C and D. The proposed rule would also add approval procedures for ballast water management systems found in Title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, Subchapter Q. Live webcasts (audio and video) of the public meetings will also be broadcast online at: http://ballastwater.us The public meeting scheduled for Oct. 27 will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Hilton Oakland Airport, One Hegenberger Rd., Oakland, Calif. The phone number for the hotel is (510) 635-5000. The public meeting scheduled for Oct. 29 will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Marriott New York Downtown, 85 West Street at Albany Street, New York City. The phone number for the hotel is (212) 385-4900. The public is encouraged to participate by submitting written or verbal comments at the meetings. The comment period for the advance notice of proposed rulemaking closes Dec. 4

BOEM Seeks Comments on Environmental Review

Public Hearings Scheduled to provide opportunities for public input.   The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has completed a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), providing updated environmental and socioeconomic analysis to support two proposed lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico. Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 233 is tentatively scheduled for 2013 in the Western Planning Area (WPA), offshore Texas; and Central Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 231 is scheduled for 2014

Public Meetings to be held on Norfolk Channel Deepening Project

The US Navy published a notice stating that it intends to prepare an environmental impact statement for proposed dredging of the Norfolk Harbor Channel in the Elizabeth River. The dredging is necessary to provide the service’s aircraft carriers with safe and unrestricted access. Public scoping meetings will be held in Norfolk (October 4) and Portsmouth, Virginia (October 5). Source: HK Law

Corps to Release Draft Proposal for Navigation Study

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing to release a draft proposal for public comment and review in the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway Navigation Feasibility Study. The Corps' study team met with federal principals from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Service and Maritime Administration to discuss the range of possible alternatives. The next step will be the preparation of a draft report in May

Steps Aimed to Enhance Security

Within one year of President Bush’s signing of the Maritime Transportation Security Act on November 25, 2002 U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge today announced approval and publication of the final maritime industry security rules which are designed to significantly improve protection of America’s ports, waterways, and ships from a terrorist attack. “With 95 percent of our nation’s overseas cargo carried by ship

CG Public Meetings, Proposed Regulations

The U.S. Coast Guard is scheduled to hold public meetings in Seattle on Sept. 28 and in New Orleans on Sept. 30 to hear comments about a proposed rulemaking for ballast water discharge standards. A total of six public meetings are slated for the Coast Guard to receive comments about a proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register Aug. 28 (74 FR 44632) that would add ballast water discharge standards to the Coast Guard’s ballast water management regulations in Title 33

Coast Guard Holds Cleveland Hearing on Training Plan

According to reports, Coast Guard wants to hear from people in the Cleveland area this evening on its plan to create 34 weapons training zones in the Great Lakes. Coast Guard officials have said that the live-fire training is needed to protect the region from terrorism and other illegal activities. But environmental groups and the Canadian government worry about possible lead poisoning of the lakes from the tens of thousands of bullets that would be fired each year in the training zones

USCG To Hold Final Public Hearing on Tug Valour

The Coast Guard will hold the final public hearing for the investigation into the January 2006 sinking of the tug Valour, which claimed the lives of three crew members. Coast Guard marine investigators have recalled the crew of the Valour to obtain statements and finalize the timeline of events leading up to the sinking. Facts collected at this final hearing will be developed into a conclusion to be presented in the Coast Guard's final investigative report.

NTSB to Meet

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued an Advisory stating that it will hold a public session in Washington, DC on March 9, 2004 to consider, among other things, a marine accident report concerning the sinking of a U.S. passenger vessel in the Everglades National Park. One passenger, of the 33 on board, suffered serious injuries. (HK Law)

OSEC to Hold Sixth Public Meeting

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director Jim Watson has announced that the Ocean Energy Safety Advisory Committee (OESC) will hold its sixth public meeting on Wednesday, January 9, 2013 and Thursday, January 10, 2013 in Washington, D.C. The OESC is a public federal advisory body including some of the nation’s leading scientific, engineering and technical experts. Chaired by former Sandia National Laboratory Director Dr