2014-06253. Area Maritime Security Advisory Committee (AMSC), Eastern Great Lakes and Regional Sub-Committee Vacancies

AGENCY:

Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION:

Notice of solicitation for membership.

SUMMARY:

This notice requests individuals interested in serving on the Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC), Eastern Great Lakes, and the four regional sub-committees: Northeast Ohio Region, Northwestern Pennsylvania Region, Western New York Region, and Eastern New York Region to submit their applications for membership to the Captain of the Port (COTP), Buffalo. The Committee assists the Captain of the Port, Buffalo, in developing, reviewing, and updating the Area Maritime Security Plan for their area of responsibility.

DATES:

Requests for membership should reach the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port, Buffalo, on April 21, 2014.

ADDRESSES:

Applications for membership should be submitted to the Captain of the Port at the following address: Captain of the Port, Buffalo, Attention: LCDR Elizabeth Platt, 1 Fuhrmann Boulevard, Buffalo, NY 14203-3189.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For questions about submitting an application, or about the AMSC in general, contact:

For the Northeast Ohio Region Executive Coordinator: Mr. Peter Killmer at 216-937-0136;

For the Northwestern Pennsylvania Region Executive Coordinator: Mr. Joseph Fetscher at 216-937-0126;

For the Western New York Region; LCDR Elizabeth Platt at 716-843-9373; and,

For the Eastern New York Region Executive Coordinator: Mr. Ralph Kring at 315-343-1551.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

Section 102 of the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-295) added section 70112 to Title 46 of the U.S. Code, and authorized the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating to establish Area Maritime Security Advisory Committees (AMSCs) for any port area of the United States. (See 33 U.S.C. 1226; 46 U.S.C.; 33 CFR 1.05-1, 6.01; Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1). The MTSA includes a provision exempting these AMSCs from the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), Public Law 92-436, 86 Stat. 470 (5 U.S.C. App.2). The AMSCs shall assist the Captain of the Port in the development, review, update, and exercising of the AMS Plan for their area of responsibility. Such matters may include, but are not limited to: Identifying critical port infrastructure and operations; Identifying risks (threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences); Determining mitigation strategies and implementation methods; Developing and describing the process to continually evaluate overall port security by considering consequences and vulnerabilities, how they may change over time, and what additional mitigation strategies can be applied; and Providing advice to, and assisting the Captain of the Port in developing and maintaining the Area Maritime Security Plan.

AMSC Membership

Members of the AMSC should have at least five years of expertise related to maritime or port security operations. The AMSC Eastern Great Lakes Committee has 107 members. The Northeast Ohio Region Subcommittee has 29 members. The Northwestern Pennsylvania Region Subcommittee has 29 members. The Western New York Region has 29 members. The Eastern New York Region has 20 members. We are seeking to fill the following vacancies with this submission:

(A) Northeast Ohio Region (2 members): (1) Executive Board member representing the maritime (on-water) Port Harbormaster community of Northeast Ohio {e.g., qualified harbormasters operating in local ports [list not all inclusive] of Vermilion, Lorain, Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula, Conneaut, etc.}; and (2) Executive Board member representing the surface transportation railroad industry (RAIL), especially expert candidates working for critical railroad infrastructure with a nexus to the maritime domain.

(B) Northwestern Pennsylvania Region (1 member): Executive Board member representing local MTSA regulated, 33 CFR 104, vessels of Northwestern Pennsylvania.

(C) Western New York Region (3 members): (1) Executive Board member to serve as Chairperson of the regional subcommittee and concurrently as member of the Eastern Great Lakes AMSC when so convened by the FMSC. Executive; (2) Executive Board member representing the surface transportation railroad industry (RAIL), especially expert candidates working for critical railroad infrastructure with a nexus to the maritime domain; (3) Board member representing local MTSA regulated, 33 CFR 104, vessels of Western New York.

(D) Eastern New York Region (1 member): Executive Board member to serve as Co- Vice Chairperson of the regional subcommittee and concurrently as member of the Eastern Great Lakes AMSC when so convened by the FMSC.

Applicants may be required to pass an appropriate security background check prior to appointment to the committee. Applicants must register with and remain active as Coast Guard HOMEPORT users if appointed. Members' terms of office will be for five years; however, a member is eligible to serve additional terms of office. Members will not receive any salary or other compensation for their service on an AMSC. In accordance with 33 CFR 103, members may be selected from—the Federal, Territorial, or Tribal governments; the State government and political subdivisions of the State; local public safety, crisis management, and emergency response agencies; law enforcement and security organizations; maritime industry, including labor; other port stakeholders having a special competence in maritime security; and port stakeholders affected by security practices and policies.

In support of the USCG policy on gender and ethnic diversity, we encourage qualified women and members of minority groups to apply.

Request for Applications

Those seeking membership are not required to submit formal applications to the local Captain of the Port, however, because we do have an obligation to ensure that a specific number of members have the prerequisite maritime security experience, we encourage the submission of resumes highlighting experience in the maritime and security industries.

Dated: February 26, 2014.

B.W. Roche,

Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port, Buffalo.