[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 3, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 34775]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-17002]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Coast Guard
33 CFR Parts 154 and 155
[CGD 94-032 and 94-048]
RIN 2115-AE87 and 2115-AE88
Tank Vessel and Facility Response Plans, and Response Equipment
for Hazardous Substances
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of public hearings.
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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is holding two public meetings on its proposed
regulations under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) relating to
the preparation of hazardous substance response plans to minimize the
impact of a discharge or release of hazardous substances into the
navigable waters of the United States. There is substantial public
interest in the rulemaking. The Coast Guard is conducting the public
meetings to receive view on what should be regulated and what
appropriate regulations should be.
DATES: The meetings will be held on July 30, 1996, and August 5, 1996.
The meetings will begin at 9:00 a.m. Comments must be received on or
before September 3, 1996.
ADDRESSES: The July 30, 1996, meeting will be held in room 6200,
Department of Transportation, Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20590. The August 5, 1996, meeting will be held in the
lecture hall of the Center for Advanced Space Studies, 3600 Bay Area
Boulevard, Clear Lake, TX 77058. Written comments may be mailed to the
Executive Secretary, Marine Safety Council (G-LRA/3406) (CGD 94-032 and
94-048), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20593-0001 or may be delivered to room 3406 at the above
address between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays. The telephone number if (202) 267-1477
The Executive Secretary maintains the public docket for this
rulemaking. Comments will become part of this docket and will be
available for inspection or copying at room 3406, U.S. Coast Guard
Headquarters.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LT Cliff Thomas, Project Manager,
Office of Standards Evaluation and Development, at (202) 267-1099. This
number is equipped to record messages on a 24-hour basis. Copies of the
advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) may be obtained by
submitting a request by facsimile at (202) 267-4547.
Supplementary Information:
Background Information
Response Plans for Hazardous Substances
The advanced noticed of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) (61 FR 20084),
published on May 3, 1996, solicited comments on 96 questions to assist
in the development of a notice of proposed rulemaking for vessels and a
notice of proposed rulemaking for marine transportation-related
facilities (MTR).
Section 311(j)(5) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act
(FWPCA) [33 U.S.C. 1321(j)(5)], as amended by section 4202(a) of OPA
90, requires owners and operators of tank vessels, offshore facilities,
and onshore facilities that could reasonably be expected to cause harm
to the environment to prepare and submit plans for responding, to the
maximum extent practicable, to a worst case discharge, or a substantial
threat of such a discharge, of oil or hazardous substance. Section
4202(b)(4) of OPA 90 establishes an implementation schedule for these
requirements with regard to oil. However, section 4202(b)(4) did not
establish a compliance date requiring response plans for hazardous
substances.
The Coast Guard issued two separate final rules: one requiring
response plans for tank vessels carrying oil in bulk and another
requiring response plans for marine transportation-related facilities
(MTR) that handle, store, or transport oil in bulk. These final rules
define many concepts such as ``marine transportation-related
facility,'' ``maximum extent practicable,'' and ``worst case
discharge.'' The rules also provide a specific format for these
response plans; however, they allow for deviations from this format as
long as the required information is included and there is a cross
reference sheet identifying its location. The Coast Guard is
considering using these concepts or modifying them as necessary in the
regulations for response plans for hazardous substances.
Public Meeting
The Coast Guard will hold two public meetings, the first on July
30, 1996, and the second on August 5, 1996. The public is invited to
comment on the issues discussed in the 96 questions listed in the
ANPRM. The general areas in which the Coast Guard seeks public comment
are response plan contents and format, carriage of response equipment,
training requirements, and economic impacts.
Attendance is open to the public. Persons who are hearing impaired
may request sign translation by contacting the person under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT at least one week before the meeting. With advance
notice, and as time permits, members of the public may make oral
presentations during the meeting. Persons wishing to make oral
presentations should notify the person listed above under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT no later than the day before the meeting. Written
material may be submitted prior to, during, or after the meeting.
Persons unable to attend the public meetings are encouraged to submit
written comments as outlined in the ANPRM prior to September 3, 1996.
Dated: June 27, 1996.
Joseph J. Angelo,
Director, of Standards, Marine Safety and Environmental Protection.
[FR Doc. 96-17002 Filed 7-2-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-14-M
