2023-19141. Area Maritime Security Advisory Committee (AMSC) Sector Columbia River

AGENCY:

Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION:

Solicitation for membership.

SUMMARY:

The Coast Guard requests individuals interested in serving on the Area Maritime Security Advisory Committee (AMSC), Sector Columbia River submit their applications for membership to the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) Sector Columbia River. The Committee assists the Captain of the Port as the Federal Maritime Security Coordinator, Sector Columbia River, 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 COTP Sector Columbia River by September 19, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

Applications for membership should be submitted to the Captain of the Port at the following address: USCG Sector Columbia River, 6767 N Basin Ave., Portland, OR 97217.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For questions about submitting an application, or about the AMSC in general, contact Mr. Stuart Blanchette, 503–240–2467, [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Basis and Purpose

Section 102 of the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) of 2002 (Pub. L. 107–295, 116 Stat. 2064) added section 70112 of 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 for any port area of the United States. (See 33 U.S.C. 1226; 46 U.S.C. 70112; 33 CFR 1.05–1, 6.01; DHS Delegation No. 00170.1(II)(71), Revision No. 01.3. 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).^[1] The AMSCs shall assist the Federal Maritime Security Coordinator in the development, review, update, and exercising of the Area Maritime Security Plan for their area of responsibility. Such matters may include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Identifying critical port infrastructure and operations; Identifying risks (threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences).

(2) Determining mitigation strategies and implementation methods.

(3) Developing strategies to facilitate the recovery of the MTS after a Transportation Security Incident.

(4) 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

(5) Providing advice to and assisting the Federal Maritime Security Coordinator in developing and maintaining the Area Maritime Security Plan.

II. AMSC Membership

Members of the AMSC should have at least five years of experience related to maritime or port security operations. The Sector Columbia River AMSC has 20 members, and we are seeking to fill additional vacancies with this solicitation.

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 a Coast Guard Homeport user if appointed. 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 Federal, Territorial, or Tribal governments; 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.

The Coast Guard does not discriminate in selecting committee members on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or any other non-merit factor. The Coast Guard strives to achieve a widely diverse candidate pool for all its recruitment actions.

III. 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: August 29, 2023.

Justin W. Noggle,

Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port Sector Columbia River and Federal Maritime Security Coordinator Sector Columbia River.

Footnotes

1.  Public Law 117–286, section 3 placed FACA provisions in 5 U.S.C. chapter 10, and section. 7 repealed FACA “except with respect to rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, or proceedings that were begun before the date of enactment of” Public Law 117–286.