Coast Guard seeks comments for the Atlantic Coast Port Access Route Study

BOSTON – The U.S. Coast Guard is requesting to hear from mariners, maritime industries, commercial fishermen, recreational boaters and other port and waterway users that operate offshore along the Atlantic Coast.

In an effort to ensure everyone affected is represented in the process, the Coast Guard announced in the Federal Register a notice of study and reopening of comments entitled “Port Access Route Study: The Atlantic Coast from Maine to Florida” to evaluate the applicability and need for potential modifications to current vessel routing measures off the Atlantic Coast from Maine to Florida.

The notice of study addresses the need to enhance navigational safety by examining existing shipping routes and waterway uses and if practical, reconcile rights of navigation with other potential waterway uses such as the leasing of outer continental shelf blocks for the construction of renewable energy facilities. The recommendations of the study may lead to future rulemaking and appropriate international agreements.

The original notice of study and comment period was opened in May 2011, and resulted in 26 comments. After reviewing the comments, the Coast Guard determined that it needed to reopen the comment period to seek more information to ensure the study is comprehensive in its data collection and analysis.

The Coast Guard encourages the public to participate in this study by submitting comments and related materials on or before January 31, 2012 at http://www.regulations.gov, docket number USCG-2011-035. For alternate forms of submission, please read the Federal Register notice at http://www.uscg.mil/lantarea/ACPARS/default.asp. All comments received will be posted without change.

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