As a courtesy to our audience, Maritime Commons will provide a daily compilation of nationally-relevant Federal Register Notices. To provide comments for the public record, follow the Federal Register link for each individual notice. Please note, the Coast Guard cannot respond to comments on these notices outside of the Federal Register.

There’s still time to submit comments to the Federal Register on proposed changes to the 2016 Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) Guidelines.

Comments to the proposed changes and related material must reach the Coast Guard by January 22, 2018.

One of the significant Coast Guard-specific revisions is to the Remote Assessment and Consultation (RAC) drill frequency. The existing frequency will be decreased from one drill per vessel per year, to one drill per Plan Holder per triennial cycle. Additional revisions include allowing RAC drills to be combined with Qualified Individual (QI) drills, and adding language that states QI and Salvage and Marine Fire Fighter Providers must be contacted as specified in the approved Vessel Response Plan.

The Coast Guard published the Federal Register notice on behalf of the Preparedness for Response Exercise Program Compliance, Coordination, and Consistency Committee (PREP 4C). The PREP 4C includes representatives from the Coast Guard; the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA); and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).

To view the proposed revisions to the 2016 PREP Guidelines, go to http://www.regulations.gov, type “USCG-2017-0894” and click “Search.” Then click “Open Docket Folder.”

For further information, contact:

• USCG: Mr. Jonathan Smith, Office of Marine Environmental Response Policy, 202-372-2675
• EPA: Mr. Troy Swackhammer, Office of Emergency Management, Regulations Implementation Division, 202-564-1966
• BSEE: Mr. John Caplis, Oil Spill Preparedness Division, 703-787-1364
• PHMSA: Mr. Eddie Murphy, Office of Pipeline Safety, 202-366-4595

View the Federal Register Notice or Marine Safety Information Bulletin 01-18 for more information.

This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.