
[Federal Register: November 18, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 221)]
[Proposed Rules]               
[Page 59502-59503]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18no09-21]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

46 CFR Parts 10, 11, 12, and 15

[Docket No. USCG-2004-17914]
RIN 1625-AA16

 
Implementation of the 1995 Amendments to the International 
Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for 
Seafarers, 1978

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces a series of public meetings to 
receive comments on a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) entitled 
``Implementation of the 1995 Amendments to the International Convention 
on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 
1978'' that published in the Federal Register on November 17, 2009. As 
stated in that document, the proposed amendments seek to more fully 
incorporate the requirements of the International Convention on 
Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 
1978, as amended (STCW Convention), as well as the Seafarer's Training, 
Certification and Watchkeeping Code (STCW Code) in the requirements for 
the credentialing of United States merchant mariners.

DATES: Public meetings will be held on the following dates:
     Tuesday, December 1, 2009, in Miami, FL from 9 a.m. until 
noon;
     Wednesday, December 2, 2009, in NY from 9 a.m. until noon;
     Wednesday, December 9, 2009, in New Orleans, LA from 9 
a.m. until noon;
     Friday, December 11, 2009, in Seattle, WA from 9 a.m. 
until noon;
     Wednesday, January 20, 2010, in Washington, DC from 10 
a.m. until 1 p.m.

Written comments and related material may also be submitted to Coast 
Guard personnel specified at those meetings for inclusion in the 
official docket for this rulemaking. The comment period for the NPRM 
closes on February 16, 2010. All comments and related material 
submitted after the meeting must either be submitted to our online 
docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or before February 16, 2010 or 
reach the Docket Management Facility by that date.

ADDRESSES: The public meetings will be held at the following locations:
     Tuesday, December 1, 2009, at the Marriott Miami Airport 
Hotel, 1201 NW LeJeune Road, Miami, FL 33126 from 9 a.m. until noon;
     Wednesday, December 2, 2009, at the Marriott New York 
LaGuardia Airport Hotel, 102-05 Ditmars Blvd, East Elmhurst, NY 11369 
from 9 a.m. until noon;
     Wednesday, December 9, 2009, at the Renaissance Arts 
Hotel, 700 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 from 9 a.m. 
until noon;
     Friday, December 11, 2009, at the Marriott Seattle Airport 
Hotel, 3201 South 176th Street, Seattle, WA 98188 from 9 a.m. until 
noon;
     Wednesday, January 20, 2010, at United States Coast Guard 
Headquarters Building, Room 2415, 2100 Second Street, SW., Washington, 
DC 20593 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Note: A government-issued photo 
identification (for example, a driver's license) will be required for 
entrance to the building.

Live Webcasts (audio and video) of the four public meetings to be held 
in

[[Page 59503]]

Miami, FL, New York, NY, New Orleans, LA, and Seattle, WA, will also be 
broadcast online. The Web site for viewing those Webcasts can be found 
at http://www.stcwregs.us. The Webcasts will enable those using this 
feature only to view the proceedings and not to make remarks to those 
participating in the meetings in person. However, a verbatim record of 
these public meetings will be provided in the docket.
    You may submit written comments identified by docket number USCG-
2004-17914 before or after the meetings using any one of the following 
methods:
    (1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
    (2) Fax: 202-493-2251.
    (3) Mail: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (4) Hand delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone 
number is 202-366-9329.
    To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods. 
Our online docket for this rulemaking is available on the Internet at 
http://www.regulations.gov under docket number USCG-2004-17914.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this proposed 
rulemaking, call or e-mail Mr. Mark Gould, Maritime Personnel 
Qualifications Division, U.S. Coast Guard, telephone 202-372-1409, e-
mail: Mark.C.Gould@uscg.mil. If you have questions on viewing or 
submitting material to the docket, call Ms. Renee V. Wright, Program 
Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background and Purpose

    The Coast Guard published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in 
the Federal Register on November 17, 2009, entitled ``Implementation of 
the 1995 Amendments to the International Convention on Standards of 
Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978.'' In the 
NPRM, we stated our intention to hold public meetings and to publish a 
notice announcing the location and date. This document is the notice of 
those meetings.
    In the NPRM, we seek to more fully incorporate the requirements of 
the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification 
and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended (STCW Convention), as 
well as the Seafarer's Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Code 
(STCW Code) in the requirements for the credentialing of United States 
merchant mariners.
    You may view the NPRM in our online docket, in addition to 
supporting documents prepared by the Coast Guard, and comments 
submitted thus far by going to http://www.regulations.gov. Once there, 
click on the ``Read Comments'' box. In the ``Enter Keyword or ID'' box, 
insert ``USCG-2004-17914'' and click search. Click the ``Open Docket 
Folder'' button in the ``Actions'' column. If you do not have access to 
the internet, you may view the docket online by visiting the Docket 
Management Facility in Room W12-40 on the ground floor of the 
Department of Transportation West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, 
SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays. We have an agreement with the 
Department of Transportation to use the Docket Management Facility.
    We encourage you to participate in this rulemaking by submitting 
comments either orally at the meetings or in writing. If you bring 
written comments to the meetings, you may submit them to Coast Guard 
personnel specified at the meeting to receive written comments. These 
comments will be submitted to our online public docket. All comments 
received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov 
and will include any personal information you have provided.
    Anyone can search the electronic form of comments received into any 
of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or 
signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, 
business, labor union, etc.). You may review a Privacy Act notice 
regarding our public dockets in the January 17, 2008, issue of the 
Federal Register (73 FR 3316).

Information on Service for Individuals With Disabilities

    For information on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities or to request special assistance at the public meetings, 
contact Mr. Mark Gould at the telephone number or e-mail address 
indicated under the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this 
notice.

    Dated: November 12, 2009.
J.G. Lantz,
Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards, U.S. Coast Guard.
[FR Doc. E9-27639 Filed 11-17-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 9110-04-P
