82 FR 31800 - Maritime Workforce Working Group Request for Public Input

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 130 (July 10, 2017)

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) invites public comment to examine and assess the size of the pool of United States citizen mariners necessary to support the United States flag fleet in times of national emergency. The purpose of this public notice is to gather comments to assist in the development of a statutorily mandated report to Congress with actionable recommendations.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 130 (Monday, July 10, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31800-31801]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14319]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket No. MARAD 2017-0117]


Maritime Workforce Working Group Request for Public Input

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) invites public comment to 
examine and assess the size of the pool of United States citizen 
mariners necessary to support the United States flag fleet in times of 
national emergency. The purpose of this public notice is to gather 
comments to assist in the development of a statutorily mandated report 
to Congress with actionable recommendations.

DATES: The deadline to submit comments is July 31, 2017. See Submitting 
Your Comments and Opinions below for specific directions.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to the docket number above and 
submitted by one of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov/. 
Follow the online instruction for submitted comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tania Adames, Transportation Industry

[[Page 31801]]

Analyst, Office of Maritime Workforce Development, Maritime 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590; (202) 
366-7173; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Section 3517 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2017 (NDAA) requires MARAD to convene a Maritime Workforce Working 
Group (MWWG) to examine and assess the size of the pool of United 
States citizen mariners necessary to support the United States flag 
fleet in times of national emergency. The statute requires the MWWG to 
deliver a report to Congress, with results from the study. To assist in 
the process, MARAD is seeking public input to focus on the following 
four (4) issues:
    1. Identifying the number of United States citizen mariners;
    2. Assessing the impact on the United States merchant marine and 
United States Merchant Marine Academy if graduates from State Maritime 
Academies and the United States Merchant Marine Academy were assigned 
to, or required to fulfill, certain maritime positions based on the 
overall needs of the United States merchant marine;
    3. Assessing the Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Licensing and 
Documentation System and its accessibility and value to the Maritime 
Administration for the purposes of evaluating the pool of United States 
citizen mariners; and
    4. Making recommendations to enhance the availability and quality 
of interagency data, including data from the United States 
Transportation Command, the Coast Guard, the Navy, and the Bureau of 
Transportation Statistics, for use by the Maritime Administration for 
evaluating the pool of United States citizen mariners.

Submitting Your Comments and Opinions

    1. We have opened a docket at http://www.regulations.gov to allow 
for submission of written comments for consideration by the MWWG.
    2. You may submit your inputs identified by DOT Docket Number 
MARAD-2017-0117 by any of the following methods: Web site/Federal 
eRulemaking Portal, Fax, Mail or Hand Delivery. Please use only one of 
these means for each submission. All submissions must include the 
agency name and docket number for this matter. Specific instructions 
follow.
    3. For the Web site/Federal eRulemaking Portal, go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments on 
the electronic docket site. To submit your input, type the docket 
number MARAD-2017-0117 in the ``SEARCH'' box and click ``SEARCH.'' 
Click on ``Submit a Comment'' on the line associated with this Docket 
Number. If you submit comment via www.regulations.gov, please note that 
inputs submitted to www.regulations.gov are not immediately posted to 
the site. It may take several business days before your submission will 
be posted on the electronic docket.
    4. For submission by telefacsimile/FAX, transmit your agenda topic, 
comment or idea to (202) 493-2251. Be sure to identify the submission 
by DOT Docket Number MARAD-2017-0117.
    5. Submissions by Mail or Hand Delivery should go to Docket 
Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., West Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590, between 
9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal 
holidays. If you submit your inputs by mail or hand delivery, submit 
them in an unbound format, no larger than 8 \1/2\ by 11 inches, 
suitable for copying and electronic filing. If you submit comments by 
mail and would like to know that they reached the Facility, please 
enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope.
    6. If you FAX, mail, or hand deliver your input we recommend that 
you include your name and a mailing address, an email address, or a 
telephone number in the body of your document so that we can contact 
you if we have questions regarding your submission.
    7. Note: All comments submitted for this purpose, including any 
personal information provided, will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov.
    8. For access to the docket to read background documents or inputs 
received, go to http://www.regulations.gov at any time or to Room W12-
140 of the Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal Holidays. To view the docket electronically, 
type the docket number ``MARAD-2017-0117'' in the ``SEARCH'' box and 
click ``Search.'' Click and Open Docket Folder on the line associated 
with this rulemaking.

Privacy Act Statement

    In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the 
public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts these 
comments, without edit, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the 
system of records notice, DOT/ALL-14 FDMS, accessible through 
www.dot.gov/privacy. In order to facilitate comment tracking and 
response, we encourage commenters to provide their name, or the name of 
their organization; however, submission of names is completely 
optional. Whether or not commenters identify themselves, all timely 
comments will be fully considered. If you wish to provide comments 
containing proprietary or confidential information, please contact the 
agency for alternate submission instructions.

    Authority:  5 U.S.C. 610; E.O., 13563, 76 FR 3821, Jan. 21 2011; 
E.O. 12866, 58 FR 51735, Oct. 4, 1993.

    By Order of the Executive Director in lieu of the Maritime 
Administrator.

    Dated: July 3, 2017.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-14319 Filed 7-7-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-81-P