SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation and Comments

We encourage you to submit comments or related material on the data, methods and values presented in the report. We will consider all submissions and may adjust our final action based on your comments. If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this notice, indicate the specific section of this document to which each comment applies, and provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation.

Submitting comments. We encourage you to submit comments at http://www.regulations.gov. To do so, go to https://www.regulations.gov, type USCG-2026-0048 in the search box and click “Search.” Next, look for this document in the Search Results column, and click on it. Then click on the Comment option. If your material cannot be submitted using http://www.regulations.gov, contact the person in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for alternate instructions.

Viewing material in docket. To view documents mentioned in this notice as being available in the docket, find the docket as described in the previous paragraph, and then select “Supporting & Related Material” in the Document Type column. Public comments will also be placed in our online docket and can be viewed by following instructions on the https://www.regulations.gov Frequently Asked Questions web page.

Personal information. We accept anonymous comments. Comments we post to https://www.regulations.gov will include any personal information you have provided. For more about privacy and submissions in response to this document, see DHS's eRulemaking System of Records notice (85 FR 14226, March 11, 2020).

Discussion

The Coast Guard is making available a report titled “Monetizing the Benefits of Avoided Oil Spills in the Maritime Environment” prepared by Industrial Economics Inc. This report was written to update the value of avoided oil spills used by the Coast Guard in regulatory analysis. Coast Guard has been using an avoided cost approach to value prevented oil spills in its regulatory analyses. The estimated cost which had been in use since 2008 was based on an average cost per gallon spilled and was developed using data about payments from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund that occurred from 2002-2007. Coast Guard has updated our methods for ( printed page 32067) valuing avoided oil spills using newer, more current data and revised methods. In this report, we describe our review of available literature and datasets, our selection of a valuation method based on current best practices, and the development of recommended values. We request your comments on the data, methodology, models, and findings presented in this report. A copy of the report is available in the docket.

This notice is issued under authority of 5 U.S.C. 552.

91 FR 32066