Shipping Safety Fairways and Associated Vessel Routing Measures Along the Atlantic Coast
The Coast Guard will host public meetings regarding the draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (draft PEIS/OEIS) for Establish...
The Coast Guard will host public meetings regarding the draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (draft PEIS/OEIS) for Establishing Shipping Safety Fairways and Associated Vessel Routing Measures Along the Atlantic Coast. In person meetings will be held in Bangor, Maine, Groton, Connecticut, and Salisbury, Maryland, along with two virtual meetings. We are also accepting written comments on the draft PEIS/OEIS.
DATES:
Comments must be postmarked or received on or before June 22, 2026. The meetings will be held on June 9, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.; June 10, 2026 at 6 p.m.; June 11, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.; June 15, 2026 at 1 p.m.; and June 17, 2026 at 6 p.m.
ADDRESSES:
You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-2023-0928 at
https://www.regulations.gov.
See the “Public Participation and Request for Comments” portion of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section for further instructions on submitting comments. See the “Public Meetings” portion of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section for the addresses for each meeting. Registration is encouraged for all meetings and may be completed by visiting
https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/RWmJNggKRIC_FHnOSYAxyQ.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For information about this document call or email Brian Mottel, Coast Guard; telephone 206-815-4657, email
David.B.Mottel2@uscg.mil.
or Maureen Kallgren, Coast Guard; telephone 571-608-5384, email
Maureen.R.Kallgren2@uscg.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Participation and Comments
We encourage you to submit comments or related material on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. We will consider all relevant 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 the draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (draft PEIS/OEIS) to which each comment applies, and provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation.
Submitting comments.
We encourage you to submit comments at
www.regulations.gov.
To do so, go to
www.regulations.gov,
type USCG-2023-0928 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
www.regulations.gov,
contact the person in the
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section of this document for alternate instructions.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. 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).
Personal information.
We accept anonymous comments. Comments we post to
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).
Bangor Public Library, Crofutt Community Room, 145 Harlow Street, Bangor, Maine 04401. The Laurence E. Crofutt Community Room is located on the first floor of the library, at the far end of the Atrium, next to the café.
Phone-in: (833) 435-1820 US Toll-free; (833) 568-8864 US Toll-free.
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT
Salisbury University, Conway Hall Room 153, Route 13 (S. Salisbury Boulevard) and West College Avenue, Salisbury, Maryland 21801, Conway
( printed page 32068)
Hall is also known as the Teacher Education Technical Center.
For information on facilities or services for individuals with disabilities or to request special assistance at the public meeting, contact the person named in the
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section, above.
Discussion
At the meetings, the Coast Guard will provide a short presentation that summarizes the Proposed Action evaluated in the draft PEIS/OEIS. The Coast Guard will then receive oral comments from those in attendance. Attendees and those unable to attend may also submit written comments to the online docket.
Under the Proposed Action, the Coast Guard would establish vessel routing measures along the Atlantic Coast from the U.S.-Canada maritime border in the Gulf of Maine to Miami, FL, including one fairway anchorage near Delaware Bay. This Proposed Action encompasses three areas: (1) the fairways and other vessel routing measures from Long Island, New York to St. Lucie, Florida and one fairway anchorage near Delaware Bay, as proposed in the January 19, 2024 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) titled “Shipping Safety Fairways Along the Atlantic Coast” (89 FR 3587); (2) potential fairways and other vessel routing measures in the Gulf of Maine described in the November 19, 2024 advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) titled “Shipping Safety Fairways in the Gulf of Maine” (89 FR 91296); and (3) a zone that the Coast Guard may, in the future, consider establishing additional routing measures off the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida (the “Southeast Zone”).
The draft PEIS/OEIS also evaluates the purpose and need for the Proposed Action, potential impacts, and a reasonable range of alternatives. The draft PEIS/OEIS will inform the Coast Guard's decision-making, including any related future rulemaking actions arising from the NPRM and ANPRM referenced in the analysis (89 FR 3587; 89 FR 91296).