Schedule of Public Hearings
Schedule of events for all meetings is:
4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Open house. The public can receive information on the proposed zones and ask Coast Guard officials questions.
5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Public meetings. After a brief statement by Coast Guard officials, the public can comment. Comments will be recorded and entered into the docket for this rulemaking. (See below for more complete details.)
October 16, 2006 - DULUTH, MINNESOTA: at the Duluth Convention Center, 350 Harbor Drive, Duluth, MN; (218) 722-5573.
October 18, 2006 - GRAND HAVEN / SPRING LAKE, MICHIGAN: at the Grand Haven Waterfront Holiday Inn, 940 West Savidge, Spring Lake, MI; (616) 846-1000.
October 19, 2006 - PORT HURON / MARYSVILLE, MICHIGAN: at the Crystal Gardens, 1200 Gratiot Boulevard, Marysville, MI; (810) 364-6650.
October 23, 2006 - CLEVELAND, OHIO: at the Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building, 31st floor auditorium, 1240 East 9th Street, Cleveland, OH; (216) 902-6020. Photo identification is required to enter the federal building.
October 30, 2006 - ROCHESTER, NEW YORK: Rochester Fast Ferry Terminal, 1000 N. River Street, Rochester, NY.
November 1, 2006 WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS: Genessee Theater, 203 North Genessee St., Waukegan, IL
November 3, 2006 CHARLEVOIX,MICHIGAN: Charlevoix Public Library, 220 W. Clinton Street, Charlevoix, MI
Nov. 6, 2006 ERIE, PA - Cruise Ship Terminal, Foot of Holland Street, Erie, PA
Nov. 8, 2006 - STURGEON BAY, WI - Stone Harbor Resort and Conference Center, 107 North First Avenue, Sturgeon Bay, WI
Schedule of events for all meetings is:
Held in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Procedures Act, the intent of these public meetings is to gather information and provide a forum for citizens to provide comments regarding the proposed rule. Individuals may visit http://www.uscgd9safetyzones.com to view images of proposed safety zone locations, read Frequently Asked Questions and see video of our previous training exercises.
Format for the meetings at each location:
At 4:00 pm, prior to the start of each public meeting, an open house will be held where Coast Guard officials and subject matter experts will be available to answer questions from the public. The public meetings will begin at 5:30 pm and conclude at 8:00 pm.
The public meeting will begin with opening remarks by Coast Guard officials and subject matter experts, followed by a public comment period. The public meeting will not be a question and answer format.
Agenda for the public meeting:
Opening remarks by Rear Admiral John E. Crowley, Jr., U. S. Coast Guard, Commander, Ninth Coast Guard District, including an overview of the proposed rule.
Topics to be addressed by subject matter experts:
• Introduction of the proposed zones and the need to train on the Great Lakes
• How the Coast Guard determined locations of the zones
• Scheduling and frequency of training in the zones
• Notification procedures
• Safety procedures
• Weapons and munitions
• Environmental risk assessment overview
Comments from citizens at the public meeting on the proposed rule will be limited to 2 minutes
each to ensure that there is time to receive as many comments at the public meeting as possible.
Submitting written comments:
Members of the public who are unable to attend the public meetings may still submit comments
to the Docket Management Facility by one of the following means:
By mail: Docket Management Facility (USCG-2006-2567), U.S. Department of Transportation,
Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC 20590-0001
By delivery to: Room PL-401 on the Plaza Level of the Nassiff Building, 400 Seventh Street SW,
Washington, DC
By fax: 202-493-2251.
By web to: Docket Management System web site at http://dms.dot.gov. Docket #25767
Any individual attending one of these public meetings that requires special assistance, such as
sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, should contract Commander
Gustav Wulfkuhle, Enforcement Branch Chief, Ninth Coast Guard District, at 216-902-6091
within 7 business days of the meeting. Media inquiries should be referred to the Ninth Coast
Guard District Public Affairs Office at 216-902-6022.
Background:
On August 1, 2006, the Coast Guard published a notice of proposed rulemaking (71 FR 43402) to
establish permanent safety zones throughout the Great Lakes, which would restrict vessels from
portions of the Great Lakes during live fire gun exercises that will be conducted by Coast Guard
cutters and small boats. The comment period will close on November 13, 2006. All comments
received will be considered before any final decisions are made by the Coast Guard.
Anyone interested in this issue should visit the Federal Register Docket, at http://dms.dot.gov/ to
provide comments, to download a copy of the environmental risk assessment, and to review
comments and other material submitted to date. The docket number is 25767.