[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 242 (Monday, December 17, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 74630-74631]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30296]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
46 CFR Part 10
[Docket No. USCG-2012-0734]
Medical Waivers for Merchant Mariner Credential Applicants With
Anti-Tachycardia Devices or Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice to reopen public comment period.
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SUMMARY: On September 7, 2012, the Coast Guard published a notice of
proposed policy change and request for comments regarding criteria for
granting medical waivers to mariners who have anti-tachycardia devices
or implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). The public comment
period for the notice expired on October 9, 2012. In today's action,
the Coast Guard is reopening the public comment period to provide
additional time for interested parties to submit comments.
DATES: Comments and related material must either be submitted to our
online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or before January 16,
2013 or reach the Docket Management Facility by that date.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2011-0734 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.
See the ``Public Participation'' portion of the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section below for instructions on submitting comments.
[[Page 74631]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about this
notice, call or email Lieutenant Ashley Holm, Mariner Credentialing
Program Policy Division (CG-CVC-4), U.S. Coast Guard, telephone 202-
372-1128, email [email protected]. If you have questions on viewing
material in the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket
Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Participation
You may submit comments and related material regarding whether the
proposed policy change should be incorporated into a final policy on
issuing medical waivers to mariners with ICDs. All comments received
will be posted, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov and will
include any personal information you have provided.
Submitting comments: If you submit a comment, please include the
docket number for this notice (USCG-2012-0734) and provide a reason for
each suggestion or recommendation. You may submit your comments and
material online or by fax, mail or hand delivery, but please use only
one of these means. 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.
To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov and
insert ``USCG-2012-0734'' in the ``Search'' box. Click ``Search,'' find
this notice in the list of Results, and then click on the corresponding
``Comment Now'' box. If you submit your comments 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. We will
consider all comments and material received during the comment period.
Viewing the comments: To view comments, as well as documents
mentioned in this notice as being available in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov and insert ``USCG-2012-0734'' in the ``Search''
box. Click ``Search'' and use the filters on the left side of the page
to highlight ``Public Submissions'' or other document types. If you do
not have access to the Internet, you may view the docket online by
visiting the Docket Management Facility in Room W12-140 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.
Privacy Act: 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 system of records notice regarding our public dockets in
the January 17, 2008 issue of the Federal Register (73 FR 3316).
Background and Purpose
On September 7, 2012, the Coast Guard published a notice of
proposed policy change and request for comments regarding criteria for
granting medical waivers to mariners who have anti-tachycardia devices
or ICDs (77 FR 55174). The notice contains a detailed description of
the relevant regulatory provisions, guidance documents, and policy
considerations. The notice also lists a series of 12 questions we are
considering as the criteria for granting a medical waiver. The notice
requests public comment regarding whether the 12 questions represent an
appropriate and sufficient list of the criteria a mariner should be
required to meet in order to be eligible for waiver consideration, or
whether we should eliminate or modify any of the questions, or add
other questions to the list.
We received 33 public comments in response to the notice before the
comment period closed on October 9, 2012. Because of the complexity and
importance of the issues involved, we are reopening the comment period
to provide interested parties additional time to submit comments. We
request that you not re-submit comments already in the docket. You may,
however, comment on other comments already in the docket; if you choose
to do so, please ensure you identify which comment you are responding
to.
Request for Comments
We encourage your participation by submitting your comments to the
Docket Management Facility as specified in the ADDRESSES section above.
We will consider comments received during the reopened comment period
prior to establishing a final policy on whether waivers should be
granted for anti-tachycardia devices or ICDs, and if so, under what
circumstances.
Authority
We issue this request for public comments under the authority of 5
U.S.C. 552(a).
Dated: December 7, 2012.
P.F. Thomas,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Director of Inspections and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2012-30296 Filed 12-14-12; 8:45 am]
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