[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 134 (Tuesday, July 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 41013]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-17243]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Release of the Draft 2015 Edition of the U.S. Arctic Nautical
Charting Plan
AGENCY: Office of Coast Survey, National Ocean Service, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The NOAA Office of Coast Survey has released a draft of the
2015 edition of the U.S. Arctic Nautical Charting Plan. The plan
provides information about three topics: NOAA electronic navigational
chart (NOAA ENC[supreg]) coverage in U.S. Arctic waters, progress on
publishing new Arctic charts, and specifications for eleven proposed
new charts. The primary purpose of the plan is to propose new chart
coverage in the U.S. Arctic and to encourage feedback from stakeholders
on the extent, scale, and other aspects of the proposed new coverage.
Coast Survey invites written comments about this latest edition which
is available from http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/arcticplan.
DATES: Comments are due by midnight, October 1, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to National Ocean Service, NOAA (N/
CS2), Attention: U.S. Arctic Nautical Charting Plan, 1315 East-West
Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section for how to comment electronically.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colby Harmon, telephone 301-713-2737,
ext.187; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: You are invited to comment on the U.S.
Arctic Nautical Charting Plan through NOAA's Nautical Discrepancy
Report System at http://ocsdata.ncd.noaa.gov/idrs/discrepancy.aspx. In
the ``OTHER PRODUCTS'' box, enter ``U.S. Arctic Nautical Charting
Plan.'' Enter your comments, suggestions, or questions in the
``DESCRIPTION OF DISCREPANCY'' box.
For the first time, the U.S. Arctic Nautical Charting Plan provides
information about existing, recently added, and proposed new electronic
navigational chart (ENC) coverage in U.S. Arctic waters. A series of
graphics depicts the existing extent of different usage (or scale)
bands of ENC coverage. Recently added and proposed new ENC coverage is
based on existing or proposed raster (traditional paper) chart
footprints, although the final extent and display scale of the ENCs may
vary slightly from their corresponding raster chart counterparts. NOAA
will soon close a significant gap in small-scale ENC coverage and is
adding new large-scale Arctic ENC cells.
Coast Survey released the first edition of the U.S. Arctic Nautical
Charting Plan in 2011. Three of the raster charts identified in the
original plan have now been published. Two of these have large-scale
insets. The ``Progress Report'' section of the plan details these
charts and provides links to an online viewer for these charts.
Coast Survey's plan recommends making 11 new charts in the Arctic
to complement existing chart coverage. Seven of the charts will fill
gaps in medium-scale chart coverage from the Alaska Peninsula to Cape
Lisburne at the edge of the North Slope. Other larger scale charts will
provide for safer passage though the Etolin and Bering Straits and for
entry into harbors such as Barrow, the northernmost town in the United
States. The ``Proposed New Raster Charts'' section of the plan provides
detailed specifications for each of the proposed new charts. The
specifications include scale, geographic extent, an image of the chart
footprint, and other information.
Authority: 33 U.S.C. Chapter 17, Coast and Geodetic Survey Act
of 1947.
Dated: June 22, 2015.
Rear Admiral Gerd Glang,
Director, Office of Coast Survey, National Ocean Service, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-17243 Filed 7-13-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P