[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 151 (Monday, August 7, 1995)] [Notices] [Pages 40160-40161] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 95-19302] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Notice of the National Ocean Service's Discontinuation of the Printing and Distribution of Book-Form Tide and Tidal Current Prediction Tables as a Standard Nautical Product AGENCY: National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC). ACTION: Notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Ocean Service is announcing that, beginning with the 1996 edition, NOS will no longer print and distribute book-form Tide and Tidal Current Prediction Tables as a standard nautical product. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Sillcox, (301) 713-2812, or (202) 482-2152. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under 33 U.S.C. 883a-883j, NOS is authorized to conduct tide and current observations, prepare analyses and predictions of the tide and current data, and disseminate to the public such data and information resulting from the observations and analyses. Consistent with this authority, NOS had annually printed and distributed book-form Tide and Tidal Current Prediction Tables (Tables) as a standard nautical product. NOS is experiencing a shortage of funds to print and distribute the Tables. In addition, the role of the NOS with [[Page 40161]] regard to the publication of the Tables is redefined to be that of maintaining and updating the tidal prediction database from domestic and international sources and generating the annual predictions and associated information. Therefore, beginning with the 1996 edition of those Tables, NOS will no longer print and distribute book-form Tables as a standard nautical product. The titles of the NOS publications affected are: ``Tide Tables 1996--East Coast of North and South America including Greenland''; ``Tide Tables 1996--West Coast of North and South America including the Hawaiian Islands''; ``Tide Tables 1996--Central and Western Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean''; ``Tide Tables 1996--Europe and West Coast of Africa including the Mediterranean Sea''; ``Tidal Current Tables 1996--Atlantic Coast of North America''; ``Tidal Current Tables 1996--Pacific Coast of North America and Asia''; ``Regional Tide and Tidal Current Tables 1996--New York Harbor to Chesapeake Bay''; and ``Supplemental Tidal Predictions--Anchorage, Nikiski, Seldovia, and Valdez, Alaska--1996''. Although NOS will no longer print and distribute the Tables in a book format, a complete set of Tables will be made available to all who request it as a special compilation of prediction information on CD- ROM. The CD-ROM will contain camera-ready PostScript page-images. There will be a fee charged for production and distribution of any requested special compilation. Although available to all who request it, the CD- ROM vehicle may also be used by private printers who wish to print in book-form the full set of Tables for distribution to retailers and the general public. The annual predictions and associated information will be made available on the same schedule as followed in previous years. In addition to the CD-ROM, two new vehicles will be provided for obtaining predictions. First, for the approximately 3700 domestic tide stations, a 3-day window of predictions for any date in 1995 and 1996 will be offered on the NOS, Coastal and Estuarine Oceanography Branch, Tidal Information Distribution and Education System (TIDES) electronic bulletin board which is accessible by telephone modem (301-713-4492, N- 8-1, up to 9600 baud). Second, for domestic tidal reference stations, predictions covering a 4-day period beginning on the day of inquiry will be available on the NOS, Coastal and Estuarine Oceanography Branch, Mosaic Homepage on the Internet (http://www-ceob.nos.noaa.gov). These two new communication pathways will also be used to continuously inform customers when prediction products become available or finalized during the year. Further, NOS will continue to provide tide and tidal current prediction and associated information on the media and in the time-frames with which customers have been familiar from past experience with NOS. Thus, all requests for prediction and associated information continue to be welcome. Beginning immediately, NOS is accepting prediction data requests via two new communication pathways. The first is the TIDES electronic bulletin board. The second is the NOS, Coastal and Estuarine Oceanography Branch, World Wide Web Homepage. As NOS is no longer printing and distributing the Tables in book- form, the NOS Nautical Chart Sales Agents will no longer obtain the Tables in book-form from the NOS Distribution Branch. Instead, they may obtain quantities of the Tables for resale to the public from various private printers and distributors. NOS is aware of a small number of vendors who have shown interest in printing and distributing the Tables in book-form. NOS requests any and all parties who may be interested in printing and distributing the Tables in book-form to contact NOS. NOS has been in contact with the U.S. Coast Guard concerning 33 CFR Part 164 (Navigation and Safety Rules). Questions concerning that regulation should be addressed to Chief, Navigation Rules Branch, G- NVT-3, United States Coast Guard, Washington, DC 20593, telephone 202- 267-0416. NOS is publishing this notice consistent with section 8a(6)(j) of Office of Management and Budget Circular A-130. Anyone with questions or comments regarding the above subject or private printers and distributors wishing more information should write, fax or e-mail to: NOAA, National Ocean Service Attn: Tidal Predictions, N/OES33, 1305 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, fax 301-713-4501, (http:// www-ceob.nos.noaa.gov). Dated: July 31, 1995. David Evans, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management. [FR Doc. 95-19302 Filed 8-4-95; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-08-M