National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP)

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[CGD 94-017]

National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP)

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Exercise Schedule and Workshop.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),

the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), and the

Minerals Management Service (MMS), in concert with the states, the oil

industry and concerned citizens, jointly developed the National

Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) to provide guidelines

for compliance with Oil Pollution Act of 1990 pollution response

exercise requirements. The PREP guidelines outline the applicability,

type, frequency, and objectives of the required exercises and will aid

the government and industry in meeting the Federal requirements for

pollution response exercises. This notice proposes an exercise schedule

for 1995, 1996, and 1997; solicits comments on the proposed schedule

and the PREP scheduling process outlined here; solicits industry

members to lead Area exercises for 1995; and announces a workshop to be

held on May 19, 1994, to discuss the proposed schedule and the

scheduling process.

DATES: Written comments relating to the schedule or the scheduling

process should be submitted by May 1, 1994, to the address listed

below. Industry members interested in leading the industry-led Area

exercises or participating in the government-led Area exercises should

submit their names to the National Scheduling Coordinating Committee

(NSCC) by May 1, 1994, to the address listed below, and indicate the

date and location of the proposed exercise. The workshop will be held

on May 19, 1994, in Alexandria, Virginia.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be mailed to the NSCC at Commandant

(G-MEP-4), room 2100, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second

Street, SW, Washington, DC 20593-0001, ATTN: LCDR Rhae Giacoma.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

LCDR Rhae Giacoma, Office of Marine Safety, Security and Environmental

Protection (G-MEP-4), (202) 267-2616.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

The Coast Guard, EPA, RSPA, and MMS encourage interested persons to

comment on the PREP Area exercise schedule and the scheduling process.

The schedule and scheduling process may be revised in view of the

comments. Comments will be discussed at the scheduling workshop to be

held on May 19, 1994. After the workshop, the final schedule for Area

exercises for 1995 and the tentative schedule for 1996 and 1997 Area

exercises will be published by a notice in the Federal Register.

Background Information

The Coast Guard, EPA, RSPA, and MMS developed the National

Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) to provide guidelines

for compliance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 pollution response

exercise requirements (33 U.S.C. 1321(j)). One section of the PREP

focuses on Area exercises, which are designed to evaluate the entire

response mechanism in a given Area to ensure adequate pollution

response preparedness. Each Area is defined by geographical boundaries,

for which, a separate and distinct Area Contingency Plan has been

developed. The goal of the PREP is to conduct 20 Area exercises per

year, with the intent of exercising most Areas of the country within a

three year period.

The three year period under consideration here for Area exercise

scheduling includes calendar years 1995, 1996 and 1997. The schedule

consists of 20 Area exercises per year (6 government-led and 14

industry-led). Industry members required to submit response plans are

actively solicited to lead the industry-led Area exercises or

participate in the government-led Area exercises. Requests to lead or

participate in an Area exercise should be made to the NSCC, as

described in DATES.

Scheduling Process

The Area exercise scheduling process is as follows:

1. The NSCC, comprised of representatives of the Coast Guard, EPA,

RSPA, and MMS, will meet in January of each year to develop a proposed

Area exercise schedule for the upcoming three year period. (For

example, when the NSCC meets in 1995, the three years considered will

be 1996, 1997 and 1998.) The information included in the proposed

schedule will be the exercise Area, the exercise quarter, whether the

exercise is industry-led or government-led, and the types of industry

that will lead the exercise (vessel, marine transportation-related

(mtr) facility, non marine transportation-related facility, offshore

facility or pipeline). Once developed, the proposed schedule will be

published in the Federal Register in February of each year.

2. The NSCC will solicit input on this proposed schedule for each

three year period. The NSCC is specifically looking for input from On-

Scene Coordinators (OSCs), Coast Guard Districts and EPA Regional

Offices, the Regional Response Teams, the states and the industry plan

holders regarding the Area scheduled to be exercised, the time frame

for each exercise, the mix of the industry types selected for

participation, and any federal, state or local government or industry

operational issues affecting the schedule. The NSCC is also looking for

industry plan holders to lead the Area exercises or participate in the

government-led Area exercises.

3. When reviewing the proposed schedule, issues to be considered at

the local Area level include:

a. Can the Area sponsor an exercise in the quarter listed? Do Area

activities already scheduled preclude an exercise from being held in

this time frame? What specific dates would be appropriate for the

exercise?

b. Is the industry type to be exercised in accordance with the

proposed schedule appropriate for the Area? For instance, if needed for

the exercise planned, is there a pipeline or offshore platform

operating in the Area? Has one specific type of industry dominated Area

exercises in the past? For example, have many or most of the Area

exercises in the past focused on vessels?

c. Should the Area receive credit for response to a major pollution

incident? Was the response to this incident evaluated in accordance

with the PREP guidelines? (Only responses to major pollution incidents

that have been evaluated using the criteria for an Area exercise, as

outlined in the PREP guidelines, will be considered for credit as an

Area exercise.)

4. Issues to be considered at the district and regional level

include:

a. Does the mix of industry types proposed for involvement in the

exercises fairly represent the district or region? Are all industry

types adequately covered?

b. Are state issues being taken into consideration? Close

coordination with the states is critical when reviewing the exercise

schedule and the types of industries being exercised.

c. Regional Response Teams (RRTs) should be consulted to ensure

that RRT issues such as the coordination of other exercises (for

example, FEMA hazmat exercises) are taken into consideration when

scheduling the Area exercises and exercise participants.

d. Regional coordinating committees (such as the Area Industry

Exercise Coordinating Committee in the Pacific Northwest) should be

consulted for input.

5. The suggested process for commenting on the schedule is as

follows:

a. Coast Guard OSCs are requested to comment, on behalf of their

Area Committees, to the NSCC through their respective district offices.

b. EPA OSCs are requested to comment, on behalf of their Area

Committees, to the NSCC through their respective regional offices.

c. Industry plan holders are requested to comment directly to the

NSCC as described in ``ADDRESSES.'' (If a regional coordinating

committee is established in the region, industries are encouraged to

use this committee to coordinate industry responses for forwarding to

the NSCC.)

d. Coast Guard Districts and EPA Regions are requested to comment

directly to the NSCC, on behalf of their OSCs, RRTs, and other regional

organizations, as described in ``ADDRESSES.''

e. The states are requested to comment on the scheduling process

directly to the NSCC as described in ``ADDRESSES.''

Selection of Industry Participants for Area Exercises

The selection process for industry participants for the Area

exercises will be as follows:

1. Industry response plan holders interested in leading the Area

exercises or supporting the government-led Area exercises should submit

their requests directly to the NSCC as described in ``DATES.'' These

requests should be submitted by May 1. The NSCC will notify the

districts/regions and OSCs of the industry plan holder requests

received; the districts/regions and OSCs shall notify the NSCC of

requests submitted locally for exercise participation. The NSCC will

coordinate with the districts/regions and OSCs prior to the scheduling

workshop to finalize the list of potential exercise plan holders slated

for exercise participation, for presentation at the workshop.

2. In Areas where no plan holders have come forth and expressed an

interest in leading or participating in the Area exercises, OSCs will

recommend industry plan holders for exercise participation to the NSCC.

Some issues that will be considered when selecting industry

participants include the number of times a specific industry has

conducted exercises in the past, the operating history of industries in

the Area and the perceived need for a particular industry plan holder

to be exercised. The OSCs will consult with the selected industry plan

holders prior to submitting their names for exercise participation.

3. In Areas scheduled for exercises involving pipelines or offshore

facilities, the OSCs will coordinate with the respective regulatory

agency (RSPA or MMS) to select plan holders to lead or participate in

these exercises.

Scheduling Workshop

A PREP scheduling workshop will be conducted by the NSCC annually

in May. The workshop will focus primarily on the upcoming year's Area

exercise schedule, but will also address issues relating to the

following two years of the triennial schedule. National level industry

representation is strongly encouraged at these workshops, as this will

be an opportunity for industry plan holders to comment on the schedule

and address issues which may affect them and their operations. This

will also be an opportunity for the plan holders to comment on

priorities for each exercise, particularly in instances when more than

one plan holder expresses an interest in leading or participating in

the same exercise, or when plan holders have been selected by the OSC

for exercise participation. The workshops will be the forum for

discussion and final selection of the industry plan holders to lead the

Area exercises or participate in the government-led Area exercises.

Input from the workshop will be used for finalizing the upcoming year's

schedule and proposing the schedule for the following two years.

Workshop Format and Schedule

The workshop format will consist of a presentation of the PREP Area

exercise schedule listed here, followed by a question and answer period

and open discussion of the schedule and the scheduling process.

The workshop will be held on May 19, 1994, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,

at the Best Western Old Colony Inn, 625 1st Street, Alexandria,

Virginia.

Final Schedule

After the workshop is completed, the NSCC will forward information

received from the workshop to the Coast Guard Districts/EPA Regions for

distribution to the OSCs. The proposed final schedule will specify the

exercise Area, the exercise dates, whether the exercise is government

or industry-led, the type of industry participating, and the government

and industry plan holders that will lead or participate in the

exercises. The Coast Guard Districts/EPA Regions will coordinate with

the OSCs to validate the schedule and comment back to the NSCC.

Comments should be provided to the NSCC as soon as possible, but no

later than August 1, to allow for timely publication of the final

schedule. The Coast Guard will publish a final schedule in the Federal

Register annually in September.

Proposed Triennial Schedule for 1995, 1996 and 1997

Prep Schedule--1995

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Industry (I) or

Area Government (G) Led QTR*

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Guam Area (MSO Guam OSC).................. Vessel (I)........ 1

Southern Coastal NC Area (MSO Wilmington CG (G)............ 1

OSC).

San Diego, CA Area (MSO San Diego OSC).... Facility (Mtr) (I) 1

Maryland Coastal Area (MSO Baltimore OSC). Vessel (I)........ 1

Portland, OR Area (MSO Portland, OR OSC).. CG (G)............ 2

EPA Regional III Area (EPA OSC)........... Pipeline (I)...... 2

Long Island Sound, NY Area (COTP Long Vessel (I)........ 2

Island Sound OSC).

EPA Region I Area (EPA OSC)............... Facility (non mtr) 2

(I).

San Francisco Bay & Delta Region Area (MSO CG (G)............ 2

San Francisco OSC).

EPA Region II Area (EPA OSC).............. Facility (non mtr) 2

(I).

Boston, MA (MSO Boston OSC)............... Vessel (I)........ 3

Cleveland, OH Area (MSO Cleveland OSC).... Facility (mtr) (I) 3

Sault Ste. Marie, MI Area (COTP Sault Ste. Vessel (I)........ 3

Marie OSC).

EPA Region V Area (EPA OSC)............... EPA (G)........... 3

Savannah Area (MSO Savannah OSC).......... Vessel (I)........ 3

Southeast Alaska Area (MSO Juneau OSC).... Pipeline (I)...... 3

Tampa, FL Area (MSO Tampa OSC)............ CG (G)............ 4

EPA Region X Area (EPA OSC)............... Facility (non mtr) 4

(I).

EPA Region VII Area (EPA OSC)............. Facility (non mtr) 4

(I).

South Texas Coastal Zone Area (MSO Corpus CG (G)............ 4

Christi OSC).

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*Quarterly Schedule: 1 (January-March); 2 (April--June); 3 (July-

September); 4 (October-December).

Prep Schedule--1996

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Industry (I) or

Area Government (G) Led QTR*

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Charleston, SC Area (MSO Charleston OSC).. CG (G)............ 1

Mobile, AL Area (MSO Mobile OSC).......... Offshore (I)...... 1

Virginia Coastal Area (MSO Hampton Roads Vessel (I)........ 1

OSC).

Puget Sound Area (MSO Puget Sound OSC).... CG (G)............ 1

Grand Haven, MI Area (COTP Grand Haven Vessel (I)........ 2

OSC).

Santa Barbara/Ventura Area (MSD Santa Vessel (I)........ 2

Barbara OSC).

EPA Region VIII Area (EPA OSC)............ EPA (G)........... 2

Buffalo, NY Area (MSO Buffalo OSC)........ Facility (mtr) (I) 2

Western Lake Erie Area (MSO Toledo OSC)... Facility (mtr) (I) 2

EPA Region VI Area (EPA OSC).............. Pipeline (I)...... 2

South Florida Area (MSO Miami OSC)........ CG (G)............ 3

Western Alaska Area (MSO Anchorage OSC)... Pipeline (I)...... 3

EPA Region IX Area (EPA OSC).............. Facility (non mtr) 3

(I).

Duluth--Superior Area (MSO Duluth OSC).... Vessel (I)........ 3

Maine & New Hampshire Area (MSO Portland Vessel (I)........ 3

OSC).

Philadelphia Coastal Area (MSO CG (G)............ 3

Philadelphia OSC).

Palau Area (MS) Guam OSC)................. Vessel (I)........ 4

Orange County Area (MSO LA/LB OSC)........ Facility (mtr) (I) 4

SW Louisiana--SE Texas Area (MSO Port CG w/MMS (G)...... 4

Arthur OSC).

EPA Region II Area (Caribbean) (EPA OSC).. Facility (non mtr) 4

(I).

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*Quarterly Schedule: 1 (January-March); 2 (April-June); 3 (July-

September); 4 (October-December).

Prep Schedule--1997

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Industry (I) or

Area Government (G) Led QTR*

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Providence, RI Area (MSO Providence OSC).. CG (G)............ 1

Northeast North Carolina Coastal Area (MSO Vessel (I)........ 1

Hampton Roads OSC).

Jacksonville Area (MSO Jacksonville OSC).. CG (G)............ 1

Caribbean Area (MSO San Juan OSC)......... Facility (mtr) (I) 1

Florida Panhandle Area (MSO Mobile OSC)... Vessel (I)........ 2

Morgan City Area (MSO Morgan City OSC).... CG (G)............ 2

Eastern Wisconsin Area (MSO Milwaukee OSC) Facility (mtr) (I) 2

Chicago Area (MSO Chicago OSC)............ Facility (mtr) (I) 2

North Coast Area (MSO San Francisco OSC).. Vessel (I)........ 2

Commonwealth of N. Marianas Islands Area Vessel (I)........ 3

(MSO Guam OSC).

Detroit Area (MSO Detroit OSC)............ CG (G)............ 3

EPA Alaska Region (EPA OSC)............... Facility (non mtr) 3

(I).

EPA Oceania Region (EPA OSC).............. EPA (G)........... 3

Houston/Galveston Area (MSO Houston OSC).. Offshore (I)...... 3

New York, NY Area (COTP New York OSC)..... Vessel (I)........ 3

Hawaii/American Samoa Area (MSO Honolulu Vessel (I)........ 4

OSC) Commanding Officer.

EPA Region IV Area (EPA OSC).............. Facility (non mtr) 4

(I).

Central Coast Area (MSO San Francisco OSC) Vessel (I)........ 4

Los Angeles/Long Beach Area (MSO Los Vessel (I)........ 4

Angeles OSC).

New Orleans Area (MSO New Orleans OSC).... CG w/ MMS (G)..... 4

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*Quarterly Schedule: 1 (January-March); 2 (April-June); 3 (July-

September); 4 (October-December).

Dated: March 22, 1994.

R.C. North,

Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Acting Chief, Office of Marine Safety,

Security and Environmental Protection.

[FR Doc. 94-7102 Filed 3-24-94; 8:45 am]

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