Seashore Proposed PWC Rule Available for Public Comment

Date: January 4, 2006
Contact: Wouter Ketel, 252 - 728 - 2250 ext. 3005

Harkers Island, NC. Acting Superintendent Wouter Ketel announced that the Cape Lookout National Seashore Proposed PWC (personal water craft / jet ski) Rule has been published in the Federal Register and is available for public comment for 60 days from December 29, 2005 until February 27, 2006.

A link to the proposed rule is provided at the park web site at www.nps.gov/calo/parkplan.htm. If you do not have web access, a copy of the proposed rule maybe obtained by calling 252-728-2250 or by writing to the park at: Superintendent, 131 Charles Street, Harkers Island, North Carolina, 28531. Comments on the proposed rule may be hand delivered or mailed to the park address. They may also be submitted via the regulations web site at www.regulations.gov (To navigate to the Seashore Proposed Rule: start at the “Search for Open Regulations” section, under “Agency” choose “National Park Service” from the drop down box, and hit “Submit”). Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Please identify comments by: RIN 1024–AD44.

The proposed rule is the next step in implementing the preferred alternative of the Cape Lookout National Seashore PWC Environmental Assessment. The rule proposes to reinstate PWC access within Cape Lookout National Seashore at ten defined special use areas. PWC would be allowed within those special use areas only when remaining perpendicular to shore and operating at flat-wake speed. PWC would continue to be prohibited throughout the rest of the Seashore. Steps after the comment period include: evaluating comments, determining if there is a finding of “no significant impact” and if so, preparing and publishing a final rule in the Federal Register.

Please note that our practice is to make comments, including names and addresses of respondents, available for public review. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home address from the rulemaking record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. However, we will not consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials or organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.