Traffic Separation Schemes and Shipping Safety Fairways Off the Coast of California (CGD 83-032)

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This rulemaking project was initiated to modify existing traffic separation schemes (TSSs) and establish a shipping safety fairway (SSF) off the coast of California to preserve a right of way for navigation through areas which were expected to be sites of offshore oil and gas development. The proposal was based on port access route studies conducted in the early 1980's. Congress later placed a moratorium on oil and gas drilling off California, and in September, 1992, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) dedicated the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS). The MBNMS encompasses the area where the Coast Guard had proposed the SSF to prohibit structures. The SSF is no longer needed because oil and gas drilling are prohibited in the Sanctuary. Additionally, the data that supported the proposed changes is now outdated. Therefore, the Coast Guard is terminating further rulemaking under docket number 83-032.