Pursuant to Section 307 of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act, 16 U.S.C. §1456, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Defense (DoD) have filed a request for the State of Maine's concurrence with their determination that the proposed Uniform National Discharge Standards (UNDS) for Vessels of the Armed Forces, Phase II, Batch Two, are consistent to the maximum extent practicable with the enforceable policies of the Maine Coastal Program (MCP). The proposed UNDS Phase II, Batch Two standards provide performance standards for the following discharges: catapult water brake tank and post-launch retraction exhaust, controllable pitch propeller hydraulic fluid, deck runoff, fire main systems, graywater, hull coating leachate, motor gasoline and compensating discharge, sonar dome discharge, submarine bilge water, surface vessel bilge water/oil-water separator effluent, and underwater ship husbandry. The standards would control certain discharges of pollutants incidental to normal operation of a vessel of the U.S. armed forces into navigable waters of the United States, the territorial sea, and contiguous zone. The EPA-DoD proposed rule for the UNDS may be viewed on-line at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-10-07/pdf/2016-24079.pdf EPA-DoD's national consistency determination regarding the UNDS may be viewed on-line at https://www.epa.gov/vessels-marinas-and-ports/uniform-national-discharge-standards-unds-rulemaking-process (Phase II, Current Status, Batch Two section).
Written comments regarding the proposed UNDS's consistency with the enforceable policies of the MCP may be sent to Pamela Parker, Department of Environmental Protection, Land and Water Bureau, 17 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333; Pamela.D.Parker@maine.gov , on or before January 18, 2019.
Dec. 18, 2018