U.S. COAST GUARD CONTINUES FIREFIGHTING RESPONSE POLICY FOR TANKERS

U.S. COAST GUARD CONTINUES FIREFIGHTING RESPONSE POLICY FOR TANKERS    The U.S. Coast Guard has extended its suspension of the requirement for a firefighting capability to be deployed to a petroleum tanker in 24 hours.
   The extension, which begins Feb. 12 and lasts through Feb. 12, 2004, will give the Coast Guard time to development a new policy for salvage and marine firefighting requirements. The regulations concern owners and operators of vessels carrying Groups I through V petroleum oil as their primary cargo.
   Requirements for salvage and marine firefighting in vessel response plans dates back to Feb. 5, 1993. The Coast Guard suspended the 24-hour requirement in February 1998.
   “The extension is necessary because the potential impact on small businesses from this new rulemaking requires us to prepare an initial regulatory flexibility analysis under the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. This was not determined until a draft regulatory assessment was complete in November 2000,” the Coast Guard said.