thelog.com STANDING WATCH
Did Coast Guard drop the ball on noticing a meeting for Marina del Rey Anchorage?
Questions abound about an April 12 public meeting, which was offi cially noticed on April 20.
By Parimal M. Rohit
MARINA DEL REY — If a federal agency holds a meeting and no one attends then did the meeting ever happen?
This is not a question of existentialism and spiri- tuality but instead a look into how the U.S. Coast Guard held a meeting for public comment in Marina del Rey but with no one in attendance. Specifi cally the Coast Guard hosted a meeting
on April 12 and hoped to gather public input on a planned fi nal ruling. The Coast Guard wanted to know whether a proposal to shrink the size of an anchorage – as opposed to disestablishing it as origi- nally proposed – would be a welcomed move among Marina del Rey boaters. In 2014 the Coast Guard originally proposed to disestablish the special anchorage located at the north end of Marina del Rey’s main channel. A federal notice about the proposed disestablishment stated the anchorage was being encroached upon by a number of marina expansion projects. A press release was published on the Coast Guard website on March 4 and reportedly shared with a few
media outlets. (The Log did not receive notice or a copy of the press release but we did see the version posted online.) The press release informed interested parties the
Coast Guard sought public comment on a proposal to retain an anchorage in Marina del Rey. Contact information and three sentences informing read- ers of a public comment period was included on the release, which was posted on the Coast Guard’s website. “The 11th Coast Guard District invites the public to comment on a proposal to amend the shape and reduce the size of the special anchorage area in Marina Del Rey Harbor,” the press release stated. “Additionally, the Coast Guard proposes to clarify language in the note section of the existing regula- tion. The comment period will be open until April 14, 2016. Detailed information concerning the pro- posal can be found at
regulations.gov by searching USCG-2014-0142.” No further information was included. Visiting the website and searching the fi le infor- mation as instructed revealed only two primary posts were made in 2016 — one on Feb. 29 and another on April 20. Supporting documents were posted on Feb. 9. The Feb. 29 post informed readers of the Coast Guard’s proposal to retain an anchorage and
See STANDING WATCH page 7 Marina del Rey Anchorage Timeline 2014 March
Coast Guard proposes disestablishing anchor- age in Marina del Rey.
2016 Feb 29 March 4
Coast Guard issues press release to invite public comment on proposal to keep anchorage. No notice of public meet- ing date given.
April 12
Public meeting held at Burton Chace Park; no one is in attendance.
April 20
Coast Guard notice of April 12 meeting published on Federal
Register (fi rst reference of meeting date).
Coast Guard announces it now proposes to keep an anchorage and seeks public comment. Public comment period will be kept open until April 14.
March 4- April 20
Zero references online to April 12 meeting.
April 14
Original public com- ment period sched- uled to close but is extended.
April 30
Public comment period closes.
The Log • May 20 - June 2, 2016 • 5
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