Mariners in the northeast can breathe a sigh of relief—at least for now—because the U.S. Coast Guard has signaled it will suspend plans to remove a lengthy list of aids to navigation from coastal waters.
The proposal to do away with select buoys and other navigation marks was first floated in April, and the request for comments brought in a record number of replies. A revised list was released over the summer, along with a request for further comments. Then on Oct. 21, the USCG announced it would suspend “Coastal buoy modernization in the northeast.”
In its announcement, the Coast Guard noted, “There will be no changes to ATON in relation to the proposal until further analysis is complete.”
There were no details about what the further analysis would involve or when it might take place. But for now, the buoys will stay put. Score one for the hard working fishermen, watermen and recreational sailors and powerboats who took the time to comment and say removing buoys is a bad idea.
