(a) When the owner or operator of a nontank vessel believes that national planning criteria contained elsewhere in this part are inappropriate for the areas in which the vessel intends to operate, the vessel owner or operator may submit an alternative planning criteria request to the Coast Guard. Alternative planning criteria requests must be submitted 90 days before the vessel intends to operate under the proposed alternative, or as soon as is practicable. The alternative planning criteria request must be endorsed by the Captain of the Port (COTP) with jurisdiction over the geographic area(s) affected before being considered by Commandant (CG-MER), Office of Marine Environmental Response Policy, for the review and approval of the respective vessel response plan (VRP). In any case, the request must be received by Commandant (CG-MER) with an endorsement by the respective COTP no later than 21 days before the vessel intends to operate under the alternative planning criteria.

(b) The alternative planning criteria request should detail all elements of the VRP where deviations from the requirements in this subpart are being proposed or have not been met. Response equipment, techniques, or procedures identified in the alternative planning criteria request should be submitted in accordance with the evaluation criteria of appendix B of this part. The request should contain at a minimum -

(c) The determination of an alternative planning criteria request will be conducted by Commandant (CG-CVC), Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance.