Comment Submitted by Mateo Burgos

To Whom It May Concern, I am Mateo Burgos, and I am providing this public comment as a student about the Coast Guard’s Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas EIS concerning the establishment of Shipping Safety Fairways and related vessel routing measures along the Atlantic Coast (Docket USCG-2023-0928). I support the goal of improving navigational safety and reducing conflicts among ocean users. However, I recommend the final PEIS/OEIS be strengthened in these specific ways: Clearer tradeoff analysis by region: Please provide a more detailed comparison of how alternatives affect risk and impacts across sub-regions (e.g., Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast), including navigation safety, fisheries, marine mammals, seabirds, and offshore wind development. Cumulative and climate-related impacts: Given the programmatic nature, the analysis should provide a clearer examination of cumulative impacts and how evolving conditions (such as increased storm intensity and alterations in ocean use patterns) may influence routing effectiveness over time.Observation and adaptive management: Please include more explicit commitments for monitoring (vessel traffic patterns, near-miss/collision indicators, wildlife interactions) and specify “triggers” for adjusting routing measures if impacts or conflicts increase. Stakeholder coordination: Maintain ongoing consultations with Tribes, coastal communities, fisheries, conservation groups, and offshore wind stakeholders to reduce unintended impacts and enhance compliance. I appreciate the chance to provide feedback. I advocate for advancing the project with these enhancements, which would boost transparency and reinforce long-term effectiveness. Sincerely, Mateo Burgos