The United States Coast Guard has paused plans to remove navigation buoys from the Gulf of Maine and the Atlantic Ocean.
Under April’s Coastal Buoy Modernization Initiative, part of the broader Short-Range Aids-to-Navigation Modernization, hundreds of buoys were slated for removal or review in New England’s waters over the next few years.
351 coastal buoys — 41 percent of which were located in Maine’s waters — had been marked for discontinuation.
In May of this year, the Coast Guard suggested that the “current buoy constellation predates global navigation satellite systems, electronic navigation charts and electronic charting systems (ECS), which are widely used by today’s mariners.”
“Regardless of technological advances, a robust physical aids to navigation network will always complement electronic systems,” they said at the time.
According to the Coast Guard, more than 3,000 people responded to their first call for public comment, many of whom reportedly spoke to the need for physical buoys in bad weather and dark conditions, as well as to their use as a meeting place.
“We urge the agency to slow down this effort to ensure that the agency understands the needs of the communities and mariners in our states,” wrote a bipartisan group of senators, including Maine Sen. Angus King (I), earlier this year. “Therefore, we urge you to extend the public comment period and increase public and Congressional engagement as outlined in this letter.”
In a response letter sent to Sen. King, the Coast Guard’s Director of Marine Transportation Systems Michael Emerson explained that they would be “modify[ing] and extend[ing]” the stakeholder engagement process in response to the concerns raised about removing physical navigation aids.
A press release from King’s office characterizes the move as an effort by the Coast Guard to “better understand the impacts of the proposal.”
An updated proposal for the Northeast District is expected this fall and will be accompanied by an eight-week public comment period.
The review cycle will then be repeated and appropriate changes will be made. This will be followed by an Advance Notice of Intended Changes and another eight-week public comment period before any changes are implemented.
The Coastal Buoy Modernization Initiative will not be carried out by the Coast Guard before calendar year 2026.
