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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt:9.6pt"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt">For Immediate Release Date: Monday, March 2, 2015<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt">Marine Board Seeks Public Comment on Visual Distress Signals<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt"> </span></b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"> <span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">
The Oregon State Marine Board has opened rulemaking to require boats operating in coastal waters to carry U.S. Coast Guard –approved visual distress signals, including those waters directly connected to the ocean, up to a point where the waterway is less than
two nautical miles wide (mouth of the Columbia River). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> Adoption of this rule, OAR 250-010-0164, would establish the state requirement for visual distress signals in coast
waters consistent with Federal equipment requirements, and is required through the U. S. Coast Guard grant agreement with Oregon.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><em><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:200%">Written comments may be submitted by
<b>March 31, 2015</b> by 5 pm and<b> </b></span></em><em><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:200%">can be submitted via email to</span></em><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><a href="mailto:osmb.rulemaking@state.or.us"><i>osmb.rulemaking@state.or.us</i></a><i>
<em>or by U.S. mail to: June LeTarte, Administrative Rules Coordinator, 435 Commercial Street NE, Suite 400, P.O. Box 14145, Salem, OR 97309-5056. Comments via telephone will not be accepted.</em><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">To view the proposed language, visit
<a href="http://www.oregon.gov/OSMB/Pages/admin/OSMB_Rulemaking_Newpage.aspx">http://www.oregon.gov/OSMB/Pages/admin/OSMB_Rulemaking_Newpage.aspx</a>.</span><span class="BalloonTextChar"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:windowtext"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="s20" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:1.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:200%">
<span class="bumpedfont15"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:200%">###</span></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:200%"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Ashley A. Massey<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Legislative Coordinator<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Public Information Officer<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Oregon State Marine Board<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">503-378-2623<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.oregon.gov/osmb"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="144" height="144" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image004.jpg@01D054F4.FDF3EF80" alt="EmailOSMB_logos_cmyk_300dpi"></span></a><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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