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Don’t miss your chance to comment on a proposed removal of dozens of federally maintained coastal buoys from New York City to the Canadian border.
Photo: U.S. Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard has reopened public comments on proposed changes to Aids to Navigation in its Northeast District (formerly District 1) through Nov. 15, 2025. BoatU.S. urges boaters to find out if you will be affected, and if so, share your local knowledge with the agency.
The reopening of comments follows strong reaction to the agency’s initial buoy reduction proposal in May that drew about 3,000 public comment as well as letters from U.S. senators, BoatU.S., and other marine groups that stressed AtoN removal poses a risk to boating safety.
As a result of the feedback, the revised proposal has changed for more than half of the original Coastal Buoy Modernization Proposal (CBMP) buoys: 121 aids were removed from the discontinuation list, 71 AtoNs remain up for removal but with supporting changes to nearby buoys, and 162 buoys remain proposed for discontinuation without additional proposed changes.
The Coast Guard’s stated objective with the CBMP is ensuring long-term buoy system sustainability at the most navigationally critical locations for mariners while better understanding how navigation practices are changing with the widespread use of GPS, radar, AIS, electronic charts, and navigation apps. The update is aimed at balancing the use of physical aids with other navigation tools, according to the agency.
Use the Coast Guard’s map tool to zoom in on your local waters to find out if any nav aid changes are proposed.