Congress directed the U.S. Maritime Administration to pursue a Marine Highway Program in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. In April 2010, MARAD issued a final rule implementing its Marine Highway Program. Despite these pre-existing efforts, MARAD issued a notice on February 23, 2012 indicating a possible intention to pursue an Environmental Impact Assessment process regarding the environmental impacts of a Marine Highway Program. MARAD will be holding a series of public meetings around the country from March 6 to March 29 to assess community views on the subject.