Coast Guard May 11, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Commander, First Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the Lower Hack Bridge across the Hackensack River, mile 3.4, at Jersey City, New Jersey. The deviation is necessary to repair structural steel members on the lift span. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed position to facilitate the above repairs.

The Coast Guard proposes establishing a permanent Special Local Regulation on the Maumee River, Toledo, Ohio. This regulation is intended to restrict vessels from portions of the Maumee River during the Dragon Boat Races which take place during the third or fourth weekend in July each year. This special local regulated area is necessary to protect race participants from other vessel traffic.

The Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee postponed its originally scheduled February 3, 2011, meeting due to inclement weather. The new meeting date is June 21, 2011, in Texas City, Texas, to discuss waterway improvements, aids to navigation, area projects impacting safety on the Houston Ship Channel, and various other navigation safety matters in the Galveston Bay area. The meeting will be open to the public.

In order to provide safe access routes for the movement of vessel traffic proceeding to or from ports or places along the eastern seaboard of the United States, the Coast Guard is conducting a Port Access Route Study (PARS) to evaluate the continued applicability of, and the need for modifications to, current vessel routing measures. The data gathered during this Atlantic Coast PARS may result in establishment of one or more new vessel routing measures, modification of existing routing measures, or disestablishment of existing routing measures off the Atlantic Coast between Maine and Florida. The goal of the Atlantic Coast PARS is to enhance navigational safety by examining existing shipping routes and waterway uses, and, to the extent practicable, reconciling the paramount right of navigation within designated port access routes with other reasonable waterway uses such as the leasing of outer continental shelf blocks for the construction and operation of offshore renewable energy facilities. The recommendations of the study may lead to future rulemaking action or appropriate international agreements.