Coast Guard 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for navigable waters within a 560-foot radius of a portion of Lake St. Clair, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI. This zone is necessary to protect spectators and vessels from potential hazards associated with the Grosse Pointe Farms Fireworks.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for all navigable waters of the Ohio River from mile marker 27.8 to mile marker 28.2 near the Vanport Highway Bridge. The safety zone is needed to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards created by a cargo movement near the Vanport Highway Bridge in Vanport, PA. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Marine Safety Unit Pittsburgh or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard proposes to amend its regulations on ballast water management by eliminating the requirement for vessels operating on voyages exclusively between ports or places within a single Captain of the Port Zone to submit an Annual Ballast Water Summary Report for calendar year 2018. The Coast Guard views this current reporting requirement as unnecessary to analyze and understand ballast water management practices. This proposal would also serve to reduce the administrative burden on the regulated population of vessels which are equipped with ballast tanks.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on navigable waters of the Neches River extending 500-feet on either side of the Kansas City Southern Railroad Bridge that crosses the Neches River in Beaumont, TX. The safety zone is necessary to protect the bridge as well as persons and property on or near the bridge from potential damage from passing vessels until missing and/or damaged fendering systems are repaired or replaced. Entry of certain vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur or a designated representative. We invite your comments on this rule.

The Coast Guard will enforce the safety zone for the Marinette Logging and Heritage Festival Fireworks on the Menomonee River in Marinette, WI from 9 p.m. through 11 p.m. on July 14, 2018. This action is necessary and intended to ensure safety of life on navigable waters immediately prior to, during, and after the fireworks display. During the enforcement period, entry into, transiting, or anchoring within the safety zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Lake Michigan or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is reopening the comment period to solicit additional comments concerning the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), which published on June 30, 2017. Reopening the comment period will allow the public to provide input on the proposed change to the regulation governing the DELAIR Memorial Railroad Bridge across the Delaware River, mile 104.6, at Pennsauken Township, NJ.

The Coast Guard will enforce the special local regulation for the Fort Lauderdale Air Show from May 5 through 6, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., to provide for the safety of life on navigable waterways during this event. During the enforcement periods, the operator of any vessel in the regulated area must comply with directions from the Patrol Commander or any Official Patrol displaying a Coast Guard ensign.

The Coast Guard has modified a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the California Department of Transportation Highway and Bicycle drawbridges across San Leandro Bay, mile 0.0 and mile 0.1, between Alameda and Bay Farm Island, CA. The modified deviation extends the period the bridges may remain in the closed-to-navigation position and is necessary to allow the bridge owner to complete major rehabilitation and maintenance.

The Coast Guard will enforce the special local regulation on the waters of the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), near Atlantic City, New Jersey, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on August 11, 2018. This action is necessary to ensure safety of life on the navigable waters of the United States during a triathlon event. The purpose of this notice is to announce a change in the date in which the event is being held.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a temporary safety zone for certain waters off of Chulu and Babui beaches in Tinian. The Coast Guard believes this safety zone is necessary to protect all divers participating in this underwater military exercise from potential safety hazards associated with vessel traffic in the area. This proposed rulemaking would prohibit persons and vessels not involved in the exercise from being in the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Guam (COTP) or a designated representative. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for certain waters of the Housatonic River. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters near Milford and Stratford, CT, during a wire replacement project on the Devon Railroad Bridge. Entry of vessels or people into the safety zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Long Island Sound or a designated representative. The safety zone will only be enforced during wire replacement operations or other instances which may create a hazard to navigation.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a temporary safety zone for certain waters of the Cuyahoga River during the Blazing Paddles Stand Up Paddle Race. This proposed rulemaking would prohibit persons and vessels from being in the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Buffalo or a designated representative. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard announces that the Thirteenth Coast Guard District has issued a certificate of alternative compliance from the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (72 COLREGS), for the Gunderson Marine LLC Hull 117. We are issuing this notice because its publication is required by statute. Due to the construction and placement of the mooring and anchor winches and fittings, placement of the sidelights in this area would be a potential hazard to the crew during vessel operations and may subject them to potential damage during mooring. Gunderson Marine LLC Hull 117 cannot fully comply with the light, shape, or sound signal provisions of the 72 COLREGS without interfering with the vessel's design and construction. This notification of issuance of a certificate of alternative compliance promotes the Coast Guard's marine safety mission.

The Coast Guard is withdrawing its notice of proposed rulemaking entitled ``Anchorages; Captain of the Port Puget Sound Zone, WA'' that we published on February 10, 2017. The Coast Guard is withdrawing this rulemaking in response to public comments and to better analyze potential impacts to tribal treaty rights, especially treaty fishing rights.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Buffalo Bluff CSX Railroad Bridge across the St. Johns River, mile 94.5, at Satsuma, Putnam County, FL. This deviation will test a change to the drawbridge operation to determine whether a permanent change from manned to remote operations is feasible. This deviation will allow the bridge to operate remotely from the CSX Railroad Bridge on the Ortega River (McGirts Creek) located at mile 1.1 on the Ortega River.

The U.S. Coast Guard, as lead agency, is providing notice of their intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the Polar Icebreaker Program's design and build of up to six polar icebreakers (PIB). Notice is hereby given that the public scoping process has begun for the preparation of an EIS that will address the impacts and alternatives of the Proposed Action. The purpose of the scoping process is to solicit public comments regarding the range of issues, including potential environmental impacts and alternatives that should be addressed in the EIS. This notice also notifies the public that the U.S. Coast Guard intends to hold public meetings to discuss potential issues, concerns and reasonable alternatives that should be considered in the EIS. Following the scoping meetings and comment period, a Draft EIS will be prepared and ultimately circulated for public comment.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary special local regulation for all navigable waters of the Red River from mile marker (MM) 88.0 to MM 88.4, in Alexandria, LA. This action is necessary to protect spectators and vessels during the Louisiana Dragon Boat Races regatta. Entry of vessels or persons into this regulated area is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Lower Mississippi River (COTP) or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the DELAIR Memorial Railroad Bridge across the Delaware River, mile 104.6, at Pennsauken Township, NJ. This deviation will test the remote operation system of the drawbridge to determine whether the bridge can be safely operated from a remote location. This deviation will allow the bridge to be remotely operated from the Conrail South Jersey dispatch center in Mount Laurel, NJ, instead of being operated by an on-site bridge tender.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the US 50/Harry W. Kelly Memorial Bridge, which carries US 50 and Ocean Gateway across the Isle of Wight (Sinepuxent) Bay, mile 0.5, at Ocean City, MD. The deviation is necessary to facilitate the ``Island to Island'' Half Marathon. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a temporary safety zone for certain waters of the Buffalo Outer Harbor during the Officer Lehner Memorial Vintage Regatta. This proposed rulemaking would prohibit persons and vessels from being in the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Buffalo or a designated representative. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary special local regulation on the Black Warrior River, extending the entire width of the river, from mile marker (MM) 338.5 to MM 339.5 in Tuscaloosa, AL. This special local regulation is necessary to protect the persons participating in the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships marine event. This regulation restricts transit into, through, and within the regulated area unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Mobile (COTP) or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary regulated area for certain waters of the Willamette River. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters near Port of Portland Terminal 2, Portland, OR, during a naval vessel commissioning ceremony on April 14 through 23, 2018. This regulation prohibits persons and vessels from being in the regulated area unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Columbia River or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard proposes to modify the security zone surrounding the bridge between Liberty State Park and Ellis Island in order to increase navigational safety in New York Harbor. This security zone modification would allow certain vessels to transit underneath the bridge, reducing congestion in the adjacent Anchorage Channel. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard will enforce the safety zone on Lake Macatawa in Holland, MI for the Tulip Time Festival Fireworks on May 12, 2018. This action is necessary and intended to ensure safety of life on navigable waters immediately prior to, during, and after the fireworks display. During the aforementioned period, the Coast Guard will enforce restrictions upon, and control movement of, vessels in the safety zone. No person or vessel may enter the safety zone while it is being enforced without permission of the Captain of the Port Lake Michigan or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is announcing its intent to enter into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with W.L. GORE and Associates Inc. (GORE) to conduct insulation value testing for the Coast Guard's Maritime Cold Weather Suit System (MCWSS) in the air instead of the water, which the system was designed for. While the Coast Guard is currently considering partnering with GORE, we are soliciting public comment on the possible nature of and participation of other parties in the proposed CRADA. In addition, the Coast Guard also invites other potential non-Federal participants, who have the interest and capability to bring similar contributions to this type of research, to consider submitting proposals for consideration in similar CRADAs.