Department of Homeland Security December 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice solicits public input as part of a study on the feasibility, cost and associated concerns or benefits with the installation of voyage data recorders on passenger vessels. In the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006, the Congress directed the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct a study of the carriage of voyage data recorders (VDR) by certain passenger vessels. As part of this study, the Coast Guard is to look at the standards, the methods for approval of models, and the procedures for the annual testing of the VDR.

Base (1% annual chance) Flood Elevations (BFEs) and modified BFEs are made final for the communities listed below. The BFEs and modified BFEs are the basis for the floodplain management measures that each community is required either to adopt or to show evidence of being already in effect in order to qualify or remain qualified for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

This interim rule lists communities where modification of the Base (1% annual-chance) Flood Elevations (BFEs) is appropriate because of new scientific or technical data. New flood insurance premium rates will be calculated from the modified BFEs for new buildings and their contents.

The Coast Guard is revising the drawbridge operations for the Rob Roy Drawbridge across the Arkansas Waterway at Mile 67.4 at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, the Baring Cross Railroad Drawbridge across the Arkansas Waterway at Mile 119.6 at Little Rock, Arkansas, and the Van Buren Railroad Drawbridge across the Arkansas Waterway at Mile 300.8 at Van Buren, Arkansas, to reflect the actual procedures currently being followed. In addition, the following three bridges will be removed from 33 CFR 117.123 as they are locked in the open-to- navigation position and are no longer considered to be drawbridges: Missouri Pacific Railroad Drawbridge (Benzal Railroad Drawbridge) across the Arkansas Waterway at Mile 7.6 at Benzal, Arkansas, the Rock Island Railroad Drawbridge across the Arkansas Waterway at Mile 118.2 at Little Rock, Arkansas, and the Junction Railroad Drawbridge across the Arkansas Waterway at Mile 118.7 at Little Rock, Arkansas. Section 117.139 is being revised as paragraph (a) is no longer needed since the Missouri Pacific Railroad Drawbridge (Benzal Railroad Drawbridge) is locked in the open-to-navigation position.

This Notice announces that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will forward the new Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for emergency processing and approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The ICR describes the nature of information collection and its expected burden.

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to 19 CFR 151.12 and 151.13, SGS North America Inc., 614 Herron Drive, Bridgeport, New Jersey 08014, has been re-approved to gauge petroleum and petroleum products, organic chemicals and vegetable oils, and to test petroleum and petroleum products for customs purposes, in accordance with the provisions of 19 CFR 151.12 and 151.13.

The Commander, Eighth Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the BNSF Railway Company Vertical Lift Span Bridge across Berwick Bay, mile 0.4, (Atchafalaya River, mile 17.5) at Morgan City, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. This deviation provides for the bridge to remain closed to navigation for 12 consecutive hours to conduct scheduled maintenance to the drawbridge.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a proposed revision of a currently approved information collection. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments concerning Disaster Assistance Registration applications.

Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, proposes to add a new system of records to the Department's inventory, entitled Background Check Service. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Office of Field Operations operates the Background Check Service. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services conducts background checks on petitioners and applicants who are seeking immigration related benefits. To facilitate the background check process and to improve efficiency, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services developed the Background Check Service as a centralized repository that contains the consolidated data on all background check requests and results. The Background Check Service allows authorized U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services representatives to request background checks and access the data stored in the Background Check Service during the adjudication process in order to facilitate informed decision-making.

The Coast Guard announces a change in the e-mail address that U.S. vessels equipped with a Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) can use to send emergency notices to the Coast Guard when their security is threatened. In these emergencies, a vessel notifies the Coast Guard of the incident directly or through a third party. The SSAS notice may be communicated through various media. If it is sent as an e-mail, it must be sent to the new address: ssas@uscg.mil.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary 500-yard moving security zone around the U.S. Forces vessel SBX-1 during transit within the Honolulu Captain of the Port Zone. This security zone is necessary to protect the SBX-1 from hazards associated with vessels and persons approaching too close during transit. Entry of persons or vessels into this temporary security zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port (COTP).

This document amends Title 19 of the Code of Federal Regulations (19 CFR) to reflect the extension of the import restrictions on certain archaeological and ethnological material from Bolivia that were imposed by Treasury Decision (T.D.) 01-86. The Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, United States Department of State, has determined that conditions continue to warrant the imposition of import restrictions. Accordingly, the restrictions will remain in effect for an additional 5 years, and Title 19 of the CFR is being amended to reflect this extension until December 4, 2011. These restrictions are being extended pursuant to determinations of the United States Department of State made under the terms of the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act in accordance with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. T.D. 01-86 contains the Designated List of archaeological and ethnological material from Bolivia.

The Coast Guard is proposing to establish a permanent security zone on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, within 250 yards north of the north span and 250 yards south of the south span of the William P. Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge, located between Sandy Point and Kent Island, Maryland. This action is necessary to provide for the security of a large number of participants during the annual Bay Bridge Walk across the William P. Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge, held annually on the first Sunday in May. The security zone will allow for control of vessels or persons within a specified area of the Chesapeake Bay and safeguard the public at large.