Department of Homeland Security October 15, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Commander, Eleventh Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the California Route 160 Drawbridge across Three Mile Slough, mile 0.1, near Rio Vista, CA. The deviation is necessary to allow Caltrans to conduct drawbridge maintenance. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position during the maintenance period.

This document proposes to amend title 19 of the Code of Federal Regulations to preclude situations where imported merchandise subject to Federal excise tax is allowed into the United States, in effect, 99 percent free of that tax through application of a drawback claim. Specifically, the proposed amendments would preclude the filing of a substitution drawback claim for internal revenue excise tax paid on imported merchandise in situations where no excise tax was paid upon the substituted merchandise or where the substituted merchandise is the subject of a different claim for refund or drawback of tax under any provision of the Internal Revenue Code. This document also proposes to amend title 19 by adding a basic importation and entry bond condition to foster compliance with the amended drawback provision. These proposed amendments are necessary to protect the revenue by clarifying the relationship between drawback claims and Federal excise tax liability.

The Coast Guard has temporarily changed the drawbridge operating regulations governing the operation of the Roosevelt Island Bridge, mile 6.4, across the East River at New York City, New York. This temporary final rule allows the Roosevelt Island Bridge to remain in the closed position for eleven months to facilitate a major rehabilitation of the bridge.