Department of Homeland Security March 23, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a document in the Federal Register on March 19, 2012, announcing that it will be holding two trade symposia this year. One trade symposium will be held on the West Coast on May 10, 2012, and the other will be on the East Coast later in the year. This document corrects that March 19 document to note that the theme of this year's symposia has been changed to ``Transforming Trade for a Stronger Economy''; and to inform the public that the fees have changed for both attendance at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and for access to the live web- casting of the event; that the trade symposium will now be one hour longer, running from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.; and that registration will open to the public on or about March 20, 2012.

The Commander, Thirteenth Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the Broadway Bridge across the Willamette River, mile 11.7, at Portland, OR. This deviation is necessary to accommodate the Race for the Roses event scheduled for April 1, 2012. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed position to allow safe movement of event participants.

The Commander, Seventh Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the N.W. 12th Avenue Bridge across the Miami River, mile 2.1, in Miami, Florida. This deviation will test a change to the drawbridge operation schedule to determine whether a permanent change to the schedule is needed. The test deviation is necessary to determine whether possible vehicle traffic congestion during Miami Marlins home baseball games poses a safety concern. This 90 day test deviation will allow the N.W. 12th Avenue Bridge to remain closed to navigation for a short period prior to the start of Miami Marlins home baseball games. Tugs and tugs with tows, public vessels of the United States, and vessels in distress shall be passed at any time.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a temporary special local regulation (SLR) on the navigable waters of the Hudson River in the vicinity of New York, NY for the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Display. The temporary SLR is intended to restrict certain vessels from portions of the Hudson River before, during, and immediately after the fireworks event. This regulation is necessary to provide for the safety of life on the navigable waters by controlling vessel movement and to establish public viewing areas for the fireworks event.

The Coast Guard is revising the list of permanent safety zones established for fireworks displays at various locations within the geographic boundary of the Fifth Coast Guard District. This action is necessary to protect life and property of the maritime public from hazards posed by fireworks displays. Entry into or movement within these zones during the enforcement periods is prohibited without approval of the appropriate Captain of the Port.

The Coast Guard is amending its regulations on ballast water management by establishing a standard for the allowable concentration of living organisms in ships' ballast water discharged in waters of the United States. The Coast Guard is also amending its regulations for engineering equipment by establishing an approval process for ballast water management systems. These new regulations will aid in controlling the introduction and spread of nonindigenous species from ships' ballast water in waters of the United States.