Department of Homeland Security September 10, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On June 13, 2012, the Coast Guard published in the Federal Register an announcement of effective date that announced an information collection approval for the Standards for Living Organisms in Ships' Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters (BWDS) Final Rule (77 FR 35268). The rulemaking triggered new information collection requirements affecting vessel owners and their potential requests for an extension of the compliance date if they cannot practicably comply with the compliance date otherwise applicable to their vessels. The June 13, 2012, document announced that the request to revise the existing collection of information to add the new request for an extension provision was approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and may now be enforced. The OMB control number is 1625-0069. The approval for this collection of information expires on May 31, 2015. In the June 13, 2012, document, the Coast Guard inadvertently failed to indicate that we received public submissions to the BWDS Final Rule (77 FR 17254). The Coast Guard is now publishing a document to advise the public that we received four public submissions to this collection of information. As the four public submissions were not collection of information-related, we did not revise our collection of information estimates. You may view copies of the public submissions and the Coast Guard responses to them in the BWDS docket online by going to https://www.regulations.gov, inserting USCG-2001-10486 in the ``Keyword'' box, and then clicking ``Search.'' A corrected information collection request package has been submitted to OMB for their review. The current 1625-0069 approval by OMB is still effective. If OMB decides to amend the current 1625-0069 approval, a copy of that decision will be placed in the docket.

The Coast Guard proposes to revise and update the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) regulations in 33 CFR part 161. The revision would require participation in the VTS in Port Arthur, Texas, which is now voluntary; consolidate and expand a VTS Special Area in Puget Sound, Washington; update the designated frequencies for the Maritime Mobile Service Identifiers (MMSI) for Louisville and Los Angeles/Long Beach; and update the definitions and references in Sailing Plan requirements. The changes made by this proposed rule are intended to align regulations with the current operating procedures of the VTSs affected, with the benefit of creating regulatory efficiency.

The Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the US40-322 (Albany Avenue) Bridge, at NJICW mile 70.0, across Inside Thoroughfare, in Atlantic City, NJ. This deviation is necessary to facilitate the free movement of contestants over the bridge during the 2012 Atlantic City Triathlon. This deviation allows the draw span of the bridge to remain closed-to-navigation during the event.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection notice was previously published in the Federal Register on June 1, 2012, at 77 FR 106, allowing for a 60-day public comment period. USCIS did not receive any comments in connection with the 60-day notice.