Department of Homeland Security August 16, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard has changed the drawbridge operation regulations that govern the operation of the Veterans Memorial Bridge across the Taunton River, mile 2.1, between Fall River and Somerset, Massachusetts. The bridge owner, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, submitted a request to reduce the hours the bridge is crewed based upon infrequent requests to open the draw. It is expected that this change to the regulations will provide relief to the bridge owner from crewing the bridge while continuing to meet the reasonable needs of navigation.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) invites public comment on one currently approved Information Collection Request (ICR), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number 1652-0055, abstracted below that we will submit to OMB for renewal in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. Specifically, the collection involves the submission of contact information for a pipeline company's primary and alternate security manager and the telephone number of the security operations or control center, as well as data concerning pipeline security incidents.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the draw of the Norfolk Southern 5 Railroad Bridge, across the Elizabeth River Eastern Branch, mile 1.1, at Norfolk, VA. This deviation is necessary to facilitate replacing the broken tread plates and shimming the remaining tread plates to the proper elevation on the Norfolk Southern 5 Railroad drawbridge. There are a total of 10 tread plates that need to be replaced. This temporary deviation allows the drawbridge to remain in the closed to navigation position.

Section 1105 of the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013 directs FEMA to establish a nationwide Dispute Resolution Pilot Program (DRPP) in order to facilitate an efficient recovery from major disasters, including arbitration by an independent review panel, to resolve disputes relating to Public Assistance projects. This final rule establishes an option for arbitration under the Public Assistance Program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The option allows applicants to file for arbitration, instead of a second appeal under FEMA's current Public Assistance Program. The requests for review under the DRPP must be submitted by December 31, 2015. This final rule provides the procedures and the standard of review that FEMA will apply under the arbitration option.