Department of Homeland Security 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard proposes to temporarily modify the operating schedule that governs the Route 1 & 9 (Lincoln Highway) Bridge across the Hackensack River, mile 2.0, between Kearny and Jersey City, New Jersey. The bridge owner, New Jersey Department of Transportation, submitted a request to restrict bridge openings during the morning and afternoon rush hour periods to alleviate traffic congestion resulting from area roadway closures. It is expected that this change to the regulations would provide relief to vehicular traffic while continuing to meet the reasonable needs of navigation.

This document announces U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP's) plan to conduct a test concerning the manifesting and entry of residual cargo found in containers arriving as Instruments of International Traffic (IIT). The document also announces that CBP will begin enforcement of HQ Ruling H026715, dated June 19, 2009, when the test announced in this document begins. In HQ Ruling H026715, CBP held that in order to ensure the safety and security of the transportation of IIT containers and the CBP Officers who may examine or work in close proximity to them, IIT containers with residual cargo should not be manifested as empty consistent with the advance cargo information reporting requirements authorized pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 2071 note. The modified ruling, HQ H026715, requires that residue within containers be ``classified, entered, and manifested.'' CBP recognizes that the trade community believes that the requirement to manifest and enter for residual cargo in accordance with the current regulations would be overly burdensome. As a result, CBP, with input from the trade, has developed a test in order to determine a less burdensome way for the trade to manifest and enter residual cargo in IITs while also ensuring the safety and security of CBP Officers and the transportation of such IITs. Accordingly, this test will allow for a new type of entry designed to capture residue in containers that will be cleaned or re-filled that can be made off the manifest through an indicator that identifies it as a Residue Entry. Parties not wishing to participate in the test, however, will be required to ``classify, enter, and manifest'' (formal or informal entry) the residual cargo in accordance with the underlying statutes and their implementing regulations when the test begins.

On June 17, 2013, FEMA published in the Federal Register (78 FR 36220-36222) a proposed flood hazard determination notice that contained an erroneous table. This notice provides corrections to that table, to be used in lieu of the information published at 78 FR 36220. The table provided here represents the proposed flood hazard determinations and communities affected for Orange County, Texas, and Incorporated Areas.

This notice lists communities where the addition or modification of Base Flood Elevations (BFEs), base flood depths, Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) boundaries or zone designations, or the regulatory floodway (hereinafter referred to as flood hazard determinations), as shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), and where applicable, in the supporting Flood Insurance Study (FIS) reports, prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for each community, is appropriate because of new scientific or technical data. The FIRM, and where applicable, portions of the FIS report, have been revised to reflect these flood hazard determinations through issuance of a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR), in accordance with FEMA regulations. The LOMR will be used by insurance agents and others to calculate appropriate flood insurance premium rates for new buildings and the contents of those buildings. For rating purposes, the currently effective community number is shown in the table below and must be used for all new policies and renewals.

This notice lists communities where the addition or modification of Base Flood Elevations (BFEs), base flood depths, Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) boundaries or zone designations, or the regulatory floodway (hereinafter referred to as flood hazard determinations), as shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), and where applicable, in the supporting Flood Insurance Study (FIS) reports, prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for each community, is appropriate because of new scientific or technical data. The FIRM, and where applicable, portions of the FIS report, have been revised to reflect these flood hazard determinations through issuance of a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR). The LOMR will be used by insurance agents and others to calculate appropriate flood insurance premium rates for new buildings and the contents of those buildings. For rating purposes, the currently effective community number is shown in the table below and must be used for all new policies and renewals.

The Coast Guard is announcing its intent to enter into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Marine Exchange of Alaska (MXAK) to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate, in an operational setting, at least one promising technology approach to the ``Next Generation Arctic Maritime Navigational Safety Information System,'' which provides important, time-critical, information to mariners, in order that they may better assess and manage their voyage risks, as they transit the remote and hostile waters of the U.S. Arctic Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). While the Coast Guard is currently considering partnering with MXAK, it is soliciting public comment on the possible nature of and participation of other parties in the proposed CRADA. In addition, the Coast Guard also invites other potential non-Federal participants, who have the interest and capability to bring similar contributions to this type of research, to consider submitting proposals for consideration in similar CRADAs.

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to CBP regulations, that Inspectorate America Corporation, has been approved to gauge and accredited to test petroleum and petroleum products, organic chemicals and vegetable oils for customs purposes for the next three years as of March 6, 2013.

The Merchant Mariner Medical Advisory Committee (MEDMAC) will meet on September 24-25, 2013 to discuss matters relating to medical certification determinations for issuance of merchant mariner credentials, medical standards and guidelines for physical qualifications of operators of commercial vessels, medical examiner education, and medical research. The meeting will be open to the public.

Each year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is required by the Write-Your-Own (WYO) Program Financial Assistance/ Subsidy Arrangement (Arrangement) to notify private insurance companies (Companies) and to make available to the Companies the terms for subscription or re-subscription to the Arrangement. In keeping with that requirement, this notice provides the terms to the Companies to subscribe or re-subscribe to the Arrangement.

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to CBP regulations, that SGS North America, Inc., has been approved to gauge and accredited to test petroleum and petroleum products, organic chemicals and vegetable oils for customs purposes for the next three years as of May 23, 2012.

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to CBP regulations, that SGS North America, Inc., has been approved to gauge petroleum, petroleum products, organic chemicals and vegetable oils for customs purposes for the next three years as of January 24, 2013.

This document provides notice that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') has issued a final determination concerning the country of origin of certain digital storage devices known as hard disk drives (``HDDs'') and self-encrypting drives (``SEDs''). Based upon the facts presented, CBP has concluded that the programming operations performed in the United States, using U.S.-origin firmware, substantially transform non-TAA country HDDs. Therefore, the country of origin of the HDDs and SEDs is the United States for purposes of U.S. Government procurement.

The Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC) will meet on September 11, 2013 and September 12, 2013 in Linthicum Heights, MD, to discuss various issues related to the training and fitness of merchant marine personnel. This meeting will be open to the public.

The Coast Guard is establishing five temporary safety zones on waterways near Chicago, IL. These safety zones are intended to restrict vessels from portions of Chicago waterways due to the filming of a motion picture. These temporary safety zones are necessary to protect the surrounding public and vessels from the hazards associated with the stunt work, low-flying helicopter, and other hazards involved in the filming of a motion picture.

This is a notice of the Presidential declaration of a major disaster for the State of Texas (FEMA-4136-DR), dated August 2, 2013, and related determinations.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will submit the information collection abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget for review and clearance in accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The submission will describe the nature of the information collection, the categories of respondents, the estimated burden (i.e., the time, effort and resources used by respondents to respond) and cost, and the actual data collection instruments FEMA will use.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will submit the information collection abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget for review and clearance in accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The submission will describe the nature of the information collection, the categories of respondents, the estimated burden (i.e., the time, effort and resources used by respondents to respond) and cost, and the actual data collection instruments FEMA will use.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will submit the information collection abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget for review and clearance in accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The submission will describe the nature of the information collection, the categories of respondents, the estimated burden (i.e., the time, effort and resources used by respondents to respond) and cost, and the actual data collection instruments FEMA will use.

The Coast Guard is amending the escort requirements for certain tankers operating on the waters of Prince William Sound, Alaska (PWS). This interim rule is necessary to implement section 711 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (Act), which mandates two tug escorts for double hull tankers over 5,000 gross tons transporting oil in bulk in PWS. The Act directed the Coast Guard to promulgate interim regulations as soon and practicable to ensure that tug escort requirements apply to certain double hull tankers.

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 an extension, without change, of a currently approved information collection. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments concerning the documenting of the experiences of those persons affected by mitigation efforts. The information describes successful mitigation and flood insurance practices occurring in communities nationwide and provides a method to promote the Federal programs available that make available funding for mitigation activities.

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.

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on an information collection requirement concerning the Application for Exportation of Articles under Special Bond (CBP Form 3495). This request for comment is being made pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13).