Department of Homeland Security 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard is temporarily modifying the operating schedule that governs the Bayville Highway Bridge across the Mill Neck Creek, mile 0.1, at Bayville, NY. This action is necessary to allow the bridge owner to complete the remaining replacements and repairs.

The Coast Guard proposes to modify the operating schedule that governs the Atlantic Beach Bridge across the Reynolds Channel, mile 0.4, at Atlantic Beach, NY. The bridge owner, Nassau County Bridge Authority, submitted a request on September 22, 2022 to modify the regulation to decrease the amount of openings on signal from October through May. It is expected that this change to the regulations will better serve the needs of the community while continuing to meet the reasonable needs of navigation. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for the Ohio River from September 12 through September 15, 2023, at mile marker 79.5 to mile marker 80 from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. each day. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on the navigable waters during a helicopter operation. This rule prohibits persons and vessels from being in the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Pittsburgh (COTP) or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for all navigable waters within a 560-foot radius of a fireworks launch barge at Mile Marker (MM) 8 on Lake of the Ozarks. The safety zone is needed to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards created by the fireworks display. Entry of vessels or persons into the zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Upper Mississippi River or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is proposing to establish a special local regulation (SLR) for certain navigable waters of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW) and Beaufort Inlet in Morehead City, North Carolina. This SLR, which would be enforced annually for one weekend each September, would restrict vessel traffic on the AICW and Beaufort Inlet during high-speed boat races. The restriction of vessel traffic movement in the SLR is proposed for the purpose of protecting participants and spectators from the hazards posed by these events. Entry of vessels or persons into this regulated area would be prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port (COTP), North Carolina or a designated representative. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary security zone in the navigable waters of Lake Tahoe, Glenbrook, NV within the San Francisco Captain of the Port Zone. This moving security zone will encompass all navigable waters within 100 yards of the vessel carrying high-ranking government officials and their official party. The security zone is necessary to protect the harbors, ports, and waterfront facilities of Lake Tahoe during a visit by high-ranking government officials and their official party. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port San Francisco or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary, moving safety zone for all navigable waters of the La Quinta and Corpus Christi Shipping Channel between gated pair lights 11 and 12 to the Sea buoy. The safety zone is needed to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards created by the rig NFE PIONEER I while it is towed offshore from the Kiewit Offshore Services facility. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Corpus Christi or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing two temporary safety zones for navigable waters of the Savannah River, within a 500-yard radius around Motor Vessel (M/V) BIGLIFT BARENTSZ. The safety zones are needed to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards created by the transit through the Savannah River to Georgia Port Authority Garden City Terminal Berth No. 1 while carrying large cranes, and for the offload of those cranes to the facility. Entry of vessels or persons into the safety zones are prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Savannah or a designated representative.

On May 23, 2023, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) proposing security vetting of certain public transportation, railroad, and over- the-road-bus (OTRB) employees. Through this notice, TSA is extending the comment period to October 1, 2023, to provide additional time for the public to submit comments.

The Coast Guard is establishing a permanent safety zone to be enforced in the event of hurricanes, tropical storms, and other disasters in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. This action is necessary to ensure the safety of the waters of the Port Arthur Captain of the Port (COTP) zone Port Arthur, TX, prior to, during and following hurricanes, tropical storms and other disasters. This regulation establishes actions to be completed by industry and vessels in the COTP zone prior to landfall of hurricanes, tropical storms, and other disasters threatening Port Arthur, TX.

Through this notice, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announces that the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) is extending the designation of Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, beginning on October 20, 2023, and ending on April 19, 2025. This extension allows existing TPS beneficiaries to retain TPS through April 19, 2025, so long as they otherwise continue to meet the eligibility requirements for TPS. Existing TPS beneficiaries who wish to extend their status through April 19, 2025, must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period described in this notice. The Secretary is also redesignating Ukraine for TPS. The redesignation of Ukraine allows additional Ukrainian nationals (and individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Ukraine) who have been continuously residing in the United States since August 16, 2023, to apply for TPS for the first time during the initial registration period described under the redesignation information in this notice. In addition to demonstrating continuous residence in the United States since August 16, 2023, and meeting other eligibility criteria, initial applicants for TPS under this designation must demonstrate that they have been continuously physically present in the United States since October 20, 2023, the effective date of this redesignation of Ukraine for TPS.

This notice announces that the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) is suspending certain regulatory requirements for F-1 nonimmigrant students whose country of citizenship is Sudan, regardless of country of birth (or individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Sudan), and who are experiencing severe economic hardship as a direct result of the current crisis in Sudan. The Secretary is taking action to provide relief to these Sudanese students who are in lawful F-1 nonimmigrant student status, so the students may request employment authorization, work an increased number of hours while school is in session, and reduce their course load while continuing to maintain their F-1 nonimmigrant student status. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will deem an F-1 nonimmigrant student granted employment authorization by means of this notice to be engaged in a ``full course of study'' for the duration of the employment authorization, if the nonimmigrant student satisfies the minimum course load requirement described in this notice.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for navigable waters on the St. Clair River in Algonac, MI. The safety zone is necessary and intended to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards associated with fireworks displays created by the Youth for the Future organization. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Detroit, or his designated representative.

We, the Coast Guard, have received requests to remove a vessel traffic routing measure, which is known as the ``Smith Point Traffic Separation Scheme'' (TSS) and depicted on the nautical charts of the Chesapeake Bay. If there is no longer a need for this measure, we would request that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which produces the nation's nautical charts, remove the TSS from these charts and take out language regarding the TSS from the applicable Coast Pilot. We would then make conforming changes to the buoy that marks the turning point in the separation zone of the TSS. We are seeking comments on whether there is any continued need for this vessel traffic routing measure before we do so.

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 purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comments.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for navigable waters within a half mile radius of the Donald Legg Memorial Bridge. The safety zone is needed to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards created by adding a center section of the bridge. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Ohio Valley (COTP) or a designated representative. This temporary final rule reflects a change in the dates of the bridge construction than we previously announced in a prior temporary final rule.

The National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee (Committee) will conduct a series of meetings over 2 days in Katy, Texas to discuss matters relating to activities directly involved with, or in support of, the exploration of offshore mineral and energy resources, to the extent that such matters are within the jurisdiction of the United States Coast Guard. All meetings will be open to the public.

The Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council (HSAPC) will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. The meeting will be open to the public via web conference.

The National Merchant Mariner Medical Advisory Committee (Committee) will conduct virtual meetings over a series of 2 days to discuss matters relating to medical certification determinations for issuance of licenses, certificates of registry, and merchant mariners' documents, medical standards, and guidelines for the physical qualifications of operators of commercial vessels, medical examiner education, and medical research. The Subcommittee on proposed Task Statement 23-X1Directed Review of the Merchant Mariner Medical Manual will also meet on Day 1. These virtual meetings will be open to the public.

The Coast Guard will enforce the special local regulation for the Thunder Over the Boardwalk Air Show August 14, 15, and 16, 2023, to provide for the safety of life on navigable waterways during this event. Our regulation for marine events within the Fifth Coast Guard District identifies the regulated area for this event in Atlantic City, NJ. During the enforcement periods, the operator of any vessel in the regulated area must comply with directions from the Patrol Commander or any Official Patrol displaying a Coast Guard ensign.

The Department of Homeland Security will submit the following Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for all navigable waters in the Upper Mississippi River at Mile Marker (MM) 660.5 through 659.5. The safety zone is needed to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from all potential hazards associated with the implosion of the Lansing Power Station. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Upper Mississippi River (COTP) or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for the City of Nitro Labor Day Fireworks Display occurring on September 3, 2023, on the Kanawha River, Nitro, WV. The safety zone will cover all navigable waters between mile marker 46 and 46.5 to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards associated with a fireworks event. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Ohio Valley (COTP) or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is proposing to establish a temporary safety zone for the Ohio River on August 23, 2023, at mile marker 90.4 to mile marker 91 from 5 through 9 p.m. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on the navigable waters during a floating lantern festival. This rule prohibits persons and vessels from being in the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Pittsburgh (COTP) or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for all waters of the Alameda Estuary, from surface to bottom, within 250 feet of the pier along the southwest side of Coast Guard Island in support of a munitions transfer on August 13, 2023. The safety zone is necessary to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from the dangers associated with live munitions. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port San Francisco.