Coast Guard – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard is proposing to establish a temporary special local regulation for designated areas of the Duluth Harbor entrance to Superior Bay on Lake Superior during the Festival of Sail 2025 event in Duluth, MN. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters around the port of Duluth, MN during a sail festival with tall ships beginning on July 10, 2025, and ending the evening of July 13, 2025. This proposed rulemaking would prohibit persons and vessels from being in the designated areas unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Duluth or a designated representative. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for navigable waters of the San Francisco Bay, outside McCovey Cove, in San Francisco, CA in support of a fireworks display on May 23, 2025. The safety zone is necessary to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards created by pyrotechnics. Unauthorized persons or vessels are prohibited from entering into, transiting through, or remaining in the safety zone without the permission of the Captain of the Port Sector San Francisco or designated representative.

The Coast Guard is extending the effective period for the temporarily modified operating schedule that governs the Florida East Coast Railroad Bridge, across the Okeechobee Waterway, mile 7.41, at Stuart, FL. This action allows for continuity in drawbridge operations while the Coast Guard evaluates documentation received for a request to permanently change the operating regulation. This temporary rule will be in place until September 30, 2025.

The Coast Guard is establishing a special local regulation for certain waters on the York River in Yorktown, VA. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters during an annual high-speed boat race. This rulemaking prohibits persons and vessels from entering the regulated area when it is subject to enforcement unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Sector Virginia or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a special local regulation for certain waters on the East River in Mathews, VA. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters during an annual event, the "Mathews Wharf to Wharf Swim." This regulation prohibits persons and vessels from entering the regulated area unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Sector Virginia or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Little River Bridge, across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW), mile 347.3, at North Myrtle Beach, SC. South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) requested the Coast Guard consider placing the swing bridge on weekday scheduled openings at designated times to assist with vehicle congestion. This deviation will test a change to the drawbridge operation schedule to determine whether a permanent change to the schedule is needed. The Coast Guard is seeking comments from the public regarding these changes.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for certain waters of the Atlantic Ocean near Cocoa Beach, Florida. This safety zone is needed to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards associated with the Thunder on Cocoa Beach powerboat racing event. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Jacksonville or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard proposes establishing a permanent security zone for certain waters of the Upper Mississippi River adjacent to the Jefferson Barracks military installation, Saint Louis, MO. This proposed rulemaking would prohibit persons and vessels from operating or anchoring within the Security zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Upper Mississippi River or a designated representative. This action is necessary to ensure no unauthorized entry into the waters adjacent to the military installation to safeguard the installation from sabotage or other subversive acts. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard will enforce a safety zone for a fireworks display at "The Wharf DC," in Washington, DC, to provide for the safety of life on navigable waterways during this event. Our regulation, "Safety Zones; Fireworks Displays within the Fifth Coast Guard District," identifies the precise location. During the enforcement period, vessels may not enter, remain in, or transit through the safety zone unless authorized to do so by the COTP or his representative, and vessels in the vicinity must comply with directions from the Patrol Commander or any Official Patrol displaying a Coast Guard ensign.

The Coast Guard will enforce various safety zones for maritime events in the Captain of the Port Northern Great Lakes. Enforcement of these safety zones is necessary to protect the safety of life and property on the navigable waters immediately prior to, during, and immediately after this event. During the period, the Coast Guard will enforce restrictions upon, and control movement of, vessels in a specified area immediately prior to, during, and immediately after events. During each enforcement period, vessels must stay out of the established safety zone and may only enter with permission from the designated representative of the Captain of the Port Northern Great Lakes.

The Coast Guard will enforce a special local regulation for the Miami Beach Air and Sea Show from May 24 through May 25, 2025, to provide for the safety of life on navigable waterways during this event. Our regulation for marine events within the Seventh Coast Guard District identifies the regulated area for this event in Miami Beach, FL. During the enforcement periods, no person or vessel may enter, transit through, anchor in, or remain within the regulated area unless authorized by the Coast Guard Patrol Commander or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary special local regulation for certain waters of the St. Mary's River. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters, located at Piney Point, MD, during a two-day, high-speed, power boat demonstration event on June 7, 2025, and June 8, 2025. This rule prohibits persons and vessels from being in the regulated area unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Maryland-National Capital Region, or the Coast Guard Event Patrol Commander.

The Coast Guard is publishing this notice to satisfy a requirement of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that requires a detailed accounting of the projects, programs, and activities funded under the national recreational boating safety program provision of the Act be published annually in the Federal Register. This notice specifies the funding amounts the Coast Guard has committed, obligated, or expended during fiscal year 2024, as of September 30, 2024.

The Coast Guard is proposing to establish temporary safety zones around each tall ship visiting the Great Lakes during the Tall Ships Challenge 2025 race series beginning on July 10, 2025 through October 1, 2025. These safety zones will provide for the regulation of vessel traffic in the vicinity of each tall ship in the navigable waters of the United States. The Coast Guard is taking this action to safeguard participants and spectators from the hazards associated with the limited maneuverability of these tall ships and to ensure public safety during tall ships events. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for navigable waters within a 500-yard radius of the vessels Ugle Duckling and Streak. The safety zone is necessary to protect vessels while a HAUV/ROV survey is conducting underwater surveys. Entry of vessels into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Northern Great Lakes (COTP).

The U.S. Coast Guard is re-soliciting applications from persons interested in membership on the National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee (Committee) to fill one vacant position representing entities engaged in offshore oil exploration and production on the Outer Continental Shelf adjacent to Alaska. The Committee advises the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security on 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 U.S. Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard will enforce special local regulations for the Low Country Splash event on May 24, 2025, to provide for the safety of life on navigable waterways during this event. Our regulation for marine events within the Seventh Coast Guard District identifies the regulated area for this event in Charleston and Mt. Pleasant, SC. During the enforcement periods, no person or vessel may enter, transit through, anchor in, or remain within the regulated area unless authorized by the Coast Guard Patrol Commander or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard published a notification of enforcement of regulation in the Federal Register on April 1, 2025, concerning the enforcement a safety zone for the Greater Bath Foundation Fireworks Display, Bath Creek, Bath, NC. That document contained an incorrect CFR citation. This document corrects that citation.

The Coast Guard is amending existing regulations relating to special local regulations and safety zones that occur annually in Captain of the Port Zone Eastern Great Lakes. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters.

The Coast Guard is proposing to establish a regulated navigation area to control vessel movement for certain waters of Lake Michigan, the Ludington Harbor Channel, and Pere Marquette Lake in Ludington, MI. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life, environment, and property on these navigable waters due to hazardous conditions resulting from increased vessel traffic congestion. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary, moving safety zone to surround nearshore operations conducted by a cable laying barge. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters near Virginia Beach, Virginia. Cable lay and burial operations will create navigational hazards moving along a corridor from shore extending seaward 12 NM. This rulemaking will prohibit persons and vessels from entering the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Sector Virginia or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary special local regulation for certain waters of the Bush River and Otter Point Creek, in Maryland. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters, located at Edgewood, MD, during a high-speed power boat race on May 3, 2025, and May 4, 2025. This regulation prohibits persons and vessels (other than those already at berth at the time the regulation takes effect) from being in the regulated area unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Sector Maryland-National Capital Region (COTP), or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard announces that the Chief of Prevention Division, Seventh District has issued a certificate of alternative compliance from the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (72 COLREGS), for the M/V FALCON (O.N. 1824383). We are issuing this notice because its publication is required by statute. Due to the construction and placement of the masthead light, stern light, and sidelights, M/V FALCON cannot fully comply with the light, shape, or sound signal provisions of the 72 COLREGS without interfering with the vessel's design and construction. This notification of the issuance of these certificates of alternative compliance promotes the Coast Guard's marine safety mission.

The Coast Guard is establishing 55 temporary safety zones around the construction of individual wind energy facilities during the development of the Empire Wind 1 Wind Farm project area. The area lies within Federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf, specifically in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Renewable Energy Lease Area OCS-A 0512, approximately 12 nautical miles south of Long Island, NY. This action protects life, property, and the environment during construction of each facility. When being enforced, only attending vessels and vessels with authorization are permitted to enter or remain in the temporary safety zones.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the U.S. Coast Guard intends to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), requesting an extension of its approval for the following collection of information: 1625-0094, Ships Carrying Bulk Hazardous Liquids; without change. Our ICR describes the information we seek to collect from the public. Before submitting this ICR to OIRA, the Coast Guard is inviting comments as described below.