Coast Guard 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Commander, First Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the Loop Parkway Bridge, across Long Creek at mile 0.7, at Jones Beach, New York. This deviation will test a change to the drawbridge operation schedule to determine whether a permanent change to the schedule is needed. This deviation will allow the bridge to open on signal for all marine traffic, Monday through Friday twice an hour at twenty and fifty minutes after the hour, from 6:20 a.m. to 7:20 p.m., except that, between 9:50 a.m. and 3:20 p.m., the bridge shall open on signal for all commercial vessels. On Saturday, Sunday, and Federal Holidays, the bridge shall open on signal once an hour, at twenty minutes after the hour, between 7:20 a.m. and 8:20 p.m., except that, the bridge shall open on signal for all commercial vessels. At all other times the bridge shall open on signal for all vessel traffic.

The Coast Guard is establishing safety and security zones around Tall Ships visiting the Great Lakes during Tall Ships Celebration 2006. These safety and security zones will provide for the regulation of vessel traffic in the vicinity of Tall Ships in the navigable waters of the United States. The Coast Guard is taking this action to safeguard participants and spectators from the safety hazards associated with the limited maneuverability of these tall ships and to ensure public safety during Tall Ships events.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the navigable waters of Beaufort River for a fireworks display. The temporary safety zone extends 460 feet in all directions from the center of a barge located in Beaufort River, Beaufort, South Carolina in approximate position 32[deg]25.632' N, 080[deg]40.600' W. This rule prohibits entry, anchoring, mooring or transiting within the safety zone without the permission of the Captain of the Port Charleston or his designated representative. This regulation is necessary to protect life and property on the navigable waters of Beaufort River due to the hazards associated with the launching of fireworks.

The Coast Guard is establishing temporary special local regulations for the ``SBIPFountain Powerboats Kilo Run and Super Boat Grand Prix'', a marine event to be held August 4 and August 6, 2006, on the waters of the Pamlico River, near Washington, North Carolina. These special local regulations are necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the event. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic in portions of the Pamlico River during the event.

The Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, has approved a temporary deviation from the regulations governing the operation of the new Woodrow Wilson Memorial (I-95) Bridge, mile 103.8, across Potomac River between Alexandria, Virginia and Oxon Hill, Maryland. This deviation allows the new drawbridge to remain closed-to-navigation each day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. beginning on June 26, 2006 until and including August 25, 2006, to facilitate completion of the Outer Loop portion for the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge construction project.

This rule temporarily suspends the permanent special local regulations for the Suncoast Offshore Challenge and the Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix in the Gulf of Mexico near Sarasota, Florida. By existing permanent special local regulations, these two race events have nearly identical course and time characteristics, however one event is held annually on the first Saturday of July and the other event is held annually on the first Sunday of July. This year, the sponsor has decided to combine the events into a single day, reduce the length of the racecourse, and modify the times of the event. Therefore, this rule also adds new temporary special local regulations to account for the changes and provide for the safety of life for the participating vessels, spectators, and mariners on the navigable waters of the United States during the event.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for the Lignelli Wedding Fireworks in the Atlantic Ocean off of 381 Dune Road, Water Mill, NY. The safety zone is necessary to protect the life and property of the maritime community from the hazards posed by the fireworks display. Entry into or movement within this safety zone during the enforcement period is prohibited without approval of the Captain of the Port, Long Island Sound.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for the 4th of July Fireworks Display in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This safety zone is necessary to safeguard vessels and spectators from hazards associated with fireworks displays. This rule is intended to restrict vessel traffic from a portion of Lake Michigan and Kenosha Harbor.

The Coast Guard will enforce safety zones for annual fireworks displays in the Captain of the Port Sector Lake Michigan Zone during July 2006. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life and property on navigable waters during these events. These safety zones will restrict vessel traffic from a portion of the Captain of the Port Sector Lake Michigan Zone.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone in Lake Macatawa, Holland, MI, on July 1, 2006 for the Celebration Freedom Fireworks. This safety zone is needed to protect participants and spectators from the hazards associated with fireworks Displays. Entry into this zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port or his duly appointed representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone encompassing the navigable waters of the St. Lawrence River during the Independence Fireworks on July 3, 2006. This safety zone is necessary to ensure the safety of spectators and vessels from the hazards associated with fireworks displays. This safety zone is intended to restrict vessel traffic from a portion of the St. Lawrence River, Heart Island, New York.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone in Lake Michigan, New Buffalo, MI, for the Ship and Shore Festival Fireworks on July 2, 2006. This safety zone is needed to protect participants and spectators from the hazards associated with fireworks displays. Entry into this zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port or his duly appointed representative.

The Coast Guard is implementing safety zones for annual fireworks displays in the Captain of the Port Detroit Zone during July 2006. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life and property on navigable waters during these events. These safety zones will restrict vessel traffic from a portion of the Captain of the Port Detroit Zone.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone encompassing the navigable waters of the St. Lawrence River during the Hydroplane Races on July 1, 2006 and July 2, 2006. This safety zone is necessary to ensure the safety of spectators and vessels from the hazards associated with high speed boat races. This safety zone is intended to restrict vessel traffic from a portion of the St. Lawrence River in Ogdensburg, NY.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announces the availability of the draft programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) addressing the proposed implementation of the Nationwide Automatic Identification System (NAIS) project. The proposed implementation of the NAIS project would involve installing receivers, transmitters, transceivers, repeaters, and other equipment on towers or other structures at up to 450 sites at locations along 95,000 miles of coastline and inland waterways, as well as the use of selected remote platforms. The USCG requests public comments on the draft PEIS.

The Coast Guard is changing the regulations governing the operation of all Broward County drawbridges across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Broward County, Florida. This rule will require these drawbridges to open twice an hour. This schedule will meet the reasonable needs of navigation while accommodating increased vehicular traffic flow throughout the county.

The Coast Guard proposes to change the drawbridge operation regulations of four Cape May County Bridge Commission (CMCBC) bridges: the Townsend Inlet Bridge, at mile 0.3 in Avalon; the County of Cape May Bridge, at mile 0.7, across Great Channel between Stone Harbor and Nummy Island; the Ocean Drive Bridge, at mile 1.0, across Grassy Sound Channel in North Wildwood; and the Two-Mile Bridge, at NJICW mile 112.2, across Middle Thorofare in Wildwood Crest, in NJ. This proposal will allow the bridges to remain in the closed position at particular dates and times to accommodate the Ocean Drive Marathon. Vessels that can pass under the bridges without a bridge opening may do so at all times.

The Coast Guard is changing the regulations that govern the operation of the Dominion Boulevard (US 17) Bridge across the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, at Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW) mile 8.8, at Chesapeake, Virginia. The final rule will provide for hourly openings of the draw which will now start at 6 a.m. on weekdays and weekends and will not change the morning and evening rush hours, which are from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., respectively. The Dominion Boulevard (US 17) Bridge will continue to open on signal at any time for commercial vessels carrying liquefied flammable gas or other hazardous materials, and for commercial vessels that provide a two-hour advance notice. At all other times, the draw shall open on signal. These changes are necessary in order to relieve increased vehicular traffic congestion on weekends and between the weekday morning and evening rush hour periods while still providing for the reasonable needs of navigation.

This notice announces a teleconference of the Towing Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC). The purpose of this teleconference is for TSAC to present its comments to the Coast Guard on the joint Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) and Coast Guard's Transportation Worker's Identification Credential (TWIC) proposed rule and on the Coast Guard's Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) proposed rule.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone encompassing the navigable waters of Oneida Lake in Brewerton, NY on July 3, 2006. This safety zone is necessary to ensure the safety of spectators and vessels from the hazards associated with firework displays. This safety zone restricts vessel traffic from a portion of Oneida Lake in Brewerton, NY.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone encompassing the navigable waters of St. Lawrence River near Heart Island on July 4, 2006. This safety zone is necessary to ensure the safety of spectators and vessels from the hazards associated with fireworks displays. This safety zone is intended to restrict vessel traffic from a portion of St. Lawrence River, Heart Island, New York.

On March 31, 2006, the Coast Guard published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register (71 FR 19150). That document contains a detailed history of the Coast Guard's previous regulatory efforts regarding the SR 175 Bridge. The Coast Guard is reopening the period for public comment concerning the drawbridge operation regulations that govern the SR 175 Bridge, mile 3.5, across Chincoteague Channel at Chincoteague, Virginia, because an Accomack County official communicated to the Coast Guard those residents of Chincoteague have additional comments concerning the operating regulations of the drawbridge.

The Coast Guard is establishing a safety zone for the Mentor Power Boat Race located in the Captain of the Port Buffalo Zone. This safety zone is necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during this event. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic within the immediate vicinity of the event in a portion of Lake Erie.

The Coast Guard proposes that the procedures found in Sec. 117.393 for operation of the Pekin Railroad Drawbridge, Mile 151.2, across the Illinois Waterway at Pekin, Illinois, be revised to reflect the actual procedures that have always been followed. The present regulation in Sec. 117.393 was intended to be temporary, for test purposes only, and was inadvertently permanently included. The revision would eliminate the ``Specific Requirements'' for remote operation and the bridge would continue to operate, as required by the Coast Guard, under the ``General Requirements''.

The Coast Guard announces that the majority of the agency contact phone numbers for its regulatory projects and Federal advisory committees have changed. This notice provides the current agency contact phone numbers for our on-going regulatory projects listed in the spring 2006 Unified Agenda and for our advisory committees.