Coast Guard February 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee (NOSAC) will meet to discuss various issues relating to offshore safety and security. The meeting will be open to the public.

The Commander, First Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the Metro North Devon Bridge, across the Housatonic River, mile 3.9, at Stratford, Connecticut. Under this temporary deviation the draw may remain in the closed position from 8 a.m. through 11 p.m. on March 3, 2007. This deviation is necessary to facilitate scheduled bridge maintenance.

The Commander, Seventh Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulations governing the operation of the PGA Boulevard Drawbridge, across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway mile 1012.6, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida. This deviation allows the drawbridge to remain on single-leaf operations with a double-leaf opening available with a two-hour notice to the bridge tender. This deviation allows for several drawbridge closures in order to complete bridge repairs. The exact dates of the drawbridge closures will be published in the Local Notice to Mariners. The deviation is necessary to provide for worker and mariner safety during repairs to the drawbridge.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone in all navigable waters of the Captain of the Port Baltimore zone. The temporary safety zone restricts vessels from transiting the zone during ice season, unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Baltimore, Maryland or designated representative through the issuance of broadcast notice to mariners and marine safety information bulletins. This safety zone is necessary to protect mariners from the hazards associated with ice.

The Coast Guard is correcting a technical amendment that appeared in the Federal Register on August 21, 2006. That technical amendment authorized the Commanding Officer of the National Maritime Center (NMC) to perform certain mariner credentialing functions in addition to Officers in Charge, Marine Inspection, who currently perform those functions. At the end of a transitional period, most credentialing functions will be consolidated at a centralized location. The technical amendment also made technical changes to the mariner credentialing appellate process.

The Commander, Eighth Coast Guard District has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operations of the Rock Island Railroad and Highway Drawbridge, Mile 482.9, Rock Island, Illinois across the Upper Mississippi River. This deviation allows the bridge to remain closed-to-navigation from 7:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m., September 23, 2007. The deviation is necessary as the drawbridge is part of the annual route for the Quad City Marathon.

This document contains corrections to the operating schedules of the SE. Third Avenue, Andrews Avenue and Marshal (Seventh Avenue) bridges across the New River, miles 1.4, 2.3, and 2.7 respectfully and the operating schedule of the Davie Boulevard (SW. Twelfth Street) bridge across the New River, South Fork, mile 0.9, Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida published on December 4, 2006 in the Federal Register (71 FR 70305) under docket number USCG-2001-10881.

The Coast Guard is revising the duration vessels are authorized to anchor in specific anchorage grounds within the Port of New York and New Jersey (PONYNJ). This action is necessary to facilitate safe navigation and provide for the overall safe and efficient flow of waterborne commerce. This action is intended to better facilitate the efficient use of the limited deep water anchorage grounds available in PONYNJ.

The Coast Guard is proposing to establish a permanent security zone on certain waters of the Severn River and College Creek in Maryland. This action is necessary in order to ensure the security of high-ranking public officials and safeguard the public at large against terrorist acts or incidents during the U.S. Naval Academy graduation ceremony, held annually on the Friday before the Memorial Day holiday in May. This rule prohibits vessels and people from entering the security zone and requires vessels and persons in the security zone to depart the zone, unless specifically exempt under the provisions in this rule or granted specific permission from the Coast Guard Captain of the Port of Baltimore.

Current vessel response plan regulations require the owners or operators of vessels carrying Groups I through V petroleum oil as a primary cargo to identify in their response plans a salvage company with expertise and equipment, and a company with firefighting capability that can be deployed to a port nearest to the vessel's operating area within 24 hours of notification (Groups I-IV) or a discovery of a discharge (Group V). On January 23, 2004, a notice of suspension was published in the Federal Register, suspending the 24- hour requirement scheduled to become effective on February 12, 2004, until February 12, 2007 (69 FR 3236). The Coast Guard has decided to extend this suspension period for another two years to allow us to complete the rulemaking that will revise the salvage and marine firefighting requirements.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone in the waters surrounding the Wantagh Parkway Number 3 Bridge across the Sloop Channel in Town of Hempstead, New York. This zone is necessary to protect vessels transiting in the area from hazards associated with construction barges and equipment being utilized to construct a new bascule bridge over the Sloop Channel. Entry into this zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Long Island Sound.

The Department of Homeland Security is requesting individuals who are interested in serving on the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Advisory Committee (CFIVSAC) to apply for appointment to those seats vacated. The CFIVSAC provides advice and makes recommendations to the Coast Guard for improving commercial fishing industry safety practices.

The National Maritime Security Advisory Committee (NMSAC) will meet on February 28, 2007, in Arlington, Virginia to discuss various issues relating to national maritime security. This meeting will be open to the public.

The Coast Guard is changing the drawbridge operations for the Illinois Central Railroad Drawbridge across the Upper Mississippi River at Mile 579.9, at Dubuque, Iowa. Under the rule, the drawbridge shall open on signal if at least 24 hours advance notice is given from 12:01 a.m., on February 2, 2007 until 8 a.m., on March 15, 2007. This rule allows time for making upgrades to critical mechanical components and perform scheduled annual maintenance/repairs to the bridge and pier protection.

The Coast Guard seeks applications for membership on the Towing Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC). TSAC advises the Coast Guard on matters relating to shallow-draft inland and coastal waterway navigation and towing safety.