Coast Guard December 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for all waters of the Upper Mississippi River, extending the entire width between miles 35.0 to 55.0, and miles 75.0 to 85.0 from December 15, 2012 until March 31, 2013. This safety zone is needed to protect persons, property and infrastructure from the potential damage and safety hazards associated with contractor operations for the US Army Corps of Engineers to remove underwater rock pinnacles from the Upper Mississippi River. Removal of the underwater rock pinnacles is vital to ensuring the safe navigation of vessels in these stretches of river in low water situations. Entry into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Ohio Valley or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is reopening the comment period to solicit comments on its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published January 13, 2010, regarding the Ferry Street Bridge, mile 0.7, across the Quinnipiac River, the Grand Avenue Bridge, mile 1.3, across the Quinnipiac River, and the Chapel Street Bridge, mile 0.4, across the Mill River, at New Haven, Connecticut. This notice of proposed rulemaking is expected to relieve the bridge owner from the burden of crewing the bridges during time periods when the bridges seldom receive requests to open.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the waters of the Atlantic Ocean in Key West, Florida, during the Bone Island Triathlon on Saturday, January 12, 2013. The safety zone is necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the event. Persons and vessels are prohibited from entering, transiting through, anchoring in, or remaining within the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Key West or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard has issued temporary deviations from the regulations governing the operation of the following four bridges in Miami, Florida: The Venetian Causeway Bridge (West), mile 1088.6, across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway; the Venetian Causeway Bridge (East), across Biscayne Bay; the Miami Avenue Bridge, mile 0.3, across the Miami River; and the Brickell Avenue Bridge, mile 0.1, across the Miami River. The deviations are necessary to allow for race participants to traverse the bridges during the ING Marathon. This deviation will result in the bridges remaining in the closed position during the ING Marathon. Tugs and tugs with tows are not exempt from this deviation.

The Coast Guard is changing the regulation that governs the operating schedules for two bridges that cross the Apalachicola River in Florida. These changes are being made in response to two requests to the Coast Guard. First, the CSX Railroad requested to modify the operating schedule of their swing bridge at mile 105.9, at River Junction to require eight hours advanced notice at all times. Second, the Apalachicola and Northern Railroad (ANRR) requested to maintain the swing bridge at mile 4.5 (GIWW mile 347.0 East of Harvey Lock (EHL)), at Apalachicola, untended and in the open-to-navigation position at all times.

The Coast Guard proposes to extend the temporary safety zone established on the waters of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway at Oak Island, North Carolina. The safety zone is necessary to provide for the safety of mariners on navigable waters during maintenance on the NC 133 Fixed Bridge crossing the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, mile 311.8, at Oak Island, North Carolina. The safety zone extension will temporarily restrict vessel movement within the designated area starting on February 14, 2013 through June 15, 2013.

The Coast Guard is establishing three temporary safety zones during New Year's Eve fireworks displays on certain navigable waterways in Biscayne Bay and Palm Beach, Florida. These safety zones are necessary to protect the public from the hazards associated with launching fireworks over navigable waters of the United States. Persons and vessels are prohibited from entering, transiting through, anchoring in, or remaining within any of the three safety zones unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Miami or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary security zone on the waters south of Kapoho Point and a nearby channel in Kailua Bay within the Honolulu Captain of the Port (COTP) Zone. This security zone is necessary to ensure the safety of the President of the United States and his family members.

On December 11, 2012, the Coast Guard published in the Federal Register an interim temporary final rule establishing a safety zone around the Gilmerton Bridge center span barge. Inadvertently, this rule included an error in the inclement weather date of the safety zone. This document corrects that error.

The Coast Guard is establishing temporary safety zones around the Columbia Grain facility on the Willamette River in Portland, OR, and the United Grain Corporation facility on the Columbia River in Vancouver, WA. These safety zones extend to the waters of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, respectively, approximately between the navigable channel and the facility described. These safety zones are being established to ensure that protest activities relating to a labor dispute involving these facilities do not create hazardous navigation conditions for vessels in the navigable channel or vessels attempting to moor at the facilities.

The Coast Guard is changing the operating schedule governing the Freeport Drawbridge, mile 46.0, over the Sacramento River. The bridge owner proposed to change the ``on demand'' bridge opening hours and dates, due to a documented decrease in drawbridge openings compared to other nearby bridges. The change is to address the issue of misalignment between drawbridge staffing and actual drawbridge operation, resulting in unnecessary staffing of the drawbridge during periods of navigational inactivity.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone around all inbound and outbound grain-shipment vessels involved in commerce with the Columbia Grain facility on the Willamette River in Portland, OR, and the United Grain Corporation facility on the Columbia River in Vancouver, WA while they are located on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. This safety zone extends to waters 500 yards ahead of the vessel and 200 yards abeam and astern of the vessel. This safety zone is being established to ensure that protest activities relating to a labor dispute do not create hazardous navigation conditions for any vessel or other river user in the vicinity of the safety zone.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the operation of the Norfolk Southern V2.8 Railroad Bridge across the Elizabeth River (Eastern Branch), mile 2.7, at Norfolk, VA. This deviation is necessary to facilitate replacing bearings on the Norfolk Southern V2.8 Railroad Bridge. This temporary deviation will allow the drawbridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position on specific dates and times.

The Coast Guard is reinstating a regulated navigation area (RNA) that was promulgated to protect the public against hazardous conditions created by repair work on the S99 Alford Street Bridge across the Mystic River between Boston and Chelsea, Massachusetts. The original RNA terminates on November 30, 2012 and must be reinstated because repair work is continuing beyond that date. This rule promotes the Coast Guard's maritime safety and stewardship missions.

The Coast Guard will establish a temporary safety zone on the navigable waters of the Elizabeth River in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake, VA. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the Gilmerton Bridge Center Span Float- in and bridge construction of span placement. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic movement to protect mariners from the hazards associated with the float-in and span placement.

The Coast Guard is amending its Vessel Inspection Alternatives regulations to add the International Energy Efficiency (IEE) Certificate to the list of certificates that a recognized classification society may issue on behalf of the Coast Guard. We are making this change because Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution by Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978, has been amended to address energy efficiency for ships, and these amendments call for the issuance of IEE Certificates starting January 1, 2013. This rule will enable recognized classification societies to apply to the Coast Guard to issue IEE Certificates to vessel owners and help to ensure that the demand for IEE Certificates is met.

The Coast Guard will enforce special local regulations during the San Diego Parade of Lights, held on December 09 and December 16, 2012 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the San Diego Bay. These special local regulations are necessary to provide for the safety of the participants, crew, spectators, sponsor vessels of the regatta, and general users of the waterway. During the enforcement period, persons and vessels are prohibited from entering into, transiting through, or anchoring within this safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, or his designated representative.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Harry S. Truman Railroad Drawbridge across the Missouri River, mile 359.4, at Kansas City, Missouri. The deviation is necessary to allow the replacement of 64 counterweight cables that facilitate movement of the lift span. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed position while the counterweight cables are replaced.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary Safety Zone on the waters of Maumee River, Toledo, Ohio, from 8:30 a.m. on November 27, 2012 until 6:30 p.m. on December 7, 2012. This safety zone will encompass all waters of Maumee River starting from the CSX Railroad Bridge at River Mile Marker 1.07 and ending 700 feet downriver from the CSX Railroad Bridge. This temporary Safety Zone is necessary to protect persons operating in the area.

The Coast Guard is providing guidance regarding electrical equipment installed in hazardous areas on foreign-flagged Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs) that have never operated, but intend to operate, on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Chapter 6 of the 2009 version of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (2009 IMO MODU Code) sets forth standards for testing and certifying electrical equipment installations on MODUs. The Coast Guard is considering issuing a rule that will implement Chapter 6 of the 2009 IMO MODU Code and that will be applicable to foreign-flagged MODUs that have never operated, but intend to operate, on the U.S. OCS. In the interim, the Coast Guard recommends that owners and operators of foreign-flagged MODUs that have never operated, but intend to operate on the U.S. OCS, voluntarily comply with Chapter 6 of the 2009 IMO MODU Code.