Coast Guard July 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard is modifying the operating schedule that governs the Treasure Island Causeway Bridge, mile 119.0, Treasure Island, Florida. Changing the schedule from on signal to three times an hour during the week and twice an hour on the weekends will reduce vehicle traffic issues caused by the bridge openings while providing for the reasonable needs of navigation.

The Coast Guard will enforce the safety zone on Green Bay in Sister Bay, WI for the Sister Bay Marinafest Fireworks. This zone will be enforced from 8:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. on August 30, 2014. This action is necessary and intended to ensure the safety of life on navigable waters during a fireworks display. During the aforementioned periods, the Coast Guard will enforce restrictions upon, and control movement of, vessels in the safety zone. No person or vessel may enter the safety zone while it is being enforced without permission of the Captain of the Port, Lake Michigan.

This rule finalizes the amendments to Coast Guard regulations for certain lifesaving equipment, including launching appliances (winches and davits), release mechanisms, survival craft (lifeboats, inflatable liferafts, and inflatable buoyant apparatus), rescue boats, and automatic disengaging devices, which were published as an interim rule and amended by a second interim rule. Additionally, it finalizes the amendments to the requirements for Coast Guard-approved release mechanisms proposed in a supplementary notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM). This final rule harmonizes the Coast Guard's design, construction, and performance standards for this lifesaving equipment with international standards, while providing for the use of qualified independent laboratories, instead of Coast Guard inspectors, during the approval process and for production inspections of certain types of lifesaving equipment.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Royal Park and Southern Boulevard Bridges, Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, mile 1022.6 and mile 1024.7, West Palm Beach, FL. These temporary operating schedules have been implemented in an effort to assist with the flow of vehicular traffic due to the Flagler Memorial Bridge being left in the open to navigation position.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Amtrak Pelham Bay Bridge across the Hutchinson River, mile 0.5, at Bronx, New York. The deviation is necessary for installation of new bearing bushings at the bridge. This temporary deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed position for two six-day closure periods to perform scheduled maintenance.

The Coast Guard is establishing a safety zone encompassing certain waters of the Patapsco River. This safety zone is necessary to protect the public and vessels on navigable waters during a fireworks display launched from a barge located adjacent to the East Channel of Northwest Harbor at Baltimore, MD on August 5, 2014.

The Coast Guard is amending the permanent special local regulations for the Suncoast Offshore Challenge and the Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix in the Gulf of Mexico near Sarasota, Florida. Reflected in the existing permanent special local regulations, these two races have nearly identical course and time characteristics, however, one event used to be held annually on the first Saturday of July and the other event is held annually on the first Sunday of July. The sponsor has decided to combine the events into a single day, reduce the length of the racecourse, and modify the time of the event. Due to recent shoaling north of New Pass, it is necessary to amend the existing language to close New Pass and open Big Sarasota Pass to traffic. The changes are necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the event.

The Coast Guard published a final rule in the Federal Register on July 7, 2014, that made non-substantive corrections throughout Title 33 of the Code of Federal Regulations. One of the amendatory instructions, which was intended to update a mailing stop number, contained a reference to the wrong paragraph in a section. This rule corrects that error.

On May 12, 2014, the Coast Guard published in the Federal Register (79 FR 26848) a temporary interim rule and request for comments establishing a safety zone on the navigable waters of Gerritsen Inlet surrounding the Belt Parkway Bridge. Inadvertently, this rule included an error in one of the coordinates of the safety zone. This document corrects that error.

The Coast Guard announces that the Fleet Week Maritime Festival's Pier 66 Safety Zone in Elliott Bay, WA will be in effect from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. on July 30, 2014. In addition to enforcing the safety zone during the parade of ships and aerial demonstration, the safety zone will only be enforced thirty minutes prior and thirty minutes following the conclusion of the parade of ships and aerial demonstration. This action is necessary to promote safety on navigable waters. During the enforcement period, entry into, transit through, mooring, or anchoring within this zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Puget Sound or his designated representative.

The Coast Guard is revising the current regulated navigation area (RNA) for the navigable waters of the Hudson River surrounding the Tappan Zee Bridge. First, the Coast Guard is establishing a new safety zone surrounding commercial mooring buoys installed for the ongoing Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project. The safety zone will prohibit all vessel traffic that could pose an imminent hazard to persons and vessels that will be transiting to and from the bridge site and maneuvering in close quarters between other construction vessels and large mooring buoys. Second, the Coast Guard is expanding the size of the current RNA and designating two areas within the RNA, the Eastern RNA and the Western RNA, based upon their respective locations in relation to the new safety zone. This rule is necessary to provide for the safety of life in the RNA and safety zone during the construction of the New NY Bridge and demolition of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge.

The Coast Guard will enforce safety zones in the Captain of the Port (COTP) New York Zone on specified dates and times. These actions are necessary to ensure the safety of vessels and spectators from hazards associated with fireworks displays. During the enforcement periods, no person or vessel may enter the safety zones without permission from the COTP.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish temporary regulations in certain waters of the Patapsco River. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters before, during, and after the Star-Spangled Spectacular Fireworks scheduled as part of War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemorations activities at Baltimore, Maryland during September 6-16, 2014. This action will restrict vessel traffic in portions of the Patapsco River, including the Northwest Harbor and Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

The Coast Guard will enforce the safety zone on Lake Michigan in New Buffalo, MI for the New Buffalo Ship and Shore Fireworks display. This zone will be enforced from 9:30 p.m. until 11:15 p.m. on August 9, 2014. This action is necessary and intended to ensure the safety of life on navigable waters during a fireworks display. During the aforementioned period, the Coast Guard will enforce restrictions upon, and control movement of, vessels in the safety zone. No person or vessel may enter the safety zone while it is being enforced without permission of the Captain of the Port Lake Michigan.

This document adopts as a final rule, without change, an interim final rule amending the Coast Guard regulations established for recurring marine events and fireworks displays that take place within the Fifth Coast Guard District area of responsibility. Under that rule, the list of recurring marine events requiring special local regulations or safety zones is updated with revisions, additional events, and removal of events that no longer take place in the Fifth Coast Guard District. When these regulations are enforced, certain restrictions are placed on marine traffic in specified areas. This rulemaking project promotes efficiency by eliminating the need to produce a separate rule for each individual recurring event, and serves to provide notice of the known recurring events requiring a special local regulation or safety zone throughout the year.

The Coast Guard will enforce the safety zone on Lake Erie in Cedar Point, Ohio, for the Revolution 3 Triathlon in Cedar Point, Ohio. This zone will be enforced from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m. on each day of September 6 and 7, 2014. This action is necessary and intended to ensure safety of life on navigable waters during the Revolution 3 Triathlon. During the aforementioned periods, the Coast Guard will enforce restrictions upon, and control movement of, vessels in the safety zone. No person or vessel may enter the safety zone while it is being enforced without permission of the Captain of the Port Detroit.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on Lake Michigan in Winnetka, IL. This safety zone is intended to restrict vessels from a portion of Lake Michigan due to a barge-based fireworks display. This temporary safety zone is necessary to protect the surrounding public and vessels from the hazards associated with the fireworks display.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Metro North WALK Bridge across the Norwalk River, mile 0.1, at Norwalk, Connecticut. The deviation is necessary to facilitate necessary maintenance and repairs to the electrical and mechanical operating systems at the bridge. This temporary deviation authorizes the bridge to open after an eight-hour advance notice is given under a revised operating schedule.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the operation of the Park Avenue Bridge across the Harlem River, mile 2.1, at New York City, New York. The deviation is necessary for replacement of the lift cables and rehabilitation of the operating system at the bridge. This temporary deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed position for 179 days to perform major rehabilitation repairs.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Chapel Street Bridge across the Mill River, mile 0.4, at New Haven, Connecticut. The deviation is necessary for inspection of the center pivot bearing at the bridge. This temporary deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed position for twelve hours to perform bridge inspection operations.

The Coast Guard will enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Chicago River, Calumet-Saganashkee Channel on all waters of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal from Mile Marker 296.1 to Mile Marker 296.7 at specified times from June 30 to September 26, 2014. This action is necessary to protect the waterway, waterway users, and vessels from the hazards associated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' installation of a new permanent fish barrier. During the enforcement periods listed below, entry into, transiting, mooring, laying-up or anchoring within the enforced area of this safety zone by any person or vessel is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Lake Michigan, or her designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the Monongahela River mile 0.0 to mile 0.22. This safety zone is needed to protect vessels transiting the area and event spectators from the hazards associated with a barge-based fireworks display. Entry into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Pittsburgh or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the SR 175 Bridge across Lewis Channel and Black Narrows, mile 3.5, at Chincoteague, VA. This deviation will be a test to change the drawbridge operation schedule to determine whether a permanent change to the schedule is needed. This deviation will require the bridge to open on demand at all times.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the waters of Green Bay near in Menominee, Michigan. This safety zone is intended to restrict vessels from a portion of Green Bay due to two fireworks displays. This temporary safety zone is necessary to protect the surrounding public and vessels from the hazards associated with the fireworks displays.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the US 40-322 (Albany Avenue) Bridge across Inside Thorofare, NJICW mile 70.0, at Atlantic City, NJ. The deviation is necessary to facilitate the 4th Annual Atlantic City Triathlon. The deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed position to vessels requesting a bridge opening to ensure the participants' safety and that there are no delays.