Coast Guard February 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Maritime Security Advisory Committee will meet in Oakland, California, to review and discuss various issues relating to national maritime security. All meetings will be open to the public.

The Coast Guard is issuing an interim final rule to apply changes made by the 2016 final rule, Harmonization of Standards for Fire Protection, Detection, and Extinguishing Equipment, to inspected towing vessels. Applying these updated fire protection requirements to inspected towing vessels will align regulations for inspected towing vessels with other commercial vessel regulations.

The Commercial Fishing Safety Advisory Committee (CFSAC) will meet via teleconference to discuss the Regulatory Reform tasking efforts (CFSAC task statement #01-17) and may take action to submit their report to the United States Coast Guard. The teleconference will be open to the public. The U.S. Coast Guard will consider CFSAC recommendations as part of the process of identifying regulations, guidance, and collections of information to be repealed, replaced, or modified pursuant to the three Executive Orders discussed above.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a temporary safety zone for all navigable waters on Pensacola Bay within 100 yards of each vessel participating in the Tall Ships Pensacola marine event and parade in Pensacola, FL and within 100 yards of the Port of Pensacola for the duration of the marine event and parade. The proposed rulemaking is necessary to provide for the safety of life and property on these navigable waters during the Tall Ships Pensacola marine event. This proposed rulemaking would prohibit persons and vessels from entering the safety zone unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Mobile (COTP) or a designated representative. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Metro-North Bridge across the Mianus River, mile 1.0 at Greenwich, Connecticut. The deviation is necessary to repair the superstructure and replace timber ties. This deviation allows the bridge to be closed to navigation.

This document provides notification of substantive rules issued by the Coast Guard that were made temporarily effective but expired before they could be published in the Federal Register. This document lists temporary safety zones, security zones, special local regulations, drawbridge operation regulations and regulated navigation areas, all of limited duration and for which timely publication in the Federal Register was not possible.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a temporary safety zone on the navigable waters of the Cape Fear River in New Hanover County, North Carolina. This temporary safety zone is intended to restrict vessel traffic on the Cape Fear River while a vessel prepares for and actively off-loads two new Post-Panamax gantry cranes to the North Carolina State Port Authority in Wilmington, North Carolina. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic on the Cape Fear River to protect mariners and vessels from the hazards associated with off- loading the two gantry cranes. Entry of vessels or persons into this safety zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port (COTP) North Carolina or a designated representative. This proposed rule is a follow-up action to a proposed rule that can be found in docket number USCG-2017-0965. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for the navigable waters within a 500 yard radius of the Kokosing Cable Lay Barge on the Santa Rosa Sound, Pensacola Beach, FL. This temporary safety zone is necessary to provide for the safety of life and property on these navigable waters during a power cable laying project taking place on the waterway. Entry into or transiting in this zone is prohibited to all vessels, mariners, and persons unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Mobile (COTP) or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is reopening the comment period to solicit additional comments concerning the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), which published on June 30, 2017, and was initially reopened for comments on December 6, 2017. Reopening the comment period will allow the public to provide input on the proposed change to the regulation governing the DELAIR Memorial Railroad Bridge across the Delaware River, mile 104.6, at Pennsauken Township, NJ.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Wantagh State Parkway Bridge across Sloop Channel, mile 15.4, at Hempstead, New York. This deviation is necessary in order to facilitate an annual fireworks display and allows the bridge to remain in the closed position for three hours.

The Merchant Mariner Medical Advisory Committee and its Working Groups will meet to discuss matters relating to medical certification determinations for issuance of licenses, certificates of registry, and merchant mariners' documents, medical standards and guidelines for the physical qualifications of operators of commercial vessels, medical examiner education, and medical research. The meetings will be open to the public.

The U.S. Coast Guard seeks applications for membership on the Towing Safety Advisory Committee. This Committee advises the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security on matters relating to the shallow-draft inland and coastal waterway navigation and towing safety.

This document announces the availability of a list of vessels that are generally prohibited from entering the navigable waters of the United States or transferring cargo in the United States. The list, which is developed by the Department of State, will be publicly available on the Coast Guard National Vessel Movement Center (NVMC) website at www.nvmc.uscg.gov/CAATSA.aspx and will be updated periodically on the website. The Ports and Waterways Safety Act, as amended by the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) generally prohibits the entry of vessels on this list, and generally prohibits the entry of vessels registered to a Flag State that retains in its registry a vessel identified on this list 180 days after the most recent publication. The CAATSA amendment also generally prohibits such vessels from transferring cargo in any port or place under the jurisdiction of the United States.

The Coast Guard requests public comments on the potential establishment of Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) at the harbor entrance bars to Crescent Harbor, Humboldt Bay, Noyo River, and Morro Bay. In order to mitigate potential hazards and provide transparent communication with all mariners during hazardous weather conditions, this proposed RNA regulation would provide predictable protocols to mariners for potential restriction to traffic and conditions that prohibit vessels from entering a specified area surrounding each bar during hazardous weather conditions unless authorized by Commander, District Eleven or a designated representative. We seek your comments on what you believe to be the potential benefit or possible negative impact if we were to establish RNAs at these harbor entrances. We welcome all suggestions, ideas, and solutions for maintaining mariner and vessel safety during adverse weather and sea conditions at these harbor entrances.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a safety zone on Lake Michigan in Chicago Harbor, near the Ohio Street Beach in Chicago, IL. This action is necessary and intended to ensure safety of life on the navigable waters of the United States immediately prior to, during, and after large scale swim events that occur throughout each calendar year. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port, Lake Michigan.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary special local regulation on the Black Warrior River extending the entire width of the river from mile marker 339.0 to mile marker 341.5 in Tuscaloosa, AL. The special local regulation is needed to protect the persons participating in the NCAA Collegiate Rowing Competition marine event. Entry into, transiting through, or exiting from this regulated area is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Mobile, or a designated representative.

This document provides notification of substantive rules issued by the Coast Guard that were made temporarily effective but expired before they could be published in the Federal Register. This document lists temporary safety zones, security zones, special local regulations, drawbridge operation regulations and regulated navigation areas, all of limited duration and for which timely publication in the Federal Register was not possible.

This document provides notification of substantive rules issued by the Coast Guard that were made temporarily effective but expired before they could be published in the Federal Register. This document lists temporary safety zones, security zones, special local regulations, drawbridge operation regulations and regulated navigation areas, all of limited duration and for which timely publication in the Federal Register was not possible.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Margate Boulevard/Margate Bridge which carries Margate Boulevard across the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway, Beach Thorofare, mile 74.0, at Margate City, NJ. The deviation is necessary to facilitate bridge maintenance. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position.