Coast Guard – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard is establishing a safety zone around the Titan SPAR system, located in Mississippi Canyon Block 941 on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of the safety zone is to protect the facility from all vessels operating outside the normal shipping channels and fairways that are not providing services to or working with the facility. Placing a safety zone around the facility will significantly reduce the threat of allisions, collisions, security breaches, oil spills, releases of natural gas, and thereby protect the safety of life, property, and the environment.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone in the waters of the Lake Erie in the vicinity of Kelley's Island Shoal, OH. This zone is intended to restrict vessels from a portion of Lake Erie due to the presence of an unknown substance emanating from an unknown vessel. This temporary safety zone is necessary to protect people and vessels from the hazards associated with this event.

The Coast Guard will enforce the regulation pertaining to the Savannah Harbor Boat Parade of Lights and Fireworks taking place on November 28, 2015. This action is necessary to ensure safety of life on navigable waters of the United States during the Savannah Harbor Boat Parade of Lights and Fireworks. During the enforcement period, the special local regulation establishes a regulated area which will prohibit all people and vessels from entering. No person or vessel may enter, transit through, anchor in, or remain within the area without permission of the Captain of the Port Savannah, or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is extending, for 30 days, the period for submitting public comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM). The extension responds to a request made by several members of the public.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Commodore Schuyler F. Heim highway drawbridge across the Cerritos Channel, mile 4.9, at Long Beach, CA. During the deviation electrical power will be disconnected from the bridge to allow removal of the bridge from the waterway. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position during its removal.

The Coast Guard is establishing temporary safety zones around the POLAR PIONEER and NOBLE DISCOVERER, two vessels associated with Royal Dutch Shell's (Shell) Arctic oil drilling and exploration operations, as well as any vessel actively engaged in towing or escorting those vessels, while they are located in the U.S. Territorial and Internal Waters of the Sector Puget Sound Captain of the Port Zone. The safety zones created by this rule are necessary to ensure the mutual safety of all waterways users including the specified vessels and those individuals that may desire to exercise their First Amendment rights relating to Shell's Arctic oil drilling and exploration operations.

The Coast Guard proposes to change the operating schedule that governs the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) Railroad Bridge across the New River, mile 2.5, at Fort Lauderdale, FL. This proposed rule implements requirements for the operator designed to ensure that adequate notice of bridge closure times are available to the waterway traffic. It also changes the on demand schedule to an operating regulation requiring the bridge to be open at least 60 minutes in every 2 hour period. Modifying the bridge operating schedule will allow the bridge owner to operate the bridge remotely with assistance from the onsite bridge tender.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Belt Line Railroad Bridge across the South Branch of the Elizabeth River, mile 2.6, between Portsmouth and Chesapeake, VA. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position to facilitate a tie replacement project.

The National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee and its Subcommittee will hold a public meeting in Katy, TX to discuss the safety of operations and other matters affecting the offshore oil and gas industry. These meetings are open to the public.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the SR 22 Bridge over the Tchefuncta River, mile 2.5, at Madisonville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. This deviation is necessary to complete scheduled maintenance of the bridge. This deviation allows the bridge to remain closed to navigation for approximately six weeks while allowing for two scheduled openings on scheduled work days except for a five-day period and a 36-hour period, both in December, when there will be complete closures. The bridge will operate normally on non-scheduled work days and on weekends.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the John F. Kennedy Space Center/NASA Parkway Bridge across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, mile 885.0, Addison Point, FL. For the safety of the participants, this temporary operating schedule will allow the bridge to not open to navigation including tugs with tows, during the Rocketman Triathlon in November.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the U.S. Coast Guard intends to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), requesting approval of revisions to the following collection of information: 1625-0033, Display of Fire Control Plans for Vessels. Our ICR describe the information we seek to collect from the public. Before submitting this ICR to OIRA, the Coast Guard is inviting comments as described below.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 the U.S. Coast Guard is forwarding an Information Collection Request (ICR), abstracted below, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), requesting an extension of its approval for the following collection of information: 1625-0095, Oil and Hazardous Material Pollution Prevention and Safety Records, Equivalents/Alternatives and Exemptions without change. Our ICR describe the information we seek to collect from the public. Review and comments by OIRA ensure we only impose paperwork burdens commensurate with our performance of duties.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the U.S. Coast Guard intends to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), requesting approval of revisions to the following collection of information: 1625-0016, Welding and Hot Works Permits; Posting of Warning Signs. Our ICR describe the information we seek to collect from the public. Before submitting this ICR to OIRA, the Coast Guard is inviting comments as described below.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 the U.S. Coast Guard is forwarding an Information Collection Request (ICR), abstracted below, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), requesting approval of a revision to the following collection of information: 1625-0035, Title 46 CFR Subchapter Q: Lifesaving, Electrical, Engineering and Navigation Equipment, Construction and Materials & Marine Sanitation Devices (33 CFR part 159). Our ICR describe the information we seek to collect from the public. Review and comments by OIRA ensure we only impose paperwork burdens commensurate with our performance of duties.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the U.S. Coast Guard intends to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), requesting approval of revisions to the following collection of information: 1625-0039, Declaration of Inspection Before Transfer of Liquid in Bulk. Our ICR[s] describe[s] the information we seek to collect from the public. Before submitting this ICR to OIRA, the Coast Guard is inviting comments as described below.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Company (BNSF) Bridge 37.0 across the Snohomish River, mile 3.5 at Marysville, WA. The deviation is necessary to accommodate scheduled bridge rail joint maintenance and replacement. The deviation allows the bridges to remain in the closed-to-navigation position during the maintenance to allow safe movement of work crews.

The Coast Guard is establishing an emergency temporary safety zone for all waters of the Lower Mississippi River between mile 467.0 and 472.0. Transit into and through this area is prohibited beginning at 11:32 p.m. on September 10, 2015 and will continue through October 31, 2015 or until the width and depth of the navigational channel improves. This safety zone is needed to protect persons, property and infrastructure from the safety hazards associated with the navigational channel being reduced in width and depth due to shallow water and shifting shoals. This has created an especially hazardous situation that does not allow for normal transit through this reach of the river. Deviation from the safety zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port (COTP) Lower Mississippi River or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing an emergency temporary safety zone for all waters of the Lower Mississippi River between mile 488.0 and 480.5. Transit into and through this area is prohibited beginning at 5:43 p.m. on September 9, 2015 and will continue through October 31, 2015 or until the width and depth of the navigational channel improves. This safety zone is needed to protect persons, property and infrastructure from the safety hazards associated with the navigational channel being reduced in width and depth due to shallow water and shifting shoals. This has created an especially hazardous situation that does not allow for normal transit through this reach of the river. Deviation from the safety zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port (COTP) Lower Mississippi River or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a safety zone on the waters of Biscayne Bay, east of Bayfront Park, in Miami, Florida during the 2015 Ironman 70.3 Miami, a triathlon. The Ironman 70.3 Miami is scheduled to take place on October 25, 2015. Approximately 2,500 participants are anticipated to participate in the swim portion of the event. No spectators are expected to be present during the event. The safety zone is necessary to ensure the safety of participants, vessels, and the general public during the event. Persons and vessels, except those participating in the event, are prohibited from entering, transiting through, anchoring in, or remaining within the regulated area unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Miami or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard proposes additional updates and revisions to regulatory tables that were amended by an interim rule published in August 2013. The tables list liquid hazardous materials, liquefied gases, and compressed gases approved for maritime transportation in bulk, and indicate how each cargo is categorized by its pollution risk and safe carriage requirements. These proposals would correct errors in the interim rule and bring the tables current through December 2013. Updated information is of value to shippers and to the owners and operators of U.S.-flag tank and bulk cargo vessels in any waters, and most foreign-flag tank and oceangoing bulk cargo vessels in U.S. waters. The proposed rule promotes the Coast Guard's maritime safety and stewardship (environmental protection) missions.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Illinois Central Railroad Drawbridge across the Mississippi River, mile 579.9, at Dubuque, Iowa. The deviation is necessary to allow the bridge owner time to replace the tender house essential to the continued safe operation of the drawbridge.

This document provides notice of substantive rules issued by the Coast Guard that were made temporarily effective between January 2015 and March 2015 but expired before they could be published in the Federal Register. This notice 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 will conduct a public workshop in Washington, DC to discuss sewage treatment technologies, issues concerning testing of marine sanitation devices for type approval, and issues concerning gray water. This workshop is intended to be an interactive exchange of information between policymakers, industry experts, and interested members of the public.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the James River Bridge (US 17 and VA 258) across the James River, mile 5.0, between Isle of Wight and Newport News, VA. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position to facilitate work on electrical control and power wiring systems on the bridge.