Coast Guard – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard is declaring Sea Area A1 in certain areas off the coast of the United States based upon the performance of the Coast Guard's Rescue 21 System, and in accordance with applicable provisions of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 (SOLAS). The Coast Guard defines Sea Area A1 as those areas where more than ninety percent of the area within 20 nautical miles seaward of the territorial baseline along the East, West and Gulf Coasts of the United States, excluding Alaska, and including Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and the Northern Mariana Islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, is within coverage of Coast Guard very high frequency (VHF) Coast Stations that provide both a continuous watch for Digital Selective Calling (DSC) distress alerts on Channel 70 and a capability to respond to distress alerts.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Sabula Railroad Drawbridge across the Mississippi River, mile 535.0, at Sabula, Iowa. This deviation is necessary for scheduled maintenance on the bridge. This deviation allows the bridge to open on signal if at least 24 hours advance notice is given.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the Morgan City(Berwick Bay) Railroad Bridge across the Atchafalaya River, mile 17.5 (Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (Morgan City-Port Allen Alternate Route) mile 0.3) in Morgan City, St. Mary's Parish, Louisiana. This deviation provides for the bridge to remain closed to navigation for four consecutive hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon with an opening in the middle to pass vessels. This will last for six consecutive days. The purpose of the closure is to conduct scheduled maintenance and repairs to the drawbridge.

The Coast Guard is establishing and modifying anchorage grounds within the Port of New York. This action is necessary to facilitate safe navigation and provide safe and secure anchorages for vessels operating in the area. This rule is intended to increase the safety of life and property of both the anchored vessels and those operating in the area, as well as provide for the overall safe and efficient flow of commerce.

The Coast Guard will enforce a security zone associated with the North American International Auto Show, Detroit River, Detroit, MI. This security zone is intended to restrict vessels from a portion of the Detroit River in order to ensure the safety and security of participants, visitors, and public officials at the North American International Auto Show, which is being held at Cobo Hall in downtown Detroit, MI. Vessels in close proximity to the security zone will be subject to increased monitoring and boarding during the enforcement of the security zone. No person or vessel may enter the security 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 the navigable waters around the Eastport Breakwater Terminal in Eastport, Maine. This safety zone is intended to restrict vessels from approaching within 100 yards of the eastern face of the Eastport Breakwater Terminal without authorization from the Captain of the Port (COTP), Sector Northern New England. This action is necessary due to the uncertainty regarding the breakwater's strength following a partial collapse of the structure on December 4, 2014.

The Coast Guard is revising and consolidating existing regulated navigation areas, security zones and safety zones currently in place in Apra Harbor, Guam. This action will replace existing redundant, potentially confusing and outdated navigation regulations with a cogent regulatory framework in order to better meet the needs of the community and help ensure the safe and efficient use of the harbor.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone within the Lake Moolvalya region of the navigable waters of the Colorado River in Parker, Arizona in support of the Arizona Drag Boat Association sponsored race event, the Blue Water Resort and Casino Southwest Showdown. This safety zone is established to ensure the safety of participants, crew, spectators, participating vessels, and other vessels and users of the waterway. Unauthorized 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 their designated representative. The Coast Guard requests public comments on the temporary safety zone.

The Chemical Transportation Advisory Committee and its subcommittees will meet on February 24, 25, and 26, 2015, in New Orleans, LA, to discuss the safe and secure marine transportation of hazardous materials. The meetings will be open to the public.

A working group of the Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee will meet to work on and review Task Statement 30, concerning evaluating military education, training, and assessment for the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978 and U.S. Coast Guard Certifications. This meeting will be open to the public.

The Coast Guard proposes to temporarily change the operating schedule that governs the Simpson Avenue Bridge on the Hoquiam River, mile 0.5, at Hoquiam, Washington. The proposed rule change is necessary to accommodate Washington State Department of Transportation's (WSDOT) extensive maintenance and restoration efforts on that bridge. The bridge is currently scheduled to open on signal if at least one hour of notice is given. From April 1, 2015 to November 30, 2015, the Coast Guard proposes to only open half of the bascule, a single leaf, of the bridge when at least two hours of notice is given.

The Coast Guard is changing the operating schedule that governs the Amtrak Bridge across the Thames River at mile 3.0, at New London, Connecticut. The bridge owner, National Passenger Railroad Corporation (Amtrak), submitted a request to allow the Amtrak Bridge to open to 75 feet above mean high water instead of the full bridge opening at 135.3 feet above mean high water, unless a full bridge opening is requested. It is expected that this change to the regulations will create more efficiency in drawbridge operations while continuing to meet the reasonable needs of navigation.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the U.S. Coast Guard intends to submit an Information Collection Request (ICRs) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), requesting approval of a revision to the following collections of information: 1625-0013, Plan Approval and Records for Load LinesTitle 46 CFR Subchapter E; 1625- 0094, Ships Carrying Bulk Hazardous Liquids; 1625-0096, Report of Oil or Hazardous Substance Discharge and Report of Suspicious Maritime Activity; 1625-0097, Plan Approval and Records for Marine Engineering SystemsTitle 46 CFR Subchapter F; and 1625-0101, Periodic Gauging and Engineering Analyses for Certain Tank Vessels over 30 Year Old. Our ICRs describe the information we seek to collect from the public. Before submitting these ICRs to OIRA, the Coast Guard is inviting comments as described below.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the method of operation for the Victoria Barge Canal Railroad Bridge across the Victoria Barge Canal, mile 29.4 at Bloomington, Victoria County, Texas. The bridge will continue to open on signal. The bridge owner, the Victoria County Navigation District, in conjunction with the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR), the operator of the bridge, requested permission to remotely operate the bridge. This deviation tests a remote operating system as the method for opening the bridge under the existing operating schedule to determine whether a permanent change to remote operations can be approved.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the NC Route 50-210 Highway Bridge, on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, mile 260.7, in Surf City, NC. This drawbridge is presently regulated to open on signal for commercial vessels and pleasure vessels, except between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. when the draw need only open on the hour for pleasure vessels. To facilitate necessary repairs, this deviation allows for the bridge to remain closed to navigation from 6 p.m. on February 22, 2015 to 6 p.m. February 24, 2015, except for two openings at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day.

The Coast Guard is amending 33 CFR 165.164 by establishing three security zones to replace the three regulated navigation areas (RNAs) currently contained within this section. The Coast Guard is also disestablishing these three RNAs. The three security zones, just like the RNAs they replace, are meant to promote public safety and to protect dignitaries who visit the United Nations in New York, NY.

The Coast Guard proposes to change the operating regulation that governs the Conrail railroad bridge over Mantua Creek at mile marker 1.4 in Paulsboro, NJ. The bridge owner, Conrail, is modifying the operating system which controls the bridge operations. Cameras will be installed and the bridge will be remotely operated from Mt. Laurel, NJ. Train crew will no longer be required to stop and check the waterway for approaching vessel traffic prior to initiating a bridge closure or be responsible to operate the bridge closure equipment located at the bridge site.

The Coast Guard proposes to require each owner or operator of a facility regulated by the Coast Guard to implement a system that provides seafarers and other individuals with access between vessels moored at the facility and the facility gate, in a timely manner and at no cost to the seafarer or other individual. Generally, transiting through a facility is the only way that a seafarer or other individual can egress to shore beyond the facility to access basic shoreside businesses and services, and meet with family members and other personnel that do not hold a Transportation Worker Identification Credential. This proposed rule would help to ensure that no facility owner or operator denies or makes it impractical for seafarers or other individuals to transit through the facility, and would require them to document their access procedures in their Facility Security Plans. This proposed rule would implement section 811 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Jackson Street Drawbridge across the Red River, mile 88.6, at Alexandria, Louisiana. The deviation is necessary to allow the bridge owner to install four new pinion gears that are essential to the continued safe operation of the drawbridge. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position and not open to vessel traffic.

The Coast Guard is establishing a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) on the navigable waters of Oregon Inlet, NC surrounding the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge. This RNA will allow the Coast Guard to enforce vessel traffic restrictions within the RNA when necessary to safeguard people and vessels from the hazards associated with potential catastrophic structural damage that could occur due to vessel allisions with the bridge.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 the U.S. Coast Guard is forwarding Information Collection Requests (ICRs), abstracted below, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), requesting approval of the following collection of information: 1625NEW, District Five, Coast Guard Auxiliary Safety Survey. Review and comments by OIRA ensure we only impose paperwork burdens commensurate with our performance of duties.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the operation of the New Jersey Transit Rail Operations (NJTRO) railroad bridge across Cheesequake Creek, mile 0.2, at Morgan, New Jersey. This deviation is necessary to allow the bridge owner to perform structural repairs at the bridge. This deviation allows the bridge to remain closed on nine consecutive weekends.

The Coast Guard is establishing temporary safety zones for all of Tampa Bay during periods of reduced visibility. The safety zones will be enforced when visibility falls below one nautical mile. Tampa Bay will be categorized into seven zones in order to close only the affected areas of Tampa Bay. Heavy fog affects Tampa Bay an average of 22 days annually, mainly between the months of November through March. These safety zones are necessary to protect commercial traffic from the hazards resulting from reduced visibility. Entering, transiting within, or transiting through this safety zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port St. Petersburg or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Clinton Railroad Drawbridge, across the Upper Mississippi River, mile 518.0, at Clinton, Iowa. The deviation is necessary to allow the bridge owner time to perform preventive maintenance that is essential to the continued safe operation of the drawbridge. Maintenance is scheduled in the winter when there is less impact on navigation; instead of scheduling work in the summer, when river traffic increases. This deviation allows the bridge to open on signal if at least 24-hours advance notice is given. It further allows the bridge to open on signal if at least 72-hours advance notice is given from January 5, 2015 to February 13, 2015.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Rob Roy Railroad Drawbridge across the Arkansas River, mile 64.7, at Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The deviation is necessary to allow the bridge owner to install a new generator and motor that are essential to the continued safe operation of the drawbridge. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed- to-navigation position and not open to vessel traffic.