Coast Guard – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary Special Local Regulation in the Port Arthur Captain of the Port Zone on the Sabine River, Orange, Texas. This Special Local Regulation is intended to restrict vessels from portions of the Sabine River during the Thunder on the Sabine boat races. This Special Local Regulation is necessary to protect spectators and vessels from the hazards associated with powerboat races.

The Coast Guard proposes establishing Special Local Regulations for the swim portions of ``Beach 2 Battleship Full and Half Iron Distance Triathlon'', to be held on the waters of Banks Channel, adjacent to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. These Special Local Regulations are necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the event. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic on Banks, Motts, and Wrightsville Channels during the swimming portion of this event.

The Coast Guard will enforce the Thunderboat Regatta Special Local Regulation from 7 a.m. PST on September 17, 2010 through 5:30 p.m. on September 19, 2010. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of the participants, crew, spectators, participating vessels, and other vessels and users of the waterway. During the enforcement period, no person or vessel may enter the zone established by the special local regulation without permission of the Captain of the Port.

The Coast Guard is removing the drawbridge operation regulations that govern the operation of two bridges, the Congress Street Bridge at mile 0.4, and the Grand Street Bridge at mile 0.9, across the Pequonnock River at Bridgeport, Connecticut. This final rule removes the regulations for the two bridges because the draw spans of the bridges have been removed.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the navigable waters of the San Diego Bay in support of the NASSCO Ship Launching for the USNS Washington Chambers. The safety zone is necessary to provide for the safety of vessels and users of the waterway. Persons and vessels are prohibited from entering into, transiting through, or anchoring within this safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port (COTP) San Diego or his designated representative.

The Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulations governing the operation of the US70 (Alfred C. Cunningham) Bridge across Trent River, mile 0.0, at New Bern, NC, to accommodate a Bridge Run. This deviation allows the drawbridge to be maintained in the closed position to vessels at specific date and times.

The Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulations governing the operation of the US70 (Alfred C. Cunningham) Bridge across Trent River, mile 0.0, at New Bern, NC, to accommodate a bike race and parade. This deviation allows the drawbridge to be maintained in the closed position to vessels at specific dates and times.

The Coast Guard is withdrawing its notice of proposed rulemaking concerning the operation of the Pennington Avenue Bridge, at mile 0.9, across Curtis Creek at Baltimore, MD. The requested change would have allowed the bridge to operate from a remote location at the City of Baltimore Transportation Management Center. The proposed rule is being withdrawn because of the many concerned comments sent from the primary waterway users that transit the bridge.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone in an area of the Delaware River, Camden, NJ, described as North of the Wiggins park Marina and South of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The safety zone will restrict vessel traffic from a portion of the Delaware River during the Red Bull Flugtag event. The safety zone is necessary to protect event participants, life, and property.

On December 31, 2008, the Coast Guard amended the vessel response plan salvage and marine firefighting requirements for tank vessels carrying oil. The amendment triggered information collection requirements affecting vessel response planholders required to establish evidence that they have properly planned to mitigate oil outflow and to provide that information to the Coast Guard for its use in emergency response. This notice announces that the collection of information has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and may now be enforced. The OMB Control Number is 1625-0066.

The Coast Guard will enforce the Mackinac Bridge Walk security zone on the Straits of Mackinac from 6 a.m. through 11:59 p.m. on September 6, 2010. This action is necessary to protect pedestrians during the event from an accidental or intentional allision between a vessel and the bridge. During the enforcement period, navigational and operational restrictions will be placed on all vessels and persons transiting through the Straits area, under and around the Mackinac Bridge, located between Mackinaw City, MI, and St. Ignace, MI. All vessels and persons must obtain permission from the Captain of the Port (COTP) or a designated representative to enter or move within the security zone.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone within the navigation channel in Budd Inlet, WA during Olympia Harbor Days tug boat races. This safety zone is necessary to restrict vessel movement during racing activity in order to ensure the safety of participants, spectators, and the maritime public. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic movement on specified waters of the Budd Inlet, WA during Olympia Harbor Days tug boat races.

The Coast Guard is establishing a security zone at U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Base Support Unit (BSU) Seattle, Pier 36, Elliot Bay, Seattle, WA. This permanent security zone is necessary to protect military and visiting foreign vessels, waterfront facilities, and the maritime public from destruction, loss, or injury from sabotage, subversive acts, or other malicious acts of a similar nature. Entry into or movement within this security zone is prohibited without the permission of the Captain of the Port Puget Sound or a Designated Representative.

The Coast Guard proposes to amend its regulations for certain lifesaving equipment, including launching appliances (winches and davits), release mechanisms, survival craft (lifeboats, inflatable liferafts, and inflatable buoyant apparatuses), rescue boats, and automatic disengaging devices. The proposed rules would harmonize the Coast Guard's design, construction, and performance standards for this lifesaving equipment with international standards. In addition, the proposed rules would provide 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 is establishing a safety zone in specified waters of Raccoon Creek, Bridgeport, NJ. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life and property on navigable waters while contractors replace steel I-beams. This safety zone is intended to restrict vessel access in order to protect mariners in a portion of Raccoon Creek.

The Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of two North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) drawbridges: The S.R. 74 Bridge, across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, mile 283.1, at Wrightsville Beach, NC, and the Isabel S. Holmes Bridge across the Northeast Cape Fear River, mile 1.0, at Wilmington, NC. The deviation is necessary to accommodate distance races. This deviation allows the bridges to remain in the closed position during the races.

The Coast Guard has changed the drawbridge operation regulations that govern the operation of the Route 3 Bridge, mile 11.8, across the Passaic River at Clifton, New Jersey. This final rule will allow the bridge to remain in the closed position. The purpose of this rule is to facilitate the installation of a utility cable at the bridge. The Route 3 Bridge has not received a request to open since 1998.

The Coast Guard has changed the drawbridge operation regulations that govern the operation of the Brightman Street (Rt-6) Bridge at mile 1.8, across the Taunton River between Fall River and Somerset, Massachusetts. This final rule will help relieve the bridge owner from the burden of crewing the bridge at times when there have been few requests to open the bridge. In addition, we are also removing some obsolete language from the regulations, the operation regulations for the Bristol County Bridge at mile 10.3, because that bridge has subsequently been replaced with a fixed highway bridge.

The Coast Guard is establishing temporary special local regulations during the ``East Coast Drag Boat Association Race'', a power boat race to be held on the waters of the Roanoke River near Plymouth, North Carolina. These special local regulations are necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the event. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic in portions of the Roanoke River adjacent to Plymouth, North Carolina during the power boat race.

The Coast Guard is establishing regulated navigation areas (RNAs) and safety and security zones around the recently constructed Neptune Deepwater Port Facility, and modifying RNA and safety zone regulations for the existing Northeast Gateway Deepwater Port (NEGDWP), both of which are located in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The purpose of these regulated areas is to protect vessels and mariners from the potential safety hazards associated with deepwater port operations, and to protect the liquefied natural gas carriers (LNGCs) and deepwater port infrastructure from security threats or other subversive acts. All vessels, with the exception of LNGCs and deepwater port support vessels, will be prohibited from anchoring within 1,000 meters of the submerged turret loading (STL) buoys associated with the deepwater port, and prohibited from entering waters within 500 meters of the deepwater port STL buoys or the LNGCs using them. Additionally, vessels will be prohibited from deploying equipment which could become entangled in submerged infrastructure within 1,000 meters of STL buoys.

The Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research (ICCOPR) will hold a public meeting in Washington, DC to hear comments on the priorities of oil pollution research, including projects related to the Deepwater Horizon incident and the Arctic environment. This meeting is designed to give the public an opportunity to provide statements as to where the ICCOPR, a Federally mandated committee, should focus their efforts concerning oil pollution research. Public comment will then be used to augment the revision of the 1997 Oil Pollution Research and Technology Plan. This meeting will be open to the public.

The Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee (HOGANSAC) and its working groups will meet in Houston, Texas, to discuss waterway improvements, aids to navigation, area projects impacting safety on the Houston Ship Channel, and various other navigation safety matters in the Galveston Bay area. All meetings will be open to the public.

The Coast Guard proposes to increase the rates for pilotage on the Great Lakes to generate sufficient revenue to cover allowable expenses, target pilot compensation, and return on investment. The proposed update reflects a projected August 1, 2011, increase in benchmark contractual wages and benefits and an adjustment for deflation. This rulemaking promotes the Coast Guard's strategic goal of maritime safety.

The Coast Guard proposes two temporary safety zones while the U.S. Navy Blue Angels Squadron conducts aerobatic performances over Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii. These safety zones are necessary to protect watercraft and the general public from hazards associated with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels aircraft low flying, high powered jet aerobatics over open waters. Vessels desiring to transit through the zones can request permission by contacting the Honolulu Captain of the Port at telephone number 808-842-2600.

The Coast Guard is announcing that a C-130 aircraft which crashed off the coast of California is a sunken military craft. It is therefore prohibited for any person to engage or attempt to engage the aircraft or its contents in any way that disturbs, removes, or injures the aircraft or its contents.