Coast Guard – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard has established a temporary safety zone extending the entire width of the Allegheny River from mile marker 36.1 to mile marker 36.5. This safety zone is established to protect the general public, marinas, and commercial vessel operators from the hazards associated with the active failure of Lock & Dam 6 (mile marker 36.3). Entry into this zone is prohibited, unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Pittsburgh or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone around the Dredge R.S. Weeks during dredging operations in Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. This safety zone will enhance the safety of vessels transiting Oregon Inlet, North Carolina during periods of dredging operations. This project is being undertaken to increase the water depth in Oregon Inlet, North Carolina to 14 feet. Entry into the safety zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, North Carolina.

The Commander, First Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulations governing the operation of the Amtrak Railroad Bridge, across the Connecticut River, mile 3.4, at Old Lyme, Connecticut. Under this temporary deviation the bridge may remain in the closed position for nine days in December and twelve days in January to facilitate required bridge maintenance.

The Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the S.R. 44 Bridge, at mile 1.7, across Mantua Creek at Paulsboro, NJ. This deviation allows the bridge to remain closed to navigation to facilitate mechanical repairs.

This action is a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) to Coast Guard's April 15, 2008, notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) which proposed the revision of the list of permanent safety zones established for fireworks displays at various locations within the geographic boundary of the Fifth Coast Guard District (73 FR 20223). In the April 2008 NPRM, the Coast Guard proposed the addition of 22 new safety zones, and the modification 4 existing zones for fireworks display launch platforms and fallout areas. This supplemental proposal includes three additional safety zones and removes one previously proposed zone for a total of 24 new safety zones for fireworks displays. This action also proposes modification to one existing safety zone for a total of five modifications to preexisting zones established for fireworks displays. This action is necessary to protect the life and property of the maritime public from the hazards posed by fireworks displays. Entry into or movement within these proposed zones during the enforcement periods will be prohibited without approval of the appropriate Captain of the Port.

The Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, has approved a temporary deviation from the regulations governing the operation of the Norfolk Southern 7 Railroad Bridge, at AIWW mile 5.8, across the Elizabeth River (Southern Branch) in Chesapeake, VA. Under this temporary deviation, the drawbridge may remain in the closed position on specific dates and times to facilitate structural repairs.

The Coast Guard is issuing a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking to revise our notice of proposed rulemaking (73 FR 45922) published on August 7, 2008. The notice of proposed rulemaking did not include a provision to allow ten of the eleven moveable bridges across the Harlem River to remain closed during the morning and afternoon commuter rush hours. It also did not specify the maximum time railroad bridges may delay bridge openings for the passage of rail traffic.

The Coast Guard is withdrawing its notice of proposed rulemaking concerning the operation of the SR 316 Blue Bayou Pontoon Bridge across the GIWW, mile 49.8, near Houma, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana. The notice of proposed rulemaking proposed to allow the bridge to stay closed for school buses to pass when carrying children, but due to mechanical improvements of the bridge, the requester, Lafourche Parish Council, has withdrawn their request.

The Navigation Safety Advisory Council (NAVSAC) will meet in Washington, DC, to discuss various issues relating to the safety of navigation. The meeting will be open to the public.

The Coast Guard amends its rules relating to standards for marine equipment and updates the incorporation in those rules of references to national and international safety standards. This rule is part of an ongoing effort for regulatory review and reform that increases the focus on results, decreases the focus on process, and expands compliance options for the regulated public.

On October 1, 2008, The United States Coast Guard published a notice in the Federal Register (73 FR 57126) announcing a meeting of the National Boating Safety Advisory Council (NBSAC) and its subcommittees to discuss issues relating to recreational boating safety. A scheduling conflict has required changes to the subcommittees' meeting times as follows: The Boats and Associated Equipment Subcommittee will meet on Saturday afternoon, November 1, 2008; the Prevention through People Subcommittee will meet on Sunday morning, November 2, 2008; and the Recreational Boating Safety Strategic Planning Subcommittee will meet on Sunday afternoon, November 2, 2008.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the waters of the Columbia River encompassed in a 500 foot radius surrounding LST-1166, which is a vessel located near the southeastern tip of Lord Island at position 46[deg]07[min]18[sec] N 123[deg]00[min]51[sec] W adjacent to the Oregon shoreline. Entry into this safety zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Portland, Oregon or his designated representatives. The Captain of the Port is taking this action to help ensure the safety of the maritime public as well as the individuals conducting oil and hazardous material clean-up operations on LST-1166.

The Coast Guard is revising the dates and reinstating a temporary regulated navigation area and safety zone on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Romeoville, IL. This regulated navigation area and safety zone places navigational and operational restrictions on all vessels transiting through the electrical dispersal barrier IIA.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a temporary security zone encompassing certain waters of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers in order to safeguard high-ranking government officials and the public-at- large before, during, and after scheduled activities associated with the 2009 Presidential Inauguration. This security zone will be in effect between January 14, 2009 and January 25, 2009.

The Chemical Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC), its Subcommittees on Outreach, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 472 Standard, Hazardous Cargo Transportation Security (HCTS), and International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code; as well as its Working Groups on Barge Emission and Hazard Communication and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex; will meet to discuss various issues relating to the marine transportation of hazardous materials in bulk. These meetings will be open to the public.

This document informs owners and operators of facilities located within Captain of the Port Zones Guam, Houston-Galveston, Los Angeles-Long Beach, and San Juan that they must implement access control procedures utilizing TWIC no later than April 14, 2009.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a security zone encompassing the navigable waters of the West Basin, Port Canaveral Harbor, Cape Canaveral, Florida. This security zone would be activated 4 hours prior to the scheduled arrival of a cruise ship at the West Basin. It is only enforceable during Maritime Security (MARSEC) Levels 2 and 3 or when there is a specific credible threat during MARSEC Level 1. This security zone would remain activated until the departure of all cruise ships from the West Basin.

This document informs owners and operators of facilities located within Captain of the Port Zone New York that they must implement access control procedures utilizing TWIC no later than March 23, 2009.

The Commander, First Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the Sara M. Long (Route 1 Bypass) Bridge across the Piscataqua River at mile 4.0, between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Kittery, Maine. Under this temporary deviation, the bridge may remain in the closed position. This deviation is necessary to facilitate scheduled bridge maintenance.

The Commander, First Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the 145 Street Bridge across the Harlem River, mile 2.8, at New York City, New York. Under this temporary deviation the bridge may remain in the closed position for five days to facilitate bridge maintenance.

The Great Lakes Regional Waterways Management Forum will hold a meeting in Cleveland, OH, to discuss various waterways management issues. Potential agenda items may include agency updates from the Canadian Coast Guard Central and Arctic Region, Army Corps of Engineers, Transport Canada Marine Safety and the U.S. Coast Guard, Ballast Water Program Updates, Dry Cargo Residue Rulemaking Updates, Overview of the Ice Conference and Optimizing our Aids to Navigation systems. The meeting will be open to the public. The specific agenda is still under development. Additional topics of discussion are solicited from the public. Comments must be submitted on or before October 10, 2008, to be considered at the meeting.

This document provides required notice of substantive rules issued by Coast Guard field units and temporarily effective between April 2007 and June 2008, that were not published in the Federal Register. This quarterly notice lists temporary special local regulations, temporary drawbridge operation regulations, regulated navigation areas, security zones, and safety zones, all of limited duration and for which timely publication in the Federal Register was not possible.

The Coast Guard establishes a safety zone, on the navigable waters of Lake Moolvalya region on the lower Colorado River, in support of the Bluewater Resort and Casino `300' Enduro. This safety zone is necessary to provide for the safety of the participants, crew, spectators, participating vessels, and other 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, or his designated representative.

The Coast Guard is changing the operating regulations governing the Wilson Pigott Bridge, Okeechobee Waterway mile 126.3, Olga, Lee County, Florida. This action is necessary for worker safety and will assist in expediting the repairs to this bridge. During the period of this rule, the bridge will open a single-leaf on signal; a double-leaf opening is available with a three-hour advance notice to the bridge tender.

The Coast Guard published a final rule in the Federal Register on March 12, 2008 (73 FR 13125), creating three special anchorage areas in Yarmouth, Maine. That rule contained imprecise coordinates. With this document the Coast Guard is correcting the coordinates of the boundaries to the three Yarmouth special anchorages listed in 33 CFR 110.5, in response to more detailed information received from the National Ocean Service (NOS). These changes will not affect the locations or the size of the anchorages.