Coast Guard – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Lower Mississippi River Waterway Safety Advisory Committee will meet in New Orleans to discuss various issues relating to navigational safety on the Lower Mississippi River and related waterways. This meeting will be open to the public.

The Coast Guard is establishing special local regulations to regulate recurring marine events in the Fifth Coast Guard District. These regulations apply to all permitted events listed in the table attached to the regulation, and include events such as regattas, and marine parades. These regulations reduce the Coast Guard's administrative workload and expedite public notification of events.

The Coast Guard is establishing special local regulations during the ``Westville Parade of Lights'', a marine parade to be held on the waters of the Delaware River and Big Timber Creek, Westville, NJ. 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 a small portion of the Delaware River and Big Timber Creek during the event.

The Coast Guard will enforce the National Maritime Week Tugboat Races Special Local Regulations in Elliott Bay from 12 p.m. through 4:30 p.m. on May 10, 2008. This action is necessary to ensure the safety of participants and spectators during the National Maritime Week Tugboat Races. During the enforcement period, entry into, transit through, mooring, or anchoring within the regulated area is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Puget Sound or his designated representatives.

The Coast Guard proposes establishing a temporary safety zone on the Detroit River, Detroit, Michigan. This Zone is intended to restrict vessels from portions of the Detroit River during the Red Bull Air Race. This temporary safety zone is necessary to protect spectators and vessels from the hazards associated with air races.

The Coast Guard is revising the drawbridge operations for the Baring Cross Railroad Drawbridge across the Arkansas Waterway at Mile 119.6 at Little Rock, Arkansas, to reflect the actual procedures currently being followed. The revised regulation accurately depicts where the drawbridge operator is located and that the bridge, which is remotely operated, is equipped with a Photoelectric Boat Detection System.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a temporary safety zone on the waters of Ybor Turning Basin, Tampa Bay, Florida. This rule is necessary to protect participants and spectators from the hazards associated with launching fireworks over the navigable waters of the United States. No person or vessel may anchor, moor, or transit the Regulated Area without permission of the Captain of the Port St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Coast Guard proposes to modify several aspects of the permanent safety and security zones within the New York Captain of the Port Zone. This action is necessary to consolidate, clarify, and otherwise modify safety and security zone regulations to eliminate unnecessary regulations and better meet the safety and security needs of the New York and New Jersey port community. This action would modify existing safety and security zones, consolidate and modify safety and security zones currently found in separate regulations, and remove certain safety and security zones.

The Coast Guard proposes amending the regulation for the operation of drawbridges across the Wabash River in Illinois, in order to reflect the needs of navigation.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary security zone in the eastern basin section of Lake Erie adjacent to Dock 32 in Cleveland, OH. This zone is intended to restrict vessels during the Ninth Coast Guard District Change of Command Ceremony on May 22, 2008. This security zone is necessary to provide for the security and safety of life for event participants. Entry into this zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Buffalo, NY, or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard will hold a public meeting for citizens to provide oral comments relating to the alteration of the Naheola Railroad Bridge near Pennington, Alabama. The meeting will allow interested persons to present comments and information about the bridge being unreasonably obstructive to navigation. The meeting will be open to the public.

The Coast Guard proposes to amend special local regulations for annual regattas and marine parades in the Captain of the Port Detroit zone. This proposed rule is intended to ensure safety of life on the navigable waters immediately prior to, during, and immediately after regattas or marine parades. This proposed rule will establish restrictions upon, and control movement of, vessels in a specified area immediately prior to, during, and immediately after regattas or marine parades.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a safety zone on the Back River in the vicinity of Hampton, VA in support of the Air Power over Hampton Roads Air show. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic movement on the Back River to protect mariners from the hazards associated with the air show.

The Coast Guard will enforce the Blessing of the Fleet special local regulation from 8 a.m. to 11:59 a.m. on April 27, 2008. This action is necessary to control vessel traffic and to ensure the safety of event participants and spectators. During the enforcement period, no spectator shall anchor, block, loiter, nor impede the through transit of participants or official patrol vessels, in the regulated areas during all applicable effective dates and times, unless cleared to do so by or through an official patrol vessel.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a temporary security zone on certain waters of the Patapsco River, Middle Branch, in Baltimore Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland, during the August 9, 2008, USS Sterett Commissioning ceremony. The security zone is necessary to provide for the security of the USS Sterett and the safety of life of event participants, spectators and mariners on U.S. navigable waters during the event. Entry into the zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a 350 foot radius safety zone on the James River in the vicinity of Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, VA in support of the Kingsmill Resort Fireworks Display.

The Commander, Eighth Coast Guard District has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operations of the Cass Street Drawbridge, across the Illinois Waterway, Mile 288.1, at Joliet, Illinois. The deviation is necessary for the bridge to remain closed to navigation during the effective period for the Joliet City Center Partnership 8K Run.

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

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone within in the Lake Moolvalya region on the navigable waters of the Colorado River in Parker, Arizona for the Bluewater Resort and Casino `Spring Classic' Boat Race. This temporary 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 announces its intent to withdraw a 1993 advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM). Because of the length of time since the ANPRM was published, the Coast Guard requests additional public comment before proceeding with withdrawal. The rulemaking deals with supplementing a statutory requirement that single-hulled oil tankers in Prince William Sound, Alaska, and Puget Sound, Washington, be accompanied through those waters by escort vessels. It would extend those requirements to other U.S. waters, and possibly to vessels other than single-hulled oil tankers. Subject to reconsideration in light of public comment, the Coast Guard believes that this rulemaking is inappropriate and inefficient and therefore not the best way to consider such extensions.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish regulated navigation areas around a recently constructed deepwater port facility in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean near the entrance to Boston Harbor and to establish safety and security zones around liquefied natural gas carriers (LNGCs) calling on these deepwater port facilities. The purpose of these regulated navigation areas is to protect vessels and mariners from the potential safety hazards associated with deepwater port operations, and to protect the LNGCs and deepwater port infrastructure from security threats or other subversive acts. All vessels, with the exception of LNGCs and deepwater port support vessels, would be prohibited from anchoring or otherwise deploying equipment that could become entangled in submerged infrastructure within 1000 meters of the submerged turret loading (STL) buoys associated with the deepwater port, and would be prohibited from entering waters within 500 meters of the deepwater port STL buoys or the LNGCs using them. Additionally, this proposed rule would make minor amendments to the existing LNG security regulations for the Boston Captain of the Port (COTP) Zone to reflect multi-agency enforcement of those regulations.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the U.S. Coast Guard intends to submit Information Collection Requests (ICRs) and Analyses to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requesting an extension of their approval for the following collections of information: (1) 1625-0067, Claims Under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and (2) 1625-0068, State Access to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for Removal Costs Under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Before submitting these ICRs to OMB, the Coast Guard is inviting comments as described below.

The Coast Guard seeks applications for membership on the National Boating Safety Advisory Council (NBSAC). NBSAC advises the Coast Guard on matters related to recreational boating safety.

The Commander, Eighth Coast Guard District has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operations of the Rock Island Railroad and Highway Drawbridge across the Upper Mississippi River, Mile 482.9, Rock Island, Illinois. The deviation is necessary as the drawbridge is part of the annual route for the Quad City Marathon. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position during the event.

The Commander, Eleventh Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the Tower Drawbridge across the Sacramento River, mile 59.0, at Sacramento, CA. The deviation is necessary to allow the bridge owner, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), to celebrate the completion of the newly refurbished drawbridge. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position during the event.