Coast Guard – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard is withdrawing its notice of proposed rulemaking concerning the proposed change to the regulation of the Little River (S-20) Bridge. The requested change was to place a twenty minute regulation on the bridge in lieu of ``on demand''. The withdrawal is based on limited vessel openings, comments received from the public, and the addition of a new high level fixed bridge within close proximity of the draw bridge which should help alleviate traffic congestion.

The Coast Guard is establishing a permanent security zone due to recent changes in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) tankship mooring arrangements following the activation of two new berths within a slip at the Southern LNG Facility on the Savannah River. The Security zone includes all the waters from surface to bottom of the northeastern most mooring dolphin, located at approximately 32[deg]05.01[min] N, 080[deg]59.38[min] W, to the southeastern most mooring dolphin, located at approximately 32[deg]04.79[min] N, 080[deg]59.35[min] W, and continues west along the North and South shoreline of the mooring slip to the shoreline of the right descending bank of the Savannah River. This regulation is necessary to protect life and property on the navigable waters of the Savannah River and within the LNG slip due to potential security risks associated with the LNG Facility.

This notice announces a teleconference of the Towing Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC). The purpose of this teleconference is for TSAC to present its comments to the Coast Guard on certain draft regulatory text contemplated for the Notice of Proposed Rule Making for Towing Vessel Inspection currently under development.

The Coast Guard is seeking applications for appointment to membership on the Chemical Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC). CTAC advises, consults with, and makes recommendations to the Coast Guard on matters relating to the safe and secure transportation and handling of hazardous materials in bulk on U.S.-flag vessels in U.S. ports and waterways.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone during the ``Washington Summer Festival and the Washington 4th of July Fireworks'' displays to be held on the waters of the Pamlico River, Washington, North Carolina. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the event. This action will restrict vessel traffic in portions of the Pamlico River adjacent to Washington, North Carolina during the fireworks display.

The Coast Guard will enforce the annual National Maritime Week Tugboat Races Special Local Regulations in Elliot Bay from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on May 12, 2007. 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 this zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Puget Sound or his designated representatives.

The Coast Guard is proposing to change the drawbridge operating regulations that govern the S.R. 1172 Bridge, at Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway mile 337.9, Sunset Beach, NC. This proposal would allow the bridge to open on the hour on signal for pleasure vessels from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. year round. The reason for this change would be to improve the schedule for both roadway and waterway users.

The Coast Guard is proposing to establish a Safety Zone in Chicago Harbor. This zone is intended to restrict vessels from portions of Chicago Harbor during fireworks displays that pose a hazard to public safety. This zone is necessary to protect the public from the hazards associated with fireworks displays.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a safety Zone in Milwaukee Harbor near Lakeshore State Park. This zone is intended to restrict vessels from portions of Milwaukee Harbor during fireworks displays. This zone is necessary to protect the public from the hazards associated with fireworks displays.

The Coast Guard is proposing to establish a Safety Zone in Chicago Harbor. This zone is intended to restrict vessels from portions of Chicago Harbor during fireworks displays that pose a hazard to public safety. This zone is necessary to protect the public from the hazards associated with fireworks displays.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish temporary special local regulations for the ``SBIPFountain Powerboats Kilo Run and Super Boat Grand Prix'', a marine event to be held August 3 and August 5, 2007, on the waters of the Pamlico River, near Washington, 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 Pamlico River during the event.

The Coast Guard is implementing the special local regulations at 33 CFR 100.507 during the Annual Great Chesapeake Bay Swim and Chesapeake Challenge One Mile Swim events to be held on June 10, 2007. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters before, during and after the event. The effect will be to restrict general navigation in the regulated area for the safety of event participants and support vessels in the event area.

The Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, has approved a temporary deviation from the regulations governing the operation of the U.S. 40-322 (Albany Avenue) Bridge, at ICW mile 70.0, across Inside Thorofare at Atlantic City, New Jersey. This deviation allows the drawbridge to remain closed-to-navigation from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on August 15, 2007, to facilitate traffic control during the Atlantic City Air Show.

The Coast Guard is establishing a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) on the Cumberland River (CMR) mile marker (MM) 126 to mile marker MM 127. All vessel traffic transiting beneath the R.J. Corman Railroad Bridge at MM 126.5 is restricted to the right descending bank (RDB) on the CMR and tows transiting this RNA cannot be wider than 80 feet or longer than 800 feet, excluding the length of the tow boat.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a temporary safety zone on Baileys Harbor. This zone is intended to restrict vessels from a portion of Baileys Harbor during the Baileys Harbor July 5, 2007 fireworks display. This temporary safety zone is necessary to protect spectators and vessels from the hazards associated with fireworks displays.

The U. S. Coast Guard published a rule in the Federal Register of April 23, 2007, a document concerning the Queen of England's visit to Jamestown Island, VA. Inadvertently Sec. 165.T07-038 was numbered incorrectly. This document corrects that number.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone in the navigable waters of San Francisco Bay for the loading, transport, and launching of fireworks used during a wedding celebration display. This safety zone is established to ensure the safety of participants and spectators. Unauthorized persons or vessels are prohibited from entering into, transiting through, or remaining in the safety zone without permission of the Captain of the Port or his designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone in Port Washington Harbor, Port Washington, WI. This zone is intended to restrict vessels from a portion of Port Washington Harbor and Lake Michigan during the Port Pirate Festival fireworks display. This temporary safety zone is necessary to protect spectators and vessels from the hazards associated with fireworks displays.

The Coast Guard is soliciting public comment on the need to continue providing high frequency (HF) radio broadcasts of weather forecasts and warnings. Public comment is necessary in order to assess the demand for the HF radio broadcasts of weather forecasts in each of three forms: (1) Radiofacsimile; (2) voice; and, (3) Simplex Teletype Over Radio (SITOR), also known as Narrow Band Direct Printing (NBDP). The infrastructure necessary to provide these services has exceeded its life expectancy; the equipment is no longer manufactured, repairs are difficult to accomplish, and spare parts generally are not available. Because of the very significant costs involved to continue these specific HF radio services, the Coast Guard requires information on the extent to which these services are used by the public and what alternative services are being used or are available to obtain weather forecasts and warnings.

The Coast Guard is amending its regulations on merchant mariner documentation to implement section 3509 of the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 (Warner Act), which allows for the issuance of merchant mariner documents (MMDs) to certain non-resident aliens for service in the stewards departments of U.S.-flag large passenger vessels endorsed for coastwise trade. Coast Guard regulations currently prohibit the Coast Guard from issuing MMDs, which are required for service on large passenger vessels, to non- immigrant aliens. This interim rule amends Coast Guard regulations to allow the Coast Guard to issue MMDs to qualified non-resident aliens who are authorized to be employed in the United States. This rule also sets the requirements that these aliens must meet in order to qualify for MMDs, and the requirements for the large passenger vessels that may choose to hire these aliens. This interim rule only applies to large passenger vessels, as defined under the Warner Act.

The Coast Guard will enforce the special local regulations (SLR) for the annual ``Blessing of the Pleasure Craft Fleet'' sponsored by the Corinthian Yacht Club in the navigable waters of San Francisco Bay on April 29, 2007. This action is necessary to control vessel traffic and to ensure the safety of event participants and spectators during the formation and transit of vessels involved in the ceremonies. During the enforcement period spectator vessels may not anchor, block, loiter, nor impede the through transit of participants or official patrol vessels within the area described during the event without permission from the Coast Guard Patrol Commander.

The United States Coast Guard is establishing a security zone encompassing waters within 2-nautical miles of Church Point at 37- 12.45N, 076-46.66W, Jamestown Island, VA, for America's 400th Anniversary celebration. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic within the security zone. This security zone is necessary to protect attendees of this event from potential maritime hazards and threats and enhance public and maritime security.

The Coast Guard is proposing to amend its regulations to establish additional safety zones on the waters of the Columbia River located in the Area of Responsibility (AOR) of the Captain of the Port, Portland, Oregon during annual fireworks displays. The Captain of the Port, Portland Oregon is taking this action to safeguard watercraft and their occupants from safety hazards associated with these displays. Entry into these zones is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary special local regulation for the ULHRA National Series Hydroplane Race to be held on the waters of the Columbia River in the vicinity of Columbia Park, Kennewick, WA. These special local regulations limit the movement of non-participating vessels in the regulated race area. This temporary rule is needed to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the event.

The Coast Guard is revising the drawbridge operations for the Pekin Railroad Drawbridge, Mile 151.2, at Pekin, Illinois and the Chessie Railroad Drawbridge, Mile 254.1 at Seneca, Illinois across the Illinois Waterway. The present regulation found in Sec. 117.393(b) is being revised to reflect the actual procedures that have always been followed. That regulation was intended to be temporary, for test purposes only, and was inadvertently permanently included in the Code of Federal Regulations. This rule eliminates the ``Specific Requirements'' for remote operation, and the bridge will continue to operate, as required by the Coast Guard, under the ``General Requirements''. In addition, the Coast Guard is revising the regulation governing the operation of the Chessie Railroad Drawbridge across the Illinois Waterway, Mile 254.1, at Seneca, Illinois. The existing regulation requires the drawspan to open on signal. This revision is necessary to reflect a change in operating procedure.