Coast Guard – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard is establishing a special local regulation for all navigable waters of the Ohio River from mile marker (MM) 597.0 to MM 607.0. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters near Louisville, KY, during the ``Thunder over Louisville'' event. Entry into, transiting through, or anchoring within this regulated area is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Ohio Valley (COTP) or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard will enforce various special local regulations for annual regattas and marine parades in the Captain of the Port Detroit zone. Enforcement of these regulations is necessary and intended to ensure safety of life on the navigable waters immediately prior to, during, and after these regattas or marine parades. During the aforementioned period, the Coast Guard will enforce restrictions upon, and control movement of, vessels in a specified area immediately prior to, during, and after regattas or marine parades.

The Coast Guard will enforce the safety zone for the San Francisco Giants Fireworks Display in the Captain of the Port, San Francisco area of responsibility during the dates and times noted below. This action is necessary to protect life and property of the maritime public from the hazards associated with the fireworks display. During the enforcement period, unauthorized persons or vessels are prohibited from entering into, transiting through, or anchoring in the safety zone, unless authorized by the Patrol Commander (PATCOM).

The Coast Guard is proposing to modify an existing safety zone for certain waters of the Gastineau Channel. This action is necessary to provide for safety of vessels anchoring on these navigable waters. This proposed rulemaking would prohibit vessels, other than large passenger vessels from anchoring within the safety zone without the express consent from the Captain of the Port, Southeast Alaska, or a designated representative. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking and are particularly interested in any potential impact to underwater cables in the Gastineau Channel affected by this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard announces the availability of an updated Prohibited Items List (PIL) for Cruise Vessels. On March 19, 2018, the Coast Guard published the Consolidated Cruise Ship Security Regulations Final Rule (FR) and issued a PIL of dangerous substances and devices. The Coast Guard referenced ammunition in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published on December 10, 2014, and the Final Rule, but inadvertently omitted ammunition from the separate PIL document that was included in the docket. The updated PIL is posted on the U.S. Coast Guard Homeport website.

The United States Coast Guard is extending the comment period for the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) which appeared in the Federal Register on February 6, 2019 for the proposed construction of railroad bridges across Lake Pend Oreille and Sand Creek at Sandpoint, Bonner County, Idaho. The draft EA addresses environmental impacts and socioeconomic effects related to the proposed construction of railroad bridges built parallel to existing bridges crossing the same waterbodies. The comment period has been extended an additional 30 days to May 1, 2019.

The Coast Guard is establishing temporary special local regulations for certain navigable waters of the Chesapeake Bay. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these waters located between Sandy Point, Anne Arundel County, MD, and Kent Island, Queen Anne's County, MD, on June 1, 2019, during a paddling event. This regulation prohibits persons and vessels from being in the regulated area unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Maryland-National Capital Region or Coast Guard Patrol Commander.

The Coast Guard announces that it will impose conditions of entry on vessels arriving from ports in the Republic of Seychelles. Conditions of entry are intended to protect the United States from vessels arriving from countries that have been found to have deficient anti-terrorism port measures in place.

The Coast Guard proposes to authorize the Conrail Railroad Bridge, mile 1.48, across the River Rouge, to be operated remotely. The request was made by the bridge owner. This proposed rule will test the remote operations with tenders onsite, and will not change the operating schedule of the bridge.

The Coast Guard proposes to amend and update its list of recurring safety zone regulations that take place in the Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley area of responsibility (AOR). This proposed action is necessary to update the current list of recurring safety zones with revisions, additional events and removal of events that no longer take place. This regulation would restrict vessel traffic from the safety zones during the events unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Ohio Valley or a designated representative. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

In order to provide safe access routes for the movement of vessel traffic offshore of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island area of the United States for vessels proceeding to or from ports or places of the United States and transiting within the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Coast Guard is conducting a Massachusetts and Rhode Island Port Access Route Study (MARIPARS) to evaluate the need for establishing vessel routing measures. The information gathered during this MARIPARS may result in the establishment of one or more vessel routing measures. The goal of the MARIPARS is to enhance navigational safety by examining existing shipping routes and waterway uses. The recommendations of the study may lead to future rulemaking action or appropriate international agreements.

The Coast Guard proposes to amend its recurring safety zones regulations in the Captain of the Port Detroit zone. This proposed rule would update 51 safety zone locations, dates, and sizes, add 3 safety zones, remove 6 established safety zones and reformat the regulations into an easier to read table format. These proposed amendments will protect spectators, participants, and vessels from the hazards associated with annual marine events and firework shows, and improve the clarity and readability of the regulation. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a temporary safety zone for all navigable waters of the Lower Mississippi River from mile marker (MM) 953.8 to MM 887.0, the Upper Mississippi River from MM 0.0 to MM 3.0, and the Ohio River from MM 981.5 to MM 978.5. This action is necessary to protect persons, property, and infrastructure from potential damage and the safety hazards associated with the demolition of federal levees on the Lower Mississippi River and utilization of the Bird's Point-New Madrid Floodway. This proposed rulemaking would prohibit the entry of vessels or persons into this temporary safety zone unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Ohio Valley (COTP) or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard proposes to change the operating schedule that governs the Northwestern Pacific (SMART) railroad bridge across the Petaluma River, mile 12.4, at Haystack Landing (Petaluma), CA. This action is necessary to coordinate vessel passage with the commencement of commuter rail traffic on a previously rarely used rail line and to reduce wear and tear of the drawspan. The proposed rulemaking would require vessels to provide a 30-minute advance notification for a bridge opening.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Fort Pierce North Causeway A1A Bridge (Banty Sanders) across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW), mile 964.8 at Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, FL. This deviation will be a second test of a change to the drawbridge operation schedule to determine whether a permanent change to the schedule is needed. This test deviation will modify the existing deviation to allow the bridge scheduled openings.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the navigable waters of the Missouri River from mile marker (MM) 360 to MM 450 between Kansas City, MO and St. Joseph, MO. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of persons, vessels, and the marine environment on these navigable waters as a result of increasing flood conditions on the river that is threatening to overtop levees. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Upper Mississippi River (COTP) or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the navigable waters of the Delaware Bay and River to restrict and protect vessel traffic during the transit of Post-Panamax gantry cranes to and from the Port of Philadelphia. This action is intended to protect mariners and vessels from the hazards associated with the transportation of these large cranes. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone would be prohibited unless a vessel meets the stated requirements or is specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Delaware Bay. This rule compliments a safety zone found in docket number USCG-2019-0122 addressing safety risks while the vessel carrying the cranes is moored at the Port of Philadelphia.

The Coast Guard will enforce a safety zone on Lake Macatawa in Holland, MI for the Tulip Time Festival Fireworks on May 11, 2019 to provide for the safety of life on navigable waterways during this fireworks display. This action is necessary and intended to protect the safety of life and property on navigable waters prior to, during, and immediately after a fireworks display. During the enforcement period listed below vessels and persons are prohibited from transiting through, mooring, or anchoring within the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Lake Michigan or a designated representative. The operator of any vessel in the regulated area must comply with directions from the Patrol Commander or any Official Patrol displaying a Coast Guard ensign.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for navigable waters within Tanapag Harbor, Saipan. This safety zone will encompass the designated swim course for the Escape from Managaha swim event in the waters of Tanapag Harbor, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This action is necessary to protect all persons and vessels participating in this marine event from potential safety hazards associated with vessel traffic in the area. Race participants, chase boats, and organizers of the event will be exempt from the safety zone. Entry of persons or vessels into the safety zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port (COTP) Guam.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish special local regulations for certain waters of Breton Bay and McIntosh Run. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters located at Leonardtown, MD, during a high-speed power boat demonstration event on October 5, 2019, and October 6, 2019. This proposed rulemaking would prohibit persons and vessels from being in the regulated area unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Maryland-National Capital Region or Coast Guard Patrol Commander. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a temporary special local regulation in the navigable waters of San Francisco Bay in San Francisco, CA in support of the San Francisco Sail Grand Prix 2019 race periods on May 4, 2019 and May 5, 2019. This special local regulation is necessary to ensure the safety of mariners transiting the area from the dangers associated with high-speed sailing activities associated with the Sail Grand Prix 2019 race event. This proposed temporary special local regulation would temporarily restrict vessel traffic adjacent to the city of San Francisco waterfront in the vicinity of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island and prohibit vessels and persons not participating in the race event from entering the dedicated race area. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard is issuing a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Amtrak Portal Bridge across the Hackensack River, mile 5.0, at Little Snake Hill, New Jersey. This deviation will test a change to the drawbridge operation schedule to determine whether a permanent change to the schedule is needed. The Coast Guard is seeking comments from the public about the impact to both train and vessel traffic generated by this change.

The Coast Guard is amending the anchorage regulations for the Sabine Pass Channel, Sabine Pass, TX anchorage ground for the navigational safety of vessels entering and exiting a new liquefied natural gas terminal mooring basin being constructed on the eastern waterfront of the Sabine Pass Channel. This amendment will reduce the overall size of the existing anchorage.

The Coast Guard is establishing a special local regulation on the waters of the Boca Ciego Bay in the vicinity of Gulfport, Florida, during the Gulfport Grand Prix High Speed Boat Race. Approximately 75 boats, 14-30 feet in length, traveling at speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour are expected to participate. Additionally, it is anticipated that 100 spectator vessels will be present along the race course. The special local regulation is necessary to protect the safety of race participants, participant vessels, spectators, and the general public on navigable waters of the Gulf of Mexico during the event. The special local regulation will establish the following regulated areas: A race area where all non-participant persons and vessels are prohibited from entering, transiting through, anchoring in, or remaining within the regulated area unless authorized by the Captain of the Port St. Petersburg (COTP) or a designated representative; and a buffer zone where designated representatives may control vessel traffic as deemed necessary by the COTP St. Petersburg or a designated representative based upon prevailing weather conditions.

The Coast Guard is removing the existing drawbridge operation regulation for the New York City Highway Bridge across Mill Basin, mile 0.8, at Brooklyn, New York. The drawbridge was replaced with a fixed bridge in December 2017 and the operating regulation is no longer applicable or necessary.