Coast Guard – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Flagler Memorial (SR A1A) Bridge, mile 1021.8, the Royal Park (SR 704) Bridge, mile 1022.6, and the Southern Boulevard (SR 700/80) Bridge, mile 1024.7, across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, at West Palm Beach, Florida. This deviation will extend the test to change the drawbridge operation schedules to determine whether permanent changes to the schedules are needed. This deviation allows the Flagler Memorial, Royal Park and Southern Boulevard Bridges to operate on alternative schedules when the President of the United States, members of the First Family, or other persons under the protection of the Secret Service visit Mar-a-Lago. This deviation is necessary to accommodate the increase in vehicular traffic when the presidential motorcade is in transit.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary regulated navigation area and safety zone for waters of the Harlem and Hudson Rivers in the vicinity of the Amtrak Spuyten Duyvil Railroad Bridge at mile 7.9 over the Harlem River. The regulated navigation area and safety zone are needed to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards created by the removal and reinstallation of the swing span portion of the Spuyten Duyvil Railroad Bridge. During heavy lift operations this regulated navigation area will establish speed restrictions on vessels transiting the Hudson River to eliminate vessel wake. During heavy lift operations entry of vessel or persons into this safety zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the First District Commander or a designated representative.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the U.S. Coast Guard intends to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), requesting an extension of its approval for the following collection of information: 1625-0010, Defect/Noncompliance Report and Campaign Update Report; without change. Our ICR describes the information we seek to collect from the public. Before submitting this ICR to OIRA, the Coast Guard is inviting comments as described below.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary moving safety zone in the navigable waters of the San Francisco Bay near AT&T Park in support of the San Francisco Giants Fireworks Display on June 22, 2018. This safety zone is established to ensure the safety of participants and spectators from the dangers associated with pyrotechnics. 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 their designated representative.

The Coast Guard will enforce the safety zone for the Monongahela Area Chamber of Congress/Monongahela 4th of July Celebration, to provide for the safety of persons, vessels, and the marine environment on the Monongahela River during this event. Our regulation for marine events within the Eighth Coast Guard District identifies the regulated area for this event in Monongahela, PA. During the enforcement periods, entry into this zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Marine Safety Unit Pittsburgh or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the U.S. Route 76 (Cape Fear Memorial) Bridge across the Cape Fear River, mile 26.8, in Wilmington, NC. The deviation is necessary to facilitate routine maintenance. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position.

The Coast Guard is establishing nine temporary safety zones for fireworks displays within the Captain of the Port (COTP) Long Island Sound (LIS) Zone. This temporary final rule is necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during these events. Entry into, transit through, mooring or anchoring within these limited access areas is prohibited unless authorized by the COTP LIS.

The Coast Guard will enforce the safety zone on the Kewaunee River in Kewaunee, WI for the Holiday Celebration Fireworks on July 3, 2018. This action is necessary and intended to ensure safety of life on navigable waters immediately prior to, during, and after the fireworks display. During the enforcement period, entry into, transiting, or anchoring within the safety zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Lake Michigan or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard will enforce the safety zone on the Milwaukee Harbor, Milwaukee, WI for annual fireworks displays in the Captain of the Port Lake Michigan zone at specified times from June 27, 2018 through September 8, 2018. This action is necessary and intended to ensure safety of life on navigable waterways before, during and after this event. During the enforcement period, entry into, transiting, or anchoring within the safety zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Lake Michigan or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a temporary safety zone on the waters of the Beaufort River in Beaufort, SC. The safety zone is needed to ensure safety of life on navigable waters of the United States during the Beaufort Water Festival Air Show. This proposed regulation will prohibit persons and vessels from entering, transiting through, anchoring in, or remaining within the regulated area unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Charleston (COTP) or a designated representative. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard will enforce certain safety zones located in federal regulations for recurring marine events. This action is necessary and intended for the safety of life and property on navigable waters during these events. During each enforcement period, no person or vessel may enter the respective safety zone without the permission of the Captain of the Port Buffalo.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for navigable waters within a 420-foot radius of the launch site located at the Oswego Harbor, Lake Ontario, Oswego, NY. This safety zone is intended to restrict vessels from portions of Lake Ontario during the City of Oswego Community fireworks display. This temporary safety zone is necessary to protect mariners and vessels from the navigational hazards associated with a fireworks display. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Buffalo.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone in the Captain of the Port, Sault Sainte Marie zone. This safety zone is intended to restrict certain portions of the waters of Lake Michigan in the Straits of Mackinac in the vicinity of a construction barge and tug. This temporary safety zone is necessary to protect the public and workers from the potential hazards associated with diving operations and installation of additional pipeline anchors.

The Coast Guard will amend its safety zone regulations for annual events in the Captain of the Port Duluth Zone. This final rule would update the locations for seven safety zones, add three new safety zones, increase the safety zone radius of six existing fireworks events, and modify the format of the regulation to list the annual events and corresponding safety zones in table form. These amendments will protect spectators, participants, and vessels from the hazards associated with annual marine events and improve the clarity and readability of the regulation.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a permanent safety zone for the navigable waters of the Lower Mississippi River between mile marker (MM) 94 and MM 97, above Head of Passes. This zone is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters during firework displays. This proposed rulemaking would prohibit vessels from entering the safety zone before, during, and after the firework displays unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector New Orleans or a designated representative. This proposed safety zone would be enforced only as necessary by the Captain of the Port Sector New Orleans (COTP) through a Notice of Enforcement published in the Federal Register and announced through Vessel Traffic Service Advisories, Broadcast Notices to Mariners (BNMs), Local Notice to Mariners (LNMs), and/or Marine Safety Information Bulletins (MSIBs) as appropriate. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard proposes to add a special local regulation to increase safety in the navigable waters of Marquette Bay, Hessel, MI, during the annual Les Cheneaux Islands Antique Wooden Boat Show. The proposal will add a no wake zone to be enforced in the area around the show from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on a date in mid-August. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Montlake Bridge across Lake Washington Ship Canal, mile 5.2, at Seattle, WA. The deviation is necessary to accommodate the Special Olympics event. This deviation allows the bridge span to remain in the closed-to-navigation position.

We are requesting your comments on a request we received from Sabine Pass LNG, L.P. for the disestablishment of the Sabine Pass Channel Anchorage Ground in Sabine, TX. The request indicates that deep draft ships do not use the anchorage and that disestablishment of the anchorage would not pose a concern for ship traffic. We seek your comments on whether we should consider a proposed rulemaking disestablishing the Sabine Pass Anchorage Ground based on this request or if other actions, such as reducing the size of the anchorage, should be considered.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for navigable waters within a 420-foot radius of the launch site located near the mouth of the Vermilion River, Vermilion, OH. This safety zone is intended to restrict vessels from a portion of Lake Erie and the Vermilion River during the Festival of the Fish fireworks display. This temporary safety zone is necessary to protect mariners and vessels from the potential hazards associated with a fireworks display. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Buffalo.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for navigable waters on the Buffalo River, Buffalo, NY. This safety zone is intended to restrict vessels from portions of the Buffalo River during the Hope Chest Buffalo Niagara Dragon Boat Festival. This temporary safety zone is necessary to protect mariners and vessels from the navigational hazards associated with this event. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Buffalo.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for navigable waters within a 280-foot radius of a portion of the Detroit River, Grosse Ile, MI. This zone is necessary to protect spectators and vessels from potential hazards associated with the Grosse Ile Fireworks.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for navigable waters of the Lewis River near Ridgefield, WA. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters during a fireworks display on June 30, 2018. This regulation prohibits persons and vessels from being in the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Columbia River or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard will enforce the safety zone for the Wendell Family Fourth of July Fireworks Display on July 4, 2018, to provide for the safety of life on navigable waterways during this event. Our regulation for marine events within the Eighth Coast Guard District identifies the regulated area for this event in Rockport, TX. During the enforcement periods, entry into these zones is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Corpus Christi (COTP) or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone in the Captain of the Port Detroit Zone on Sandusky Bay, in the vicinity of Marblehead, OH. This Zone is intended to restrict vessels from portions of the Sandusky Bay for the LAZ Trommler Fireworks Display. Persons and vessels are prohibited from entering into, transiting through, or anchoring within this safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Detroit, or his designated representative. This temporary safety zone is necessary to protect spectators and vessels from the hazards associated with fireworks displays.

The Coast Guard proposes to revise its merchant mariner credentialing regulations to remove obsolete portions of the radar observer requirements and harmonize the radar observer endorsement with the merchant mariner credential. Under this proposed rule, an active mariner who serves in a relevant position for 1 year in the previous 5 years using radar for navigation and collision avoidance purposes on vessels equipped with radar, or has served as a qualified instructor for a Coast Guard-approved radar course at least twice within the past 5 years, would not be required to complete a Coast Guard-approved radar refresher or re-certification course in order to renew his or her radar observer endorsement. This proposed rule would not change the existing requirements for mariners seeking an original radar observer endorsement or mariners who do not have either 1 year of relevant sea service on board radar-equipped vessels in the previous 5 years or service as a qualified instructor for a Coast Guard-approved radar course at least twice within the past 5 years. Elimination of the requirement to take a radar refresher or re-certification course every 5 years would reduce burden on affected mariners without impacting safety.