Safety Zones, Security Zones, and Special Local Regulations

AGENCY:

Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of temporary rules issued.

SUMMARY:

This document provides required notice of substantive rules adopted by the Coast Guard and temporarily effective between October 1, 1999 and December 31, 1999 which were not published in the Federal Register. This quarterly notice lists temporary local regulations, security zones, and safety zones of limited duration and for which timely publication in the Federal Register was not possible.

DATES:

This notice lists temporary Coast Guard regulations that became effective and were terminated between October 1, 1999 and December 31, 1999.

ADDRESSES:

The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this notice. Documents indicated in this notice will be available for inspection or copying at the Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20593-0001 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays. You may electronically access the public docket for this notice on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov .

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For questions on this notice, contact Lieutenant Junior Grade Bruce Walker, Office of Regulations and Administrative Law, telephone (202) 267-6233. For questions on viewing, or on submitting material to the docket, contact Dorothy Walker, Chief, Dockets, Department of Transportation (202) 866-9329.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

District Commanders and Captains of the Port (COTP) must be immediately responsive to the safety needs of the waters within their jurisdiction; therefore, District Commanders and COTPs have been delegated the authority to issue certain local regulations. Safety zones may be established for safety or environmental purposes. A safety zone may be stationary and described by fixed limits or it may be described as a zone around a vessel in motion. Security zones limit access to vessels, ports, or waterfront facilities to prevent injury or damage. Special local regulations are issued to enhance the safety of participants and spectators at regattas or other marine events. Timely publication of these regulations in the Federal Register is often precluded when a regulation responds to an emergency, or when an event occurs without sufficient advance notice. However, the affected public is informed of these regulations through Local Notices to Mariners, press releases, and other means. Moreover, actual notification is provided by Coast Guard patrol vessels enforcing the restrictions imposed by the regulation. Because mariners are notified by Coast Guard officials on-scene prior to enforcement action, Federal Register notice is not required to place the special local regulation, security zone, or safety zone in effect. However, the Coast Guard, by law, must publish in the Federal Register notice of substantive rules adopted. To meet this obligation without imposing undue expense on the public, the Coast Guard periodically publishes a list of these temporary special local regulations, security zones, and safety zones. Permanent regulations are not included in this list because they are published in their entirety in the Federal Register. Temporary regulations may also be published in their entirety if sufficient time is available to do so before they are placed in effect or terminated. The safety zones, special local regulations and security zones listed in this notice have been exempted from review under Executive Order 12866 because of their emergency nature, or limited scope and temporary effectiveness.

The following regulations were placed in effect temporarily during the period October 1, 1999 and December 31, 1999, unless otherwise indicated.