[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 3, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 39453-39456]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16259]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 165

[Docket Number USCG-2012-0569]
RIN 1625-AA00


Safety Zone; Head of the Cuyahoga and U.S. Rowing Masters Head 
Race National Championship, Cuyahoga River, Cleveland, OH

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard proposes to establish a temporary safety zone 
on the Cuyahoga River, Cleveland, OH. This proposed rule is intended to 
restrict vessels from a portion of the Cuyahoga River during the Head 
of the Cuyahoga and the U.S. Rowing Masters Head Race International 
Championship. The safety zone established by this proposed rule is 
necessary to protect spectators, participants, and vessels from the 
hazards associated with rowing regattas.

DATES: Comments and related material must be received by the Coast 
Guard on or before August 2, 2012.

[[Page 39454]]


ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number using 
any one of the following methods:
    (1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
    (2) Fax: 202-493-2251.
    (3) Mail or Delivery: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. 
Department of Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Deliveries 
accepted between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329.
    See the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion 
of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for further instructions 
on submitting comments. To avoid duplication, please use only one of 
these three methods.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this rule, 
call or email LT Christopher Mercurio, Chief of Waterway Management, 
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Buffalo; telephone 716-843-9343, email 
[email protected]. If you have questions on viewing or 
submitting material to the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program 
Manager, Docket Operations, telephone (202) 366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Acronyms

DHS Department of Homeland Security
FR Federal Register
NPRM Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
HOTC Head of the Cuyahoga

A. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We encourage you to participate in this rulemaking by submitting 
comments and related materials. All comments received will be posted 
without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any 
personal information you have provided.

1. Submitting Comments

    If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this 
rulemaking, indicate the specific section of this document to which 
each comment applies, and provide a reason for each suggestion or 
recommendation. You may submit your comments and material online at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or by fax, mail, or hand delivery, but 
please use only one of these means. If you submit a comment online, it 
will be considered received by the Coast Guard when you successfully 
transmit the comment. If you fax, hand deliver, or mail your comment, 
it will be considered as having been received by the Coast Guard when 
it is received at the Docket Management Facility. We recommend that you 
include your name and a mailing address, an email address, or a 
telephone number in the body of your document so that we can contact 
you if we have questions regarding your submission.
    To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov, 
type the docket number (USCG-2012-0569) in the ``SEARCH'' box and click 
``SEARCH.'' Click on ``Submit a Comment'' on the line associated with 
this rulemaking.
    If you submit your comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them 
in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for 
copying and electronic filing. If you submit comments by mail and would 
like to know that they reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, 
self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will consider all comments and 
material received during the comment period and may change the rule 
based on your comments.

2. Viewing Comments and Documents

    To view comments, as well as documents mentioned in this preamble 
as being available in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov, 
type the docket number (USCG-2012-0569) in the ``SEARCH'' box and click 
``SEARCH.'' Click on Open Docket Folder on the line associated with 
this rulemaking. You may also visit the Docket Management Facility in 
Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the Department of Transportation 
West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, 
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.

3. Privacy Act

    Anyone can search the electronic form of comments received into any 
of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or 
signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, 
business, labor union, etc.). You may review a Privacy Act notice 
regarding our public dockets in the January 17, 2008, issue of the 
Federal Register (73 FR 3316).

4. Public Meeting

    We do not now plan to hold a public meeting. But you may submit a 
request for one, using one of the methods specified under ADDRESSES. 
Please explain why you believe a public meeting would be beneficial. If 
we determine that one would aid this rulemaking, we will hold one at a 
time and place announced by a later notice in the Federal Register.

B. Regulatory History and Information

    The Head of the Cuyahoga (HOTC) rowing regatta has occurred 
annually for over a decade. In response to past years' events, the 
Coast Guard has established a temporary safety zone to protect the 
boating public. For example, in 2011, the Captain of the Port Buffalo 
published a temporary final rule (76 FR 56638) to ensure the safety of 
spectators and vessels during the rowing event. The safety zone 
proposed in this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is identical in 
size, location, and effect as that established by the 2011 TFR. This 
NPRM was not preceded by an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
(ANPRM), and thus no public comments have yet to be received.

C. Basis and Purpose

    As mentioned in the ``Regulatory History and Information'' section, 
the HOTC is an annual rowing regatta that has taken place for over a 
decade. The HOTC takes place on the Cuyahoga River along a 4800 meter 
course and attracts numerous rowing clubs and programs from across the 
U.S. Typically, the event occurs on the third Saturday of September 
between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. In 2012, for instance, the 
HOTC will occur between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on September 15, 2012.
    Following the HOTC on the 15th of September, the U.S. Rowing 
Masters Head Race National Championship will take place on September 
16th along the same portion of the Cuyahoga River. The National 
Championship will feature racing in both sweep and sculling events.
    The Captain of the Port Buffalo has determined that the HOTC and 
the U.S. Rowing Masters Head Race National Championship rowing events 
present significant hazards to public spectators and participants.

D. Discussion of Proposed Rule

    With the aforementioned hazards in mind, the Captain of the Port 
Buffalo proposes to establish a temporary safety zone that will ensure 
the safety of spectators and vessels during the HOTC and during the 
U.S. Rowing Masters Head Race National Championship. The proposed 
safety zone would be effective and enforced from 6:30 a.m. until 4:30 
p.m. on September 15 and 16, 2012.
    The proposed safety zone will encompass all waters of the Cuyahoga 
River, Cleveland, OH from a line drawn

[[Page 39455]]

perpendicular from position 41[deg]28'32'' N, 081[deg]40'16'' W (NAD 
83) just south of the Interstate 490 bridge, north to the Detroit-
Superior Viaduct bridge.
    Entry into, transiting, or anchoring within the proposed safety 
zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Buffalo 
or his on-scene representative. The Captain of the Port or his on-scene 
representative may be contacted via VHF Channel 16.

E. Regulatory Analyses

    We developed this proposed rule after considering numerous statutes 
and executive orders related to rulemaking. Below we summarize our 
analyses based on 13 of these statutes or executive orders.

1. Regulatory Planning and Review

    This proposed rule is not a significant regulatory action under 
section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review, 
as supplemented by Executive Order 13563, Improving Regulation and 
Regulatory Review, and does not require an assessment of potential 
costs and benefits under section 6(a)(3) of Executive Order 12866 or 
under section 1 of Executive Order 13563. The Office of Management and 
Budget has not reviewed it under those Orders. It is not 
``significant'' under the regulatory policies and procedures of the 
Department of Homeland Security (DHS). We conclude that this proposed 
rule is not a significant regulatory action because we anticipate that 
it will have minimal impact on the economy, will not interfere with 
other agencies, will not adversely alter the budget of any grant or 
loan recipients, and will not raise any novel legal or policy issues. 
The safety zone created by this proposed rule will be relatively small 
and enforced for relatively short time. Also, the safety zone is 
designed to minimize its impact on navigable waters. Furthermore, the 
safety zone has been designed to allow vessels to transit around it. 
Thus, restrictions on vessel movement within that particular area are 
expected to be minimal. Under certain conditions, moreover, vessels may 
still transit through the safety zone when permitted by the Captain of 
the Port.

2. Impact on Small Entities

    Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612), we have 
considered the impact of this proposed rule on small entities. The 
Coast Guard certifies under 5 U.S.C. 605(b) that this proposed rule 
would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of 
small entities. This proposed rule may affect the following entities, 
some of which might be small entities: The owners of operators of 
vessels intending to transit or anchor in a portion of the Cuyahoga 
River near Cleveland, Ohio between 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on September 
15 and 16, 2012.
    This safety zone would not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities for the following reasons. This 
safety zone would be activated, and thus subject to enforcement, for 
only 9 and a half hours each day for two days. Although the safety zone 
would apply to the entire width of the river, traffic would be allowed 
to pass through the zone with the permission of the Captain of the 
Port. Before the activation of the zone, we would issue maritime 
advisories widely available to users of the river.
    If you think that your business, organization, or governmental 
jurisdiction qualifies as a small entity and that this rule would have 
a significant economic impact on it, please submit a comment (see 
ADDRESSES) explaining why you think it qualifies and how and to what 
degree this rule would economically affect it.

3. Assistance for Small Entities

    Under section 213(a) of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement 
Fairness Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-121), we want to assist small 
entities in understanding this proposed rule. If the rule would affect 
your small business, organization, or governmental jurisdiction and you 
have questions concerning its provisions or options for compliance, 
please contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT, above. The Coast Guard will not retaliate against small 
entities that question or complain about this proposed rule or any 
policy or action of the Coast Guard.

4. Collection of Information

    This proposed rule will not call for a new collection of 
information under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-
3520.).

5. Federalism

    A rule has implications for federalism under Executive Order 13132, 
Federalism, if it has a substantial direct effect on the States, on the 
relationship between the national government and the States, or on the 
distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of 
government. We have analyzed this proposed rule under that Order and 
determined that this rule does not have implications for federalism.

6. Protest Activities

    The Coast Guard respects the First Amendment rights of protesters. 
Protesters are asked to contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section to coordinate protest activities so that 
your message can be received without jeopardizing the safety or 
security of people, places or vessels.

6. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

    The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1531-1538) 
requires Federal agencies to assess the effects of their discretionary 
regulatory actions. In particular, the Act addresses actions that may 
result in the expenditure by a State, local, or tribal government, in 
the aggregate, or by the private sector of $100,000,000 (adjusted for 
inflation) or more in any one year. Though this proposed rule would not 
result in such an expenditure, we do discuss the effects of this rule 
elsewhere in this preamble.

7. Taking of Private Property

    This proposed rule would not cause a taking of private property or 
otherwise have taking implications under Executive Order 12630, 
Governmental Actions and Interference with Constitutionally Protected 
Property Rights.

8. Civil Justice Reform

    This proposed rule meets applicable standards in sections 3(a) and 
3(b)(2) of Executive Order 12988, Civil Justice Reform, to minimize 
litigation, eliminate ambiguity, and reduce burden.

9. Protection of Children From Environmental Health Risks

    We have analyzed this proposed rule under Executive Order 13045, 
Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety 
Risks. This rule is not an economically significant rule and would not 
create an environmental risk to health or risk to safety that might 
disproportionately affect children.

10. Indian Tribal Governments

    This proposed rule does not have tribal implications under 
Executive Order 13175, Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal 
Governments, because it would not have a substantial direct effect on 
one or more Indian tribes, on the relationship between the Federal 
Government and Indian tribes, or on the distribution of power and 
responsibilities between the Federal Government and Indian tribes.

[[Page 39456]]

11. Energy Effects

    This proposed rule is not a ``significant energy action'' under 
Executive Order 13211, Actions Concerning Regulations That 
Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use because it is 
not a ``significant regulatory action'' under Executive Order 12866 and 
is not likely to have a significant adverse effect on the supply, 
distribution, or use of energy. The Administrator of the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs has not designated it as a 
significant energy action. Therefore, it does not require a Statement 
of Energy Effects under Executive Order 13211.

12. Technical Standards

    The National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA) (15 
U.S.C. 272 note) directs agencies to use voluntary consensus standards 
in their regulatory activities unless the agency provides Congress, 
through the Office of Management and Budget, with an explanation of why 
using these standards would be inconsistent with applicable law or 
otherwise impractical. Voluntary consensus standards are technical 
standards (e.g., specifications of materials, performance, design, or 
operation; test methods; sampling procedures; and related management 
systems practices) that are developed or adopted by voluntary consensus 
standards bodies. This proposed rule does not use technical standards. 
Therefore, we did not consider the use of voluntary consensus 
standards.

13. Environment

    We have analyzed this proposed rule under Department of Homeland 
Security Management Directive 023-01 and Commandant Instruction 
M16475.lD, which guide the Coast Guard in complying with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA)(42 U.S.C. 4321-4370f), and have 
made a preliminary determination that this action is one of a category 
of actions that do not individually or cumulatively have a significant 
effect on the human environment. This proposed rule involves the 
establishment of a safety zone and, therefore it is categorically 
excluded from further review under paragraph 34(g) of Figure 2-1 of the 
Commandant Instruction. A preliminary environmental analysis checklist 
supporting this determination and a Categorical Exclusion Determination 
are available in the docket where indicated under ADDRESSES. We seek 
any comments or information that may lead to the discovery of a 
significant environmental impact from this proposed rule.

List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 165

    Harbors, Marine Safety, Navigation (water), Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements, Security measures, Waterways.

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Coast Guard proposes 
to amend 33 CFR part 165 as follows:

PART 165--REGULATED NAVIGATION AREAS AND LIMITED ACCESS AREAS

    1. The authority citation for part 165 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority:  33 U.S.C. 1231; 46 U.S.C. Chapters 701, 3306, 3703; 
50 U.S.C. 191, 195; 33 CFR 1.05-1, 6.04-1, 6.04-6, and 160.5; Pub. 
L. 107-295, 116 Stat. 2064; Department of Homeland Security 
Delegation No. 0170.1.

    2. Add Sec.  165.T09-0569 to read as follows:


Sec.  165.T09-0569  Safety Zone; Head of the Cuyahoga and U.S. Rowing 
Masters Head Race National Championship, Cuyahoga River, Cleveland, OH.

    (a) Location. The proposed safety zone will encompass all waters of 
the Cuyahoga River, Cleveland, OH from a line drawn perpendicular from 
position 41[deg]28'32'' N, 081[deg]40'16'' W (NAD 83) just south of the 
Interstate 490 bridge, north to the Detroit-Superior Viaduct bridge.
    (b) Effective and enforcement period. This regulation is effective 
and will be enforced on September 15 and 16, 2012 from 6:30 a.m. until 
4:30 p.m.
    (c) Regulations. In accordance with the general regulations in 
section 165.23 of this part, entry into, transiting, or anchoring 
within this safety zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain 
of the Port Buffalo or his designated on-scene representative.
    (2) This safety zone is closed to all vessel traffic, except as may 
be permitted by the Captain of the Port Buffalo or his designated on-
scene representative.
    (3) The ``on-scene representative'' of the Captain of the Port 
Buffalo is any Coast Guard commissioned, warrant or petty officer who 
has been designated by the Captain of the Port Buffalo to act on his 
behalf.
    (4) Vessel operators desiring to enter or operate within the safety 
zone shall contact the Captain of the Port Buffalo or his on-scene 
representative to obtain permission to do so. The Captain of the Port 
Buffalo or his on-scene representative may be contacted via VHF Channel 
16. Vessel operators given permission to enter or operate in the safety 
zone must comply with all directions given to them by the Captain of 
the Port Buffalo, or his on-scene representative.

    Dated: June 20, 2012.
S.M. Wischmann,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port Buffalo.
[FR Doc. 2012-16259 Filed 7-2-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P