29954 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 91 / Wednesday, May 10, 2000 / Rules and Regulations

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 117

[CGD08–00–005]

Drawbridge Operating Regulation;

Chef Menteur Pass, LA

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of temporary deviation

from regulations; request for comments.

SUMMARY: The Commander, Eighth

Coast Guard District, has issued a

temporary deviation from the regulation

governing the operation of the U.S.

Highway 90 bridge across Chef Menteur

Pass, mile 2.8, at Lake Catherine,

Orleans Parish, Louisiana. This

deviation will test a proposed change to

the drawbridge operation schedule. This

deviation will change the current

morning bridge closure period from 5:30

a.m. to 7:30 a.m., Monday through

Friday, except Federal holidays, so that

the draw will open on the hour and

half-hour during this period. The test

deviation will be used to evaluate the

effectiveness of a proposed change to

the draw operation schedule.

DATES: This deviation is effective from

Thursday, June 1, 2000 through Friday,

June 30, 2000. Comments must be

submitted by July 31, 2000.

ADDRESSES: You may mail comments to

Commander (ob), Eighth Coast Guard

District, 501 Magazine Street, New

Orleans, Louisiana 70130–3396, or

deliver them to room 1313 at the same

address between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.,

Monday through Friday, except Federal

holidays. The Commander, Eighth Coast

Guard District, Bridge Administration

Branch maintains the public docket for

this rulemaking. Comments and

material received from the public, as

well as documents indicated in this

preamble as being available in the

docket, will become part of this docket

and will be available for inspection or

copying at the Bridge Administration

Branch, Eighth Coast Guard District

between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday

through Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Phil

Johnson, Bridge Administration Branch,

telephone (504) 589–2965.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

February 23, 1999 the operating

regulation for the Chef Menteur Pass

Bridge was changed to allow the bridge

to remain closed to navigation from 5:30

a.m. to 7:30 a.m., Monday through

Friday, except Federal holidays. (CGD8–

96–053, 64 FR 8720 dated February 23,

1999). The Coast Guard received

numerous complaints from operators of

commercial fishing vessels, stating that

the special operating regulation does not

meet the needs of navigation for local

commercial fishermen because they are

required to haul in their shrimp nets

two hours earlier than necessary to be

able pass through the bridge before the

closure time. This cuts down trawling

time resulting in loss of revenue. Based

on complaints from local commercial

fishermen, the Coast Guard has

determined that the special drawbridge

operating regulation may not meet the

reasonable needs of navigation.

The Coast Guard is proposing a

change to the regulation governing the

operation of the bridge and has issued

a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

(NPRM) published elsewhere in today’s

Federal Register. The NPRM requests

comments on the Coast Guard’s

proposal to modify the 33 CFR 117.436

to require the bridge to open only on the

hour and on the half-hour from 5:30

a.m. to 7:30 a.m., Monday through

Friday, except Federal holidays. The

draw shall open on signal at all other

times or at any time for a vessel in

distress. The deviation to the current

regulations allows the Coast Guard to

test the proposed schedule and evaluate

its effectiveness before making a

permanent change to the drawbridge

opening regulation. Comments will be

accepted through July 31, 2000.

Under the temporary deviation, the

draw of the U. S. Highway 90 bridge

across Chef Menteur Pass, mile 2.8 at

Lake Catherine, Orleans Parish,

Louisiana will open to navigation only

on the hour and on the half-hour

between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 7:30

a.m. from June 1, 2000 through June 30,

2000. The draw shall open on signal at

all other times or at any time for a vessel

in distress.

Dated: May 1, 2000.

K.J. Eldridge,

Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, 8th

Coast Guard Dist., Acting.

[FR Doc. 00–11704 Filed 5–9–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 165

[COTP Western Alaska 00–004]

RIN 2115–AA97

Safety Zone; Redoubt Shoal, Cook

Inlet, Alaska

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Temporary final rule.

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is

establishing a temporary 500-yard

radius moving safety zone around the

Exploratory Drilling Structure OSPREY

as it is towed by Crowley Marine

Service Tugs from Port Graham, Alaska

to its set down site located in Redoubt

Bay, Cook Inlet, Alaska. This safety zone

is implemented to ensure the safe and

timely movement and set down of the

Drilling Structure OSPREY in Redoubt

Bay, Cook Inlet, Alaska.

DATES: This temporary final rule is

effective from 12:01 a.m. on July 7,

2000, until 11:59 p.m. on July 9, 2000.

ADDRESSES: The public docket for this

rulemaking is maintained by Coast

Guard Marine Safety Office Anchorage,

510 ‘‘L’’ Street, Suite 100, Anchorage,

AK 99501. Materials in the public

docket are available for inspection and

copying at Coast Guard Marine Safety

Office Anchorage. Normal Office hours

are 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through

Friday, except federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lieutenant Commander Rick Rodriguez,

Chief of Port Operations, USCG Marine

Safety Office, Anchorage, at (907) 271–

6724.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Regulatory History

A notice of proposed rulemaking

(NPRM) was not published for this

regulation. In keeping with

requirements of 5 U.S.C. 553(B), the

Coast Guard finds that good cause exists

for not publishing a NPRM. Publishing

an NPRM and delaying the effective

date would be contrary to national

safety interests since immediate action

is needed to minimize potential danger

to the public. The OSPREY is a large

structure that is difficult to maneuver

and presents a potential hazard.

Publishing an NPRM and delaying the

effective date of the regulation is

warranted because immediate action is

necessary to protect participants and

other vessel traffic from the potential

hazards associated with this operation.

Background and Purpose

The Coast Guard is establishing a

temporary 500-yard radius moving

safety zone on the navigable waters of

the United States around the

Exploratory Drilling Structure OSPREY

as it is towed by Crowley Marine

Service Tugs from Port Graham, Alaska

to its set down site located in Redoubt

Bay, Cook Inlet, Alaska, latitude

60°41′74′′ W, longitude 151°40′33′′ N.

This safety zone is implemented to

ensure the safe and timely movement