• DATES:
• ADDRESSES:
• FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
• SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
• Table of Acronyms
• A. Public Participation and Request for Comments
• 1. Submitting Comments
• 2. Viewing Comments and Documents
• 3. Privacy Act
• 4. Public Meeting
• B. Basis and Purpose
• C. Discussion of Proposed Rule
• D. Regulatory Analyses
• 1. Regulatory Planning and Review
• 2. Impact on Small Entities
• 3. Assistance for Small Entities
• 4. Collection of Information
• 5. Federalism
• 6. Protest Activities
• 7. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
• 8. Taking of Private Property
• 9. Civil Justice Reform
• 10. Protection of Children
• 11. Indian Tribal Governments
• 12. Energy Effects
• 13. Technical Standards
• 14. Environment
• List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 117
• PART 117—DRAWBRIDGE OPERATION REGULATIONS

Comments and related material must reach the Coast Guard on or before October 14, 2014.

Requests for public meetings must be received by the Coast Guard on or before September 26, 2014.

You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-2014-0719 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 instructions on submitting comments. To avoid duplication, please use only one of these methods.

If you have questions on this proposed rule, call or email Mr. Gene Stratton of the Coast Guard, telephone 305-415-6740, email allen.e.stratton@uscg.mil. If you have questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, call Cheryl Collins, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.

A. Public Participation and Request for Comments

We encourage you to participate in this proposed 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 proposed rulemaking (USCG-2014-0719), 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 (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 via http://www.regulations.gov, 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 phone 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-2014-0719] 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 81/2by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. If you submit them 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-2014-0719) 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 on or before September 26, 2014, using one of the methods specified under ADDRESSES. Please explain why one 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. Basis and Purpose

Due to the emergency replacement of the approach span leading to the West Venetian Causeway Bridge across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Miami, Florida, the roadway will be closed from November 1, 2014 until August 1, 2015. As a result, the bridge owner will place the West Venetian Causeway Bridge in the open to navigation position.

This road closure action will require all Venetian Islands visitors and residents to use the East Venetian Causeway Bridge.

The vertical clearance of the East Venetian Causeway Bridge is five feet above mean high water and the horizontal clearance is 57 feet between fenders. Existing regulations require the Biscayne Bay East Venetian Causeway Bridge to open on signal except from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday (excluding Federal holidays) when the bridge must only open on the hour and half hour. Both the Mayor of Miami-Dade County and the Mayor of Miami Beach have requested that the Coast Guard consider closing the East Venetian Causeway Bridge to all marine traffic for the estimated nine-month period of bridge repair at the approach span on West side of the Venetian Islands. To ensure that vessel traffic unable to transit under the bridge in the closed position can continue to use this waterway while repairs are made to the West Venetian Causeway Bridge, the Coast Guard proposes a temporary amendment to this regulation requiring the East Venetian Causeway Bridge to open at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. seven days a week from 7 a.m. on November 1, 2014 to 11:59 p.m. on August 15, 2015.

C. Discussion of Proposed Rule

This proposed rule will temporarily modify the operating schedule of the Venetian Causeway Bridge (East) at 33 CFR 117.269. Under the proposed rule, vessels will be able to pass through the East Venetian Causeway Bridge twice per day, 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. This restricted bridge opening period will allow vehicular traffic to access and depart from the Venetian Causeway while repairs are made to the West Venetian Causeway Bridge. Emergency vessels will be passed through the bridge at any time.

D. Regulatory Analyses

We developed this proposed rule after considering numerous statutes and executive orders related to rulemaking. Below we summarize our analyses based on 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 Order 12866 or under section 1 of Executive Order 13563. The Office of Management and Budget has not reviewed it under those Orders.

This regulatory action will not have a significant economic impact as vessels will still be able to transit the bridge at the scheduled intervals or transit the West Venetian Causeway Bridge. Therefore, it will meet the reasonable needs of navigation while accommodating the increased vehicular traffic.

2. Impact on Small Entities

The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA), 5 U.S.C. 601-612, as amended, requires federal agencies to consider the potential impact of regulations on small entities during rulemaking. The term “small entities” comprises small businesses, not-for-profit organizations that are independently owned and operated and are not dominant in their fields, and governmental jurisdictions with populations of less than 50,000. 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 would affect the following entities, some of which might be small entities: The owners or operators of vessels needing to transit the bridge who will then need to seek the alternate route, which is some cases could add an additional1/2hour to3/4hour to their transit time to the ocean in each direction.

This action will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities for the following reasons: Vessel traffic may transit the West Venetian Causeway Bridge during the period this regulation is enforced. In the closed position, vessels with a vertical clearance of less than 5 feet may transit the East Venetian Causeway Bridge. The bridge will continue to open two times per day, 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., to accommodate vessels unable to transit under the East Venetian Causeway Bridge or through the West Venetian Causeway Bridge.

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 section 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 would call for no 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 have determined that it 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.

7. 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 will not result in such an expenditure, we do discuss the effects of this proposed rule elsewhere in this preamble.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. Protection of Children

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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. Technical Standards

This proposed rule does not use technical standards. Therefore, we did not consider the use of voluntary consensus standards.

14. Environment

We have analyzed this proposed rule under Department of Homeland Security Management Directive 023-01 and Commandant Instruction M16475.lD, which guides 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 which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment. This proposed rule simply promulgates the operating regulations or procedures for drawbridges. This rule is categorically excluded, under figure 2-1, paragraph (32)(e), of the Instruction.

Under figure 2-1, paragraph (32)(e), of the Instruction, an environmental analysis checklist and a categorical exclusion determination are not required for this rule. We seek any comments or information that may lead to the discovery of a significant environmental impact from this proposed rule.

For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Coast Guard proposes to amend 33 CFR part 117 as follows:

[FR Doc. 2014-21681 Filed 9-10-14; 8:45 am]

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