[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 81 (Thursday, April 26, 2018)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 18226-18227]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08763]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
33 CFR Part 117
[Docket No. USCG-2016-0257]
Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Delaware River, Pennsauken
Township, NJ
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of temporary deviation from regulations; request for
comments.
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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the
operating schedule that governs the DELAIR Memorial Railroad Bridge
across the Delaware River, mile 104.6, at Pennsauken Township, NJ. This
deviation will test the remote operation system of the drawbridge to
determine whether the bridge can be safely operated from a remote
location. This deviation will allow the bridge to be remotely operated
from the Conrail South Jersey dispatch center in Mount Laurel, NJ,
instead of being operated by an on-site bridge tender.
DATES: This modified deviation is effective without actual notice from
April 26, 2018 through 7:59 a.m. on October 16, 2018. For the purposes
of enforcement, actual notice will be used from 8 a.m. on April 19,
2018, until April 26, 2018. Comments and related material must reach
the Coast Guard on or before August 17, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2016-0257 using Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. See the ``Public Participation and Request for
Comments'' portion of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for
instructions on submitting comments.
[[Page 18227]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this
temporary deviation, call or email Mr. Hal R. Pitts, Fifth Coast Guard
District (dpb); telephone (757) 398-6222, email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background, Purpose and Legal Basis
On April 12, 2017, we published a notification in the Federal
Register entitled, ``Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Delaware River,
Pennsauken Township, NJ'' announcing a temporary deviation from the
regulations, with request for comments (see 82 FR 17562). The purpose
of the deviation was to test the newly installed remote operation
system of the DELAIR Memorial Railroad Bridge across the Delaware
River, mile 104.6, at Pennsauken Township, NJ, owned and operated by
Conrail Shared Assets. The installation of the remote operation system
did not change the operational schedule of the bridge.\1\
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\1\ A full description of the remote operation system is
outlined in the aforementioned publication, which can be found at
http://regulations.gov. (See ADDRESSES for more information).
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On June 30, 2017, we published a notice of proposed rulemaking
(NPRM) entitled, ``Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Delaware River,
Pennsauken Township, NJ'' (see 82 FR 29800). The original comment
period closed on August 18, 2017.
On October 18, 2017, we published a notification in the Federal
Register entitled, ``Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Delaware River,
Pennsauken Township, NJ'' announcing a second temporary deviation from
the regulations, with request for comments (see 82 FR 48419). This
temporary deviation commenced at 8 a.m. on October 21, 2017, and will
conclude at 7:59 a.m. on April 19, 2018. This notification included a
request for comments and related material to reach the Coast Guard on
or before January 15, 2018.\2\
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\2\ Detailed information concerning this second test deviation
is contained in the Background, Purpose and Legal Basis paragraphs
of the aforementioned publication, which can be found at http://regulations.gov, (see ADDRESSES for more information).
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On December 6, 2017, we published a notice of proposed rulemaking;
reopening of comment period; entitled ``Drawbridge Operation
Regulation; Delaware River, Pennsauken Township, NJ'' in the Federal
Register (see 82 FR 57561). This notification included a request for
comments and related material to reach the Coast Guard on or before
January 15, 2018.
On January 22, 2018, we published a notification of temporary
deviation from regulations; reopening comment period; entitled
``Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Delaware River, Pennsauken Township,
NJ'' in the Federal Register (see 83 FR 2909). This notification
included a request for comments and related material to reach the Coast
Guard on or before March 2, 2018.
On February 15, 2018, we published a notice of proposed rulemaking;
reopening comment period; entitled ``Drawbridge Operation Regulation;
Delaware River, Pennsauken Township, NJ'' in the Federal Register (see
83 FR 6821). This notification included a request for comments and
related material to reach the Coast Guard on or before March 2, 2018.
The Coast Guard has reviewed 25 comments posted to the docket, six
reports with supporting documentation submitted by the bridge owner
during the initial and second temporary deviations, and other
information concerning the remote operation system of the DELAIR
Memorial Railroad Bridge. Through this review, the Coast Guard has
found that further testing and evaluation of the remote operation
system of the drawbridge is necessary before making a decision on the
proposed regulation. The Coast Guard has issued a third temporary
deviation from 8 a.m. on April 19, 2018, through 7:59 a.m. on October
16, 2018, to provide sufficient time for further testing and evaluation
of the remote operation system of the DELAIR Memorial Railroad Bridge.
During this temporary deviation, the following changes have been
implemented: (1) The on-site bridge tender will be removed from the
bridge, (2) qualified personnel will return and operate the bridge
within 60 minutes if the remote operation system is considered in a
failed condition,\3\ and (3) comments concerning the utility and value
of the automated identification system (AIS) are requested. This
deviation is authorized under 33 CFR 117.35.
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\3\ The conditions in which the remote operation system will be
considered in a failed condition are detailed in the Supplementary
Information: III. Discussion of Proposed Rule section of the Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which can be found at: http://regulations.gov, (see ADDRESSES for more information).
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II. Public Participation and Request for Comments
We view public participation as essential to effective rulemaking,
and will consider all comments and material received during the comment
period. Your comment can help shape the outcome of this rulemaking. 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.
We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be
submitted using http://www.regulations.gov, contact the person in the
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for alternate
instructions.
We accept anonymous comments. All comments received will be posted
without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any
personal information you have provided. For more about privacy and the
docket, visit http://www.regulations.gov/privacynotice.
Documents mentioned in this notification as being available in this
docket and all public comments, will be in our online docket at http://www.regulations.gov and can be viewed by following that website's
instructions. Additionally, if you go to the online docket and sign up
for email alerts, you will be notified when comments are posted or a
final rule is published.
Dated: April 19, 2018.
Jerry R. Barnes,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Fifth Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2018-08763 Filed 4-25-18; 8:45 am]
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