2011-184. Special Local Regulation; Olympia Harbor Days Tug Boat Races, Budd Inlet, WA

AGENCY:

Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking.

SUMMARY:

The Coast Guard proposes to establish a special local regulation to enable vessel movement restrictions within the navigation channel and an area extending north of the channel in Budd Inlet, WA during the annual Olympia Harbor Days tug boat races. This action is necessary to restrict vessel movement within the specified race area immediately prior to, during, and immediately after racing activity in order to ensure the safety of participants, spectators and the maritime public. Entry into, transit through, mooring or anchoring within the specified race area is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, Puget Sound or Designated Representatives.

DATES:

Comments and related material must be received by the Coast Guard on or before April 11, 2011. Requests for public meetings must be received by the Coast Guard on or before February 9, 2011.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-2010-1024 using any one of the following methods:

(1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.

(2) Fax: [phone].

(3) Mail: 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.

(4) Hand delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329.

To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods. See the “Public Participation and Request for Comments” portion of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for instructions on submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

If you have questions on this proposed rule, call or e-mail LTJG Ashley M. Wanzer, Sector Puget Sound, Waterways Management Division, Coast Guard; telephone [phone], e-mail [e-mail]. If you have questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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.

Submitting Comments

If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this rulemaking (USCG-2010-1024), 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 (via 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 e-mail 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,, click on the “submit a comment” box, which will then become highlighted in blue. In the “Document Type” drop down menu select “Proposed Rule” and insert “USCG-2010-1024” in the “Keyword” box. Click “Search” then click on the balloon shape in the “Actions” column. If you submit your comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 81/2 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.

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,, click on the “read comments” box, which will then become highlighted in blue. In the “Keyword” box insert “USCG-2010-1024” and click “Search.” Click the “Open Docket Folder” in the “Actions” column. 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. We have an agreement with the Department of Transportation to use the Docket Management Facility.

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).

Public Meeting

We do not now plan to hold a public meeting. But you may submit a request for one on or before February 9, 2011 using one of the four 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.

For information on facilities or services for individuals with disabilities or to request special assistance at the public meeting, contact LTJG Ashley M. Wanzer at the telephone number or e-mail address indicated under the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.

Background and Purpose

Tug boat races typically result in vessel and spectator congestion in the proximity of the race course. The draft of these vessels creates a large wake when accelerating at fast speeds such as during races. Vessel movement restrictions are necessary to ensure spectators remain an adequate distance from the specified race area thereby providing unencumbered access for emergency response craft in the event of a race-related emergency. This proposed rule will establish a specified race area and ensure the safety of this marine event by prohibiting persons and vessel operators from entering, transiting or remaining within the designated race zone during times of enforcement.

Discussion of Proposed Rule

Olympia Harbor Days is an annual tug boat race in Budd Inlet, WA involving different classes of tug boat races. Each class of vessel will compete in a heat which will take place within the navigation channel. This proposed rule would create a special local regulation to restrict vessel movement within the race area to include the navigational channel and an area extending north of the channel in Budd Inlet, WA during each heat of racing. The event sponsor and event sponsor patrol craft located at the extremities of this race area will delineate the boundaries of the specified race area. Although the event sponsor will lack official enforcement abilities, the event sponsor will be the primary mechanism for informing the maritime public of vessel movement restrictions in the specified race area during this annual event.

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.

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, and does not require an assessment of potential costs and benefits under section 6(a)(3) of that Order. The Office of Management and Budget has not reviewed it under that Order. This rule is not a significant regulatory action because it is located in an isolated area, short in duration and vessels will be able to transit the navigation channel between heats of racing.

Small Entities

Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612), we have considered whether this proposed rule would have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. 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 will affect the following entities, some of which may be small entities: The owners or operators of vessels intending to transit this zone during periods of enforcement. This proposed rule will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities for the following reasons. This proposed rule will be enforced for a short duration and vessels will be able to navigate the channel between heats with the permission of the on-scene patrol commander (the event sponsor).

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.

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 so that they can better evaluate its effects on them and participate in the rulemaking. 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 LTJG Ashley M. Wanzer. 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.

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).

Federalism

A rule has implications for federalism under Executive Order 13132, Federalism, if it has a substantial direct effect on State or local governments and would either preempt State law or impose a substantial direct cost of compliance on them. We have analyzed this proposed rule under that Order and have determined that it does not have implications for federalism.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Energy Effects

We have analyzed this proposed rule under Executive Order 13211, Actions Concerning Regulations That Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use. We have determined that it is not a “significant energy action” under that order 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.

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.

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, under paragraph 34(h) of the Instruction, 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 special local regulation designating a course for recurring tug boat racing by various classes of tugboats in Budd Inlet, WA. Because marine events which seek to use these area will be required to conduct an environmental analysis as part of the permit process, this proposed rule is excluded from further environmental analysis. A preliminary Categorical Exclusion Determination and checklist supporting this determination is available in the Docket, described 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 100

• Marine safety
• Navigation (water)
• Reporting and recordkeeping requirements
• Waterways

For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Coast Guard proposes to amend 33 CFR part 100 as follows:

PART 100—SAFETY OF LIFE ON NAVIGABLE WATERS

1. The authority citation for part 100 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1233.

2. Add 33 CFR 100.1308 to read as follows:

§ 100.1308

Special Local Regulation; Olympia Harbor Days Tug Boat Races, Budd Inlet, WA.

(a) Regulated Area. The following area is specified as a race area: All waters of Budd Inlet, WA the width of the navigation channel south of a line connecting the following points: 47°05.530′ N 122°55.844′ W and 47°05.528′ N 122°55.680′ W until reaching the northernmost end of the navigation channel at a line connecting the following points: 47°05.108′ N 122°55.799′ W and 47°05.131′ N 122°55.659′ W then southeasterly until reaching the southernmost entrance of the navigation channel at a line connecting the following points: 47°03.946′ N 122°54.577′ W, 47°04.004′ N 122°54.471′ W.

(b) Regulations. In accordance with the general regulations in 33 CFR part 100, the regulated area shall be closed immediately prior to, during and immediately after the event to all persons and vessels not participating in the event and authorized by the event sponsor.

(c) Authorization. All persons or vessels who desire to enter the designated race area created in this section while it is enforced must obtain permission from the on-scene patrol craft on VHF Ch 13.

(d) Notice of Enforcement or Suspension of Enforcement. The Captain of the Port will provide notice of the enforcement of this special local regulation by all appropriate means to ensure the widest dissemination among the affected segments of the public, as practicable; such means of notification may include but are not limited to, Broadcast Notice to Mariners and Local Notice to Mariners.

Dated: November 24, 2010.

G.T. Blore,

Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard Commander, Thirteenth Coast Guard District.