New regs for Wednesday: Ships, air pollution, sea cows

Wednesday’s edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for ships navigating inland waters, hazardous air pollution, hydroelectric production facilities, trains, and sea cows.

Here’s what is happening:

Inland waters: The Coast Guard is moving forward with new navigation rules for ships that sail in the inland waters of the U.S., such as through the Mississippi River or Great Lakes. 

There are more than 25,000 miles of inland waters across the country.

The navigation rules will align the domestic standards with international standards for ships, and are intended to increase safety along the nation’s waterways.

“Coast Guard regulations relating to inland navigation rules are inconsistent with the international standards,” the agency wrote.

The rules go into effect in 30 days.

Emissions: The Environmental Protection Agency is considering new emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants at off-site waste and recovery operations, the agency said Tuesday.

The proposed changes follow an agency review of the standards to make sure they comply with the Clean Air Act. The rules would include new requirements for leak detection and repair, among other things.

The public has 45 days to comment.

Hydroelectric power: The Energy Department is considering new rules for hydroelectric facilities that sell electric energy to the government.

The Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy issued a draft guidance on Tuesday that includes incentive payments to the owners and operators of these hydroelectric facilities.

The public has 15 days to comment.

Trains: The Federal Railroad Administration is reducing the reporting requirements for railroad carriers, the agency announced Tuesday.

Railroad carriers will no longer be required to file signal system status reports, which make sure trains are safe and do not collide with each other.

The rule goes into effect in 60 days.

Paycheck: The Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with a rule that would allow it to garnish nonfederal wages from people who owe money to the agency.

The rule goes into effect in 60 days.

Fines: The Federal Maritime Commission is raising its fines for companies that violate its rules, the agency announced Tuesday.

The new fines go into effect on July 11.

Sea cow: The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is considering weakening the protections for the West Indian manatee, better known as the “sea cow.”

The FWS said it would consider classifying sea cows as threatened, which is a step down from endangered where they are currently listed.

The public has 60 days to comment.