The Coast Guard can now enforce temporary safety zones without telling anyone first

The Coast Guard has been issuing temporary safety and security rules without publishing them in the Federal Register. This document retroactively lists some of those rules and announces that the agency will continue to enforce rules that were not published before their enforcement period ended.

The Coast Guard has a legal obligation to publish its rules so the public knows what they are. This document is a quiet admission that the agency has been skipping that step for temporary rules. It means people might face penalties for violating rules they never knew existed. This also means the Coast Guard can create temporary zones without public notice or comment, then enforce them, and only publish the rule after it has expired.