The Coast Guard admits it often publishes safety rules too late to matter

The Coast Guard has acknowledged that many of its temporary safety and security rules are published in the Federal Register after they have already expired. This means that the public often does not know about these restrictions until after they are no longer in effect.

The Coast Guard issues temporary rules to create safety zones around events like boat races or fireworks displays, or security zones for specific operations. These rules are legally binding, but if they are not published in time, the public cannot know about them. This document is a formal admission that the system for informing the public about these temporary restrictions is broken.