Notice of Application for Approval of Discontinuance or Modification of a Railroad Signal System or Relief From the Requirements of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 236, 17142-17143 [05-6651]

Download as PDF 17142 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 63 / Monday, April 4, 2005 / Notices DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration Petition for Waiver of Compliance In accordance with part 211 of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), notice is hereby given that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has received a request for a waiver of compliance with certain requirements of its safety standards. The individual petition is described below, including the party seeking relief, the regulatory provisions involved, the nature of the relief being requested, and the petitioner’s arguments in favor of relief. North County Transit District (Supplement to Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA–2002–11809) As a supplement to North County Transit District’s (NCTD) Petition for Approval of Shared Use and Waiver of Certain Federal Railroad Administration Regulations (the Waiver was granted by the FRA on June 24, 2003), NCTD seeks permanent waiver of compliance from additional sections of Title 49 of the CFR for operation of its SPRINTER rail line between Oceanside, CA and Escondido, CA. See Statement of Agency Policy Concerning Jurisdiction Over the Safety of Railroad Passenger Operations and Waivers Related to Shared Use of the Tracks of the General Railroad System by Light Rail and Conventional Equipment, 65 FR 42529 (July 10, 2000). See also Joint Statement of Agency Policy Concerning Shared Use of the Tracks of the General Railroad System by Conventional Railroads and Light Rail Transit Systems, 65 FR 42626 (July 10, 2000). In this regard, NCTD has advanced the design and construction of the SPRINTER rail line towards implementation and in the process, has identified the following additional regulations from which it hereby seeks waivers: 49 CFR part 223 Safety Glazing Standards—Locomotives, Passenger Cars and Cabooses, Section 223.9(c); and part 229 Railroad Locomotive Safety Standards, Section 229.125(a). Interested parties are invited to participate in these proceedings by submitting written views, data, or comments. FRA does not anticipate scheduling a public hearing in connection with these proceedings since the facts do not appear to warrant a hearing. If any interested party desires an opportunity for oral comment, they should notify FRA, in writing, before the end of the comment period and specify the basis for their request. All communications concerning these proceedings should identify the VerDate jul<14>2003 15:19 Apr 01, 2005 Jkt 205001 appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver Petition Docket Number 2002–11809) and must be submitted to the Docket Clerk, DOT Docket Management Facility, Room PL–401 (Plaza Level), 400 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Communications received within 45 days of the date of this notice will be considered by FRA before final action is taken. Comments received after that date will be considered as far as practicable. All written communications concerning these proceedings are available for examination during regular business hours (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) at the above facility. All documents in the public docket are also available for inspection and copying on the Internet at the docket facility’s Web site at https://dms.dot.gov. Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all 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 DOT’s complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477–78). The Statement may also be found at https:// dms.dot.gov. Issued in Washington, DC on March 29, 2005. Grady C. Cothen, Jr., Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program Development. [FR Doc. 05–6652 Filed 4–1–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–06–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration Notice of Application for Approval of Discontinuance or Modification of a Railroad Signal System or Relief From the Requirements of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 236 Pursuant to Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 235 and 49 U.S.C. 20502(a), the following railroad has petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) seeking approval for the discontinuance or modification of the signal system or relief from the requirements of 49 CFR part 236 as detailed below. Docket Number FRA–2005–20383 Applicant: Maine Eastern Railroad, Mr. Jonathan F. Shute, General Manager, 685 Sligo Road, North Yarmouth, Maine 04097. The Maine Eastern Railroad (MERR) seeks relief from the requirements of the PO 00000 Frm 00093 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Rules, Standard and Instructions, Title 49 CFR, part 236, section 236.312, on the Carlton Bridge, at Bath, Maine, milepost 30.0, on the Rockland Branch, to the extent that MERR be permitted to detect displacement of the bridge locking members, when displaced more than two inches from their proper position, instead of the existing one inch requirement. Applicant’s justification for relief: The bridge and interlocking have recently been upgraded with new span lock rams, new rail seat detectors, and a new signal interlocking. It is not possible to maintain the one inch span lock retraction limit in cold temperature extremes, due to the contraction of the steel members in the span itself. The contraction of the steel affects the moveable span’s west end span lock adjustment, which requires a maintainer to travel to the bridge piers to seasonally adjust both west end span lock circuit controller boxes to a setting of two inches to compensate for the contraction, and then again later in the season he must return the settings to one inch. This often places the maintainer at a safety risk due to icy conditions. The new power driven span lock rams are mechanically engaged for a distance of two feet to lock the moveable span down, and a change in the ram retraction limit from one to two inches clearly causes no safety risk. Any interested party desiring to protest the granting of an application shall set forth specifically the grounds upon which the protest is made, and include a concise statement of the interest of the party in the proceeding. Additionally, one copy of the protest shall be furnished to the applicant at the address listed above. All communications concerning this proceeding should be identified by the docket number and must be submitted to the Docket Clerk, DOT Central Docket Management Facility, Room PL–401 (Plaza Level), 400 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590–0001. Communications received within 45 days of the date of this notice will be considered by the FRA before final action is taken. Comments received after that date will be considered as far as practicable. All written communications concerning these proceedings are available for examination during regular business hours (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) at the above facility. All documents in the public docket are also available for inspection and copying on the Internet at the docket facility’s Web site at https://dms.dot.gov. FRA wishes to inform all potential commenters that anyone is able to search the electronic form of all E:\FR\FM\04APN1.SGM 04APN1 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 63 / Monday, April 4, 2005 / Notices 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 DOT’s complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477– 78) or you may visit https://dms.dot.gov. FRA expects to be able to determine these matters without an oral hearing. However, if a specific request for an oral hearing is accompanied by a showing that the party is unable to adequately present his or her position by written statements, an application may be set for public hearing. Issued in Washington, DC on March 29, 2005. Grady C. Cothen, Jr., Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program Development. [FR Doc. 05–6651 Filed 4–1–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–06–P DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS [OMB Control No. 2900–NEW] Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501–3521), this notice announces that the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs, has submitted the collection of information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden; it includes the actual data collection instrument. DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 4, 2005. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Denise McLamb, Records Management Service (005E3), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420, (202) 273–8030, fax (202) 273–5981 or e-mail denise.mclamb@mail.va.gov. Please refer to ‘‘OMB Control No. 2900–NEW.’’ Send comments and recommendations concerning any aspect of the information collection to VA’s OMB Desk Officer, OMB Human Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, VerDate jul<14>2003 15:19 Apr 01, 2005 Jkt 205001 Washington, DC 20503, (202) 395–7316. Please refer to ‘‘OMB Control No. 2900– NEW’’ in any correspondence. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Request for Contact Information, VA Form 21–30. OMB Control Number: 2900–NEW. Type of Review: New collection. Abstract: VA Form 21–30 is used to locate individuals when contact information cannot be obtained by other means or when travel funds may be significantly impacted in cases where the individual resides in a remote location and is not home during the day or when visited. VA uses the data collected to investigate and interview witnesses upon any matter within the jurisdiction of the Department, including determining whether a fiduciary of a beneficiary is properly executing his or her duties. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on December 1, 2004, at page 69991. Affected Public: Individuals or households. Estimated Annual Burden: 1,250 hours. Estimated Average Burden Per Respondent: 15 minutes. Frequency of Response: One-time. Estimated Number of Respondents: 5,000. Dated: March 17, 2005. By direction of the Secretary. Martin Hill, Management Analyst, Records Management Service. [FR Doc. 05–6661 Filed 4–1–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8320–01–M DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS [OMB Control No. 2900–0051] Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501–21), this notice announces that the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs, has submitted the collection of information abstracted PO 00000 Frm 00094 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 17143 below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden and includes the actual data collection instrument. Comments must be submitted on or before May 4, 2005. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Denise McLamb, Records Management Service (005E3), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., or email denise.mclamb@mail.va.gov. Please refer to ‘‘OMB Control No. 2900– 0051.’’ Send comments and recommendations concerning any aspect of the information collection to VA’s OMB Desk Officer, OMB Human Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503 (202) 395–7316. Please refer to ‘‘OMB Control No. 2900– 0051’’ in any correspondence. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13; 44 U.S.C. 3501—3521), Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. This request for comment is being made pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA. With respect to the following collection of information, VBA invites comments on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of VBA’s functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of VBA’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or the use of other forms of information technology. Title: Quarterly Report of State Approving Agency Activities. OMB Control Number: 2900–0051. Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection. Abstract: VA makes reimbursement retrospectively on a monthly or quarterly basis after receiving a request from SAA. Since SAAs submit the information electronically to VA, VA Form 22–7398 is no longer required and will be discontinued; however, SAAs must submit other documents (such as reports of visits to schools and programs approved) to support the electronic request. DATES: E:\FR\FM\04APN1.SGM 04APN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 63 (Monday, April 4, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17142-17143]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-6651]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Notice of Application for Approval of Discontinuance or 
Modification of a Railroad Signal System or Relief From the 
Requirements of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 236

    Pursuant to Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 235 and 
49 U.S.C. 20502(a), the following railroad has petitioned the Federal 
Railroad Administration (FRA) seeking approval for the discontinuance 
or modification of the signal system or relief from the requirements of 
49 CFR part 236 as detailed below.

Docket Number FRA-2005-20383

    Applicant: Maine Eastern Railroad, Mr. Jonathan F. Shute, General 
Manager, 685 Sligo Road, North Yarmouth, Maine 04097.
    The Maine Eastern Railroad (MERR) seeks relief from the 
requirements of the Rules, Standard and Instructions, Title 49 CFR, 
part 236, section 236.312, on the Carlton Bridge, at Bath, Maine, 
milepost 30.0, on the Rockland Branch, to the extent that MERR be 
permitted to detect displacement of the bridge locking members, when 
displaced more than two inches from their proper position, instead of 
the existing one inch requirement.
    Applicant's justification for relief: The bridge and interlocking 
have recently been upgraded with new span lock rams, new rail seat 
detectors, and a new signal interlocking. It is not possible to 
maintain the one inch span lock retraction limit in cold temperature 
extremes, due to the contraction of the steel members in the span 
itself. The contraction of the steel affects the moveable span's west 
end span lock adjustment, which requires a maintainer to travel to the 
bridge piers to seasonally adjust both west end span lock circuit 
controller boxes to a setting of two inches to compensate for the 
contraction, and then again later in the season he must return the 
settings to one inch. This often places the maintainer at a safety risk 
due to icy conditions. The new power driven span lock rams are 
mechanically engaged for a distance of two feet to lock the moveable 
span down, and a change in the ram retraction limit from one to two 
inches clearly causes no safety risk.
    Any interested party desiring to protest the granting of an 
application shall set forth specifically the grounds upon which the 
protest is made, and include a concise statement of the interest of the 
party in the proceeding. Additionally, one copy of the protest shall be 
furnished to the applicant at the address listed above.
    All communications concerning this proceeding should be identified 
by the docket number and must be submitted to the Docket Clerk, DOT 
Central Docket Management Facility, Room PL-401 (Plaza Level), 400 7th 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Communications received within 
45 days of the date of this notice will be considered by the FRA before 
final action is taken. Comments received after that date will be 
considered as far as practicable. All written communications concerning 
these proceedings are available for examination during regular business 
hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) at the above facility. All documents in the 
public docket are also available for inspection and copying on the 
Internet at the docket facility's Web site at  https://dms.dot.gov.
    FRA wishes to inform all potential commenters that anyone is able 
to search the electronic form of all

[[Page 17143]]

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 DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78) or you may visit 
https://dms.dot.gov.
    FRA expects to be able to determine these matters without an oral 
hearing. However, if a specific request for an oral hearing is 
accompanied by a showing that the party is unable to adequately present 
his or her position by written statements, an application may be set 
for public hearing.

    Issued in Washington, DC on March 29, 2005.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 05-6651 Filed 4-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P

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