Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA)/Joint Planning Advisory Group (JPAG), 50973-50974 [E6-14260]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 166 / Monday, August 28, 2006 / Notices III. Request for Comments FMCSA requests comments on the adequacy and comprehensiveness of the basic plan as well as recommendations for additional plan details. Issued on: August 21, 2006. David H. Hugel, Deputy Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. [FR Doc. 06–7182 Filed 8–25–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–EX–M DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration [Docket No. FRA–2000–7257; Notice No. 40] Railroad Safety Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Notice of the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) meeting. mstockstill on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: FRA announces the next meeting of the RSAC, a Federal Advisory Committee that develops railroad safety regulations through a consensus process. The RSAC meeting topics include opening remarks from the FRA Administrator, the private crossing safety inquiry, electronically controlled pneumatic brakes, a summary of the Collision Analysis Working Group Final Report, an update on Remote Control Locomotive training efforts, and a status report on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Railroad Operating Rules. Status reports will be given on the Passenger Safety, Roadway Worker, Continuous Welded Rail, and Locomotive Standards working groups. The Committee may possibly be asked to vote to accept a task on medical standards. This agenda is subject to change, and may include briefings on railroad security and other issues. DATES: The meeting of the RSAC is scheduled to commence at 9:30 a.m., and conclude at 4 p.m., on Thursday, September 21, 2006. ADDRESSES: The meeting of the RSAC will be held at the Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle, NW., Washington, DC 20005, (202) 842–1300. The meeting is open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis, and is accessible to individuals with disabilities. Sign and oral interpretation can be made available if requested 10 calendar days before the meeting. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Butera, RSAC Coordinator, FRA, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW., Stop 25, Washington, DC 20590, (202) 493– VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:09 Aug 25, 2006 Jkt 208001 6212 or Grady Cothen, Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program Development, FRA, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW., Mailstop 25, Washington, DC 20590, (202) 493–6302. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92– 463), FRA is giving notice of a meeting of the RSAC. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m., and conclude at 4 p.m., on Thursday, September 21, 2006. The meeting of the RSAC will be held at the Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle, NW., Washington, DC 20005, (202) 842–1300. RSAC was established to provide advice and recommendations to the FRA on railroad safety matters. The RSAC is composed of 54 voting representatives from 31 member organizations, representing various rail industry perspectives. In addition, there are non-voting advisory representatives from the agencies with railroad safety regulatory responsibility in Canada and Mexico, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Transit Administration, and the Transportation Security Administration. The diversity of the Committee ensures the requisite range of views and expertise necessary to discharge its responsibilities. See the RSAC Web site for details on pending tasks at: https://rsac.fra.dot. gov/. Please refer to the notice published in the Federal Register on March 11, 1996, (61 FR 9740) for more information about the RSAC. Issued in Washington, DC, on August 23, 2006. Grady C. Cothen, Jr., Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program Development. [FR Doc. E6–14257 Filed 8–25–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–06–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Maritime Administration Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA)/Joint Planning Advisory Group (JPAG) Maritime Administration, DOT. Synopsis of July 26 and 27, 2006 meeting with VISA participants. AGENCY: ACTION: Mr. Taylor E. Jones II, Director, Office of Sealift Support, (202) 366–2323. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The VISA program requires that a notice of the time, place, and nature of each JPAG meeting be published in the Federal Register. The full text of the VISA program, including these requirements, FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: PO 00000 Frm 00092 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 50973 is published in 70 FR 55947–55955, dated September 23, 2005. On July 26 and 27, 2006, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) co-hosted a meeting of the VISA JPAG at the Military Sealift Command in Washington, DC. Meeting attendance was by invitation only, due to the nature of the information discussed and the need for a government-issued security clearance. Of the 52 U.S.-flag carrier corporate participants enrolled in the VISA program, 17 companies participated in the JPAG meeting. In addition, representatives from MARAD and the Department of Defense (DOD) attended the meeting. Margaret LeClaire, Deputy Director, Strategy, Plans, Policy & Programs, USTRANSCOM, and James Caponiti, Associate Administrator for National Security, MARAD, welcomed the participants. Ms. LeClaire noted that this JPAG was a table-top exercise to match industry capabilities to military requirements related to the findings of DOD’s Mobility Capabilities Study (MCS). She asked industry participants to be creative and to collaborate as necessary to offer solutions. She noted that there were DOD representatives present to answer specific questions related to the exercise. Mr. Caponiti remarked that while some progress has been made in recent JPAG meetings regarding the findings of DOD’s Mobility Capabilities Study, he expected that this exercise would provide the government with a better appreciation of industry capabilities. He requested that industry representatives itemize their concerns related to the exercise so that they might be addressed after the meeting. VISA participants coordinated their efforts to ensure that commercial resources were utilized in an efficient and innovative manner. As a result of the exercise there was general agreement that there was more capability in the commercial industry than was assumed in the MCS to meet timelines and satisfy requirements. The participants noted that their responses were based on numerous assumptions. It was agreed that a closer examination of equipment, infrastructure and intermodal constraints was needed, and that factors such as market conditions and trade seasonality should be considered and evaluated before final conclusions could be reached. The following VISA companies participated in the July 26 and 27, 2006 JPAG meeting: American President Lines, Ltd.; American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier, LLC; American Shipping Group; E:\FR\FM\28AUN1.SGM 28AUN1 50974 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 166 / Monday, August 28, 2006 / Notices APL Marine Services, Ltd.; APL Maritime Ltd; Central Gulf Lines, Inc.; CP Ships USA, LLC; Farrell Lines Incorporated; Fidelio Limited Partnership; Liberty Global Logistics, LLC; Liberty Shipping Group Limited Partnership; Maersk Line, Limited; Matson Navigation Company, Inc.; Patriot Shipping, LLC; Patriot Titan, LLC; Sealift Inc.; and Waterman Steamship Corporation. (Authority: 49 CFR 1.66) By Order of the Maritime Administrator. Dated: August 22, 2006. Joel C. Richard, Secretary. [FR Doc. E6–14260 Filed 8–25–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–81–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [Docket No. NHTSA–2006–25546, Notice 1] Koenigsegg Automotive AB; Receipt of Application for a Temporary Exemption From Headlamp Requirements of FMVSS No. 108; Advanced Air Bag Requirements of FMVSS No. 208; and Bumper Standard of Part 581 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Notice of receipt of petition for temporary exemption from provisions of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment, FMVSS No. 208, Occupant Crash Protection, and 49 CFR part 581, Bumper Standard. mstockstill on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: In accordance with the procedures in 49 CFR part 555, Koenigsegg Automotive AB (‘‘Koenigsegg’’) has petitioned the agency for a temporary exemption from certain head lighting requirements of FMVSS No. 108, advanced air bag requirements of FMVSS No. 208, and bumper standard requirements of 49 CFR part 581. The basis for the application is that compliance would cause substantial economic hardship to a manufacturer that has tried in good faith to comply with the standard.1 This notice of receipt of an application for temporary exemption is published in accordance with the 1 To view the application, go to: https:// dms.dot.gov/search/searchFormSimple.cfm and enter the docket number set forth in the heading of this document. VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:09 Aug 25, 2006 Jkt 208001 statutory provisions of 49 U.S.C. 30113(b)(2). NHTSA has made no judgment on the merits of the application. DATES: You should submit your comments not later than September 12, 2006. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Ed Glancy or Mr. Eric Stas, Office of the Chief Counsel, NCC–112, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Room 5219, Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: (202) 366–2992; Fax: (202) 366–3820. Comments: We invite you to submit comments on the application described above. You may submit comments identified by docket number at the heading of this notice by any of the following methods: • Web Site: https://dms.dot.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments on the DOT electronic docket site by clicking on ‘‘Help and Information’’ or ‘‘Help/Info.’’ • Fax: 1–(202)–493–2251. • Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590. • Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays. • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and docket number or Regulatory Identification Number (RIN) for this rulemaking. Note that all comments received will be posted without change to https:// dms.dot.gov, including any personal information provided. Docket: For access to the docket in order to read background documents or comments received, go to https:// dms.dot.gov at any time or to Room PL– 401 on the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Privacy Act: 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) or you may visit https://dms.dot.gov. PO 00000 Frm 00093 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 We shall consider all comments received before the close of business on the comment closing date indicated above. To the extent possible, we shall also consider comments filed after the closing date. I. Advanced Air Bag Requirements and Small Volume Manufacturers In 2000, NHTSA upgraded the requirements for air bags in passenger cars and light trucks, requiring what are commonly known as ‘‘advanced air bags.’’ 2 The upgrade was designed to meet the goals of improving protection for occupants of all sizes, belted and unbelted, in moderate-to-high-speed crashes, and of minimizing the risks posed by air bags to infants, children, and other occupants, especially in lowspeed crashes. The advanced air bag requirements were a culmination of a comprehensive plan that the agency announced in 1996 to address the adverse effects of air bags. This plan also included an extensive consumer education program to encourage the placement of children in rear seats. The new requirements were phased in beginning with the 2004 model year. Small volume manufacturers are not subject to the advanced air bag requirements until September 1, 2006, but their efforts to bring their respective vehicles into compliance with these requirements began several years ago. However, because the new requirements were challenging, major air bag suppliers concentrated their efforts on working with large volume manufacturers, and thus, until recently, small volume manufacturers had limited access to advanced air bag technology. Because of the nature of the requirements for protecting out-ofposition occupants, ‘‘off-the-shelf’’ systems could not be readily adopted. Further complicating matters, because small volume manufacturers build so few vehicles, the costs of developing custom advanced air bag systems compared to potential profits discouraged some air bag suppliers from working with small volume manufacturers. The agency has carefully tracked occupant fatalities resulting from air bag deployment. Our data indicate that the agency’s efforts in the area of consumer education and manufacturers’ providing depowered air bags were successful in reducing air bag fatalities even before advanced air bag requirements were implemented. As always, we are concerned about the potential safety implication of any 2 See E:\FR\FM\28AUN1.SGM 65 FR 30680 (May 12, 2000). 28AUN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 166 (Monday, August 28, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50973-50974]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-14260]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration


Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA)/Joint Planning 
Advisory Group (JPAG)

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Synopsis of July 26 and 27, 2006 meeting with VISA 
participants.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Taylor E. Jones II, Director, 
Office of Sealift Support, (202) 366-2323.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The VISA program requires that a notice of 
the time, place, and nature of each JPAG meeting be published in the 
Federal Register. The full text of the VISA program, including these 
requirements, is published in 70 FR 55947-55955, dated September 23, 
2005.
    On July 26 and 27, 2006, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) and 
the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) co-hosted a meeting of the 
VISA JPAG at the Military Sealift Command in Washington, DC. Meeting 
attendance was by invitation only, due to the nature of the information 
discussed and the need for a government-issued security clearance. Of 
the 52 U.S.-flag carrier corporate participants enrolled in the VISA 
program, 17 companies participated in the JPAG meeting. In addition, 
representatives from MARAD and the Department of Defense (DOD) attended 
the meeting.
    Margaret LeClaire, Deputy Director, Strategy, Plans, Policy & 
Programs, USTRANSCOM, and James Caponiti, Associate Administrator for 
National Security, MARAD, welcomed the participants. Ms. LeClaire noted 
that this JPAG was a table-top exercise to match industry capabilities 
to military requirements related to the findings of DOD's Mobility 
Capabilities Study (MCS). She asked industry participants to be 
creative and to collaborate as necessary to offer solutions. She noted 
that there were DOD representatives present to answer specific 
questions related to the exercise. Mr. Caponiti remarked that while 
some progress has been made in recent JPAG meetings regarding the 
findings of DOD's Mobility Capabilities Study, he expected that this 
exercise would provide the government with a better appreciation of 
industry capabilities. He requested that industry representatives 
itemize their concerns related to the exercise so that they might be 
addressed after the meeting.
    VISA participants coordinated their efforts to ensure that 
commercial resources were utilized in an efficient and innovative 
manner. As a result of the exercise there was general agreement that 
there was more capability in the commercial industry than was assumed 
in the MCS to meet timelines and satisfy requirements. The participants 
noted that their responses were based on numerous assumptions. It was 
agreed that a closer examination of equipment, infrastructure and 
intermodal constraints was needed, and that factors such as market 
conditions and trade seasonality should be considered and evaluated 
before final conclusions could be reached.
    The following VISA companies participated in the July 26 and 27, 
2006 JPAG meeting: American President Lines, Ltd.; American Roll-On 
Roll-Off Carrier, LLC; American Shipping Group;

[[Page 50974]]

APL Marine Services, Ltd.; APL Maritime Ltd; Central Gulf Lines, Inc.; 
CP Ships USA, LLC; Farrell Lines Incorporated; Fidelio Limited 
Partnership; Liberty Global Logistics, LLC; Liberty Shipping Group 
Limited Partnership; Maersk Line, Limited; Matson Navigation Company, 
Inc.; Patriot Shipping, LLC; Patriot Titan, LLC; Sealift Inc.; and 
Waterman Steamship Corporation.

(Authority: 49 CFR 1.66)


    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.

    Dated: August 22, 2006.
Joel C. Richard,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E6-14260 Filed 8-25-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P
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