Production and Airworthiness Approvals; Extension of Comment Period, 76224-76226 [E6-21657]
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76224
Proposed Rules
Federal Register
Vol. 71, No. 244
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains notices to the public of the proposed
issuance of rules and regulations. The
purpose of these notices is to give interested
persons an opportunity to participate in the
rule making prior to the adoption of the final
rules.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
7 CFR Part 301
[Docket No. APHIS–2006–0002]
RIN 0579–AB91
Boll Weevil; Quarantine and
Regulations
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of
comment period.
AGENCY:
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with PROPOSAL
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
We are extending the
comment period for our proposed rule
that would establish domestic boll
weevil regulations that would restrict
the interstate movement of regulated
articles within regulated areas and from
regulated areas into or through
nonregulated areas in commercial
cotton-producing States. This action
will allow interested persons additional
time to prepare and submit comments.
DATES: We will consider all comments
that we receive on or before February 1,
2007.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by either of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov, select
‘‘Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service’’ from the agency drop-down
menu, then click ‘‘Submit.’’ In the
Docket ID column, select APHIS–2006–
0002 to submit or view public
comments and to view supporting and
related materials available
electronically. Information on using
Regulations.gov, including instructions
for accessing documents, submitting
comments, and viewing the docket after
the close of the comment period, is
available through the site’s ‘‘User Tips’’
link.
• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery:
Please send four copies of your
comment (an original and three copies)
to Docket No. APHIS–2006–0002,
Regulatory Analysis and Development,
SUMMARY:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:15 Dec 19, 2006
Jkt 211001
PPD, APHIS, Station 3A–03.8, 4700
River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD
20737–1238. Please state that your
comment refers to Docket No. APHIS–
2006–0002.
Reading Room: You may read any
comments that we receive on Docket
No. APHIS–2006–0002 in our reading
room. The reading room is located in
room 1141 of the USDA South Building,
14th Street and Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading
room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except
holidays. To be sure someone is there to
help you, please call (202) 690–2817
before coming.
Other Information: Additional
information about APHIS and its
programs is available on the Internet at
https://www.aphis.usda.gov.
Mr.
William Grefenstette, National
Coordinator, Boll Weevil Eradication
Program, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road
Unit 138, Riverdale, MD 20737–1236;
(301) 734–8676.
On
October 31, 2006, we published in the
Federal Register (71 FR 63707–63717,
Docket No. APHIS–2006–0002) a
proposal to establish domestic boll
weevil regulations that would restrict
the interstate movement of regulated
articles within regulated areas and from
regulated areas into or through
nonregulated areas in commercial
cotton-producing States. The proposed
regulations would help prevent the
artificial spread of boll weevil into
noninfested areas of the United States
and the reinfestation of areas from
which the boll weevil has been
eradicated.
Comments on the proposed rule were
required to be received on or before
January 2, 2007. We are extending the
comment period on Docket No. APHIS–
2006–0002 for an additional 30 days.
This action will allow interested
persons additional time to prepare and
submit comments.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7701–7772 and 7781–
7786; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.
Section 301.75–15 issued under Sec. 204,
Title II, Public Law 106–113, 113 Stat.
1501A–293; sections 301.75–15 and 301.75–
16 issued under Sec. 203, Title II, Public Law
106–224, 114 Stat. 400 (7 U.S.C. 1421 note).
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Sfmt 4702
Done in Washington, DC, this 14th day of
December 2006.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E6–21676 Filed 12–19–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Parts 1, 21, 43, and 45
[Docket Nos. FAA–2006–25877 and 25882;
Notice No. 06–18]
RIN 2120–AI78
Production and Airworthiness
Approvals; Extension of Comment
Period
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking
(NPRM); extension of comment period.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This action extends by 30
days the comment period for an NPRM
that was published on October 5, 2006.
In that document, the FAA proposed
changes to its certification procedures
and identification requirements for
aeronautical products and parts. This
extension is a result of requests from the
Aeronautical Repair Station
Association, the Aerospace Industries
Association, and the General Aviation
Manufacturers Association.
DATES: Send your comments on or
before February 5, 2007.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments
identified by Docket Number FAA–
2006–25877 using any of the following
methods:
• DOT Docket Web site: Go to
https://dms.dot.gov and follow the
instructions for sending your comments
electronically.
• Government-wide rulemaking Web
site: Go to https://www.regulations.gov
and follow the instructions for sending
your comments electronically.
• Mail: Docket Management Facility;
U.S. Department of Transportation, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building,
Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590–
0001.
• Fax: 1–202–493–2251.
• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on
the plaza level of the Nassif Building,
400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington,
E:\FR\FM\20DEP1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 244 / Wednesday, December 20, 2006 / Proposed Rules
DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
For more information on the
rulemaking process, see the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of
this document.
Privacy: We will post all comments
we receive, without change, to https://
dms.dot.gov, including any personal
information you provide. For more
information, see the Privacy Act
discussion in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this document.
Docket: 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Barbara Capron, Production
Certification Branch, AIR–220, Federal
Aviation Administration, 800
Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202)
267–3343.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with PROPOSAL
Comments Invited
The FAA invites interested persons to
participate in this rulemaking by
submitting written comments, data, or
views. We also invite comments relating
to the economic, environmental, energy,
or federalism impacts that might result
from adopting the proposals in this
document. The most helpful comments
reference a specific portion of the
proposal, explain the reason for any
recommended change, and include
supporting data. We ask that you send
us two copies of written comments.
We will file in the docket all
comments we receive, as well as a
report summarizing each substantive
public contact with FAA personnel
concerning this proposed rulemaking.
The docket is available for public
inspection before and after the comment
closing date. If you wish to review the
docket in person, go to the address in
the ADDRESSES section of this preamble
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
You may also review the docket using
the Internet at the Web address in the
ADDRESSES section.
Privacy Act: Using the search function
of our docket Web site, anyone can find
and read the comments received into
any of our dockets, including the name
of the individual sending the comment
(or signing the comment on behalf of an
association, business, labor union, etc.).
You may review DOT’s complete
Privacy Act Statement in the Federal
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:15 Dec 19, 2006
Jkt 211001
Register published on April 11, 2000
(65 FR 19477–78) or you may visit
https://dms.dot.gov.
Before acting on this proposal, we
will consider all comments we receive
on or before the closing date for
comments. We will consider comments
filed late if it is possible to do so
without incurring expense or delay. We
may change this proposal in light of the
comments we receive.
If you want the FAA to acknowledge
receipt of your comments on this
proposal, include with your comments
a pre-addressed, stamped postcard on
which the docket number appears. We
will stamp the date on the postcard and
mail it to you.
Readers should note that the FAA has
posted on its Web site (https://
www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs) four
draft Advisory Circulars (ACs). These
ACs describe ways to comply with the
requirements of this NPRM. We are also
extending by 30 days the comment
period on the ACs. Send your comments
to reach us by February 5, 2007 using
any of the methods described in the
ADDRESSES section of this NPRM. Note
that the docket for AC comments (FAA–
2006–25882) is different from the docket
for NPRM comments.
Availability of Rulemaking Documents
You can get an electronic copy using
the Internet by:
(1) Searching the Department of
Transportation’s electronic Docket
Management System (DMS) Web page
(https://dms.dot.gov/search);
(2) Visiting the Office of Rulemaking’s
Web page at https://www.faa.gov/avr/
arm/index.cfm; or
(3) Accessing the Government
Printing Office’s Web page at https://
www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/.
You can also get a copy by sending a
request to the Federal Aviation
Administration, Office of Rulemaking,
ARM–1, 800 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20591, or by
calling (202) 267–9680. Make sure to
identify the docket number, notice
number, or amendment number of this
rulemaking.
Proprietary or Confidential Business
Information
Do not file in the docket information
that you consider to be proprietary or
confidential business information. Send
or deliver this information directly to
the person identified in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
document. You must mark the
information that you consider
proprietary or confidential. If you send
the information on a disk or CD ROM,
mark the outside of the disk or CD ROM
PO 00000
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Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
76225
and also identify electronically within
the disk or CD ROM the specific
information that is proprietary or
confidential.
Under 14 CFR 11.35(b), when we are
aware of proprietary information filed
with a comment, we do not place it in
the docket. We hold it in a separate file
to which the public does not have
access, and place a note in the docket
that we have received it. If we receive
a request to examine or copy this
information, we treat it as any other
request under the Freedom of
Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). We
process such a request under the DOT
procedures found in 49 CFR part 7.
Background
On October 5, 2006, the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
entitled, Production and Airworthiness
Approvals, Part Marking, and
Miscellaneous Proposals (71 FR 58915).
Comments on that document were due
on or before January 3, 2007.
By letter dated December 5, 2006, the
Aeronautical Repair Station Association
(ARSA) asked FAA to extend the
comment period for 90 days. ARSA
believes the need for an extended
comment period arises from the scope
and extent of the changes proposed in
the NPRM, the timing of its release, and
the impact it will have on small
businesses. ARSA also asked that we
extend the comment period on the draft
ACs for 90 days.
By letter dated December 6, 2006, the
Aerospace Industries Association (AIA)
and the General Aviation Manufacturers
Association (GAMA) asked FAA to
extend the comment period for 45 days.
AIA and GAMA cited several factors
that, in their view, necessitate the
extension, including the length of time
since the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory
Committee recommendation was
submitted to FAA, the scope and impact
of the proposal, and the effective
shortening of the comment period by
observance of the holidays.
While we concur with the petitioners’
requests for an extension of the
comment period, we believe that a 45day or 90-day extension is not
warranted. We have already provided a
90-day comment period. An additional
90 days would result in a comment
period extending for six full months.
Although we agree that additional time
for comments may be needed, this need
must be balanced against the need to
proceed expeditiously with a
rulemaking that first involved industry
input through an Aviation Rulemaking
Advisory Committee in 1993. We
believe an additional 30 days allows
E:\FR\FM\20DEP1.SGM
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76226
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 244 / Wednesday, December 20, 2006 / Proposed Rules
adequate time for interested parties to
provide meaningful comments. Absent
unusual circumstances, we do not
anticipate any further extension of the
comment period for this rulemaking.
Extension of Comment Period
In accordance with § 11.47(c) of Title
14, Code of Federal Regulations, the
FAA has reviewed the petitions made
by ARSA, AIA, and GAMA for
extension of the comment period on the
Production and Airworthiness
Approvals NPRM. The petitioners have
shown a substantive interest in the
proposed rule and good cause for the
extension. The FAA also has
determined that extension of the
comment period is consistent with the
public interest, and that good cause
exists for taking this action.
Accordingly, we are extending the
comment period for 30 days until
February 5, 2007.
Issued in Washington, DC, December 13,
2006.
Dorenda D. Baker,
Acting Director, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. E6–21657 Filed 12–19–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary
14 CFR Parts 217, 241, 250, 291, and
298
[Docket No. OST 2006–26053]
RIN 2139–AA11
Submitting Airline Data Via the Internet
Office of the Secretary, DOT.
Notice of proposed rulemaking
(NPRM).
AGENCY:
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with PROPOSAL
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Department of
Transportation proposes that U.S. and
foreign air carriers submit their required
recurrent financial, traffic, operational
and consumer reports via the internet
(e-filing). The proposed action would
enhance security of the data, eliminate
air carriers’ mailing costs, eliminate the
need for the Department to keypunch
hardcopy data, and provide reporting air
carriers with immediate notification and
a receipt from the Department that the
report was received.
DATES: Written comments should be
submitted on or before February 20,
2007.
You may send comments,
identified by Docket Number OST–
2006–26053, using any of the following
methods:
ADDRESSES:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:15 Dec 19, 2006
Jkt 211001
DOT Docket Web site: https://
dms.dot.gov and follow the instructions
for sending your comments
electronically.
Government-wide rulemaking Web
site: https://www.regulations.gov and
follow the instructions for sending your
comments electronically.
Mail: Docket Management Facility,
U.S. Department of Transportation, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building,
Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590–
0001.
Fax: 1–202–493–2251.
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.
DOT will post all comments that we
receive, without change, to http//
dms.dot.gov, including any personal
information you provide. For more
information, see the Privacy Act
discussion in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this document.
If you want DOT to acknowledge
receipt of your comments, include with
your comments a pre-addressed,
stamped postcard on which the docket
number appears. We will stamp the date
on the postcard and mail it to you.
Docket: To read background
documents or comments received, go to
https://dms.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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bernie Stankus, Office of Airline
Information, RTS–42, Room 4125,
Research and Innovative Technology
Administration, Bureau of
Transportation Statistics, 400 Seventh
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590–
0001, Telephone Number (202) 366–
4387, Fax Number (202) 366–3383 or email bernard.stankus@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOT
invites air carriers and other interested
persons to participate in this rulemaking
by submitting written comments or
views. The most helpful comments
reference a specific portion of the
proposal, explain the reason for any
recommended change, and include
supporting data. Privacy Act: Using the
search function of DOT docket Web site,
anyone can find and read the comments
received into any of our dockets,
including the name of the individual
sending the comment. You may review
DOT’s Privacy Act Statement that was
published in the Federal Register on
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19475–19570) or
you may visit https://dms.dot.gov.
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
Background
Receiving and processing aviation
data is an essential business process for
the Department of Transportation
(DOT). To increase efficiency and
reduce costs of the filing process to both
the air carriers and the government,
DOT proposes that all aviation data that
is collected by the Bureau of
Transportation Statistics (BTS) be
transmitted via the internet (e-filing).
Our proposed e-filing is designed to be
user friendly. Automated, built-in data
edits would alert filers of incomplete
information, thus reducing filing errors
and the need for corrective reprocessing. E-filing is more secure than
attaching files to e-mails. E-filing does
not have the size limit constraints
encountered by attachment to e-mail
submissions. E-filing provides the
submitters with immediate confirmation
that the filing has been received by BTS.
E-filing should eliminate the need for
BTS to key punch hard copy records
into its various data bases.
The DOT proposes to phase-in e-filing
for the following schedules, forms and
reports:
T–8—Report of All-Cargo Operations;
T–100—U.S. Air Carrier Traffic and
Capacity Data by Nonstop Segment
and On-Flight Market;
T–100(f)—Air Carrier Traffic Data by
Nonstop Segment and on-Flight
Market;
Form 41 Schedules A Certification, B–
1 and B–1.1 Balance Sheet, B–7
Airframe and Aircraft Engine
Acquisitions and Retirements, B–12
Statement of Changes in Financial
Position, B–43 Inventory of Airframes
and Aircraft Engines, P–1.1 and P–1.2
Statement of Operations, P–1(a)
Interim Operations Report, P–2 Notes
to BTS Form 41 Report, P–5.1 and P–
5.2 Aircraft Operating Expenses, P–6
Operating Expenses by Objective
Groupings, P–7 Operating Expenses
by Functional Groupings—Group III
Air Carriers, P–10 Employment
Statistics by Labor Category, P–12(a)
Fuel Consumption by Type of Service
and Entity;
Form 183—Report of Extension of
Credit to Political Candidates;
Form 251—Report of Passengers Denied
Confirmed Space;
Form 291—A Statement of Operations
for Section 41103 Operations;
Form 298–C, Schedules F–1 Report of
Financial Data, and F–2 Report of
Aircraft Operating;
Part 234—On-Time Flight Performance
Report;
Part 234.6—Baggage Handling Statistics;
and
Part 241—The Passenger-Origin
Destination Survey Report.
E:\FR\FM\20DEP1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 244 (Wednesday, December 20, 2006)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 76224-76226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21657]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Parts 1, 21, 43, and 45
[Docket Nos. FAA-2006-25877 and 25882; Notice No. 06-18]
RIN 2120-AI78
Production and Airworthiness Approvals; Extension of Comment
Period
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment
period.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This action extends by 30 days the comment period for an NPRM
that was published on October 5, 2006. In that document, the FAA
proposed changes to its certification procedures and identification
requirements for aeronautical products and parts. This extension is a
result of requests from the Aeronautical Repair Station Association,
the Aerospace Industries Association, and the General Aviation
Manufacturers Association.
DATES: Send your comments on or before February 5, 2007.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments identified by Docket Number FAA-2006-
25877 using any of the following methods:
DOT Docket Web site: Go to https://dms.dot.gov and follow
the instructions for sending your comments electronically.
Government-wide rulemaking Web site: Go to https://
www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for sending your
comments electronically.
Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, Room PL-401,
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Hand Delivery: Room PL-401 on the plaza level of the
Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington,
[[Page 76225]]
DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
For more information on the rulemaking process, see the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
Privacy: We will post all comments we receive, without change, to
https://dms.dot.gov, including any personal information you provide. For
more information, see the Privacy Act discussion in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this document.
Docket: 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Capron, Production
Certification Branch, AIR-220, Federal Aviation Administration, 800
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-
3343.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
The FAA invites interested persons to participate in this
rulemaking by submitting written comments, data, or views. We also
invite comments relating to the economic, environmental, energy, or
federalism impacts that might result from adopting the proposals in
this document. The most helpful comments reference a specific portion
of the proposal, explain the reason for any recommended change, and
include supporting data. We ask that you send us two copies of written
comments.
We will file in the docket all comments we receive, as well as a
report summarizing each substantive public contact with FAA personnel
concerning this proposed rulemaking. The docket is available for public
inspection before and after the comment closing date. If you wish to
review the docket in person, go to the address in the ADDRESSES section
of this preamble between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays. You may also review the docket using the
Internet at the Web address in the ADDRESSES section.
Privacy Act: Using the search function of our docket Web site,
anyone can find and read the comments received into any of our dockets,
including the name of the individual sending the comment (or signing
the comment 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 (65 FR 19477-78) or you may visit
https://dms.dot.gov.
Before acting on this proposal, we will consider all comments we
receive on or before the closing date for comments. We will consider
comments filed late if it is possible to do so without incurring
expense or delay. We may change this proposal in light of the comments
we receive.
If you want the FAA to acknowledge receipt of your comments on this
proposal, include with your comments a pre-addressed, stamped postcard
on which the docket number appears. We will stamp the date on the
postcard and mail it to you.
Readers should note that the FAA has posted on its Web site (http:/
/www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs) four draft Advisory Circulars (ACs).
These ACs describe ways to comply with the requirements of this NPRM.
We are also extending by 30 days the comment period on the ACs. Send
your comments to reach us by February 5, 2007 using any of the methods
described in the ADDRESSES section of this NPRM. Note that the docket
for AC comments (FAA-2006-25882) is different from the docket for NPRM
comments.
Availability of Rulemaking Documents
You can get an electronic copy using the Internet by:
(1) Searching the Department of Transportation's electronic Docket
Management System (DMS) Web page (https://dms.dot.gov/search);
(2) Visiting the Office of Rulemaking's Web page at https://
www.faa.gov/avr/arm/index.cfm; or
(3) Accessing the Government Printing Office's Web page at https://
www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/.
You can also get a copy by sending a request to the Federal
Aviation Administration, Office of Rulemaking, ARM-1, 800 Independence
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591, or by calling (202) 267-9680. Make
sure to identify the docket number, notice number, or amendment number
of this rulemaking.
Proprietary or Confidential Business Information
Do not file in the docket information that you consider to be
proprietary or confidential business information. Send or deliver this
information directly to the person identified in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document. You must mark the
information that you consider proprietary or confidential. If you send
the information on a disk or CD ROM, mark the outside of the disk or CD
ROM and also identify electronically within the disk or CD ROM the
specific information that is proprietary or confidential.
Under 14 CFR 11.35(b), when we are aware of proprietary information
filed with a comment, we do not place it in the docket. We hold it in a
separate file to which the public does not have access, and place a
note in the docket that we have received it. If we receive a request to
examine or copy this information, we treat it as any other request
under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). We process such a
request under the DOT procedures found in 49 CFR part 7.
Background
On October 5, 2006, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) entitled, Production and
Airworthiness Approvals, Part Marking, and Miscellaneous Proposals (71
FR 58915). Comments on that document were due on or before January 3,
2007.
By letter dated December 5, 2006, the Aeronautical Repair Station
Association (ARSA) asked FAA to extend the comment period for 90 days.
ARSA believes the need for an extended comment period arises from the
scope and extent of the changes proposed in the NPRM, the timing of its
release, and the impact it will have on small businesses. ARSA also
asked that we extend the comment period on the draft ACs for 90 days.
By letter dated December 6, 2006, the Aerospace Industries
Association (AIA) and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association
(GAMA) asked FAA to extend the comment period for 45 days. AIA and GAMA
cited several factors that, in their view, necessitate the extension,
including the length of time since the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory
Committee recommendation was submitted to FAA, the scope and impact of
the proposal, and the effective shortening of the comment period by
observance of the holidays.
While we concur with the petitioners' requests for an extension of
the comment period, we believe that a 45-day or 90-day extension is not
warranted. We have already provided a 90-day comment period. An
additional 90 days would result in a comment period extending for six
full months. Although we agree that additional time for comments may be
needed, this need must be balanced against the need to proceed
expeditiously with a rulemaking that first involved industry input
through an Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee in 1993. We believe
an additional 30 days allows
[[Page 76226]]
adequate time for interested parties to provide meaningful comments.
Absent unusual circumstances, we do not anticipate any further
extension of the comment period for this rulemaking.
Extension of Comment Period
In accordance with Sec. 11.47(c) of Title 14, Code of Federal
Regulations, the FAA has reviewed the petitions made by ARSA, AIA, and
GAMA for extension of the comment period on the Production and
Airworthiness Approvals NPRM. The petitioners have shown a substantive
interest in the proposed rule and good cause for the extension. The FAA
also has determined that extension of the comment period is consistent
with the public interest, and that good cause exists for taking this
action.
Accordingly, we are extending the comment period for 30 days until
February 5, 2007.
Issued in Washington, DC, December 13, 2006.
Dorenda D. Baker,
Acting Director, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. E6-21657 Filed 12-19-06; 8:45 am]
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