Hazardous Materials: Transport of Lithium Batteries; Notice of Public Meeting, 18321-18322 [E8-6923]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 65 / Thursday, April 3, 2008 / Notices
by program area, based on the projects
and activities identified in the Highway
Safety Plan.
An occupant protection incentive
grant (Section 405) is available to states
that can demonstrate compliance with
at least four of six criteria.
Demonstration of compliance requires
submission of copies of relevant seat
belt and child passenger protection
statutes, plan and/or reports on
statewide seatbelt enforcement and
child seat education programs and
possible some traffic court records.
Affected Public: For the Highway Cost
Summary the public is the 50 states,
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S.
Territories, and Tribal Government. For
the Section 405 grant program the
public is the 50 states, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico, American
Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas and
the Virgin Islands.
Estimated Total Annual Burden: 570
and 780 respectively.
Address: Send comments, within 30
days, to the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget, 725–17th
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503,
Attention: NHTSA Desk Officer.
Comments are invited on: Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the Department,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; the accuracy of
the Departments estimate of the burden
of the proposed information collection;
ways to enhance the quality, utility and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including the use of
automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
A comment to OMB is most effective if
OMB receives it within 30 days of
publication.
John F. Oates,
Acting Associate Administrator for Regional
Operations and Program Delivery.
[FR Doc. E8–6856 Filed 4–2–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–59–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
[PHMSA–2008–0075 (Notice No. 08–2)]
Hazardous Materials: Transport of
Lithium Batteries; Notice of Public
Meeting
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA), DOT.
AGENCY:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:19 Apr 02, 2008
Jkt 214001
ACTION:
Notice of public meeting.
SUMMARY: This notice is to advise
interested persons that PHMSA will
conduct a public meeting to discuss the
safe transportation of lithium batteries.
DATES: The public meeting will be
Friday, April 11, 2008, starting at 9 a.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the U.S. DOT headquarters, Rooms 8–9–
10—DOT Conference Center, 1200 New
Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590.
The main visitor’s entrance is located in
the West Building, on New Jersey
Avenue and M Street. For information
on the facilities or to request special
accommodations, please contact Kevin
Leary at the telephone number listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kevin Leary, Office of Hazardous
Materials Standards, telephone, 202–
366–8553, Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration, U.S.
Department of Transportation, East
Building, PHH–10, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590–
0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On
February 22, 2007, the Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration (PHMSA) hosted a
meeting of public and private sector
stakeholders who share our interest in
the safe transportation of batteries and
battery-powered devices. The meeting
included representatives of the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),
the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA), battery and
electronics manufacturers, the Air
Transport Association (ATA), the Air
Line Pilots Association (ALPA), and
emergency responders. On the basis of
the meeting we initiated a
comprehensive strategy aimed at
reducing the transportation risks posed
by batteries of all types. PHMSA
outlined the strategy in an action plan
detailing a range of public and private
sector measures designed to enhance
safety standards, improve data
collection and awareness, and otherwise
reduce the risks of transporting batteries
and battery-powered devices, with a
special focus on aviation safety. PHMSA
and the parties to the action plan have
met repeatedly over the course of the
last year and have made significant
progress in meeting the action plan
targets.
PHMSA believes that a follow-on
public meeting would be useful at this
time to review progress under the 2007
action plan and discuss necessary next
steps. Although substantial effort and
PO 00000
Frm 00065
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
18321
progress have been made since the
February 2007 meeting, we believe
additional steps should be taken to
prevent a significant incident. While the
safety record associated with the
transportation of lithium batteries is
very good, we continue to observe
incidents in all modes of transport and
are especially concerned about the risk
of battery-related fires aboard aircraft.
PHMSA is aware of more than 90
reports of transport incidents involving
batteries and battery-powered devices;
several of these have involved fires in
an aircraft cabin. In cooperation with
NTSB and FAA we are investigating a
number of these incidents to determine
their root cause and to identify effective
measures to reduce risk. Based on the
observed incidents and our
investigations, we have identified
several factors we believe are the
primary cause of most of the battery
incidents. These factors include:
internal short circuits, external short
circuits, improper charging or
discharging, and non-compliance with
current safety standards.
On December 17, 2007 and January 7,
2008, the National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB) issued a total of eight
safety recommendations following its
investigation of a February 7, 2006
hazardous materials incident at the
Philadelphia International Airport. In
that incident, United Parcel Service
Company flight 1307 landed at the
airport after a cargo smoke indication in
the cockpit. The captain, first officer,
and a flight engineer evacuated the
airplane after landing, sustaining minor
injuries. The airplane and most of the
cargo were destroyed by a fire. NTSB
determined that the probable cause of
this accident was an in-flight cargo fire
from an unknown source. The NTSB
issued the following safety
recommendations:
• Require aircraft operators to
implement measures to reduce the risk
of primary lithium batteries becoming
involved in fires on cargo-only aircraft,
such as transporting such batteries in
fire resistant containers and/or in
restricted quantities at any single
location on the aircraft;
• Until fire suppression systems are
required on cargo-only aircraft, as asked
for in Safety Recommendation A–07–99,
require that cargo shipments of
secondary lithium batteries, including
those contained in or packed with
equipment, be transported in crewaccessible locations where portable fire
suppression systems can be used;
• Require aircraft operators that
transport hazardous materials to
immediately provide consolidated and
specific information about hazardous
E:\FR\FM\03APN1.SGM
03APN1
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
18322
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 65 / Thursday, April 3, 2008 / Notices
materials on board an aircraft, including
proper shipping name, hazard class,
quantity, number of packages, and
location, to on-scene emergency
responders upon notification of an
accident or incident;
• Require commercial cargo and
passenger operators to report to the
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration all incidents involving
primary and secondary lithium
batteries, including those contained in
or packed with equipment, that occur
either on board or during loading or
unloading operations and retain the
failed items for evaluation purposes;
• Analyze the causes of all thermal
failures and fires involving secondary
and primary lithium batteries and,
based on this analysis, take appropriate
action to mitigate any risks determined
to be posed by transporting secondary
and primary lithium batteries, including
those contained in or packed with
equipment, on board cargo and
passenger aircraft as cargo; checked
baggage; or carry-on items;
• Eliminate regulatory exemptions for
the packaging, marking, and labeling of
cargo shipments of small secondary
lithium batteries (no more than 8 grams
equivalent lithium content) until the
analysis of the failures and the
implementation of risk-based
requirements asked for in Safety
Recommendation A–07–108 are
completed;
• In collaboration with air carriers,
manufacturers of lithium batteries and
electronic devices, air travel
associations, and other appropriate
government and private organizations,
establish a process to ensure wider,
highly visible, and continuous
dissemination of guidance and
information to the air-traveling public,
including flight crews, about the safe
carriage of secondary (rechargeable)
lithium batteries or electronic devices
containing these batteries on board
passenger aircraft; and
• In collaboration with air carriers,
manufacturers of lithium batteries and
electronic devices, air travel
associations, and other appropriate
government and private organizations,
establish a process to periodically
measure the effectiveness of your efforts
to educate the air-traveling public,
including flight crews, about the safe
carriage of secondary (rechargeable)
lithium batteries or electronic devices
containing these batteries on board
passenger aircraft.
During the April 11th meeting we
plan to distribute and solicit feedback
on a draft action plan identifying
additional steps that will help to reduce
the risk associated with the transport of
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:19 Apr 02, 2008
Jkt 214001
lithium batteries, particularly in the air
mode.
Topics to be covered during the
public meeting include:
(1) Recent transportation incidents;
(2) Probable causes of battery
incidents;
(3) NTSB recommendations;
(4) PHMSA/FAA activities; and
(5) Action plan with next steps/
additional actions.
In addition, we plan to discuss the
effectiveness of stakeholder
partnerships in reducing the safety risks
posed by the transportation of lithium
batteries, ways to facilitate and foster
additional stakeholder partnerships, and
strategies for expanding the ongoing
DOT public awareness campaign.
The public is invited to attend
without prior notification. Due to the
heightened security measures,
participants are encouraged to arrive
early to allow time for security checks
necessary to obtain access to the
building.
Issued in Washington, DC on March 28,
2008.
Theodore L. Willke,
Associate Administrator for Hazardous
Materials Safety.
[FR Doc. E8–6923 Filed 4–2–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–60–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Surface Transportation Board
[STB Finance Docket No. 35121]
Burlington Shortline Railroad, Inc.,
d/b/a Burlington Junction Railway—
Acquisition and Operation
Exemption—BNSF Railway Company
Burlington Shortline Railroad, Inc.,
d/b/a Burlington Junction Railway
(BJRY), a Class III rail carrier, has filed
a verified notice of exemption under 49
CFR 1150.41 to acquire and operate,
pursuant to an agreement with BNSF
Railway Company (BNSF),
approximately 2.5 miles of BNSF
railroad properties consisting of certain
trackage, real properties, and railroad
operating rights. The railroad properties
consist of two tracks, numbered 3905
and 3930, connecting to a switch at
BNSF’s main rail line at milepost 39 in
Montgomery, IL. There are no mileposts
on the subject line.
The transaction is scheduled to be
consummated on April 19, 2008 (more
than 30 days after the notice of
exemption was filed).
BJRY certifies that its projected
annual revenues as a result of this
transaction will not exceed those that
PO 00000
Frm 00066
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
qualify it as a Class III rail carrier and
will not exceed $5 million.
Pursuant to the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2008, Public Law
110–161, 193, 121 Stat. 1844 (2007),
nothing in this decision authorizes the
following activities at any solid waste
rail transfer facility: collecting, storing
or transferring solid waste outside of its
original shipping container; or
separating or processing solid waste
(including baling, crushing, compacting
and shredding). The term ‘‘solid waste’’
is defined in section 1004 of the Solid
Waste Disposal Act, 42 U.S.C. 6903.
If the verified notice contains false or
misleading information, the exemption
is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the
exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d)
may be filed at any time. The filing of
a petition to revoke will not
automatically stay the effectiveness of
the exemption. Petitions to stay must be
filed no later than April 10, 2008 (at
least 7 days before the exemption
becomes effective).
An original and 10 copies of all
pleadings, referring to STB Finance
Docket No. 35121, must be filed with
the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20423–
0001. In addition, a copy of each
pleading must be served on John D.
Heffner, John D. Heffner, PLLC, 1750 K
Street, NW., Suite 350, Washington, DC
20006.
Board decisions and notices are
available on our Web site at https://
www.stb.dot.gov.
Decided: March 26, 2008.
By the Board, David M. Konschnik,
Director, Office of Proceedings.
Anne K. Quinlan,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8–6844 Filed 4–2–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Surface Transportation Board
[STB Docket No. AB–55 (Sub-No. 682X)]
CSX Transportation, Inc.—
Abandonment Exemption—in
Greenbrier and Fayette Counties, WV
CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT) has
filed a notice of exemption under 49
CFR Part 1152 Subpart F—Exempt
Abandonments to abandon a 16.7-mile
line of railroad on CSXT’s Southern
Region, Huntington-East Division,
Sewell Subdivision, between milepost
CAF 27, near Rainelle, and milepost
CAF 43.7, near Nallen, in Greenbrier
and Fayette Counties, WV. The line
traverses United States Postal Service
E:\FR\FM\03APN1.SGM
03APN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 65 (Thursday, April 3, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18321-18322]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6923]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[PHMSA-2008-0075 (Notice No. 08-2)]
Hazardous Materials: Transport of Lithium Batteries; Notice of
Public Meeting
AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA),
DOT.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice is to advise interested persons that PHMSA will
conduct a public meeting to discuss the safe transportation of lithium
batteries.
DATES: The public meeting will be Friday, April 11, 2008, starting at 9
a.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the U.S. DOT headquarters, Rooms
8-9-10--DOT Conference Center, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington,
DC 20590. The main visitor's entrance is located in the West Building,
on New Jersey Avenue and M Street. For information on the facilities or
to request special accommodations, please contact Kevin Leary at the
telephone number listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Leary, Office of Hazardous
Materials Standards, telephone, 202-366-8553, Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation,
East Building, PHH-10, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC
20590-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 22, 2007, the Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) hosted a meeting of
public and private sector stakeholders who share our interest in the
safe transportation of batteries and battery-powered devices. The
meeting included representatives of the National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), battery and electronics
manufacturers, the Air Transport Association (ATA), the Air Line Pilots
Association (ALPA), and emergency responders. On the basis of the
meeting we initiated a comprehensive strategy aimed at reducing the
transportation risks posed by batteries of all types. PHMSA outlined
the strategy in an action plan detailing a range of public and private
sector measures designed to enhance safety standards, improve data
collection and awareness, and otherwise reduce the risks of
transporting batteries and battery-powered devices, with a special
focus on aviation safety. PHMSA and the parties to the action plan have
met repeatedly over the course of the last year and have made
significant progress in meeting the action plan targets.
PHMSA believes that a follow-on public meeting would be useful at
this time to review progress under the 2007 action plan and discuss
necessary next steps. Although substantial effort and progress have
been made since the February 2007 meeting, we believe additional steps
should be taken to prevent a significant incident. While the safety
record associated with the transportation of lithium batteries is very
good, we continue to observe incidents in all modes of transport and
are especially concerned about the risk of battery-related fires aboard
aircraft. PHMSA is aware of more than 90 reports of transport incidents
involving batteries and battery-powered devices; several of these have
involved fires in an aircraft cabin. In cooperation with NTSB and FAA
we are investigating a number of these incidents to determine their
root cause and to identify effective measures to reduce risk. Based on
the observed incidents and our investigations, we have identified
several factors we believe are the primary cause of most of the battery
incidents. These factors include: internal short circuits, external
short circuits, improper charging or discharging, and non-compliance
with current safety standards.
On December 17, 2007 and January 7, 2008, the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a total of eight safety
recommendations following its investigation of a February 7, 2006
hazardous materials incident at the Philadelphia International Airport.
In that incident, United Parcel Service Company flight 1307 landed at
the airport after a cargo smoke indication in the cockpit. The captain,
first officer, and a flight engineer evacuated the airplane after
landing, sustaining minor injuries. The airplane and most of the cargo
were destroyed by a fire. NTSB determined that the probable cause of
this accident was an in-flight cargo fire from an unknown source. The
NTSB issued the following safety recommendations:
Require aircraft operators to implement measures to reduce
the risk of primary lithium batteries becoming involved in fires on
cargo-only aircraft, such as transporting such batteries in fire
resistant containers and/or in restricted quantities at any single
location on the aircraft;
Until fire suppression systems are required on cargo-only
aircraft, as asked for in Safety Recommendation A-07-99, require that
cargo shipments of secondary lithium batteries, including those
contained in or packed with equipment, be transported in crew-
accessible locations where portable fire suppression systems can be
used;
Require aircraft operators that transport hazardous
materials to immediately provide consolidated and specific information
about hazardous
[[Page 18322]]
materials on board an aircraft, including proper shipping name, hazard
class, quantity, number of packages, and location, to on-scene
emergency responders upon notification of an accident or incident;
Require commercial cargo and passenger operators to report
to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration all
incidents involving primary and secondary lithium batteries, including
those contained in or packed with equipment, that occur either on board
or during loading or unloading operations and retain the failed items
for evaluation purposes;
Analyze the causes of all thermal failures and fires
involving secondary and primary lithium batteries and, based on this
analysis, take appropriate action to mitigate any risks determined to
be posed by transporting secondary and primary lithium batteries,
including those contained in or packed with equipment, on board cargo
and passenger aircraft as cargo; checked baggage; or carry-on items;
Eliminate regulatory exemptions for the packaging,
marking, and labeling of cargo shipments of small secondary lithium
batteries (no more than 8 grams equivalent lithium content) until the
analysis of the failures and the implementation of risk-based
requirements asked for in Safety Recommendation A-07-108 are completed;
In collaboration with air carriers, manufacturers of
lithium batteries and electronic devices, air travel associations, and
other appropriate government and private organizations, establish a
process to ensure wider, highly visible, and continuous dissemination
of guidance and information to the air-traveling public, including
flight crews, about the safe carriage of secondary (rechargeable)
lithium batteries or electronic devices containing these batteries on
board passenger aircraft; and
In collaboration with air carriers, manufacturers of
lithium batteries and electronic devices, air travel associations, and
other appropriate government and private organizations, establish a
process to periodically measure the effectiveness of your efforts to
educate the air-traveling public, including flight crews, about the
safe carriage of secondary (rechargeable) lithium batteries or
electronic devices containing these batteries on board passenger
aircraft.
During the April 11th meeting we plan to distribute and solicit
feedback on a draft action plan identifying additional steps that will
help to reduce the risk associated with the transport of lithium
batteries, particularly in the air mode.
Topics to be covered during the public meeting include:
(1) Recent transportation incidents;
(2) Probable causes of battery incidents;
(3) NTSB recommendations;
(4) PHMSA/FAA activities; and
(5) Action plan with next steps/additional actions.
In addition, we plan to discuss the effectiveness of stakeholder
partnerships in reducing the safety risks posed by the transportation
of lithium batteries, ways to facilitate and foster additional
stakeholder partnerships, and strategies for expanding the ongoing DOT
public awareness campaign.
The public is invited to attend without prior notification. Due to
the heightened security measures, participants are encouraged to arrive
early to allow time for security checks necessary to obtain access to
the building.
Issued in Washington, DC on March 28, 2008.
Theodore L. Willke,
Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
[FR Doc. E8-6923 Filed 4-2-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P
