Positive Train Control Public Forum, 11236-11237 [2013-03604]

Download as PDF mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 11236 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 32 / Friday, February 15, 2013 / Notices Room: 421. This meeting will discuss applications for the America’s Media Makers Production grant program on the subjects of African American, Latino, and Native American History, submitted to the Division of Public Programs. 11. Date: March 26, 2013. Time: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Room: 315. This meeting will discuss applications for the Collaborative Research grant program on the subject of the Americas, submitted to the Division of Research Programs. 12. Date: March 27, 2013. Time: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Room: 421. This meeting will discuss applications for the America’s Historical & Cultural Organizations Implementation grant program on the subject of Art, submitted to the Division of Public Programs. 13. Date: March 27, 2013. Time: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Room: 315. This meeting will discuss applications for the Scholarly Editions grant program on the subject of Philosophy and Religion, submitted to the Division of Research Programs. 14. Date: March 28, 2013. Time: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Room: 415. This meeting will discuss applications for the Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections grant program, submitted to the Division of Preservation and Access. 15. Date: March 28, 2013. Time: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Room: 421. This meeting will discuss applications for the America’s Historical & Cultural Organizations Implementation grant program on the subject of U.S. History and the East, submitted to the Division of Public Programs. 16. Date: March 28, 2013. Time: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Room: 315. This meeting will discuss applications for the Collaborative Research grant program on the subject of History and Literature, submitted to the Division of Research Programs. Because these meetings will include review of personal and/or proprietary financial and commercial information given in confidence to the agency by grant applicants, the meetings will be closed to the public pursuant to sections 552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6) of Title 5 U.S.C., as amended. I have made this determination pursuant to the authority granted me by the Chairman’s Delegation of Authority to Close VerDate Mar<15>2010 19:09 Feb 14, 2013 Jkt 229001 Advisory Committee Meetings dated July 19, 1993. Dated: February 11, 2013. Lisette Voyatzis, Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 2013–03580 Filed 2–14–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7536–01–P NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD Positive Train Control Public Forum On Wednesday, February 27, 2013, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will convene a Forum titled, ‘‘Positive Train Control: Is it on Track?’’ The Forum will begin at 9:00 a.m. is open to all and the attendance is free (no registration required). The NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman will serve as the presiding officer of the forum, and all five NTSB Board Members will serve as members of the Board of Inquiry. The forum is organized into three topics areas: • PTC systems as envisioned versus what is being implemented • Current status of PTC regulatory implementation • Current status of PTC technical implementation Over the past 40 years, the NTSB has investigated many train collisions and over-speed derailments caused by operational errors involving human performance failures. Many of these accidents occurred because train crews: did not comply with signal indications, did not follow operating procedures in nonsignaled (dark) territories, or did not comply with other specific operating rules such as returning track switches to normal position after completing work at railroad sidings. The NTSB has repeatedly concluded that technological solutions, such as Positive Train Control (PTC), have great potential to reduce the number of serious train accidents by providing safety redundant systems to protect against human performance failures. Because of the NTSB’s longstanding interest in this issue, the Board placed a recommendation to implement PTC on the NTSB’s Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements at the inception of the list in 1990, and it remained on the list until after the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 was enacted. This act requires each Class I railroad over which poison- or toxic-byinhalation (PIH or TIH) hazardous materials are transported and each entity providing regularly scheduled intercity or commuter rail passenger transportation to implement a PTC PO 00000 Frm 00104 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 system by December 31, 2015. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) finalized the rule requiring PTC in January 2010. Legislation was proposed in Congress that would defer the Act’s requirement for implementation of PTC systems. In the Senate, provisions in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) proposed a year-by-year evaluation of PTC system waivers by the Secretary of Transportation beyond the 2015 deadline but did not extend past December 31, 2018. In the House of Representatives, provisions in the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012 proposed to extend the PTC system implementation deadline until December 31, 2020. Additionally, the House bill would have enabled a railroad to use an ‘‘alternate riskreduction strategy’’ in lieu of installing PTC on some nonpassenger track where PIH and TIH are transported. However, the enacted legislation MAP–21, Public Law 112–141, did not include the provisions regarding PTC. Expert panelists will include representatives from railroads, government, industry suppliers, labor unions, and the research community. Below is the preliminary agenda: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 1. Opening Statement by the Presiding Officer of the forum 2. Introduction of the Officers and Technical Panel 3. Introduction of the forum participants 4. Introduction of the panels 5. Closing statement by Chairman Hersman Panel Topics Panel 1—Positive Train Control Systems as Envisioned vs. Implemented Panel 2—Current Status of Positive Train Control (PTC) Regulatory Implementation Panel 3—Current Status of Positive Train Control (PTC) Technical Implementation The full agenda and a list of participants can be found at: www.ntsb.gov/PTCforum. The forum will be held in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center, located at 429 L’Enfant Plaza E. SW., Washington, DC. The public can view the forum in person or by live webcast at www.ntsb.gov. Webcast archives are generally available by the end of the next day following the forum, and Webcasts are archived for a period of 3 months from after the date of the event. Individuals requesting specific accommodations should contact Rochelle Hall at (202) 314–6305 or by E:\FR\FM\15FEN1.SGM 15FEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 32 / Friday, February 15, 2013 / Notices of PTC implementation on the UP. The goals of this hearing would be to promote and facilitate dialogue to better understand UP’s safety management policies and programs associated with human error, operational accident and incident data collection, and the use such data to improve safety, and the current status of PTC implementation. Parties to the hearing include the FRA, Union Pacific Railroad, United Transportation Union, and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen. email at Rochelle.Hall@nts.gov by Friday, February 22, 2013. NTSB Media Contact: Eric Weiss— eric.weiss@ntsb.gov. NTSB Forum Manager: Michael E. Hiller—michael.hiller@ntsb.gov. NTSB Forum Coordinator: Jennifer Cheek—jennifer.cheek@ntsb.gov. Dated: February 12, 2013. Candi R. Bing, Federal Register Liaison Officer. [FR Doc. 2013–03604 Filed 2–14–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7533–01–P Order of Proceedings NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Public Hearing On Tuesday, February 26, 2013 the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will convene an Investigative Hearing to gather additional factual information for the ongoing investigation into the collision of Union Pacific intermodal train No. ZLAAH–22 with Union Pacific (UP) intermodal train No. AAMMLX–22 on June 24, 2012 near Goodwell, Oklahoma. The hearing will begin at 9:00 a.m., is open to all, and the attendance is free (no registration required). All five NTSB Board Members will serve as members of the Board of Inquiry. The NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman will preside over the Investigative Hearing. On June 24, 2012, about 10:01 a.m. central daylight time, eastbound UP freight train ZLAAH–22 and westbound UP freight train AAMMLX–22 collided head on while operating on straight track on UP’s Pratt Subdivision near Goodwell, Oklahoma. As a result of the collision, both crewmembers on the eastbound train and one crewmember on the westbound train were fatally injured. The other crewmember on the westbound train jumped from the locomotive prior to the collision and survived with no major injuries. Fuel tanks from the derailed locomotives were ruptured, which created a dieselfed fire. Damage was estimated at $14.79 million. Although this accident investigation is still ongoing, evidence points to the fact that this collision could have been prevented by a positive train control (PTC) system. Analysis of the accident, along with conclusions and a determination of probable cause, will become public at a later date after a final report on the investigation is completed, and reviewed and adopted by the NTSB Members. The investigative hearing is being held to discuss UP’s management of human error in its operations and system safety programs, and the status VerDate Mar<15>2010 19:09 Feb 14, 2013 Jkt 229001 1. Opening Statement by the Chairman of the Board of Inquiry 2. Introduction of the Board of Inquiry and Technical Panel 3. Introduction of the Parties to the Hearing 4. Introduction of Exhibits by Hearing Officer 5. Overview of the accident, the investigation, and the Union Pacific railroad system by Investigator-InCharge 6. Calling of Witnesses by Hearing Officer 7. Closing Statement by the Chairman of the Board of Inquiry Additional information can be found on the web at: https://www.ntsb.gov/ news/events/2013/goodwell_ok/ index.html. The accident docket is DCA12MR005. The Investigative Hearing will be held in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center, located at 429 L’Enfant Plaza E. SW., Washington, DC. The public can view the hearing in person or by live webcast at www.ntsb.gov. Webcast archives are generally available by the end of the next day following the forum, and Webcasts are archived for a period of 3 months from after the date of the event. Individuals requesting specific accommodations should contact Ms. Rochelle Hall at (202) 314–6305 or by email at Rochelle.Hall@ntsb.gov by Friday, February 22, 2013. NTSB Media Contact: Mr. Terry Williams—williat@ntsb.gov. NTSB Investigative Hearing Officer: Mr. Michael E. Hiller— michael.hiller@ntsb.gov. Dated: February 12, 2013. Candi R. Bing, Federal Register Liaison Officer. [FR Doc. 2013–03605 Filed 2–14–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7533–01–P PO 00000 Frm 00105 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 11237 POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. CP2013–49; Order No. 1654] International Mail Contract Postal Regulatory Commission. Notice. AGENCY: ACTION: The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing concerning an additional Global Reseller Expedited Package Contract 1 Negotiated Service Agreement. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps. DATES: Comments are due: February 19, 2013. ADDRESSES: Submit comments electronically via the Commission’s Filing Online system at https:// www.prc.gov. Those who cannot submit comments electronically should contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section by telephone for advice on filing alternatives. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen L. Sharfman, General Counsel, at 202–789–6820. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: Table of Contents I. Introduction II. Contents of Filing III. Notice of Proceeding IV. Ordering Paragraphs I. Introduction Background. On February 8, 2013, the Postal Service filed a notice pursuant to 39 CFR 3015.5 announcing that it has entered into an additional Global Reseller Expedited Package Contracts 1 negotiated service agreement (Agreement).1 It seeks to have the Agreement included within the existing Global Reseller Expedited Package Contracts 1 product on grounds of functional equivalence to the baseline agreement filed in Docket No. CP2010– 36.2 Id. at 2–3. II. Contents of Filings Agreement. The Postal Service asserts that the Agreement is functionally equivalent to the baseline agreement approved in Docket No. CP2010–36. Id. at 2–3. 1 Notice of United States Postal Service of Filing a Functionally Equivalent Global Reseller Expedited Package Negotiated Service Agreement and Application For Non-Public Treatment of Materials Filed Under Seal, February 8, 2013 (Notice). 2 See also Docket No. MC2010–21 (based on Governors’ Decision No. 10–1), Order No. 445, April 22, 2010, Order Concerning Global Reseller Expedited Package Contracts Negotiated Service Agreement. E:\FR\FM\15FEN1.SGM 15FEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 32 (Friday, February 15, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11236-11237]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-03604]


=======================================================================
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NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD


Positive Train Control Public Forum

    On Wednesday, February 27, 2013, the National Transportation Safety 
Board (NTSB) will convene a Forum titled, ``Positive Train Control: Is 
it on Track?'' The Forum will begin at 9:00 a.m. is open to all and the 
attendance is free (no registration required). The NTSB Chairman 
Deborah A.P. Hersman will serve as the presiding officer of the forum, 
and all five NTSB Board Members will serve as members of the Board of 
Inquiry. The forum is organized into three topics areas:

 PTC systems as envisioned versus what is being implemented
 Current status of PTC regulatory implementation
 Current status of PTC technical implementation

    Over the past 40 years, the NTSB has investigated many train 
collisions and over-speed derailments caused by operational errors 
involving human performance failures. Many of these accidents occurred 
because train crews: did not comply with signal indications, did not 
follow operating procedures in nonsignaled (dark) territories, or did 
not comply with other specific operating rules such as returning track 
switches to normal position after completing work at railroad sidings.
    The NTSB has repeatedly concluded that technological solutions, 
such as Positive Train Control (PTC), have great potential to reduce 
the number of serious train accidents by providing safety redundant 
systems to protect against human performance failures. Because of the 
NTSB's longstanding interest in this issue, the Board placed a 
recommendation to implement PTC on the NTSB's Most Wanted List of 
Transportation Safety Improvements at the inception of the list in 
1990, and it remained on the list until after the Rail Safety 
Improvement Act of 2008 was enacted. This act requires each Class I 
railroad over which poison- or toxic-by-inhalation (PIH or TIH) 
hazardous materials are transported and each entity providing regularly 
scheduled intercity or commuter rail passenger transportation to 
implement a PTC system by December 31, 2015. The Federal Railroad 
Administration (FRA) finalized the rule requiring PTC in January 2010.
    Legislation was proposed in Congress that would defer the Act's 
requirement for implementation of PTC systems. In the Senate, 
provisions in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act 
(MAP[hyphen]21) proposed a year[hyphen]by[hyphen]year evaluation of PTC 
system waivers by the Secretary of Transportation beyond the 2015 
deadline but did not extend past December 31, 2018. In the House of 
Representatives, provisions in the American Energy and Infrastructure 
Jobs Act of 2012 proposed to extend the PTC system implementation 
deadline until December 31, 2020. Additionally, the House bill would 
have enabled a railroad to use an ``alternate risk-reduction strategy'' 
in lieu of installing PTC on some nonpassenger track where PIH and TIH 
are transported. However, the enacted legislation MAP-21, Public Law 
112-141, did not include the provisions regarding PTC.
    Expert panelists will include representatives from railroads, 
government, industry suppliers, labor unions, and the research 
community. Below is the preliminary agenda:

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

1. Opening Statement by the Presiding Officer of the forum
2. Introduction of the Officers and Technical Panel
3. Introduction of the forum participants
4. Introduction of the panels
5. Closing statement by Chairman Hersman

Panel Topics

Panel 1--Positive Train Control Systems as Envisioned vs. Implemented
Panel 2--Current Status of Positive Train Control (PTC) Regulatory 
Implementation
Panel 3--Current Status of Positive Train Control (PTC) Technical 
Implementation

    The full agenda and a list of participants can be found at: 
www.ntsb.gov/PTCforum.
    The forum will be held in the NTSB Board Room and Conference 
Center, located at 429 L'Enfant Plaza E. SW., Washington, DC. The 
public can view the forum in person or by live webcast at www.ntsb.gov. 
Webcast archives are generally available by the end of the next day 
following the forum, and Webcasts are archived for a period of 3 months 
from after the date of the event.
    Individuals requesting specific accommodations should contact 
Rochelle Hall at (202) 314-6305 or by

[[Page 11237]]

email at Rochelle.Hall@nts.gov by Friday, February 22, 2013.
    NTSB Media Contact: Eric Weiss_eric.weiss@ntsb.gov.
    NTSB Forum Manager: Michael E. Hiller_michael.hiller@ntsb.gov.
    NTSB Forum Coordinator: Jennifer Cheek_jennifer.cheek@ntsb.gov.

    Dated: February 12, 2013.
Candi R. Bing,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013-03604 Filed 2-14-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7533-01-P
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