April 10, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of Personnel Management is issuing new regulations on the granting and recording of weather and safety leave for Federal employees. The Administrative Leave Act of 2016 created four new categories of statutorily authorized paid leaveadministrative leave, investigative leave, notice leave, and weather and safety leaveand established parameters for their use by Federal agencies. These regulations will provide a framework for agency compliance with the new statutory requirements regarding weather and safety leave. OPM will issue separate final regulations to address administrative leave, investigative leave, and notice leave at a later date.

The proposed rule would allow helicopter air ambulance (HAA) operators to conduct instrument flight rules (IFR) departure and approach procedures at airports and heliports that do not have an approved weather reporting source in HAA aircraft without functioning severe weather detection equipment (airborne radar or lightning strike detection equipment), when there is no reasonable expectation of severe weather at the destination, the alternate, or along the route of flight. This rule would also update requirements to address the discontinuance of area forecasts, currently used as flight planning and pilot weather briefing aids. Additionally, this rulemaking proposes to update requirements regarding HAA departure procedures to include additional types of departure procedures that are currently acceptable for use.

These special conditions are issued for the Textron Aviation Inc. (Textron) Model 700 series airplanes. These airplanes will have novel or unusual design features when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. These design features are systems that affect structural performance, either directly or as a result of a failure or malfunction. The influence of these systems and their failure conditions must be taken into account when showing compliance with the FAA's requirements. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for these design features. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

The Coast Guard has modified a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the CSX Swing Bridge, which carries CSX railroad across the New Curtis Creek, mile 1.4, at Baltimore, MD. This modified deviation is necessary to facilitate bridge maintenance. This modified deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to- navigation position.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve the remaining portion of a November 2, 2015 State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Vermont. This revision addresses the interstate transport requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA), referred to as the good neighbor provision, with respect to the primary 2010 sulfur dioxide (SO2) national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). This action proposes to approve Vermont's demonstration that the State is meeting its obligations regarding the transport of SO2 emissions into other states. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) proposes to rescind and remove from the Code of Federal Regulations the part entitled Fiduciary Powers of State Savings Associations and to amend current FDIC regulations regarding consent to exercise trust powers to reflect the applicability of these parts to both State savings associations and State nonmember banks.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Textron Aviation Inc. Models 510, 680, and 680A airplanes equipped with certain part number brake assemblies. This AD was prompted by a report that brake pad wear indicator pins were set incorrectly, which could lead to brake pad wear beyond the acceptable limits without indication. This AD requires inspection of the brake pad wear indicator pins and replacement of the brake assembly if any pin is set incorrectly. We are issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Embraer S.A. Models EMB-500 and EMB-505 airplanes. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as improperly tied castle nuts on the aileron, rudder, and elevator trim tab (or autotab) attachment bolts. We are issuing this AD to require actions to address the unsafe condition on these products.