Petition for Waiver of Compliance, 5537-5538 [2020-01672]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 20 / Thursday, January 30, 2020 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket Number FRA–2020–0008]
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Petition for Waiver of Compliance
Under part 211 of title 49 Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR), this provides
the public notice that on January 10,
2020, CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT)
petitioned the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) for a waiver of
compliance from certain provisions of
the Federal railroad safety regulations
contained at 49 CFR part 232, Brake
System Safety Standards for Freight and
Other Non-Passenger Trains and
Equipment; End-of-Train Devices. FRA
assigned the petition Docket Number
FRA–2020–0008.
Specifically, CSXT proposes to use
proprietary software technology to
implement a virtual three-dimensional
simulation as an alternative to satisfy
the ‘‘hands-on’’ portion of periodic
refresher training required by 49 CFR
232.203(b)(8). Refresher training is
required at intervals not to exceed 3
years, and must consist of classroom
and hands-on training, as well as
testing. CSXT states that the simulation
will improve the employee’s knowledge
of air brake components and functions
and increases proficiency when
performing the Class I freight air brake
test.
The simulation is based on
performance of a Class I freight air brake
test and is designed to place the user in
a virtual realistic scenario. The user is
required to perform a variety of
inspection and remediation tasks
relating to preprogrammed defects
including, but not limited to, closed cutout cocks, uncoupled air hoses, closed
angle cocks, improperly positioned
retainer valves, and fouled brake
rigging. Users are required to
successfully complete all tasks in the
scenario. CSXT proposes to apply this
waiver system-wide to all CSXT
conductors and supervisors responsible
for performing Class I freight air brakes
tests.
A copy of the petition, as well as any
written communications concerning the
petition, is available for review online at
www.regulations.gov and in person at
the U.S. Department of Transportation’s
(DOT) Docket Operations Facility, 1200
New Jersey Ave. SE, W12–140,
Washington, DC 20590. The Docket
Operations Facility is open from 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal Holidays.
Interested parties are invited to
participate in these proceedings by
submitting written views, data, or
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:56 Jan 29, 2020
Jkt 250001
comments. FRA does not anticipate
scheduling a public hearing in
connection with these proceedings since
the facts do not appear to warrant a
hearing. If any interested parties desire
an opportunity for oral comment and a
public hearing, they should notify FRA,
in writing, before the end of the
comment period and specify the basis
for their request.
All communications concerning these
proceedings should identify the
appropriate docket number and may be
submitted by any of the following
methods:
• Website: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
• Fax: 202–493–2251.
• Mail: Docket Operations Facility,
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Ave. SE, W12–140,
Washington, DC 20590.
• Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey
Ave. SE, Room W12–140, Washington,
DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
Holidays.
Communications received by March
16, 2020 will be considered by FRA
before final action is taken. Comments
received after that date will be
considered if practicable.
Anyone can search the electronic
form of any written communications
and comments received into any of our
dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the
document, if submitted on behalf of an
association, business, labor union, etc.).
Under 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits
comments from the public to better
inform its processes. DOT posts these
comments, without edit, including any
personal information the commenter
provides, to www.regulations.gov, as
described in the system of records
notice (DOT/ALL–14 FDMS), which can
be reviewed at https://
www.transportation.gov/privacy. See
also https://www.regulations.gov/
privacyNotice for the privacy notice of
regulations.gov.
Issued in Washington, DC.
John Karl Alexy,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety
Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020–01671 Filed 1–29–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P
PO 00000
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5537
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket Number FRA–2007–27287]
Petition for Waiver of Compliance
Under part 211 of title 49 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (CFR), this
provides the public notice that by letter
received January 18, 2020, BNSF
Railway (BNSF) petitioned the Federal
Railroad Administration (FRA) for an
extension of a waiver of compliance
contained in Docket Number FRA–
2007–27287.
Specifically, BNSF seeks a second
extension of relief from the 2-year
periodic testing requirements in
§§ 236.377, Approach locking; 236.378,
Time locking; 236.379, Route locking;
236.380, Indication locking; and
236.381, Traffic locking.
BNSF states that since the original
waiver approval, 95.2% of all eligible
locations across BNSF’s network have
been enrolled in this waiver program
and received waiver-based locking tests
on the extended schedule with no
issues. BNSF is confident that by using
this method, it has reduced the amount
of disruption to signal circuits and
operations while spending less time foul
of track. Leveraging the benefits of
technology and reducing the
opportunity for human failure yields
additional safety benefits, making this
BNSF’s desired method for performing
these tests.
BNSF requests to extend the waiver
indefinitely. BNSF states it will
maintain the testing procedures and
testing interval as outlined in the
waiver. BNSF further asks to eliminate
the requirement to submit to FRA an
annual updated listing of the eligible
locations, because BNSF has already
enrolled the substantial majority of
eligible locations.
A copy of the petition, as well as any
written communications concerning the
petition, is available for review online at
www.regulations.gov and in person at
the Department of Transportation’s
Docket Operations Facility, 1200 New
Jersey Ave. SE, W12–140, Washington,
DC 20590. The Docket Operations
Facility is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
Holidays.
Interested parties are invited to
participate in these proceedings by
submitting written views, data, or
comments. FRA does not anticipate
scheduling a public hearing in
connection with these proceedings since
the facts do not appear to warrant a
hearing. If any interested party desires
an opportunity for oral comment, they
E:\FR\FM\30JAN1.SGM
30JAN1
5538
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 20 / Thursday, January 30, 2020 / Notices
should notify FRA, in writing, before
the end of the comment period and
specify the basis for their request.
All communications concerning these
proceedings should identify the
appropriate docket number and may be
submitted by any of the following
methods:
• Website: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
• Fax: 202–493–2251.
• Mail: Docket Operations Facility,
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Ave. SE, W12–140,
Washington, DC 20590.
• Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey
Ave. SE, Room W12–140, Washington,
DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
Holidays.
Communications received by March
16, 2020 will be considered by FRA
before final action is taken. Comments
received after that date will be
considered if practicable.
Anyone can search the electronic
form of any written communications
and comments received into any of our
dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the
document, if submitted on behalf of an
association, business, labor union, etc.).
Under 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits
comments from the public to better
inform its processes. DOT posts these
comments, without edit, including any
personal information the commenter
provides, to www.regulations.gov, as
described in the system of records
notice (DOT/ALL–14 FDMS), which can
be reviewed at www.dot.gov/privacy.
See also https://www.regulations.gov/
privacyNotice for the privacy notice of
regulations.gov.
$454.6 million in fiscal year (FY) 2020
funds under the Grants for Buses and
Bus Facilities Program (CFDA#20.526).
As required by federal public
transportation law and subject to
funding availability, funds will be
awarded competitively to assist in the
financing of capital projects to replace,
rehabilitate, purchase or lease buses and
related equipment, and to rehabilitate,
purchase, construct or lease bus-related
facilities. Projects may include costs
incidental to the acquisition of buses or
to the construction of facilities, such as
the costs of related workforce
development and training activities, and
project administration expenses. FTA
may award additional funds if they are
made available to the program prior to
the announcement of project selections.
DATES: Complete proposals must be
submitted electronically through the
GRANTS.GOV ‘‘APPLY’’ function by
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 30,
2020. Prospective applicants should
initiate the process by promptly
registering on the GRANTS.GOV
website to ensure completion of the
application process before the
submission deadline. Instructions for
applying can be found on FTA’s website
at https://transit.dot.gov/howtoapply and
in the ‘‘FIND’’ module of
GRANTS.GOV.
The GRANTS.GOV funding
opportunity ID is FTA–2020–006–BUS.
Mail and fax submissions will not be
accepted.
Issued in Washington, DC.
John Karl Alexy,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety
Chief Safety Officer.
Table of Contents
[FR Doc. 2020–01672 Filed 1–29–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Fiscal Year 2020 Competitive Funding
Opportunity; Grants for Buses and Bus
Facilities Program
Federal Transit Administration
(FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of funding opportunity
(NOFO).
AGENCY:
The Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) announces the
opportunity to apply for approximately
SUMMARY:
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16:56 Jan 29, 2020
Jkt 250001
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mark Bathrick, FTA Office of Program
Management, 202–366–9955, or
mark.bathrick@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Program Description
B. Federal Award Information
C. Eligibility Information
D. Application and Submission Information
E. Application Review Information
F. Review and Selection Process Information
G. Federal Award Administration
Information
H. Technical Assistance and Other Program
Information
I. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts
A. Program Description
Federal public transportation law (49
U.S.C 5339(b)) authorizes FTA to award
funds for the Grants for Buses and Bus
Facilities Program through a
competitive process, as described in this
notice, for capital projects to replace,
rehabilitate, purchase or lease buses and
related equipment and to rehabilitate,
purchase, construct or lease bus-related
facilities.
PO 00000
Frm 00172
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
The purpose of the Grants for Buses
and Bus Facilities Program is to assist in
the financing of capital projects for
buses and bus facilities, including
replacing, rehabilitating, purchasing, or
leasing buses or related equipment, and
rehabilitating, purchasing, constructing,
or leasing bus-related facilities.
The Grants for Buses and Bus
Facilities Program provides funds to
eligible applicants including designated
recipients that allocate funds to fixed
route bus operators, states or local
governmental entities that operate fixed
route bus service, and Indian tribes.
FTA also may award grants to eligible
recipients for projects to be undertaken
by subrecipients. Eligible subrecipients
include all otherwise eligible applicants
and also private nonprofit organizations
engaged in public transportation. In
accordance with Federal public
transportation law (49 U.S.C.
5339(b)(2)), FTA will ‘‘consider the age
and condition of buses, bus fleets,
related equipment, and bus-related
facilities’’ in selecting projects for
funding. FTA may prioritize projects
that demonstrate how they will address
significant repair and maintenance
needs, improve the safety of transit
systems and deploy connective projects
that include advanced technologies to
connect bus systems with other
networks.
In FY 2020, FTA is encouraging
applicants to propose projects that
introduce innovative technologies or
practices in support of FTA’s
Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM)
initiative. FTA is focused on the
introduction of new technology not
commonly found within U.S. transit
systems such as integrated fare payment
systems permitting complete trips or
advancements to propulsion systems.
Innovation can also include practices
such as new public transportation
operational models, financial or
procurement arrangements, or value
capture.
B. Federal Award Information
Federal public transportation law (49
U.S.C. 5338(a)(2)(M)) authorizes
$289,044,179 in FY 2020 funds for the
Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities
Program. The Further Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2020 appropriated
an additional $170,000,000 for the
Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities
Program. After the mandatory oversight
takedown of $4,417,831 FTA is
announcing the availability of
$454,626,348 for the Grants for Buses
and Bus Facilities Program through this
notice.
As required by Federal public
transportation law (49 U.S.C. 5339(b)(5)
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30JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 20 (Thursday, January 30, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5537-5538]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01672]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket Number FRA-2007-27287]
Petition for Waiver of Compliance
Under part 211 of title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR), this provides the public notice that by letter received January
18, 2020, BNSF Railway (BNSF) petitioned the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) for an extension of a waiver of compliance
contained in Docket Number FRA-2007-27287.
Specifically, BNSF seeks a second extension of relief from the 2-
year periodic testing requirements in Sec. Sec. 236.377, Approach
locking; 236.378, Time locking; 236.379, Route locking; 236.380,
Indication locking; and 236.381, Traffic locking.
BNSF states that since the original waiver approval, 95.2% of all
eligible locations across BNSF's network have been enrolled in this
waiver program and received waiver-based locking tests on the extended
schedule with no issues. BNSF is confident that by using this method,
it has reduced the amount of disruption to signal circuits and
operations while spending less time foul of track. Leveraging the
benefits of technology and reducing the opportunity for human failure
yields additional safety benefits, making this BNSF's desired method
for performing these tests.
BNSF requests to extend the waiver indefinitely. BNSF states it
will maintain the testing procedures and testing interval as outlined
in the waiver. BNSF further asks to eliminate the requirement to submit
to FRA an annual updated listing of the eligible locations, because
BNSF has already enrolled the substantial majority of eligible
locations.
A copy of the petition, as well as any written communications
concerning the petition, is available for review online at
www.regulations.gov and in person at the Department of Transportation's
Docket Operations Facility, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, W12-140,
Washington, DC 20590. The Docket Operations Facility is open from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
Interested parties are invited to participate in these proceedings
by submitting written views, data, or comments. FRA does not anticipate
scheduling a public hearing in connection with these proceedings since
the facts do not appear to warrant a hearing. If any interested party
desires an opportunity for oral comment, they
[[Page 5538]]
should notify FRA, in writing, before the end of the comment period and
specify the basis for their request.
All communications concerning these proceedings should identify the
appropriate docket number and may be submitted by any of the following
methods:
Website: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: 202-493-2251.
Mail: Docket Operations Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, W12-140, Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Room W12-140,
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal Holidays.
Communications received by March 16, 2020 will be considered by FRA
before final action is taken. Comments received after that date will be
considered if practicable.
Anyone can search the electronic form of any written communications
and comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the
individual submitting the comment (or signing the document, if
submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.).
Under 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the public to better
inform its processes. DOT posts these comments, without edit, including
any personal information the commenter provides, to
www.regulations.gov, as described in the system of records notice (DOT/
ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at www.dot.gov/privacy. See also
https://www.regulations.gov/privacyNotice for the privacy notice of
regulations.gov.
Issued in Washington, DC.
John Karl Alexy,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-01672 Filed 1-29-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
