Department of Transportation April 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Enstar Natural Gas Company (Enstar) has petitioned the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) for a waiver of the pipeline safety regulation that prohibits tracer wire from being wrapped around the pipe.

Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption, part 11 of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), this notice contains the disposition of certain petitions previously received. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities. Neither publication of this notice nor the inclusion or omission of information in the summary is intended to affect the legal status of any petition or its final disposition.

This amendment establishes, amends, suspends, or revokes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) for operations at certain airports. These regulatory actions are needed because of the adoption of new or revised criteria, or because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System, such as the commissioning of new navigational facilities, addition of new obstacles, or changes in air traffic requirements. These changes are designed to provide safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace and to promote safe flight operations under instrument flight rules at the affected airports.

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to all Airbus Model A300 B2 and B4 series airplanes; Model A300-600 series airplanes; and Model A310 series airplanes. The existing AD currently requires, among other actions, repetitive tests to detect desynchronization of the rudder servo actuators, and adjustment or replacement of the spring rods of the rudder servo actuators, if necessary. This proposed AD would require new repetitive tests/inspections/analyses of the rudder servo actuators, and related investigative/corrective actions if necessary. Accomplishment of the new actions ends the existing repetitive requirements. This proposed AD is prompted by new reports of desynchronization of the rudder servo actuators. We are proposing this AD to prevent desynchronization of one of the three rudder servo actuators, which, if combined with an engine failure could result in the loss of the related hydraulic system and could cause the loss of one of the two synchronized actuators. This condition could create additional fatigue loading and possible cracking on the attachment fittings and could result in the inability of the remaining synchronized actuator to maintain the commanded rudder deflection, which could result in reduced controllability of the airplane.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing transport category airplanes. This proposed AD would require replacing any insulation blanket constructed of polyethyleneteraphthalate (PET) film, ORCON Orcofilm[reg] AN-26 (hereafter ``AN-26'') with a new insulation blanket. This proposed AD is prompted by reports of in-flight and ground fires on certain airplanes manufactured with insulation blankets covered with AN-26, which may contribute to the spread of a fire when ignition occurs from sources such as electrical arcing or sparking. We are proposing this AD to ensure that insulation blankets constructed of AN-26 are removed from the fuselage. Such insulation blankets could propagate a fire that is the result of electrical arcing or sparking.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for extension of the currently approved collection. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and the expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on December 30, 2004 on page 78520.

This action establishes Class E airspace at Tracy, MN. Standard Instrument Approach Procedures have been developed for Tracy Municipal Airport, Tracy, MN. Controlled airspace extending upward from 700 feet or more above the surface of the earth is needed to contain aircraft executing these approaches. This action establishes an area of controlled airspace for Tracy Municipal Airport.

The Department's rules currently prohibit each airline that owns, controls, or operates a computer reservations system (``CRS'' or ``system'') from denying system access to two or more carriers whose flights share a single designator code and discriminating against any carrier because the carrier uses the same designator code as another carrier. The Department recently determined that its comprehensive rules governing CRS operations should be terminated because they are no longer necessary. The Department is initiating this proceeding to consider whether it should also terminate the rules governing the treatment of code-sharing airlines by airlines that own, control, or operate a system.

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to certain Learjet Model 23, 24, 25, 35, and 36 airplanes. The existing AD currently requires repetitive inspections to detect deterioration of both flappers of the tip tank in each wing of the airplane, and various follow-on actions. The existing AD also requires replacing the flappers with new flappers, and repetitively performing certain other follow-on actions. This proposed AD would require an inspection of the flappers and flapper assemblies of the tip tank in each wing or a review of the airplane maintenance records to determine the part numbers, and replacement of certain flappers or flapper assemblies if necessary, which would end the existing repetitive inspections. This proposed AD is prompted by the results of numerous continual inspections, and the approval of a new, improved flapper and flapper assembly. We are proposing this AD to prevent significant reduction in the lateral control of the airplane due to imbalance of the fuel loads in the wings of the airplane.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Boeing Model 727 airplanes. This proposed AD would require determining whether any float switches are installed in the fuel tanks, and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD is prompted by reports of contamination of the fueling float switch by moisture or fuel, and chafing of the float switch wiring against the fuel tank conduit. We are proposing this AD to prevent such contamination and chafing, which could present an ignition source inside the fuel tank that could cause a fire or explosion.

FMCSA announces a public meeting concerning implementation of the North American Standard for Protection Against Shifting or Falling Cargo. The meeting's purpose is to discuss a process for ensuring consistent interpretation of the harmonized cargo securement standards by FMCSA and the Canadian Provinces, such as interpretation issues raised by U.S. enforcement agencies and motor carriers and potential implementation issues for Canadian Provinces and motor carriers operating in Canada. On September 27, 2002, FMCSA published a final rule revising its regulations on cargo securement for commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) operated in interstate commerce; and motor carriers were given until January 1, 2004 to comply with the new regulations. The agency's new standards were based on the North American Cargo Securement Standard Model Regulations, which reflected at the time the results of a multi- year comprehensive research program to evaluate U.S. and Canadian cargo securement regulations, motor carrier industry best practices, and recommendations from public meetings involving U.S. and Canadian industry experts, Federal, State, and Provincial enforcement officials, and other interested parties. Since then, Canada's Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety approved a new National Safety Code Standard for cargo securement (September 23, 2004). Full implementation of Canada's new cargo securement requirements is expected by this summer.

This notice publishes the FMCSA decision to renew the exemptions from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for 13 individuals. FMCSA has statutory authority to exempt individuals from vision standards if the exemptions granted will not compromise safety. The agency has concluded that granting these exemptions will provide a level of safety that will be equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety maintained without the exemptions for these commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.

This document responds to the Rubber Manufacturers Association's (RMA) September 27, 2004 petition for reconsideration of the August 13, 2004 final rule addressing the disposal of recalled tires. RMA requested that NHTSA reconsider a statement in the preamble to the final rule that Section 7 of the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation (TREAD) Act prohibits the use of recalled tires in the construction of landfills. NHTSA has decided that the TREAD Act does not prohibit the use of recalled tires in landfill construction.

This document revises an earlier proposed airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to all Short Brothers Model SD3-60 series airplanes, that would have required performing an inspection of the shear attachment fitting for the fin-to-fuselage front spar, and of the shear cleat for the fin root rib at the aft spar location for corrosion; reporting inspection results; and performing corrective action, if necessary. This new action revises the proposed rule by adding additional inspection areas, a repetitive borescope (intrascope) inspection, and applicable corrective actions per new Short Brothers information. This new action also revises the proposed rule by deleting the inspection report. The actions specified by this new proposed AD are intended to detect and correct corrosion in the area of the main spar web fittings of the vertical stabilizer, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the vertical stabilizer. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all GROB-WERKE (GROB) Model G120A airplanes. This proposed AD would require you to replace the main landing gear front and rear spherical bearings with improved spherical bearings. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the airworthiness authority for Germany. We are issuing this proposed AD to replace front and rear main landing gear bearings that are exposed to high axial loads, which could result in failure of the landing gear bearing. This failure could lead to loss of control on landing.

Under 49 U.S.C. 10502, the Board is granting a petition for exemption from the prior approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 11323-25 for Union Pacific Railroad Company to acquire and operate approximately 3.23 miles of rail line of the Denver Terminal Railroad Company, d/b/a Denver Rock Island Railroad (DRIR), extending from DRIR milepost 0.72 near Sandown to DRIR milepost 3.95 at Belt Junction, in Denver, CO, subject to standard labor protective conditions.