Department of Transportation 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) revision of a current information collection. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on March 15, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 50, page 13446. Wildlife strike data are collected to develop standards and monitor hazards to aviation. Data identify wildlife strike control requirements and provide in service data on aircraft component failure.

The FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve a current information collection. The collection of information is necessary for gathering data concerning potential new hires for the FAA. The information will be used to evaluate the qualifications of applicants for a variety of positions.

In accordance with the requirements of 49 U.S.C. 5117(c), PHMSA is publishing the following list of special permit applications that have been in process for 180 days or more. The reason(s) for delay and the expected completion date for action on each application is provided in association with each identified application.

This amendment establishes, amends, suspends, or revokes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and/or Weather Takeoff Minimums 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.

These special conditions are issued to Aero Propulsion, Inc., for the Piper Model PA28-236 airplanes with a Societe de Motorisation Aeronautiques (SMA) Model SR305-230 Aircraft Diesel Engine (ADE). This airplane will have a novel or unusual design feature(s) associated with the installation of a diesel cycle engine utilizing turbine (jet) fuel. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for installation of this new technology engine. 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.

These special conditions are issued for the Cessna Aircraft Company, Model 510 airplane. This new airplane will have novel and unusual design features not typically associated with normal, utility, acrobatic, and commuter category airplanes. These design features include turbofan engines and engine location, for which the applicable regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate airworthiness standards. These special conditions contain the additional airworthiness standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

In the final rule, Certification and Operation Rules for Certain Large Airplanes, which the FAA published in the Federal Register on October 9, 1980, the FAA revoked part 123, effective January 1, 1983. However, references to part 123 remain in part 43. The purpose of this action is to remove those references. In addition, we are taking this opportunity to make some minor editorial corrections to part 43.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended) this notice announces the Department of Transportation's (DOT) intention to request an extension of a currently approved information collection. Before submitting this information collection to OMB for renewal, DOT is soliciting comments 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 Department's 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 collection of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announces the availability of a Draft Written Reevaluation of environmental impacts of a proposed centerfield taxiway at Boston-Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts. FAA also announces that it will consider comments on the Draft Written Reevaluation until August 21, 2006.

This document confirms the effective date of the direct final rule which revises Class E airspace at Wellington, KS.

This notice announces actions taken by the FHWA and other Federal agencies that are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed highway project, U.S. Route 823 (the Portsmouth Bypass), from Lucasville in Scioto county to near Sciotodale in Scioto county in the State of Ohio. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.

This document adopts fees for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 and until further notice, as authorized by 49 U.S.C. 30141, relating to the registration of importers and the importation of motor vehicles not certified as conforming to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). These fees are needed to maintain the registered importer (RI) program. We are decreasing the fees for the registration of a new RI from $830 to $677 and the annual fee for renewing an existing registration from $745 to $570. These fees include the costs of maintaining the RI program. The fee required to reimburse the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Customs) for conformance bond processing costs will increase from $9.30 to $9.77 per bond. We are also increasing the fees assessed against the importer of each vehicle covered by the decision to grant import eligibility. For vehicles determined eligible based on their substantial similarity to a U.S. certified vehicle, the fee is increased from $150 to $208. For vehicles determined eligible based on their capability of being modified to comply with all applicable FMVSS, the fee is increased from $150 to $208. In the event that a petitioner requests an inspection of a vehicle, the fee for such an inspection will remain $827 for vehicles that are the subject of either type of petition. The fee that an RI must pay as a processing cost for review of each conformity package that it submits to NHTSA will decrease to $13 from $18 per certificate. If the vehicle has been entered electronically with Customs through the Automated Broker Interface (ABI) and the registered importer has an e-mail address, the fee for processing the conformity package will continue to be $6, provided the fee is paid by credit card. However, if NHTSA finds that the information in the entry or the conformity package is incorrect, the processing fee will be $48, representing no change from the fee that is currently charged when there are one or more errors in the ABI entry or omissions in the statement of conformity.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain McDonnell Douglas airplanes, identified above. This AD requires installing or replacing with improved parts, as applicable, the bonding straps between the metallic frame of the fillet and the wing leading edge ribs, on both the left and right sides of the airplane. This AD results from fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer. We are issuing this AD to reduce the potential of ignition sources inside fuel tanks in the event of a severe lightning strike, which, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could result in fuel tank explosions and consequent loss of the airplane.

The Surface Transportation Board has instituted a proceeding to seek public comments on proposed changes to revise and clarify its guidelines for deciding small rate cases. In particular, the Board proposes to: create a simplified stand-alone cost (Simplified-SAC) method to be used in medium-size rate disputes for which a full stand- alone cost (Full-SAC) presentation would be too costly, given the value of the case; retain the Three-Benchmark method for small rate disputes for which a Simplified-SAC presentation would be too costly; and establish eligibility presumptions to distinguish between large, medium-size, and small rail rate disputes. These changes are intended to advance Congress' mandate to ``establish a simplified and expedited method for determining the reasonableness of challenged rail rates in those cases in which a full SAC presentation is too costly, given the value of the case.'' 49 U.S.C. 10701(d)(3).

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and its implementing regulations, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) hereby announces that it is seeking renewal of the following currently approved information collection activities. Before submitting these information collection requirements for clearance by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified below.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describe the nature of the information collection and their expected burden. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collections of information was published on May 15, 2006 (71 FR 28076).

This notice proposes to change the name of the Eastman-Dodge County Airport to Heart of Georgia Regional Airport and to establish Class D airspace at Eastman, GA. On October 9, 1995, the Eastman-Dodge County Airport Authority adopted a name change for the airport. A non- Federal contract tower with a weather reporting system is being constructed at Heart of Georgia Regional Airport. Therefore, the airport will meet criteria for Class D airspace. Class D surface area airspace is required when the control tower is open to contain Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and other Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the airport. This action would establish Class D airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 2,500 feet MSL within a 4.1-mile radius of the airport.

This action corrects an error in the airspace description of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that was published in the Federal Register on July 12, 2006 (71 FR 39247), Airspace Docket No. 06-AWP-9.

The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for a proposed highway project in Jefferson and St. Clair Counties, Alabama.

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to certain Boeing Model 747-400 series airplanes. The existing AD currently requires replacement of the decompression panels that are located in the smoke barrier between the passenger and main deck cargo compartment with new panels of an improved design. This proposed AD would require modification of the decompression panels on the smoke barrier in the main deck cargo compartment or replacement of the smoke barrier with an improved smoke barrier, as applicable. This proposed AD would also require repetitive inspections of the decompression (vent) panels on the smoke barrier and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD also adds airplanes to the applicability. This proposed AD results from reports of decompression panels on the smoke barrier opening in flight and on the ground without a decompression event. We are proposing this AD to prevent inadvertent opening or tearing of decompression panels, which could result in degraded cargo fire detection and suppression capability, smoke penetration into an occupied compartment, and an uncontrolled cargo fire, if a fire occurs in the main deck cargo compartment.

This action establishes Class E airspace at Willow, AK to provide adequate controlled airspace to contain aircraft executing new Instrument Procedures. This rule results in new Class E airspace established upward from 700 feet (ft.) and 1,200 ft. above the surface at Willow, AK.

The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an environmental impact statement will be prepared for a proposed highway project in Shelby County, Alabama.