Department of Transportation 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for McCauley Propeller Systems model 4HFR34C653/L106FA propellers. This proposed AD would require a onetime fluorescent penetrant inspection (FPI) and eddy current inspection (ECI) of the propeller hub for cracks. This proposed AD results from reports of 3 hubs found cracked during propeller overhaul. We are proposing this AD to prevent failure of the propeller hub, which could cause blade separation, damage to the airplane, and loss of control of the airplane.

Under 49 U.S.C. 10502, the Board is granting a petition for exemption from the prior approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 11323-24 to enable Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad, Inc., a Class II rail carrier, to acquire from Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR), by assignment, NSR's lease of approximately 24.6 miles of a line of railroad that is owned by CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT). The line extends from milepost BKC 2.0 near Cloe, PA, to milepost BKC 26.6 at Ridge Branch Junction near Creekside, PA. The exemption is subject to employee protective conditions.

This notice proposes guidance in the form of a revised circular on the Federal Transit Administration's Grant Management Requirements and seeks comment thereon. Proposed Circular 5010.1D modifies FTA's existing Grants Management Circular 5010.1C in several material respects. Among other things, Circular 5010.1D proposes to expand the circumstances under which a grantee may request budget revisions and grant amendments, to identify useful life standards for trolleys, ferry boats, and facilities, and to increase the threshold triggering FTA review and approval for appraisals of real property. In addition to the foregoing substantive changes, proposed Circular 5010.1D updates FTA's guidance to reflect current policy and new FTA programs; restructures the circular; and clarifies FTA's requirements and processes.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has placed in the docket and on its Web site, proposed guidance in the form of a circular to assist grantees in implementing the Capital Investment Program. The Capital Investment Program includes projects such as bus and bus facilities, new fixed guideway systems, and fixed guideway modernization, as authorized by 49 U.S.C. 5309. By this notice, FTA invites public comment on the proposed circular for this program.

The Federal Transit Administration published in the Federal Register of September 20, 2007, a final rule (effective October 22, 2007) which amended the Buy America requirements in 49 CFR part 661. This document replaces text that was discussed in the preamble but omitted from the final rule with regard to final assembly requirements for rolling stock.

The FAA is requesting public comment on the City of Manchester, New Hampshire's request to change a portion (.42 acres) of Airport property from aeronautical use to non-aeronautical use. The property is located on South Willow Street, Manchester, New Hampshire and is a portion of map 854, Lot 5 and Map 854, Lot 1B. Upon disposition the property will be used for the realignment of South Willow Street for Runway Safety Area Improvements at Manchester Airport, Manchester, New Hampshire. The property was acquired under AIP Project Nos. 3-33-0011- 31 and 3-33-0011-67. The disposition of proceeds from the disposal of airport property will be in accordance with FAA's Policy and Procedures Concerning the Use of Airport Revenue, published in the Federal Register on February 16, 1999.

Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from the public, the agency must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB''). Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit public comment on proposed collections of information, including extensions and reinstatements of previously approved collections. In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice describes one collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval, relating to confidential business information.

This document announces a final decision by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that certain vehicles that do not comply with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards, but that are certified by their original manufacturer as complying with all applicable Canadian motor vehicle safety standards, are eligible for importation into the United States. The vehicles in question either (1) are substantially similar to vehicles that were certified by their manufacturers as complying with the U.S. safety standards and are capable of being readily altered to conform to those standards, or (2) have safety features that comply with, or are capable of being altered to comply with, all U.S. safety standards.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew the exemptions from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for 25 individuals. FMCSA has statutory authority to exempt individuals from the vision requirement if the exemptions granted will not compromise safety. The Agency has concluded that granting these exemption renewals will provide a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety maintained without the exemptions for these commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is making a minor technical change to a final rule, Commuter Operations and General Certification and Operations Requirements. This final rule established the requirements for certain management officials for certificate holders. In the final rule the FAA unintentionally included an incorrect experience requirement for the Director of Maintenance for commuter and on-demand operators. This amendment corrects that experience requirement.

This action will establish Class E airspace at Hulett, WY. Additional Class E airspace is necessary to accommodate aircraft using a new Area Navigation (RNAV) Global Positioning System (GPS) Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP) at Hulett Municipal Airport. This will improve the safety of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) aircraft executing the new RNAV GPS IAP at Hulett Municipal Airport, Hulett, WY. Also, this action makes a minor correction to the airport description.

The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of a meeting of RTCA Government/Industry Air Traffic Management Advisory Committee.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FMCSA announces its plan to submit the Information Collection Request (ICR) described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for its review and approval and invites public comment. This proposed ICR will be used to collect information on recent interstate household goods shippers' (consumers) awareness of the Household Goods (HHG) Consumer Information Program messages and activities. This information collection will establish a baseline assessment of the Program's activities and aid FMCSA in developing future Household Goods education and outreach initiatives by surveying and examining consumer awareness of the ``Protect Your Move'' campaign and other HHG messages.

This final rule announces NHTSA's determination that no new model year (MY) 2008 light duty truck lines are subject to the parts- marking requirements of the Federal motor vehicle theft prevention standard because they have been determined by the agency to be high- theft or that they have a majority of interchangeable parts with those of a passenger motor vehicle line. This final rule also identifies those vehicle lines that are exempted from the parts-marking requirements because the vehicles are equipped with antitheft devices determined to meet certain statutory criteria pursuant to the statute relating to motor vehicle theft prevention.

The Surface Transportation Board (Board) hereby gives notice of the membership of the Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee.

These special conditions are issued for the Boeing Model 787-8 airplane. This airplane will have novel or unusual design features when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. These novel or unusual design features include wing fuel tanks constructed of carbon fiber composite materials. For these design features, the applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards. 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 standards. Additional special conditions will be issued for other novel or unusual design features of the Boeing Model 787-8 airplanes.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated 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:

The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of a meeting of the RTCA Program Management Committee.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection abstracted below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The nature of the information collection is described as well as its expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on July 2, 2007. No comments were received.

DOT is relocating the time zone boundary in Indiana to move Knox, Daviess, Martin, Pike, and Dubois Counties from the Central Time Zone to the Eastern Time Zone. This action is taken at the request of the Boards of Commissioners of each of the Counties and this change serves the convenience of commerce, the statutory standard for a time zone change. DOT is denying a petition from Perry County to change its time zone boundary. Perry County will remain in the Central Time Zone.

Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Council of Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR part 1505.6), and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Section 151710, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in cooperation with the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), will prepare a joint Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the Van Ness Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project, an approximately two-mile transit improvement along Van Ness Avenue through the City and County of San Francisco, California. The Project would create dedicated bus lanes from approximately South Van Ness Avenue and Mission Street (south end) to Van Ness Avenue and Lombard Street (north end). The project would also establish high capacity stations with passenger amenities and low-level boarding platforms; real time bus arrival information systems; proof- of-payment fare verification; transit signal priority; and modern, high-capacity, low-floor, multi-door buses. The EIS/EIR will evaluate the following alternatives: (1) No- Project/Baseline Alternative; (2) Van Ness Avenue BRT Project, which will include design options for the configuration of the BRT transitway and stations; and (3) any additional reasonable alternatives that emerge from the study process. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with FTA regulations (23 CFR 771 et seq.) implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as well as provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The EIR will be prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (California Code of Regulation, Title 14, Chapter 3). As part of the EIS/EIR process, an evaluation of potential transit improvement alternatives will be completed (``alternatives analysis'') in accordance with 23 CFR Part 450 and inform the development of project alternatives. Previous studies and documents relevant to this action include the recently completed Van Ness Avenue BRT Feasibility Study (December 2006); 2005 Prop K Strategic Plan (March 2005); 2004 San Francisco Countywide Transportation Plan (adopted July 20, 2004), and the New Transportation Expenditure Plan for San Francisco (Proposition K, approved November 4, 2003). These documents describe the planning and funding for transportation improvements in San Francisco, including BRT in major bus corridors. These documents can be downloaded at the Web site www.sfcta.org, or requested from the Authority. EIS/EIR preparation will be initiated through a formal NEPA scoping process, which solicits input on issues and potential project impacts to consider in the environmental studies. Scoping will be accomplished through meetings and correspondence with interested persons, organizations, the general public, and Federal, State, and local agencies. Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments have been sent to the appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, and to private organizations and individuals. Comments on issues and impacts to be considered in preparation of the EIS/EIR will be recorded in the project information database.