Department of Transportation February 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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, the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway, from U.S. 158 southwest of Winston- Salem to U.S. 311 southeast of Winston-Salem in Forsyth County, North Carolina. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This proposed 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 goal of the Rural Safety Innovation Program is to improve rural road safety by assisting rural communities in addressing highway safety problems and by providing rural communities the opportunity to compete for project funding to address these problems. The program will encourage States and rural communities to develop creative, locally crafted solutions to roadway safety problems, document their efforts and outcomes, and share the results with other communities across the country. Through the Rural Safety Innovation Program, the Department aims to heighten awareness and interest in rural safety issues, and promote the benefits of rural safety countermeasures which can reduce rural crashes and fatalities nationwide. By providing technical assistance and best practice guidance from the program we will give States and rural road owners better tools to improve road safety in their communities. The primary objectives of the Rural Safety Innovation Program are to: i. Improve safety on local and rural roads with innovative approaches in which rural communities develop and design local solutions to their roadway safety problems. ii. Provide best practices and lessons learned on innovative safety technologies to assist local and rural road owners and operators in the development and implementation of infrastructure-based rural safety countermeasures that complement behavioral safety efforts. iii. Promote national awareness and interest in addressing rural safety issues. iv. Promote the use of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies to improve safety on rural roads.

On August 30, 2006, FRA published an Interim Final Rule (IFR) addressing the establishment of emergency relief dockets (ERD) and the procedures for handling petitions for emergency waivers of safety regulations. 71 FR 51517. The IFR provided that each year, FRA will establish an ERD for that year and publish a notice in the Federal Register identifying the docket number of the ERD for that year. This Notice announces the establishment of FRA's ERD for the current year (calendar year 2008). The designated ERD for calendar year 2008 is docket number FRA-2008-0009.

This action confirms the effective date of a direct final rule that establishes a Class E airspace area to support Area Navigation (RNAV) Global Positioning System (GPS) special Instrument Approach Procedures (IAPs) that serve the Montrose High School Heliport, Montrose, PA.

The FAA is implementing changes to its airmen certification and aircraft registration requirements. Two years after this rule becomes effective, paper pilot certificates may no longer be used to exercise piloting privileges. Five years after this rule becomes effective, certain other paper airmen certificates, such as those of flight engineers and mechanics, may no longer be used to exercise the privileges authorized by those certificates. To exercise the privileges after those respective dates, the airmen must hold upgraded, counterfeit-resistant plastic certificates. Student pilot certificates, temporary certificates, and authorizations are not affected. In addition, those who transfer ownership of U.S.-registered aircraft have 21 days from the transaction to notify the FAA Aircraft Registry. Those who apply for aircraft registration must include their printed or typed name with their signature. These changes are responsive to concerns raised in the FAA Drug Enforcement Assistance Act. The purpose of the changes is to upgrade the quality of data and documents to assist Federal, State, and local agencies to enforce the Nation's drug laws.

The FHWA, on behalf of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), is issuing this notice to advise the public that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared for a proposed highway widening project on Interstate 5 in the cities of Santa Fe Springs, Commerce, Montebello, Downey, and East Los Angeles, in Los Angeles County, California.

We are revising an earlier proposed airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing Model 777-200, -200LR, -300, and -300ER series airplanes. The original NPRM would have required revising the Airworthiness Limitations (AWLs) section of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness by incorporating new limitations for fuel tank systems to satisfy Special Federal Aviation Regulation No. 88 requirements. The original NPRM would also have required the initial performance of certain repetitive inspections specified in the AWLs to phase in those inspections, and repair if necessary. The original NPRM resulted from a design review of the fuel tank systems. This action revises the original NPRM by reducing the initial compliance time of certain repetitive inspections, adding more airplanes, and referring to new service information. We are proposing this supplemental NPRM to prevent the potential for ignition sources inside fuel tanks caused by latent failures, alterations, repairs, or maintenance actions, which, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could result in fuel tank explosions and consequent loss of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing Model 737-300, -400, and -500 series airplanes. This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking of the body buttock line (BBL) 0.07 floor beam between body station (BS) 651 and BS 676 and between BS 698 and BS 717, and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. This AD also provides an optional terminating action for the repetitive inspections. This AD results from reports of cracking in the BBL 0.07 floor beam. We are issuing this AD to prevent failure of the main deck floor beams at certain body stations due to fatigue cracking, which could result in rapid decompression of the airplane.

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:

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:

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 requesting public comment on the request by the Louisville Regional Airport Authority to change a portion of airport property from aeronautical to non-aeronautical use at the Louisville International Airport, Louisville, Kentucky. The request consists approximately of 8.65 acres of formal release. This action is taken under the provisions of Section 125 of the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR 21).

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. The Boeing Model 787-8 airplane will have numerous electrically operated systems whose function is needed for continued safe flight and landing of the airplane. 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 have been issued for other novel or unusual design features of the Boeing Model 787-8 airplanes.

This notice requests public participation in the OMB approval process for the renewal of five existing information collections; Recordkeeping and Accident Reporting for Hazardous Liquid Pipeline; Recordkeeping for Liquefied Natural Gas Facilities; Recordkeeping for Natural Gas Pipelines, Gas and Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Program Certification; and Pipeline Integrity Management in High Consequence Areas for Operators with Less than 500 miles of Hazardous Liquid Pipeline. PHMSA is requesting OMB approval for renewal of these information collections under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). With this notice as required by the PRA, PHMSA invites the public to submit comments over the next 60 days on whether the existing information collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Department.

The FHWA has forwarded the information collection request described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval of an extension of a currently approved information collection. We published a Federal Register Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information collection on October 29, 2007. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

This solicitation is for proposals from not-for-profit entities with rural transit and technical assistance expertise for a cooperative agreement to develop and implement a National Rural Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP). The entity or entities selected will manage a National technical assistance program that improves and enhances the coordination of Federal resources for rural transportation. The major goal of the National RTAP is to assist States and local communities in the expansion and provision of rural public transportation. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will award one or more five-year agreement(s), funded annually. Year one of the cooperative agreement(s) is for $1.212 million dollars as authorized in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity ActA Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) and appropriated in FY2007. Funding for subsequent years will be based on annual appropriations, as well as annual performance reviews. However, years 2010 and 2011 are subject to the next reauthorization.

The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee.

The Surface Transportation Board proposes to adopt 1.008 (0.8%) as the measure of average change in railroad productivity for the 2002-2006 (5-year) averaging period. This value is a decline of 0.9 of a percentage point from the current measure of 1.7% that was developed for the 2001-2005 period.

On February 1, 2008, Fenway Partners Capital Fund III, L.P. (Fenway), and its subsidiary, Coach America Holdings, Inc. (Coach America)\1\ (collectively, Applicants), both noncarriers, filed an application under 49 U.S.C. 14303 to acquire control of Renzenberger, Inc. (Renzenberger) (MC-170517). Applicants propose to acquire control via a stock purchase by RZB Acq Corp. (Acquisition Corp.), a corporation formed by Coach America (and thus a wholly owned subsidiary of Coach America). Acquisition Corp. will acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding stock of Renzenberger. Renzenberger will continue to operate as a separate entity. Persons wishing to oppose this application must follow the rules at 49 CFR 1182.5 and 1182.8. The Board has tentatively approved the transaction, and, if no opposing comments are timely filed, this notice will be the final Board action.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above that would supersede an existing AD. This proposed 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 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 December 6, 2007, vol. 72, no. 234, pages 68948-68949. The respondents are those airport operators voluntarily submitting noise exposure maps and noise compatibility programs to the FAA for review and approval.

The Federal Aviation Administration is requesting public comment on the City of St. Marys' request to change a portion 129.2 acres of airport property from aeronautical use to non-aeronautical use. The requested release is for the purpose of permitting the Airport Owner to sell and convey title of 114.8 acres for industrial/commercial use. The parcel is located south and east of the newly constructed airport access road, and east of the existing ``old RR Grade''. The property is currently undeveloped but aeronautical use is shown for it on the Airport Layout Plan. The tract currently consists of wooded land with some open fields and is more particularly described below. The airport has also requested release for the purpose of developing a portion of airport property 14.4 acres as non-aeronautical use to generate revenue for the airport. The property is currently undeveloped but is now shown as aeronautical land use on the Airport Layout Plan. The tract is more particularly described below. Documents reflecting the Sponsor's request are available, by appointment only, for inspection at the Airport Managers office and at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Aviation in the Keystone Building, Harrisburg, PA.