Department of Transportation June 27, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Surface Transportation Board (Board) is accepting for consideration the primary application and related filings, filed on May 30, 2008, by Norfolk Southern Railway Company (Norfolk Southern), Pan Am Railways, Inc. (PARI) (a noncarrier railroad holding company), and two of PARI's rail carrier subsidiaries, Boston and Maine Corporation (B&M) and Springfield Terminal Railway Company (Springfield Terminal) (collectively, Applicants). The primary application seeks Board approval under 49 U.S.C. 11322 and 11323 of (1) the acquisition by Norfolk Southern and B&M of joint control and ownership of Pan Am Southern, LLC (PAS), a new rail carrier to be formed; and (2) the agreements by which Springfield Terminal would operate the lines of PAS and establish rates for PAS. The agreements for which approval and authorization are being sought by the application and the related filings will be referred to collectively as the Transaction.

This notice advises the public that FMCSA is placing in the public docket an additional document that the Agency may rely on in support of a final rule to integrate information regarding the medical certification status of a driver into the commercial driver's license (CDL) process. FMCSA published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on this matter on November 16, 2006. Because the involved state cost analysis document was completed after publication of the NPRM and subsequent public comment period, the Agency now dockets and invites comment on it.

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to all Avions Marcel Dassault-Breguet Model Falcon 10 airplanes. The existing AD currently requires either revising the airplane flight manual (AFM) and installing a placard in the flight deck to prohibit flight into known or forecasted icing conditions, or repetitively inspecting for delamination of the flexible hoses in the wing (slat) anti-icing system and performing corrective actions if necessary. The existing AD also requires replacement of the flexible hoses installed in the slat anti-icing systems, which ends the repetitive inspections. This proposed AD would continue to require replacement of the flexible hoses installed in the slat anti-icing systems with new hoses, but at intervals defined in flight hours instead of flight cycles. This proposed AD results from information we received from operators and the airplane manufacturer indicating that the repetitive interval for the required replacement deviated from the referenced service information. We are proposing this AD to prevent collapse of the flexible hoses in the slat anti-icing system, which could lead to insufficient anti-icing capability and, if icing is encountered in this situation, could result in reduced controllability of the airplane.

This amendment adopts miscellaneous amendments to the required IFR (instrument flight rules) altitudes and changeover points for certain Federal airways, jet routes, or direct routes for which a minimum or maximum en route authorized IFR altitude is prescribed. This regulatory action is needed because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System. These changes are designed to provide for the safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace under instrument conditions in the affected areas.

This action confirms the effective date of a direct final rule published in the Federal Register (73 FR 8593) that modifies Class E Airspace at Gettysburg, PA. Additional controlled airspace at Gettysburg Regional Airport will now provide the controlled airspace required to support the new Copter Area Navigation (RNAV) Global Positioning System (GPS) 070 Point in Space (PinS) approach developed to facilitate helicopter medical flight arrivals and departures at Gettysburg Hospital, Gettysburg, PA.

This action establishes Class E airspace at Philippi, WV, to accommodate a new Area Navigation (RNAV) Global Positioning System (GPS) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAP) Runways (RWY) 08- 26 that has been developed for Philippi/Barbour County Regional Airport. As a result, controlled airspace extending upward from 700 feet Above Ground Level (AGL) is needed to contain the SIAP and for Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations at Philippi/Barbour County Regional Airport. The operating status of the airport will change from Visual Flight Rules (VFR) to include IFR operations concurrent with the publication of the SIAP.