Department of Transportation July 23, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), cooperatively with the America's Byways Resource Center (ABRC) in Duluth, Minnesota, invites statements of interest about participating in a domestic, multi-year America's Byways[reg] Partnership Marketing Campaign. As part of this marketing campaign, the ABRC would like to partner with interested parties to establish a national Public Awareness Initiative to elevate the awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the America's Byways collection. This initiative offers an ideal environment for national partners with brand profiles consistent with the National Scenic Byways Program to spotlight their products while raising the awareness of America's Byways. This notice seeks Statements of Interest from parties, such as corporations, associations, nonprofit organizations, and public authorities, who are interested in working with ABRC and FHWA in the Partnership Marketing Campaign.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for General Electric Company (GE) CF34-1A, -3A, -3A1, -3A2, -3B, and - 3B1 turbofan engines with high-pressure (HP) rotor 4-step air balance piston stationary seals (4-step seals), part numbers 4923T54G01, 6019T90G03, 6037T99G01, 6037T99G02, and 6037T99G03, installed. This proposed AD would require removing the 4-step seals and incorporating an 8-step seal at the next piece-part exposure. This proposed AD results from the investigation of an airplane accident. Both engines experienced high- altitude flameouts. Rotation of the HP rotors was not maintained during descent and the engines could not be restarted. We are proposing this AD to prevent the inability to restart both engines after flameout due to excessive friction of the 4-step seal, which could result in subsequent forced landing of the airplane.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has placed in the docket and on its Web site final guidance in the form of a circular on Metropolitan Planning and State Planning and Research Program Grants. The final circular revises and combines into one document the contents of previous Circular 8100.1B for the Metropolitan Planning Program (MPP) and previous Circular 8200.1 the State Planning and Research Program (SPRP). The final circular also provides information on Consolidated Planning Grants (CPG) between FTA and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

This document solicits comments on the merits of two petitions for rulemaking filed with PHMSA seeking promulgation of an interim standard for railroad tank cars used to transport toxic by inhalation hazard (TIH) materials. One petition was filed jointly by the American Chemistry Council, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, Association of American Railroads, Chlorine Institute, and Railway Supply Institute, and a second petition was filed by The Fertilizer Institute.

This action removes Class E5 airspace at Griswold Airport, Madison, CT, (N04). The VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) approach into Griswold Airport has been discontinued; eliminating the need for Class E5 700 foot controlled airspace.

In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations (49 CFR Part 107, Subpart B), notice is hereby given that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety has received the application described herein. This notice is abbreviated to expedite docketing and public notice. Because the sections affected, modes of transportation, and the nature of application have been shown in earlier Federal Register publications, they are not repeated here. Request of modifications of special permits (e.g. to provide for additional hazardous materials, packaging design changes, additional mode of transportation, etc.) are described in footnotes to the application number. Application numbers with the suffix ``M'' denote a modification request. Their applications have been separated from the new application for special permits to facilitate processing.