Department of Transportation August 14, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice provides interested parties with the opportunity to comment on the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) National Transit Database (NTD) proposed new policy on natural disaster adjustments to NTD data. If a transit provider suffers a marked decrease in transit service due to a natural disaster, FTA proposes to allow that transit provider to be ``held harmless'' in the apportionment of formula grants for urbanized areas. In this case, FTA would use the transit provider's data from the NTD report year before the natural disaster in the apportionment, but use data from the current NTD report year for all other transit providers. Under this proposed policy, FTA would only make this adjustment upon the request of the affected transit provider or the designated recipient for the urbanized area, and FTA would grant this request at its discretion based on the disaster's demonstrated severity and impacts. FTA proposes for this policy to take effect for the 2007 NTD Report Year, which is the data to be used in the FY 2009 apportionment of formula grants for urbanized areas.

The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) invite the public to comment about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval to renew information collection forms, associated with OSDBU. The collection involves the use of the Regional Center Intake Form, (DOT F 4500) which documents the type of assistance provided to each small business that is enrolled in the program. The use of the Regional Resource Center Monthly Report Form, (DOT F 4502) will highlight activities, such as counseling, marketing, meetings/conferences, and services to businesses as completed during the month. The information will be used to ascertain whether the program is providing services to its constituency, the small business community, in a fair and equitable manner. The information collected is necessary to determine whether small businesses are participating in DOT funded and DOT assisted opportunities with the DOT. The Counseling Information Form, (DOT F 4640.1) has been eliminated and the information contained in that form is now consolidated into the Regional Resource Center Monthly Report Form (formerly titled Monthly Report of Operations Form). To eliminate duplication and to streamline the data collection process, OSDBU revised the Monthly Report of Operations Form into the Regional Resource Center Monthly Report Form. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. On June 26, 2008, OSDBU published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register (73 FR 36368) Docket OST-2008-0182, informing the public of OSDBU's intention to extend an approved information collection.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for P&W PW4052, PW4056, PW4060, PW4062, PW4152, PW4156A, PW4158, PW4460, and PW4462 turbofan engines. This proposed AD would require a onetime visual inspection of all EEC-131 model electronic engine controls (EECs). This proposed AD would require the EECs to be identified, categorized by group number, marked, and replaced using a fleet management plan. This proposed AD results from a report of an uncommanded engine in-flight shutdown due to defective EEC pulse width modulator (PWM) microcircuits. We are proposing this AD to prevent uncommanded in-flight engine shutdowns which could result in loss of thrust and prevent continued safe flight or landing.