Department of Transportation October 19, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FMCSA announces its decision to exempt twenty-four individuals from its rule prohibiting persons with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) from operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce. The exemptions will enable these individuals to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

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. The information collected will be used to help ensure that motor carriers of passengers and property maintain appropriate levels of financial responsibility to operate on public highways.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew the exemptions from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for 19 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.

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of 14 CFR. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities. Neither publication of this notice nor the inclusion or omission of information in the summary is intended to affect the legal status of the petition or its final disposition.

The FAA assigned the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) a new task to provide advice and recommendations to the FAA about the current ARAC process. This notice informs the public of the new ARAC activity.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing Model 757 airplanes. This proposed AD would require replacing the power control relays for the fuel boost pumps and override pumps with new relays having a ground fault interrupt (GFI) feature. This proposed AD results from fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer. We are proposing this AD to prevent damage to the fuel pumps caused by electrical arcing that could introduce an ignition source in the fuel tank, which, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could result in a fuel tank explosion and consequent loss of the airplane.

We are revising an earlier proposed airworthiness directive (AD) for all Boeing Model 757-200, -200PF, -200CB, and -300 series airplanes. The original NPRM would have required an inspection of the two spring arms in the spin brake assemblies in the nose wheel well to determine if the spring arms are made of aluminum or composite material, and repetitive related investigative/corrective actions if necessary. The original NPRM resulted from reports of cracked and broken aluminum springs. This action revises the original NPRM to include a parts installation paragraph and to provide options for terminating the repetitive actions. We are proposing this supplemental NPRM to detect and correct cracked or broken springs. A cracked or broken spring could separate from the airplane and result in potential hazard to persons or property on the ground, or ingestion into the engine with engine damage and potential shutdown, or damage to the airplane.

Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 5323(n), FTA is authorized to consolidate the certifications and assurances required by Federal law or regulations for its programs into a single document. FTA is also required by 49 U.S.C. 5323(n) to publish a list of those certifications and assurances annually.

In this final rule, PHMSA is amending the Hazardous Materials Regulations to clarify requirements governing emergency response information services provided by arrangement with hazardous materials offerors (shippers). In order to preserve the effectiveness of these arrangements for providing accurate and timely emergency response information, PHMSA is requiring basic identifying information (offeror name or contract number) to be included on shipping papers. This information will enable the emergency response information provider to identify the offeror on whose behalf it is accepting responsibility for providing emergency response information in the event of a hazardous materials incident and obtain additional information about the hazardous material as needed.

This action amends Class E airspace at Minden, NE. Additional controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) at Pioneer Village Field Airport, Minden, NE. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations at Pioneer Village Field Airport.

This action amends Class E airspace at Winona, MN. Additional controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAP) at Winona Municipal AirportMax Conrad Field, Winona, MN. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations at Winona Municipal AirportMax Conrad Field.

This action amends Class E airspace at Tioga, ND. Additional controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAP) at Tioga Municipal Airport, Tioga, ND. This action also amends the geographic coordinates of Tioga Municipal Airport. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations at Tioga Municipal Airport.