Department of Transportation May 13, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Under this Notice, the FRA is soliciting applications from interested and responsible parties for two grants: (1) To conduct a Locomotive Biofuel Study, and (2) to conduct a Study of the Use of Bio- based Technologies (Lubricants) that can be used in locomotives, rolling stock and other rail equipment.

The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public that a Record of Decision (ROD), resulting from an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has been prepared for a New Bedford Regional Airport, New Bedford, Massachusetts.

The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act, (Pub. L. 111- 147), signed into the law by President Obama on March 18, 2010, authorized funds for all of the surface transportation programs of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for the remainder of the Fiscal Year (FY) ending September 30, 2010, and the first quarter of FY 2011. This Notice supplements the February 18, 2009 Federal Register notice to apportion the full amount of FY 2010 formula funds. In addition, this Notice revises the Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) and Alternatives Analysis program carryover tables, Small Transit Intensive Cities (STIC) performance data and Apportionments table, and Bus and Bus Facilities Extensions and Reprogramming table, and allocates the remaining FY 2010 funds made available to congressionally designated projects under the Alternative Analysis program.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the availability of approximately $24.5 million in discretionary Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Program (Transit in Parks Program) funds. This notice solicits proposals to compete for FY 2010 funds under the program, which was established by Section 3021 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy For Users (SAFETEA-LU), as amended (49 U.S.C. 5320). The program is administered by FTA in partnership with U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service.

This document proposes adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the Sikorsky Model S-70A and S-70C helicopters. This proposal would require an ultrasonic test (UT) inspection of the tail gearbox output bevel gear (gear) for a crack. If you find a crack, replacing the gear with an airworthy gear before further flight would be required. This proposal is prompted by three gear cracking incidents, one of which resulted in the tail rotor separating from the helicopter. The actions specified by this proposed AD are intended to detect a crack in the gear to prevent a tail rotor separating, loss of tail rotor control, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

DOT proposes to modify a system of records under the Privacy Act of 1974. The system is FMCSA's National Consumer Complaint Database (NCCDB), which is being modified to reflect: (1) The new name; (2) changes to the system location; (3) additions to the categories of individuals; (4) reduction in the categories of records; (5) additions to the categories of records; (6) clarity to the purpose of the system. This system would not duplicate any other DOT system of records.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above that supersedes an existing AD. 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: * * * * *

This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) Model S-76A, B, and C helicopters that requires inspecting each installed Woodward HRT (formerly HR Textron) main rotor servo actuator (servo actuator) for a high rate of leakage and replacing each affected servo actuator with a servo actuator containing a newly re-designed servo actuator piston. This amendment is prompted by a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Safety Recommendation issued in response to an accident involving a Model S-76C helicopter. In the NTSB Safety Recommendation, the performance of a servo actuator piston upon reaching 3,000 hours time-in-service (TIS) was questioned as a result of piston head seal leakage and piston head plasma spray flaking. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent degraded servo actuator performance as a result of piston head seal leaking and plasma spray flaking, which could result in subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.