Department of Transportation January 25, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Model 767-200 and 767-300 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of water accumulation in the forward lower lobe of the forward cargo compartment. This AD requires installing cargo bulkhead supports, ceiling supports, a secondary dam support, drainage tubing, and ceiling panels to the forward lower lobe in the forward cargo compartment. We are issuing this AD to prevent water from accumulating in the forward lower lobe of the forward cargo compartment and entering the adjacent electronic equipment bay, which could result in an electrical short and the potential loss of several functions essential for safe flight.

On March 30, 2010, NHTSA published a final rule specifying the test methods to be used for a new tire fuel efficiency consumer information program (TFECIP) to measure three aspects of tire performance: Rolling resistance, wet traction, and treadwear. The final rule did not include any of the requirements for the consumer information and education portions of the TFECIP. Instead, NHTSA announced that, based on the comments the agency had received on the proposal that preceded its final rule, it had decided to conduct additional research before issuing a new proposal for these requirements. NHTSA hopes to issue this new proposal in 2012; however, it has decided that it would be helpful to have a public workshop to obtain feedback on some issues that either have proved difficult to explore effectively in the research NHTSA has conducted or have arisen since the publication of the March 2010 final rule. NHTSA invites interested parties to submit written comments and to participate in a public workshop using the instructions set forth in this notice. As described in the Procedural Matters section of this notice, each speaker should anticipate speaking for approximately ten minutes, although we may need to adjust the time for each speaker if there is a large turnout. To facilitate discussion, NHTSA has placed documents concerning research NHTSA has finalized since the March 2010 final rule in the docket. NHTSA will consider the public comments received in developing the new proposal regarding the remaining aspects of the TFECIP.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the United States Department of the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in cooperation with the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) will prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to evaluate the impacts of the proposed Delbarton to Belo portion of the King Coal Highway 2000 FEIS and the Buffalo Mountain Surface Mine Clean Water Act Section 404 Permit Application. The FHWA and USACE are joint-lead federal agencies on this project and are evaluating federal actions. FHWA is evaluating a location shift of a portion of the alignment between the West Virginia towns of Delbarton and Belo described in the 2000 FEIS and approved in the 2000 ROD. The USACE is evaluating a Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 Individual Permit (IP) application submitted by Consol of Kentucky, Inc. (CONSOL), for the discharge of fill material into waters of the United States (U.S.) in conjunction with the construction and operation of the Buffalo Mountain Surface Mine.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describe the nature of the information collections and their expected burdens. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collections of information was published on November 16, 2011 (76 FR 221).

This notice announces the availability of the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Proposed Policy Guidance on New Starts/Small Starts and requests your comments on it. This document compliments the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Major Capital Investment Projects by describing the detailed measures proposed for evaluation of projects seeking New Starts and Small Starts funding and the way these measures would be used in project ratings if adopted. The proposed regulations and appendix are intended to act as a framework for the project evaluation and rating process, and the proposed policy guidance fills in the details.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 757-200, -200CB, and -300 series airplanes with off-wing escape slide systems installed. This AD was prompted by reports of in-flight loss of the off-wing escape slide. This AD requires modifying the door latch fittings and witness mark placards of the off-wing escape slide systems; and for certain airplanes, replacing the bearings and lockbase retainer in the door latch assembly, relocating and adjusting the sensor target and the sensor proximity switch, and testing to ensure positive door locking and corrective action if necessary. For certain airplanes, this AD would also require installing a bumper assembly and placards. We are issuing this AD to prevent the in-flight loss of the off-wing escape slide, which could result in the unavailability of the escape slide during an emergency evacuation. Additionally, the departed slide could cause damage to the fuselage, wing, flaps, or stabilizer, which could degrade flight control.