Department of Transportation January 31, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Tobe, CO. Decommissioning of the Tobe Tactical Air Navigation System (TACAN) has made this action necessary for the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations in the vicinity of the Tobe Very High Frequency Omni-Directional Radio Range/Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME).

This action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Baraboo, WI. Additional controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate new Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAP) at Reedsburg Municipal Airport. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations for SIAPs at the airport. The airport's geographic coordinates also would be adjusted.

This action proposes to establish Class E airspace at Branson West, MO. Controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate new Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAP) at Branson West Municipal Emerson Field Airport. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations for SIAPs at the airport.

This action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Monahans, TX. Additional controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate new Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) at Roy Hurd Memorial Airport. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations for SIAPs at the airport. The airport's geographic coordinates also would be adjusted.

This action proposes to establish Class E airspace at Houston, MO. Controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate new Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAP) at Houston Memorial Airport. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations for SIAPs at the airport.

This action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Leesville, LA. Additional controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate new Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAP) at Leesville Airport. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations for SIAPs at the airport.

The OSDBU invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. The collection involves the following two (2) forms that have an expiration date of 01/31/2012, and are presently in use. The SBTRC forms have added the term of Regional Field Offices Intake Form and Regional Field Offices Quarterly Report Form, respectively. The Regional Field Offices Intake Form (No. DOT F 4500) is used to document the type of assistance provided to each small business that is enrolled in the database of the Program. The use of the Regional Field Office Quarterly Report Form (No. DOT F 4502) highlights activities such as counseling, marketing, meetings/ conferences, and services to businesses as completed during the quarter. The Quarterly Report Form provides a more composite and comprehensive review of the Field Offices' activities over a longer time frame. The information will be used to ascertain whether the program is providing services to its constituency, the small business community, and is done so 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. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13.

This notice announces the availability of funding and requests proposals for the Department of Transportation's National Infrastructure Investments. In addition, this notice announces selection criteria and pre-application and application requirements for the National Infrastructure Investments. The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (Pub. L. 112-055, Nov. 18, 2011) (``FY 2012 Appropriations Act'') appropriated $500 million to be awarded by the Department of Transportation (``DOT'') for National Infrastructure Investments. This appropriation is similar, but not identical to the appropriation for the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or ``TIGER Discretionary Grant'', program authorized and implemented pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the ``Recovery Act''). Because of the similarity in program structure, DOT will continue to refer to the program as ``TIGER Discretionary Grants.'' As with previous rounds of TIGER, funds for the FY 2012 TIGER program are to be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant impact on the Nation, a metropolitan area or a region. Through this notice, DOT is soliciting applications for TIGER Discretionary Grants. In the event that this solicitation does not result in the award and obligation of all available funds, DOT may decide to publish an additional solicitation(s).

The FHWA is requesting comments on a proposed revision of form FHWA-1273``Required Contract Provisions Federal-Aid Construction Contracts.'' This form includes certain contract provisions that are required on all Federal-aid construction projects. The revisions are necessary to provide consistency with the current policies of the FHWA and other Federal agencies.

FMCSA announces that Rotel North American Tours, LLC (Rotel), has applied for renewal of its current exemption permitting 22 drivers employed by Rotel and possessing German CDLs, to operate commercial motor vehicles in the United States without a CDL issued by one of the States. Of the 22 named drivers, five drivers are new and will be replacing five drivers who are no longer employed by Rotel. Like the other 17 Rotel drivers operating under the current exemption, the five new drivers are non-residents of the U.S. and holders of German CDLs. Rotel asks that the current exemption, due to expire July 30, 2012, be renewed subject to the terms and conditions of the current exemption for an additional period of 2 years. The five new Rotel drivers would be subject to all the terms and conditions of the renewed exemption. FMCSA requests public comments on Rotel's application.

We are superseding two existing airworthiness directives (ADs) for General Electric Company (GE) CF6-45 and CF6-50 series turbofan engines with certain low-pressure turbine (LPT) rotor stage 3 disks installed. The existing ADs currently require inspections of high- pressure turbine (HPT) and LPT rotors, engine checks, and vibration surveys. This new AD retains the requirements of the two ADs being superseded, adds an optional LPT rotor stage 3 disk removal after a failed HPT blade borescope inspection (BSI) or a failed engine core vibration survey, establishes a new lower life limit for the affected LPT rotor stage 3 disks, and requires removing these disks from service at times determined by a drawdown plan. This AD was prompted by the determination that a new lower life limit for the LPT rotor stage 3 disks is necessary. We are issuing this AD to prevent critical life- limited rotating engine part failure, which could result in an uncontained engine failure and damage to the airplane.