Department of Transportation April 13, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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.

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.

FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2012-01 to remind shippers and consignees of railroad tank cars containing odorized liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), of the importance of taking actions to ensure that a sufficient level of odorant remains in the LPG throughout the entire transportation cycle. FRA is issuing this notice to raise awareness within the hazardous materials community, of the potential consequences of having LPG reach end-users as under-odorized or essentially non- odorized material due to the diminishment of the added odorant during the transportation cycle (commonly known as ``odorant fade''). This safety advisory recommends that shippers and consignees of bulk quantities of odorized LPG review their existing LPG odorization standards and procedures, and take appropriate actions to guard against odorant fade in their shipments.

On February 14, 2012, the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 was signed into law (Pub. L. 112-95). Provisions contained in this law necessitate modifications to five grant assurances.

Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc., on behalf of Hyundai Motor Company (collectively referred to as ``Hyundai'') \1\ has determined that certain model year 2011 and 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid passenger cars, do not fully comply with paragraph S4.1.5.5.2 of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, Occupant Crash Protection. Hyundai has filed an appropriate report dated March 8, 2012, pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports.

On December 22, 1995, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) granted in full, Porsche Cars North America, Inc.'s (Porsche) petition for an exemption in accordance with Sec. 543.9(c)(2) of 49 CFR part 543, Exemption from the Theft Prevention Standard for the Porsche Boxster vehicle line, beginning with model year (MY) 1997. On February 1, 2012, Porsche submitted a petition to modify its previously approved exemption for the Porsche Boxster vehicle line and notified the agency that all new successor models within the Boxster line will be installed with the proposed antitheft device beginning with MY 2013. NHTSA is granting Porsche's petition to modify the exemption in full, because it has determined that the modified device is also likely to be as effective in reducing and deterring motor vehicle theft as compliance with the parts-marking requirements of the Theft Prevention Standard.

This action delays the effective date and reopens the comment period for a Direct Final Rule that was published on February 16, 2012 (77 FR 9163). In that document, the FAA published amendments to remove the definitions of Category IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc operations because the definitions are outdated and no longer used for aircraft certification or operational authorization. The International Aviation Civil Organization (ICAO) has requested additional time to adequately analyze the Direct Final Rule and prepare comments.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Airbus Model A330-201, -202, -203, -223, -243, -301, -302, -303, -321, -322, -323, -341, -342, and -343 airplanes; and Model A340-200 and -300 series airplanes. This AD requires repetitive inspections of the main fitting and sliding tube of the nose landing gear (NLG) for defects, damage, and cracks, and corrective actions if necessary. This AD was prompted by reports of a cracked main fitting and sliding tube during overhaul of NLGs. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracks, defects, or damage of the main fitting and sliding tube of the NLG, which could result in failure of the main fitting or sliding tube, and consequent NLG collapse.