Department of Transportation May 14, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The MUTCD is incorporated in regulations, approved by the FHWA, and recognized as the national standard for traffic control devices used on all streets, highways, bikeways, and private roads open to public travel. The purpose of this final rule is to revise certain information relating to target compliance dates for traffic control devices. This final rule revises Table I-2 of the MUTCD by eliminating the compliance dates for 46 items (8 that had already expired and 38 that had future compliance dates) and extends and/or revises the dates for 4 items. The target compliance dates for 8 items that are deemed to be of critical safety importance will remain in effect. In addition, this final rule adds a new Option statement exempting existing historic street name signs within a locally identified historic district from the Standards and Guidance of Section 2D.43 regarding street sign color, letter size, and other design features, including retroreflectivity. Consistent with Executive Order 13563, and in particular its emphasis on burden-reduction and on retrospective analysis of existing rules, the changes adopted are intended to reduce the costs and impacts of compliance dates on State and local highway agencies and to streamline and simplify the information. The MUTCD, with these changes incorporated, is being designated as Revision 2 of the 2009 edition of the MUTCD.

The FAA is removing the provision describing an abbreviated taxi clearance. Previously, air traffic controllers issued abbreviated taxi instructions to aircraft en route to their assigned departure runway, which allowed pilots to cross all runways that intersected the taxi route to their departure runway. The FAA no longer uses these abbreviated taxi clearances and is removing the provision of the regulation that describes this clearance. This action aligns the regulation with current air traffic control practice and responds to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Safety Recommendation Numbers A-00- 67 and -68.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as the federal lead agency, in cooperation with the Metropolitan Council, is issuing this notice of intent (NOI) to advise interested parties that it proposes to prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project, located in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota (Project). The Project is 10.9 miles long and consists of 23 Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations. The SDEIS will evaluate potential impacts on the loss of business revenue during construction of the Central Corridor LRT Project and will be prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), its implementing regulations, and provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).

This action amends Class E airspace at Omaha, NE. Additional controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate new Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures at Eppley Airfield. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations at the airport.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) Model S-92A helicopters, which requires inspecting the tail rotor (T/R) pylon for a loose or missing fastener, a crack, damage, or corrosion and adding an internal doubler to the aft shear deck tunnel assembly. This proposed AD is prompted by the discovery of cracks in T/R pylons. The proposed actions are intended to detect a loose or missing fastener, a crack, damage, or corrosion on the T/R pylon and, if present, to repair the T/R Pylon and install a doubler on the aft shear deck tunnel assembly or to replace the T/R pylon and install the doubler on the aft shear deck tunnel assembly to prevent failure of the T/R pylon or other T/R components, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

This final rule rescinds the final rule published on April 5, 2010, entitled ``Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours-of-Service Compliance'' and amended by a September 13, 2010, technical amendment. This action responds to a decision of the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit that vacated the April 2010 final rule.

This action corrects an error in the legal description of a final rule; technical amendment, published in the Federal Register on April 11, 2012 that amends Class D airspace at Cocoa Beach, FL.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 767-200 and -300 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of multiple site damage cracks in the radial web lap and tear strap splices of the aft pressure bulkhead at station (STA) 1582 due to fatigue. This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking of the aft pressure bulkhead at STA 1582, repair or replacement of any cracked bulkhead, and eventual replacement of the aft pressure bulkhead at STA 1582 with a new bulkhead. Accomplishing the replacement terminates the repetitive inspections required by this AD. We are issuing this AD to prevent fatigue cracking of the aft pressure bulkhead, which could result in rapid decompression of the airplane and possible damage or interference with the airplane control systems that penetrate the bulkhead, and consequent loss of controllability of the airplane.