Department of Transportation 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on August 21, 2013, vol. 78, no. 162, pages 51806-51807. 14 CFR Part 125 prescribes requirements for issuing operating certificates and for appropriate operating rules. In addition to the statutory basis, the collection of this information is necessary to issue, reissue, or amend applicant's operating certificates and operations specifications.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Piaggio Aero Industries S.p.A. Model P-180 airplanes. This proposed 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 insufficient clearance between one of the horizontal stabilizer end ribs and the corresponding elevator horn. We are issuing this proposed AD to require actions to address the unsafe condition on these products.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Rockwell Collins TPR-720 and TPR-900 Mode select (S) transponders that are installed on airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by the identification that the TPR-720 and TPR-900 Mode S transponders respond intermittently to Mode S interrogations from both ground-based and traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS-) equipped airplanes. This proposed AD would require testing and calibration of the alignment of the transponders. We are proposing this AD to correct the unsafe condition on these products.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority (CIRTA), the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization (Indianapolis MPO) and Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo) intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Northeast Corridor Project, nka Green Rapid Transit Line (Green Line) Project relating to proposed fixed guideway transit improvements in the Indiana counties of Marion and Hamilton. The study area is an approximately 23-mile long travel corridor extending from downtown Indianapolis to downtown Noblesville and includes the community of Fishers. Options to be considered include No-Build, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Diesel Light Rail Transit (LRT). The EIS process provides opportunities for the public to comment on the scope of the EIS, including the project's purpose and need, the alternatives to be considered, and the impacts to be evaluated. The southern terminus of all alternatives would be adjacent to the transit center in downtown Indianapolis. An original Notice of Intent for the proposed Green Line transit improvement was published on March 9, 2010 and was followed by initial project scoping, public involvement and agency coordination. Project activities were suspended following the initial scoping activities to address funding issues and conduct additional planning related to development of the regional transit vision plan (referred to as ``Indy Connect''). As funding issues are being addressed and the regional transit plan has been completed, scoping activities for the Green Line have resumed. The purpose of this notice is to alert interested parties regarding the intent to prepare the EIS, to provide information on the nature of the proposed project and possible alternatives, to invite public participation in the EIS process, including comments on the scope of the EIS as proposed in this notice, to announce that a public scoping meeting will be conducted, and to identify participating agency contacts. This input will be used to assist decision makers in determining a locally preferred alternative (LPA) and preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Green Line. Upon selection of an LPA, the project sponsors will request permission from FTA to enter into Project Development per requirements of 49 USC 5309. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) will be issued after the project has entered Project Development. Dates, Times, and Locations: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the purpose and need for the proposed improvements, and the scope of alternatives and impacts to be considered should be sent to the Indianapolis MPO by December 19, 2013. A public scoping meeting to accept comments on the scope of the study will be held on December 5, 2013 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in the Julia Carson Government Center located at 300 East Fall Creek Parkway North Drive, Indianapolis, Indiana 46205. The public scoping meeting will be informal and in an open house format. Interested persons may ask questions about the proposal and the FTA's environmental review process. The project's purpose and need and the initial set of alternatives proposed for study will be presented at the meetings. CIRTA, the Indianapolis MPO, IndyGo and project team members will be available to answer questions and receive comments. A writing station will be available to those who wish to submit written comments at the public scoping meeting. Project team members will be available to listen and make notes of residents' comments. The public scoping meeting location complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Persons needing special accommodations should contact Jeremy Moore, Project Manager, at (317) 327-5495 or Jeremy.Moore@indy.gov at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. An interagency scoping meeting for federal, state, regional and local resource and regulatory agencies will be held on December 5, 2013 from 2:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. in the HNTB Corporation offices located at 111 Monument Circle, Suite 1200, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The meeting will also be available via webcast. All appropriate agencies that may have an interest in this project, or have a potential interest in becoming a participating agency, will be notified of the meeting through separate direct correspondence. Submitting Comments on the Scope of the Study: Scoping materials will be available at the meetings and through the project's Web site at https://www.indyconnect.org. FTA, CIRTA, the Indianapolis MPO and IndyGo encourage broad participation in the EIS process. All interested agencies, organizations, communities, and members of the public are invited to participate in the scoping process by reviewing and commenting on the scope of the EIS.

This notice publishes the draft initial designation of the highway Primary Freight Network (PFN), which is established by the Secretary of Transportation as required by 23 U.S.C. 167(d), and provides information about designation of Critical Rural Freight Corridors (CRFC), which are designated by the States, and establishment of the National Freight Network (NFN), which combines the two, along with the portions of the Interstate System not designated as part of the highway PFN. This notice also solicits comments on the draft initial designation of the highway PFN and other critical aspects of the NFN. A notice published in the Federal Register on February 6, 2013 (78 FR 8686), introduced the process for designation of the highway PFN, NFN, and CRFCs.

As authorized by 46 U.S.C. 12121, the Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-build requirement of the coastwise laws under certain circumstances. A request for such a waiver has been received by MARAD. The vessel, and a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

These special conditions are issued for the Boeing Model 777- 200, -300, and -300ER series airplanes. These airplanes, as modified by the Boeing Company, will have novel or unusual design features associated with the architecture and connectivity of the passenger service computer network systems to the airplane critical systems and data networks. This onboard network system will be composed of a network file server, a network extension device, and additional interfaces configured by customer option. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

This action proposes special conditions for the Airbus Model A350-900 series airplanes. This airplane will have a novel or unusual design features associated with the in-flight fire and flammability resistance of the composite fuselage. Experience has shown that eliminating fire propagation on the surface of interior and insulating materials enhances survivability since the threats from an in-flight fire (e.g., toxic gas emission and smoke obscuration) are typically by- products of a propagating fire. The Airbus Model A350-900 series airplanes must provide protection against an in-flight fire propagating along the surface of the fuselage. Special conditions are needed to address this design feature. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These proposed special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit public comment on proposed collections of information, including extensions and reinstatements of previously approved collections. This document describes the collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.

This action proposes to establish nine low-altitude RNAV routes (T-routes) in the Atlanta, GA area. The new routes would support the Atlanta Optimization of Airspace and Procedures in a Metroplex (OAPM) project. The proposed routes would have connectivity to the current airway structure and would provide routing through, around and over the busy Atlanta Metroplex airspace.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Fokker Services B.V. Model F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 airplanes. This AD was prompted by a design review, which revealed that, under certain failure conditions, wiring in the main fuel tank could develop a short circuit that might cause a hot spot on the wiring conduit or puncture the wiring conduit wall. This AD requires installing fuses in the power supply wiring and/or return wiring for various components in the fuel system; and revising the airplane maintenance program by incorporating critical design configuration control limitations. We are issuing this AD to prevent an ignition source in the main fuel tank vapor space, which could result in a fuel tank explosion and consequent loss of the airplane.

We are superseding airworthiness directive (AD) 2013-01-07 for all Turbomeca S.A. Arriel 2D turboshaft engines. AD 2013-01-07 required replacing the hydromechanical metering unit (HMU) at a reduced life. This AD maintains that requirement and also requires conducting inspections of the HMU. This AD was prompted by further cases of deterioration of HMU rotating components. We are issuing this AD to prevent an uncommanded in-flight shutdown of the engine and possible loss of the helicopter.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports that certain seat track bolts were found with severed head bolts due to fatigue. This AD requires replacing titanium seat track bolts with corrosion resistant steel (CRES) bolts, repetitive inspections for cracking of the splice strap and forward seat track holes, and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. This AD also provides an optional terminating action for the repetitive inspections. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct missing or severed bolt heads, which, if not corrected, could result in the inability of the seat track to carry passenger loads, which could cause the seats to detach from the seat track, resulting in possible injury to passengers during an emergency landing or survivable crash.

This document is an issuance of the final airworthiness design criteria for the inclusion of advance avionics with integrated electronic displays for the Aquila Aviation by Excellence GmbH AT01- 100. These additional provisions are expansions of the existing JAR-VLA (Joint Aviation RequirementsVery Light Aircraft) and CS-VLA regulations as the current regulations do not adequately address these types of systems. The current regulations only address traditional federated gauges. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has not expanded the VLA regulations for these types of installation on these types of airplanes through EASA special conditions or new regulations. These Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) design criteria help initiate standards for this type of airplane without being over burdensome and to encourage EASA to follow suit.

This rule establishes, amends, suspends, or revokes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and associated Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures for operations at certain airports. These regulatory actions are needed because of the adoption of new or revised criteria, or because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System, such as the commissioning of new navigational facilities, adding new obstacles, or changing air traffic requirements. These changes are designed to provide safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace and to promote safe flight operations under instrument flight rules at the affected airports.

This notice is to advise interested persons that PHMSA and OSHA will conduct a joint public meeting in preparation for United Nations meetings being held in Geneva, Switzerland. PHMSA is hosting the morning portion of the meeting to discuss proposals in preparation for the 44th session of the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (UNSCOE TDG) to be held November 25 to December 4, 2013, in Geneva. During this meeting, PHMSA is also soliciting comments relative to potential new work items which may be considered for inclusion in its international agenda. OSHA is hosting the afternoon portion of the meeting to discuss proposals in preparation for the 26th session of the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (UNSCEGHS) to be held December 4 to 6, 2013, in Geneva. OSHA, along with the U.S. Interagency GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals) Coordinating Group, plans to consider the comments and information gathered at this public meeting when developing the U.S. Government positions for the UNSCEGHS meeting.

The FAA is correcting an airworthiness directive (AD) that published in the Federal Register. That AD applies to all Rolls-Royce plc (RR) RB211-535E4-B-37 series turbofan engines. The AD number is incorrect in the Regulatory text. This document corrects that error. In all other respects, the original document remains the same.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 747-100, 747-100B, 747-100B SUD, 747-200B, 747-200C, 747-200F, 747-300, 747-400, 747-400D, 747-400F, and 747SR series airplanes. This AD requires inspecting to determine the part number of the inboard actuator attach fittings of the outboard flap. For affected attach fittings, this AD requires doing a detailed inspection of the attach fittings for a cylindrical defect and replacing if necessary. As an option to the detailed inspection, this AD allows replacement of affected attach fittings. This AD was prompted by a report of the fracture of an inboard actuator attach fitting of the outboard flap. An inspection of the attach fitting revealed that it was incorrectly machined with a cylindrical profile instead of a conical profile, resulting in reduced wall thickness. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct defective inboard actuator attach fittings which, combined with loss of the outboard actuator load path, could result in uncontrolled retraction of the outboard flap, damage to flight control systems, and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane.

We are superseding Airworthiness Directives (ADs) 2009-04-07 and 2011-02-09 for certain Airbus Model A330-200, A330-200 Freighter, A300-300, A340-200, A340- 300, A340-500, and A340-600 series airplanes. AD 2009-04-07 required revising the airplane flight manual (AFM) to include appropriate operational procedures to prevent the air data inertial reference unit (ADIRU) from providing erroneous data to other airplane systems. AD 2011-02-09 required revising the AFM to provide appropriate operational procedures to prevent the airplane flight directors (FDs), autopilot (AP), and auto-thrust re-engagement in the event of airspeed sources providing similar but erroneous data. This new AD requires that operators modify or replace all three flight control primary computers (FCPCs) with new software standards. Since we issued ADs 2009-04-07 and 2011-02-09, we have determined that new software standards for the FCPCs are necessary to inhibit autopilot re-engagement under unreliable airspeed conditions. This new AD also removes certain airplanes from the applicability. We are issuing this AD to prevent autopilot engagement under unreliable airspeed conditions, which could result in reduced controllability of the airplane.

As authorized by 46 U.S.C. 12121, the Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-build requirement of the coastwise laws under certain circumstances. A request for such a waiver has been received by MARAD. The vessel, and a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

As authorized by 46 U.S.C. 12121, the Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-build requirement of the coastwise laws under certain circumstances. A request for such a waiver has been received by MARAD. The vessel, and a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

On September 18, 2013, the Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a notice announcing a public listening session on October 9, 2013 concerning the proposed changes to the Department's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program found in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published on September 6, 2012. The Department also announced that it would be reopening the public comment period from the date of publication until October 30, 2013. However, due to the lapse in government funding on October 1, 2013, the Department canceled the October 9, 2013 meeting. The Department is rescheduling the public listening session on this rulemaking to December 5, 2013 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The comment period is extended to December 26, 2013.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FMCSA announces its plan to submit the Information Collection Request (ICR) described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for its review and approval and invites public comment. FMCSA requests approval to revise an ICR titled ``Practices of Household Brokers'' to no longer include one-time costs previously incurred by brokers to come into compliance with 49 CFR part 371, and to update other wage related costs that have changed since the last approval. This ICR is necessary to support the requirements of subpart B of 49 CFR part 371 and FMCSA's responsibility to ensure consumer protection in the transportation of household goods (HHG).