Department of Transportation July 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by a report of several cracks found on the forward passenger airstair door step assembly. This proposed AD would require an inspection to determine the serial number of the airstair step assembly, and if necessary, an electronic tap test, re-identification of the airstair step assembly, and replacement of the airstair step assembly. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct cracks in the forward passenger airstair door step assembly, which could propagate and result in the structural failure of the steps and impede the evacuation of passengers in the event of an emergency egress situation.

FMCSA announces that 10 individuals have applied for a medical exemption from the hearing requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). In accordance with the statutory requirements concerning applications for exemptions, FMCSA requests public comments on these requests. The statute and implementing regulations concerning exemptions require that exemptions must provide an equivalent or greater level of safety than if they were not granted. If the Agency determines the exemptions would satisfy the statutory requirements and decides to grant theses requests after reviewing the public comments submitted in response to this notice, the exemptions would enable 10 individuals to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew the exemptions from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for 7 individuals. FMCSA has statutory authority to exempt individuals from the vision requirement if the exemptions granted will not compromise safety. The Agency has concluded that granting these exemption renewals will provide a level of safety that is equivalent to or greater than the level of safety maintained without the exemptions for these commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.

FMCSA announces receipt of applications from 5 individuals for exemption from the vision requirement for operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. The applicants are unable to meet the vision requirement in one eye for various reasons. The exemptions will allow these individuals to operate CMVs in interstate commerce without meeting the prescribed vision requirement in one eye. At the end of the comment period, the Agency will grant exemptions to the applicants listed herein if there are no adverse comments that indicate the driver's ability will not achieve a level of safety equivalent to or greater than the level of safety that would be obtained by complying with the regulations. All comments will be reviewed and evaluated by FMCSA. Some individuals appearing in this notice may not receive exemptions based on comments received during the comment period. Individuals not granted an exemption may either be published at a future date based on further evaluation or may not be deemed to meet the aforementioned level of safety if granted an exemption. These individuals will be published in a quarterly notice of exemption denials. As always, any adverse comments received after the exemption is granted will be evaluated, and if they indicate that the driver is not achieving a level of safety equivalent to or greater than the level of safety that would be obtained by complying with the regulation, the exemption will be revoked. When granted, the exemptions will allow these individuals with vision deficiencies in one eye to operate in interstate commerce.

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 May 2, 2014, vol. 79, no. 85, page 25172. 14 CFR part 17 sets forth procedures for filing solicitation protests and contract claims in the FAA's Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition. The regulations seek factual and legal information from protesters or claimants primarily through written submissions.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is issuing this notice to advise the public of the availability of the Final Written Reevaluation and Record of Decision for a minor adjustment to a project evaluated in FAA's 2005 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the LAX Master Plan is available for public inspection. The Final Written Reevaluation and Record of Decision was prepared for the construction and operation of the proposed West Aircraft Maintenance Area (WAMA) west of Taxiway AA in the southwest quadrant of Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California. FAA is making the Final Written Reevaluation and Record of Decision available for public inspection.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Agusta Model A109E, A109K2, A119, and AW119 MKII helicopters. This proposed AD was prompted by a report of a crack that was found on a Gleason crown. This proposed AD would require repetitively performing a magnetic particle inspection of the Gleason crown for a crack. We are proposing this AD to detect a crack, which could cause damage to or loss of the main rotor drive and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Agusta AB139 and AW139 helicopters to require replacing certain single- braided flexible hydraulic hoses with double-braided flexible hydraulic hoses. This proposed AD is prompted by occurrences of leaking flexible hydraulic hoses. The proposed actions are intended to prevent loss of hydraulic power and subsequent loss of helicopter control.

These special conditions are issued for the Embraer S.A. Model EMB-550 airplane. This airplane will have a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology and design envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. This design feature is the installation of a stowage compartment in the lavatory. The isolation of this stowage compartment from the main cabin could hinder the ability of the flight crew to detect a fire. 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.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below regarding motorcycle helmet labels has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collections and their expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period was published on March 25, 2014 (79 FR 16420). The docket number is NHTSA-2014-0031. No comments were received.

In accordance with National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA; 42 United States Code 4321 et seq.), Council on Environmental Quality NEPA implementing regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations parts 1500 to 1508), and FAA Order 1050.1E, Change 1, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, the FAA is announcing the availability of the ROD for the SpaceX Texas Launch Site, Cameron County, Texas. The ROD provides the FAA's final environmental determination and approval to support the issuance of launch licenses and/or experimental permits that would allow Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) to launch the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy orbital vertical launch vehicles and a variety of reusable suborbital launch vehicles from a launch site on privately owned property in Cameron County, Texas, as proposed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) published in May 2014. The ROD provides a description of the applicant's Proposed Action and reasonable alternatives, and identifies the FAA's preferred and the environmentally preferred alternative. It includes a discussion of environmental impacts associated with the Proposed Action in each resource area, as analyzed in the Final EIS. The ROD summarizes the mitigation and enforcement actions that would be made the subject of the terms and conditions of the launch licenses and/or experimental permits issued to SpaceX, as well as other conservation and enhancement measures described in the Final EIS and presented for consideration. The Final EIS, prepared by the FAA for the SpaceX Texas Launch Site, serves as the primary reference and basis for preparation of the ROD. The Final EIS documents the analysis of environmental consequences associated with the construction and operation of the SpaceX Texas Launch Site and the No Action Alternative. The FAA is the lead Federal agency responsible for preparation of the EIS and ROD. Cooperating agencies include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The EIS and ROD were prepared pursuant to the requirements of NEPA, the CEQ Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA, and FAA Order 1050.1E, Change 1, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures. The FAA has posted the ROD on the FAA Web site at https:// www.faa.gov/about/officeorg/headquartersoffices/ast/environme ntal/ nepadocs/review/documentsprogress/spacextexaslaunchsite environmentalimpactstatement/.

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.

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.

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.

The Board updates for 2014 the fees that the public must pay to file certain cases and pleadings with the Board. The update will increase 13 fees by $50 or less, decrease 39 fees by $100 or less, decrease 27 fees by more than $100, and keep the remaining 46 fees at their existing level. The Board also clarifies its fee-rounding regulation to reflect existing policy.

This notice announces an action taken by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) that is final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). This final agency action relates to a proposed highway project, Bonner Bridge Replacement Project along NC 12, from Rodanthe to Bodie Island in Dare County, North Carolina. The FHWA's Record of Decision (ROD) identifies the Parallel Bridge Corridor Alternative as the selected alternative for Phase I of the Bonner Bridge Replacement Project with a Transportation Management Plan which outlines a decision-making process for future phases.

We are superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2014-07-01, for certain The Boeing Company Model 747 airplanes. AD 2014-07-01 required repetitive inspections for cracking in certain bulkhead structure; inspections of certain fasteners and support frame modifications on certain airplanes; related investigative and corrective actions, if necessary; and an interim modification that would terminate certain repetitive inspections. This AD clarifies certain paragraph references and revises a compliance time. This AD was prompted by a determination that certain paragraph references are in error. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking of the BS 2598 bulkhead structure, which could adversely affect the structural integrity of the bulkhead and the horizontal stabilizer support structure, and result in loss of controllability of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain EADS CASA (Type Certificate Previously Held by Construcciones Aeronauticas, S.A.) Model CN-235-300 airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of reduced thickness of the center fuselage lower skin panel. This AD requires a detailed inspection to determine the presence of panel thickness reduction; and repetitive nondestructive testing (NDT) inspections and repair if necessary. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct reduced thickness of lower panel joints, which could result in reduced fatigue and damage tolerant characteristics of the lower panel joint to the adjacent side panels and failure of the center fuselage lower skin panel, resulting in loss of control of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Model A300 series airplanes; Airbus Model A300 B4-600, B4-600R, and F4-600R series airplanes, and Model A300 C4-605R Variant F airplanes (collectively called Model A300-600 series airplanes); and Model A310 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of failures of the right inner tank fuel pump. This AD requires repetitive functional tests of the circuit breakers for the fuel pump power supply, and replacement of certain circuit breakers. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct failure of the circuit breakers for the fuel pump power supply, which could result in a fuel pump overheating, leading to a fuel tank explosion.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for AHD Model EC135P1, P2, P2+, T1, T2, and T2+ helicopters. This AD requires repetitive visual inspections of the ring frame X9227 for a crack and, if there is a crack, replacing the ring frame before further flight. This AD is prompted by a fatigue crack in the ring frame. These actions are intended to detect a crack in the ring frame and prevent loss of the tail rotor and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report of installation of incorrect wire support clamps within the bay area of the left and right environmental control systems (ECS) during production; the ECS bay area is a flammable fluid leakage zone. Use of incorrect wire support clamps that are not fully cushioned could allow electrical power wiring to come in contact with the exposed metal of the improper clamp, causing a short circuit and subsequent electrical arcing. This AD requires inspecting to identify the part number of the wire support clamp, and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. We are issuing this AD to prevent electrical arcing and a potential ignition source, which, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could result in a fuel tank explosion, and consequent loss of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-300, -400, -500, -600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes. This AD was prompted by a review of the tail strobe light installation, which revealed that the tail strobe light is not electrically bonded to primary structure of the airplane. This AD requires installing a new tail strobe light housing and a new disconnect bracket, and changing the wire bundles. This AD also requires, for certain airplanes, an inspection to determine if sealant is applied, and corrective actions if necessary. We are issuing this AD to prevent, in case of a direct lightning strike to the tail strobe light, damage to the operation of other critical airplane systems due to electromagnetic coupling and large transient voltages, and damage to the control mechanisms or surfaces due to a fire, which could result in loss of control of the airplane.