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

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is announcing the availability of Advisory Circular (AC) 187-1H which transmits an updated schedule of charges for services of FAA Flight Standards Aviation Safety Inspectors outside the United States. The advisory circular has been updated in accordance with the procedures listed in 14 CFR Part 187, Appendix A.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as the Federal Lead Agency, and the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), as the Local Project Sponsor, intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the West Lake Corridor Project (Project) in Lake County, Indiana and Cook County, Illinois. The Project is an approximately 9-mile proposed southern branch extension of NICTD's existing South Shore Line (SSL) between Dyer and Hammond, Indiana. Additionally, the Project would operate on about 15 miles of existing SSL and Metra Electric District's (MED) line to the Millennium Station in downtown Chicago. Alternatives to be considered include a No Build, Commuter Rail, and several design options for the latter in terms of route alignment, station locations, maintenance facility sites, and vehicle mode. More information can be found on the Project's Web site at: https://www.nictdwestlake.com. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as well as provisions of Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP- 21). The purpose of this notice is to alert interested parties regarding FTA's plan to prepare the EIS; provide information on the nature of the proposed Project; solicit public and agency input regarding the scope of the EIS including the project's purpose and need, alternatives to be considered, and the impacts to be evaluated; and announce that public and agency scoping meetings will be conducted. This input will be used to assist decision makers in determining a locally preferred alternative (LPA) and preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). If the No Build alternative is eliminated, an LPA will be selected and the project sponsors will request permission from FTA to enter into Project Development per requirements of 49 U.S.C. 5309. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) would be issued after the project has entered Project Development. FTA intends to issue a single FEIS and ROD document pursuant to MAP-21 Section 1319 requirements, unless FTA determines statutory criteria or practicability considerations preclude issuance of the combined document pursuant to Section 1319. Dates, Times and Locations: A public scoping meeting to present information and accept comments on the study will be held on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in The Center for Visual and Performing Arts, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, IN 46321. Comparably, an interagency scoping meeting for federal, state, regional and local resource and regulatory agencies will be held on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in The Center for Visual and Performing Arts, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, IN 46321. 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. The building used for the meetings is accessible to persons with disabilities. Any person who requires special assistance, such as a language interpreter, should contact the NICTD West Lake Corridor Project at 219-250-2920 at least 48 hours before the meeting. 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 NICTD West Lake Corridor Project via any of the methods outlined in the Addresses section below, on or before Tuesday, November 11, 2014.

On July 30, 2014, (79 FR 44246) PHMSA published a notice and request for comments in the Federal Register titled: ``Pipeline Safety: Request for Revision of a Previously Approved Information Collection: National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS) Program (OMB Control No. 2137- 0596)'' seeking comments on proposed changes to the NPMS data collection. PHMSA has received a request to extend the comment period in order to provide more time to evaluate the proposed revisions. PHMSA is extending the comment period from September 29, 2014, to December 1, 2014.

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.

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.

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 the 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.

In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations (49 CFR Part 107, Subpart B), notice is hereby given that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety has received the applications described herein. This notice is abbreviated to expedite docketing and public notice. Because the sections affected, modes of transportation, and the nature of application have been shown in earlier Federal Register publications, they are not repeated here. Requests for modification of special permits (e.g. to provide for additional hazardous materials, packaging design changes, additional mode of transportation, etc.) are described in footnotes to the application number. Application numbers with the suffix ``M'' denote a modification request. These applications have been separated from the new application for special permits to facilitate processing.

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 reinstatement of previously approved collections. This document describes collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.

This document responds to a petition for reconsideration of the agency's November 2013 final rule making amendments to the procedures for determining which areas of a vehicle are designated seating positions and the procedure for determining the number of seating positions. Global Automakers petitioned the agency for reconsideration, seeking to correct what it believes is an error in formula for determining the number of designated seating positions in longer seating positions. The agency agrees that the change was inadvertent and is issuing this final rule to correct this mistake.

FRA proposes to revise and clarify existing regulations related to the use of glazing materials in the windows of locomotives, passenger cars, and cabooses. This proposed rule would reduce paperwork and other economic burdens on the rail industry by removing a stenciling requirement for locomotives, passenger cars, and cabooses that are required to be equipped with glazing. This proposed rule would also clarify the application of the regulations to antiquated equipment and to the end locations of all equipment to provide more certainty to the rail industry and more narrowly address FRA's safety concerns. FRA is also proposing to clarify the definition of passenger car and separately to update the rule by removing certain compliance dates that are no longer necessary.

This action amends the description of Area D of the Washington Tri-Area Class B airspace area to include exclusion of restricted area R-4001C from the Class B airspace when the restricted area is active. The remainder of the Class B description is not affected by this change.

We are superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2004-03-19, which applies to certain Airbus Model A320-111, -211 and -231 series airplanes. AD 2004-03-19 required repetitive inspections for cracking in the transition and pick-up angles in the lower part of the center fuselage area, and corrective action if necessary. AD 2004-03-19 also provided for an optional terminating modification for the repetitive inspection requirements. This new AD requires accomplishing the modification by installing washers between the transition pick-up angle and the pin nuts, and doing related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. This new AD also adds airplanes to the applicability of AD 2004-03-19. This AD was prompted by a determination that the optional terminating modification must be required in order to address the unsafe condition. We are issuing this AD to prevent fatigue cracking in the transition and pick-up angles of the lower part of the center fuselage, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the wing-fuselage support and fuselage pressure vessel.

This action reopens the comment period for a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on transparency of airline ancillary fees and other consumer protection issues that was published in the Federal Register on May 23, 2014. We are extending the end of the comment period from September 22, 2014, to September 29, 2014. Open Allies for Airfare Transparency and the Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) have noted the delay in posting the summary of a meeting attended by DOT staff with representatives of Airlines for America (A4A), the Regional Airline Association (RAA), and several of their member airlines on August 7, 2014. The reopening of the comment period is intended to provide all interested parties sufficient time prior to the close of the comment period for this rulemaking to review the summary of the August 7 meeting that DOT posted in the rulemaking docket.

This action proposes to expand the lateral boundary of restricted area R-3804B, Fort Polk, LA, and raise the restricted area ceiling to, but not including 10,000 feet mean sea level (MSL). The expanded restricted airspace would be used to contain new live fire ranges and support mission requirements of the U.S. Army in order to fully exploit the capabilities of modern weapons systems and complex training scenarios that replicate the conditions encountered during military deployments today. This action also proposes time of designation changes to R-3804A and R-3804B to better reflect when the restricted areas are required and in use by the U.S. Army and when the airspace is available for use by nonparticipants. This action would incorporate editorial corrections to the R-3804A, R-3804B, and R-3804C legal descriptions.

This action proposes to remove Class D airspace at Independence Municipal Airport, Independence, KS. The closure of the airport's air traffic control tower has necessitated the need for this proposal.

These special conditions are issued for Boeing Model 777-300ER airplanes with single-occupant, oblique (side-facing) seats equipped with inflatable lapbelts. This installation is novel or unusual, and the applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for occupants of seats installed at an oblique angle of 30 degrees to the centerline of the airplane or for inflatable restraint systems. 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.

PHMSA is notifying the public of its intent to extend the comment period by thirty days for a notice of proposed rulemaking entitled ``Hazardous Materials: Reverse Logistics'' under Docket Number PHMSA-2011-0143 (HM-253) published in the Federal Register on August 11, 2014.

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.