Department of Transportation June 12, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2015-03 to stress to passenger railroads and railroads that host passenger service and their employees the importance of compliance with Federal regulations and applicable railroad rules governing applicable passenger train speed limits. This safety advisory makes recommendations to these railroads to ensure that compliance with applicable passenger train speed limits is addressed by appropriate railroad operating policies and procedures and signal systems.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew an exemption from the 30-minute rest break provision of the Agency's hours-of-service (HOS) regulations for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers transporting livestock. The Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference (AFTC) of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) requested that the exemption, granted on behalf of several associations of agricultural transporters, be renewed to enable these drivers to continue to safeguard the health of certain livestock during long-haul deliveries by not having to take the rest break. The Agency has determined that it is appropriate to renew this exemption for a period of two years to ensure the well-being of the Nation's livestock during interstate transportation by CMV. The exemption, subject to the terms and conditions imposed, will likely achieve a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level that would be achieved absent such exemption.

The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for proposed improvements to the Norfolk International Airport (ORF). In October 2008, the Norfolk Airport Authority (NAA), owner and operator of ORF, prepared a Master Plan Update (MPU) to document changes occurring ``in Airport facilities and activity that have taken place since the 1995 Master Plan Update,'' to ``provide the Authority with a development plan for the Airport through 2024,'' and to address compliance shortfalls with published safety standards. Following the MPU, NAA prepared technical documents that focused on the potential construction of a replacement secondary runway. The first was the December 2008 Supplemental Technical Analyses for the Proposed Secondary Runway at Norfolk International Airport and the second was the December 2009 Justification for Proposed Runway 5R/23L. In 2008 NAA also developed an Airport Layout Plan (ALP) that evaluated and noted future development needs at ORF. The ALP included a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for the Airport to address Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) design standards for the Airport's existing crosswind Runway 14/32. During its planning process, NAA explored a number of alternatives to meet FAA design standards while also providing the flexibility needed to operate without interruption during various conditions. These alternatives included the potential construction of a replacement secondary runway as well as improvements to the existing crosswind Runway 14/32. The FAA will evaluate and consider the Airport's MPU, ALP, and associated planning efforts when considering reasonable and feasible alternatives for the ORF EIS. Based on these previous planning efforts, the primary components of NAA's proposed project at ORF include: Decommissioning and demolition of Runway 14/32 Constructing a relocated secondary runway parallel to and separated by 876 feet from the existing Runway 5/23. The proposed Runway 5R/23L would be 6,500 feet long by 150 feet wide. The purpose of the proposed project is: To meet relevant FAA airfield safety standards and enhance airfield safety without reducing runway availability. Relevant airfield safety standards include: [cir] Runway Safety Area, which is designed to provide additional safety in the event an aircraft leaves the runway; [cir] Runway Protection Zone, which is area at ground level prior to the threshold or beyond the runway end to enhance the safety and protection of people and property on the ground; and [cir] Runway Object Free Area, which is designed to provide an area clear of objects surrounding a runway. To enhance operational efficiency and maintain airfield utility while considering surrounding airspace and ORF's critical design aircraft. To provide a safe, efficient southern vehicular access, on Airport property, to the Airport's terminal area. The proposed project is needed to address the following four primary areas of deficiency at ORF: Runway 14/32 does not meet the FAA design standards discussed above for several reasons, including, but not limited to, the location of Robin Hood Road and Lake Whitehurst near the Runway 14 end. The current airfield configuration limits operational efficiency, safety and flexibility due to secondary runway length and challenges in taxiing from the airfield layout. Provide a flexible two-runway airfield system for aircraft operators and air traffic controllers. Incremental changes over time have severely decreased ORF's ability to remain flexible with increasing airspace conflicts from surrounding military facilities. Robin Hood Road, the secondary (southern) access to the Airport, has safety and functional deficiencies. Specifically, several curves in the on-airport section of Robin Hood Road can be improved through a redesign of the roadway.