Department of Transportation June 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019, appropriated $7,000,000 to the Short Sea Transportation Program, commonly referred to as the America's Marine Highway Program (AMHP). The purpose of the appropriation is to make grants available to previously designated Marine Highway Projects that support the development and expansion of documented vessels, or port and landside infrastructure. This Notice announces the availability of funding for grants and establishes selection criteria and application requirements. The U.S. Department of Transportation (Department) will award Marine Highway Grants to implement projects or components of projects previously designated by the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) under AMHP. Only Marine Highway Projects the Secretary designated before the Notice of Funding Opportunity closing date are eligible for funding as described in this Notice.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below. Before submitting this ICR to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified below.

FMCSA announces its decision to exempt nine individuals from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate commerce. They are unable to meet the vision requirement in one eye for various reasons. The exemptions enable these individuals to operate CMVs in interstate commerce without meeting the vision requirement in one eye.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew exemptions for nine individuals from the requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) that interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers have ``no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of epilepsy or any other condition which is likely to cause loss of consciousness or any loss of ability to control a CMV.'' The exemptions enable these individuals who have had one or more seizures and are taking anti-seizure medication to continue to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. The collection involves information required in an application to request Special Priorities Assistance. The information to be collected is necessary to facilitate the supply of civil transportation resources to promote the national defense. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register on March 25, 2019. No comments were received.

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of Federal Aviation Regulations. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, the FAA's exemption process. 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.

We are superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2018-25-12, which applied to certain Airbus SAS Model A350-941 airplanes. AD 2018- 25-12 required modifying the vertical tail plane (VTP) tension bolts connection by adding sealant and protective treatment to the head of the connection, at the barrel nut cavities, and in the surrounding area. Since we issued AD 2018-25-12, it was determined that the instructions for certain airplanes are unclear for proper accomplishment of the required modification. This AD, for certain airplanes, requires accomplishing a revised modification and, for certain other airplanes, retains the modification required by AD 2018- 25-12, as specified in an European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which will be incorporated by reference. We are issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This final rule announces NHTSA's determination that there are no new model year 2018 light duty truck lines subject to the parts- marking requirements of the Federal motor vehicle theft prevention standard. The agency determined no new models were high-theft or had major parts that are interchangeable with a majority of the covered major parts of passenger car or multipurpose passenger vehicle lines. This final rule also identifies those vehicle lines that have been granted an exemption from the parts-marking requirements because they are equipped with antitheft devices determined to meet certain criteria.

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 collection involves information demonstrating that a launch or reentry operation involving a human participant will meet the risk criteria and requirements to ensure public safety. The information to be collected is necessary for the FAA to assess crew qualification and training; for operators to inform space flight participants and crew members of the risks associated with launch and reentry activities; for the implementation of waiver of claims; and to ensure environmental control and life support systems and other systems adequately protect public health and safety.

The FAA is 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 reports of cracks in the skin and a certain chord at three fastener locations common to the drag link assembly at the chord. This AD requires repetitive inspections of the skin under the drag link assembly for any cracks, and applicable on-condition actions. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

In response to petitions for reconsideration of a final rule, FRA proposes to amend its regulations requiring commuter and intercity passenger railroads to develop and implement a system safety program (SSP) to improve the safety of their operations. The proposed amendments would include clarifying that while all persons providing intercity passenger rail (IPR) service or commuter rail passenger transportation share responsibility for ensuring compliance with the SSP final rule, the rule does not restrict a person's ability to provide for an appropriate designation of responsibility. FRA proposes extending the stay of the SSP final rule's requirements to allow FRA time to review and address any comments on this NPRM. FRA also proposes to amend the SSP rule to adjust the rule's compliance dates to account for FRA's prior stay of the rule's effect and to apply the rule's information protections to the Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C\3\RS) program included in a railroad's SSP. FRA is expressly providing notice of possible conforming amendments to a Risk Reduction Program (RRP) final rule that would ensure that the RRP and SSP rules have essentially identical consultation and information protection provisions.

The Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-build requirements of the coastwise trade laws to allow the carriage of no more than twelve passengers for hire on vessels, which are three years old or more. A request for such a waiver has been received by MARAD. The vessel, and a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

The Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-build requirements of the coastwise trade laws to allow the carriage of no more than twelve passengers for hire on vessels, which are three years old or more. A request for such a waiver has been received by MARAD. The vessel, and a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

The FAA announces its determination that the noise exposure maps submitted by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for Newark Liberty International Airport are in compliance with applicable requirements.

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of Federal Aviation Regulations. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, the FAA's exemption process. 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 FAA is adopting an airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-700C, -800, and -900ER series airplanes. This AD requires a maintenance records check to determine if any main slat track assembly has been removed, an inspection of the main slat track assemblies for a suspect lot number or a lot number that cannot be determined, and applicable on-condition actions. This AD was prompted by a report that certain main slat track assemblies were manufactured incorrectly and are affected by hydrogen embrittlement. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 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 and renew an ICR titled ``Driver Qualification Files,'' OMB Control Number 2126-0004. The ICR estimates the burden commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and motor carriers incur to comply with the reporting and recordkeeping tasks required for motor carriers to maintain driver qualification (DQ) files. The Agency's regulations pertaining to maintaining DQ files are unchanged and impose no increased information collection (IC) burden on individual drivers and motor carriers. However, the Agency increases its estimate of the total IC burden of these regulations primarily because both the number of CMV drivers and the frequency of their hiring have increased since the Agency's 2016 estimate of this burden.

These special conditions are issued for the Boeing Model 787 series airplane. These airplanes will have a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport-category airplanes. This design feature is seats with inertia locking devices. 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 rule establishes, amends, suspends, or removes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and associated Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures (ODPs) 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 action modifies VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal airways V-8, V-92, V-214, and V-438 due to the planned decommissioning of the Grantsville, MD, VOR/DME navigation aid which provides navigation guidance for segments of the routes. The Grantsville VOR/DME is being decommissioned as part of the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) program.

We propose to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2005-17- 14, which applies to all Airbus SAS Model A300 series airplanes; 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. AD 2005-17-14 requires repetitive tests to detect desynchronization of the rudder servo actuators, and adjustment or replacement of the spring rods of the rudder servo actuators, if necessary. AD 2005-17-14 also requires repetitive tests/inspections/analyses of the rudder servo actuators, and related investigative/corrective actions if necessary. Since we issued AD 2005-17-14, analyses of the inspection results indicated that the assumptions made to establish the survey campaign were not adequate, and a new investigation determined the existing inspection procedures and compliance times do not adequately address the unsafe condition. This proposed AD would retain some requirements of AD 2005- 17-14 and revise the inspection procedures and compliance times, as specified in an European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which will be incorporated by reference. We are proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.