Department of Transportation October 2, 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT or Department) requests comments on a proposed rule to establish and implement the Tribal Transportation Self-Governance Program (TTSGP or Program), as authorized by Section 1121 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The proposed rule was negotiated among representatives of Tribes and the Federal Government. The Program would provide to participating Tribes greater control and decision-making authority over their use of certain DOT funding for which they are eligible recipients while reducing associated administrative burdens. These proposed regulations include eligibility criteria, describe the contents of and process for negotiating self-governance compacts and funding agreements with the Department, and set forth the roles, responsibilities, and limitations on the Department and Tribes that participate in the TTSGP.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew exemptions for 79 individuals from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) for interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The exemptions enable these individuals to continue to operate CMVs in interstate commerce without meeting the vision requirements in one eye.

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.

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 13, 2019. The information to be collected is necessary to insure the safety of the flying public. Documentation of maintenance repair actions record who, what, when, where and how of the task performed. This collection focuses on the Form 337 which is collected by the FAA. Other records for preventative maintenance, and logbook entries are not collected by the FAA serve as a responsibility of the owner to maintain in case of verification of airworthiness when seeking approvals or sale of the aircraft. This insures proper certification of personnel; proper tooling is utilized and accurate measures to insure safety. Total form 337s submitted in 2017 is 54,237. Total aircraft registrations on file is 289,490. It is estimated by the numbers collected one in every five aircraft have a 337 form submitted for major alteration and repairs performed. Each 337 takes approximately 1 hour.

This action extends the comment period for an NPRM that was published in the Federal Register on July 3, 2019. In the NPRM, the FAA proposed to amend certain airworthiness regulations for fire protection of interior compartments on transport category airplanes. The proposal would convert those flammability regulations from detailed, prescriptive requirements into simpler, performance-based standards. The proposal would divide these standards into two categories: those designed to protect the airplane and its occupants from the hazards of in-flight fires, and those designed to protect the airplane and its occupants from the hazards caused by post-crash fires. In addition, the proposal would remove test methods from the regulations and allow applicants, in certain cases, to demonstrate compliance either without conducting tests or by providing independent substantiation of the flammability characteristics of a proposed material. The proposal includes conforming changes to various FAA regulations. The proposal is necessary to eliminate unnecessary testing, increase standardization, and improve safety. The FAA is extending the closing date of the comment period to allow commenters time to adequately analyze the proposal and prepare responses.

This final rule is issued to fulfill a requirement in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act of 2012 (MAP-21) that NHTSA establish regulations permitting states to adopt schemes that allow electronic odometer disclosure statements in conjunction with electronic titling systems associated with the transfer of interests in motor vehicles. Amendments in this final rule allow odometer disclosures in an electronic medium while maintaining and protecting the existing system(s) ensuring accurate odometer disclosures and aid law enforcement in prosecuting odometer fraud. To accomplish this goal, the final rule amends prior regulations governing transactions made on paper titles and similar documents allowing odometer disclosures to be made in a purely electronic environment or through using paper documents that are scanned and converted into electronic form and stored in a state data system. This final rule also adds new sections containing specific additional requirements only applying to electronic disclosures to ensure the secure creation and maintenance of electronic records. NHTSA is also amending the mileage disclosure exemption to vehicles that are 20 years old or older.