Department of Transportation December 11, 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On February 6, 2019, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking requesting comment on proposed exemptions from the Privacy Act's requirement that individuals have access to certain records maintained within a system of records for the Department's Aviation Consumer Complaint Application Online System. This exemption is necessary to avoid disclosure of aviation compliance inquiry techniques, confidential information provided by air carriers and third parties, and prevent unwarranted invasions of individual privacy. This exemption also supports the Department's ability to obtain information relevant to resolving concerns related to an air carrier's compliance with the Department's consumer protection and civil rights requirements. The Department received two comments on this proposed rule. Upon consideration of the comments, the Department will finalize the proposed rule without change.

In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations, notice is hereby given that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety has received the application described herein. Each mode of transportation for which a particular special permit is requested is indicated by a number in the ``Nature of Application'' portion of the table below as follows: 1 Motor vehicle, 2Rail freight, 3Cargo vessel, 4Cargo aircraft only, 5Passenger-carrying aircraft.

PHMSA is publishing this notice as a general informational announcement concerning the issuance of a special permit. The special permit authorizes the grantee to transport Methane, refrigerated liquid (i.e., liquefied natural gas or LNG) by rail tank car. The special permit and documents supporting the special permit decision have been added to PHMSA's LNG by Rail Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Docket (Docket No. PHMSA-2018-0025) for consideration by the public because the subject matter of the special permit overlaps with the subject matter of PHMSA's rulemaking proposing to authorize the transport of LNG in rail tank cars. PHMSA reviewed comments to the draft environmental assessment (Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0100) published for public review on June 6, 2019. These comments informed PHMSA's decision making in issuing the special permit and will also help to inform PHMSA's deliberations with respect to a potential LNG by rail final rule. PHMSA will consider any additional comments on the operational controls included in the special permit that are filed to the LNG rulemaking docket to aid the agency in determining what, if any, operational controls may be appropriate for inclusion in a potential final rule.

This action extends the prohibition against certain flight operations in the territory and airspace of Somalia at altitudes below Flight Level (FL) 260 by all: U.S. air carriers; U.S. commercial operators; persons exercising the privileges of an airman certificate issued by the FAA, except when such persons are operating U.S.- registered aircraft for a foreign air carrier; and operators of U.S.- registered civil aircraft, except when the operator of such aircraft is a foreign air carrier. The FAA is taking this action because it has determined there continues to be an unacceptable risk to U.S. civil aviation operating in the territory and airspace of Somalia at altitudes below FL260 from terrorist and militant activity. The FAA also republishes, with minor revisions, the approval process and exemption information for this flight prohibition Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) and makes minor editorial changes to this SFAR to clarify prohibited and permitted operations, consistent with other recently published flight prohibition SFARs.