Department of Transportation January 21, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that the NOI for the preparation of an EIS to study a proposed intermodal highway project in Washington and Benton Counties, Arkansas is being rescinded. The NOI was published in the Federal Register on February 4, 2000, and a draft EIS was released in October 2012. This rescission is based on important changes in the existing infrastructure that allows for a substantially reduced scope of work.

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.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below is being forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comments. A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following information collection was published on October 7, 2019.

The FMCSA grants the petition submitted by the American Bus Association (ABA) requesting a determination that the State of California's Meal and Rest Break rules (MRB rules) are preempted under 49 U.S.C. 31141 as applied to passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicle drivers subject to FMCSA's hours of service regulations. Federal law provides for preemption of State laws on commercial motor vehicle safety that are additional to or more stringent than Federal regulations if they (1) have no safety benefit; (2) are incompatible with Federal regulations; or (3) would cause an unreasonable burden on interstate commerce. The FMCSA has determined that California's MRB rules are laws on commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety, that they are more stringent than the Agency's hours of service regulations, that they have no safety benefits that extend beyond those already provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, that they are incompatible with the Federal hours of service regulations, and that they cause an unreasonable burden on interstate commerce. The California MRB rules, therefore, are preempted under 49 U.S.C. 31141(c).

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for The Boeing Company Model 737-300, -400, and -700 series airplanes, modified to a Bedek Division Special Freighter (BDSF) by Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) ST01566LA, ST01961SE, or ST02556SE, with a 9G rigid barrier. An emergency AD was sent to all known U.S. owners and operators of these airplanes. This AD requires complying with loading restrictions and methods. This AD was prompted by a review of the manufacturing process for the 9G rigid barrier installed on BDSF conversions that identified a manufacturing non-compliance. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This action proposes to amend three VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal airways, V-12, V-74, and V-516, in the vicinity of Anthony, KS. The modifications are necessary due to the planned decommissioning of the VOR portion of the Anthony, KS, VOR/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC) navigation aid (NAVAID), which provides navigation guidance for portions of the affected air traffic service (ATS) routes. The Anthony VOR is being decommissioned as part of the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) program.

This action corrects a final rule published in the Federal Register of November 20, 2019, that amended, removed and established United States Area Navigation (RNAV) ATS routes in the western United States. ATS route T-268 had a geographic coordinate misidentified for HEMER, WA waypoint. This action corrects the geographic coordinate that was incorrectly listed in the final rule.

This action proposes to amend six VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal airways, V-17, V-18, V-62, V-94, V-163, and V-568, in the vicinity of Glen Rose, TX. The modifications are necessary due to the planned decommissioning of the VOR portion of the Glen Rose, TX, VOR/ Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC) navigation aid (NAVAID), which provides navigation guidance for portions of the affected air traffic service (ATS) routes. The Glen Rose VOR is being decommissioned as part of the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) program.

This action proposes to amend five VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal airways, V-4, V-53, V-115, V-119, and V-140; amend two low altitude Area Navigation (RNAV) routes, T-215 and T-323; and remove three VOR Federal airways, V-331, V-339, and V-478, in the vicinity of Newcombe, KY, and Hazard, KY. The Air Traffic Service (ATS) route modifications are necessary due to the planned decommissioning of the VOR portions of the Newcombe, KY, VOR/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC) and the Hazard, KY, VOR/Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) navigation aids (NAVAIDs). The NAVAIDs provide navigation guidance for portions of the affected air traffic service (ATS) routes. These VORs are being decommissioned as part of the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) program.

The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2005-23-09, which applies to all General Electric Company (GE) CF6- 80E1A1, -80E1A2, -80E1A3, -80E1A4, and -80E1A4/B model turbofan engines. AD 2005-23-09 requires initial and repetitive fluorescent- penetrant inspections (FPI) of certain areas of high-pressure compressor (HPC) cases, part number (P/N) 1509M97G07 and P/N 2083M69G03. Since the FAA issued AD 2005-23-09, GE performed an updated lifing analysis on the HPC case. As a result, GE found additional locations on the cases requiring FPI, revised the inspection interval for performing FPI of the existing location, and added an additional P/ N HPC case that requires inspection. This proposed AD would require an update of the Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) of GE Engine Manual GEK99376 and the operator's existing continuous airworthiness maintenance program (CAMP). The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.