Department of Transportation May 20, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action removes exclusionary language from the Final Rule published in the Federal Register on March 31, 2020 for Mountain Home Municipal Airport's Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. If the exclusionary language remains in the Final Rule, the FAA's Aeronautical Information Service will be required to recalculate the airport's airspace boundaries whenever Mountain Home Air Force Base's Class D and E Surface areas are modified. However, the removal of the language does not affect the charted boundaries or operating requirements of the airspace.

The FHWA and the State of Utah, acting by and through its Department of Transportation (State), propose a renewal of the State's participation in the State Assumption of Responsibility for Categorical Exclusions. This program allows FHWA to assign to States its authority and responsibility for determining whether certain designated activities within the geographic boundaries of the State, as specified in the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), are categorically excluded from preparation of an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement under the National Environmental Policy Act. An amended MOU would renew the State's participation in the program. The MOU will be amended by incorporating the following changes: Clarifying that this assignment applies to highway projects; and including provisions for UDOT's use of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Federal Transit Administration's (FRA) CEs for highway projects. In order to use FTA or FRA's CEs, UDOT will consult with FTA or FRA, as appropriate, and report to FHWA at the end of the calendar year the instances where it applied a CE using this provision.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Leonardo S.p.a. (Leonardo) Model AW189 helicopters. This proposed AD would require various repetitive inspections of the main rotor (MR) damper. This proposed AD is prompted by reports of in- service MR damper failures and the development of an improved MR damper. This condition, if not corrected, could lead to loss of the lead-lag damping function of the MR blade, possibly resulting in damage to adjacent critical rotor components and subsequent loss control of the helicopter. The actions of this proposed AD are intended to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report that certain elevator power control unit (PCU) arm fittings have nonconforming fillet radii. This AD requires an inspection for affected elevator PCU assemblies, inspections of affected elevator PCU arm fittings for nonconforming fillet radii and cracks, replacement if necessary, and re- identification of the affected elevator PCU assemblies. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2020-03- 12, which applied to all Airbus SAS Model A350-941 and -1041 airplanes. AD 2020-03-12 required revising the existing airplane flight manual (AFM) to define a liquid-prohibited zone in the flight deck and provide procedures following liquid spillage on the center pedestal. This AD continues to require revising the existing AFM, and also requires installing a removable integrated control panel (ICP) cover in the flight deck and further revising the AFM to include instructions for ICP cover use, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. This AD was prompted by the FAA's determination that a removable integrated control panel (ICP) cover must be installed to prevent damage from spillage and that the existing AFM must be revised. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

PHMSA is withdrawing the January 18, 2017, ANPRM concerning vapor pressure for crude oil transported by rail. PHMSA's decision is based on comments received to the ANPRM, as well as an extensive study conducted by the Sandia National Laboratories which found that the vapor pressure of crude oil is not a significant factor in the severity of pool fire or fireball scenarios, and concluded that results of the study do not support creating a regulatory distinction for crude oils based on vapor pressure. In withdrawing the ANPRM, PHMSA is providing notice of its determination that the establishment of vapor pressure limits would not improve the safety of rail transportation of crude oil. Therefore, PHMSA is no longer considering vapor pressure limits for the transportation of crude oil by rail or any other mode. Furthermore, PHMSA is also providing notice that, after considering comments received to the ANPRM, it is no longer considering imposing vapor pressure standards for other unrefined petroleum-based products and Class 3 flammable liquid hazardous materials by any mode.