Department of Transportation September 8, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA announces a Period of Public Comment for the Aviation Maintenance Technical Workers Workforce Development Grant Program and previews a forthcoming notice of funding opportunity.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FMCSA announces its plan to submit the information collection request (ICR) renewal described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for its review and approval and invites the public to comment. FMCSA requests OMB's renewed approval to the ICR titled ``Practices of Household Brokers'' to keep compliance with 49 CFR part 371. This renewal updates wage related costs that have changed since the last approval and revises the previous information collection total respondent hourly and cost burden methodology to be consistent with best practices. This ICR renewal is necessary to support the requirements of subpart B of 49 CFR part 371 and FMCSA's responsibility to ensure consumer protection in the transportation of household goods (HHG).

The FHWA, on behalf of Caltrans, is issuing this notice to announce actions taken by Caltrans that are final. The actions relate to a proposed permanent restoration project, on State Route 70, in the County of Plumas, State of California. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.

PHMSA is publishing this notice to solicit public comments on a request for special permit received from the Great Lakes Gas Transmission Company (GLGT). The special permit request is seeking relief from compliance with certain requirements in the Federal pipeline safety regulations. At the conclusion of the 30-day comment period, PHMSA will review the comments received from this notice as part of its evaluation to grant or deny the special permit request.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) Model S-92A helicopters. This proposed AD was prompted by the manufacturer discovering non-conforming threads, resulting in a life limit reduction on multiple landing gear components including threaded hinge pins and main landing gear (MLG) and nose landing gear (NLG) actuator pins. This proposed AD would require a one-time inspection of the landing gear for components with non-conforming threads and removal of any nonconforming threaded hinge pin and MLG and NLG actuator pin. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2019-22-10, which applies to all The Boeing Company Model 737-600, - 700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes. AD 2019-22-10 requires repetitive inspections for cracking of the left- and right- hand side outboard chords of frame fittings and failsafe straps at a certain station around eight fasteners, and repair if any cracking is found. Since the FAA issued AD 2019-22-10, it was determined that the initial inspection threshold and repetitive inspection interval are inadequate to address the cracking in a timely manner. For certain airplanes, this proposed AD would reduce the compliance time for the initial inspection, and for all airplanes this proposed AD would reduce the compliance time for the repetitive inspections. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This action amends the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Clay Center Municipal Airport, Clay Center, KS. This action is the result of an airspace review due to the decommissioning of the Clay Center non-directional beacon (NDB).

This action proposes to amend the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Charlevoix Municipal Airport, Charlevoix, MI. The FAA is proposing this action as the result of an airspace review caused by the decommissioning of the Charlevoix non- directional beacon (NDB). The geographic coordinates of the airport would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

This action extends the Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) prohibiting certain flight operations in the Pyongyang Flight Information Region (FIR) (ZKKP) 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 finds this action necessary to address significant, continuing hazards to U.S. civil aviation associated with North Korean military capabilities and activities, including unannounced North Korean missile launches and air defense weapons systems. Additionally, the FAA republishes the approval process and exemption information for this SFAR, consistent with other recently published flight prohibition SFARs, and makes a minor administrative change to the wording of the applicability paragraph of the SFAR for consistency with other recently published flight prohibition SFARs.

This document denies a petition for rulemaking from SafeGuard/ IMMI (formerly Indiana Mills and Manufacturing, Inc.) and C.E. White requesting that NHTSA amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 213, ``Child restraint systems,'' to provide for ``school bus built-in belt-positioning seats.'' Under the petitioners' suggested amendment, a school bus built-in belt positioning seat would be a type of ``booster seat'' and would consist of a school bus seat with a lap/ shoulder belt and a shoulder belt height adjuster. The agency is denying the petition because under the requested amendment, designs would be permitted that do not provide the full benefits of booster seats, namely the proper positioning of the child on the vehicle seat to improve the fit of the lap belt to mitigate the risk of abdominal injuries in a crash.