Department of Transportation November 23, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and its implementing regulations, this document provides notice that FRA is submitting the following Information Collection Request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to collect information on ridership data and certified schedule metrics as required by the recently issued final rule on Metrics and Minimum Standards for Intercity Passenger Rail Service. FRA requests emergency processing and OMB authorization to collect the information after publication of this Notice for a period of six (6) months.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Model PC-24 airplanes. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI identifies the unsafe condition as overheating of the electrical wiring splices close to the right-hand pitot-static connector on frame 10. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) AD 2019- 08-13 for Textron Aviation, Inc., (type certificate previously held by Cessna Aircraft Company) Models 525, 525A, and 525B airplanes with Tamarack Aerospace Group (Tamarack) active load alleviation system (ATLAS) winglets installed in accordance with Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SA03842NY. AD 2019-08-13 was prompted by mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as malfunction of the ATLAS. This AD results from the identification of corrective actions that, if implemented, allow operators to reactivate the ATLAS and restore operations to normal procedures. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA announces the availability of and requests comments on proposed airworthiness criteria for the Flytrex, Inc. Model FTX-M600P unmanned aircraft system (UAS). This document proposes airworthiness criteria the FAA finds to be appropriate and applicable for the UAS design.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) proposes to update and codify its internal order establishing the responsibilities and procedures for complying with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), currently found in DOT Order 5610.1C, ``Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts,'' which was issued in 1979 and last updated in 1985. This proposal would update the DOT NEPA procedures in response to the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ's) final rule updating its NEPA procedures and also incorporate provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU); Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21); and the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act related to the Department's environmental review process. This proposed rule would modernize the Department's procedures and promote collaboration and efficiency in the implementation of NEPA. Finally, this proposal would also update the list of the Department's categorical exclusions consistent with the CEQ's regulations implementing NEPA.