Department of Transportation May 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA is considering a proposal to change 0.50 acres (future Parcel 17D) of Clear Zone Easement contained in Parcel 17B to Avigation Easement in exchange for converting 2.94 acres of land currently not controlled by the Airport Sponsor (future Parcel 36) to an Avigation Easement for approach protection. Both Parcel 17B and future Parcel 36 are owned by Crossing Rivers Health Center (and are being sold to a commercial developer) and located adjacent to Prairie du Chien Municipal Airport, Prairie du Chien, WI. The proposed release of 0.50 acres of Clear Zone Easement to Avigation Easement is not in the Runway Protection Zone (RPZ). The release of 0.50 acres from Clear Zone Easement to Avigation Easement is required to allow development on the property that is being sold by the Crossing Rivers Health Center. The conversion from Clear Zone Easement to Avigation Easement will not result in any impact to surfaces protected by Part 77 or airport design surfaces. The Clear Zone Easement was originally purchased to enable the Airport to ensure airport compatible land use. The proposed future use of 0.50 acres of the land will be a compatible land use.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA invites public comments about our intention to request Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. The collection involves information required to process a request for a Minimum Equipment List (MEL) Letter of Authorization (LOA) in accordance with certain regulations prescribing general operating and flight rules. The information to be collected is necessary because a written request is required to obtain an MEL LOA. The information collected includes only those details essential to evaluate the request, approve the MEL, and issue the LOA.

This action proposes to amend the Class D and Class E airspace and establish Class E airspace at airports in Waco, TX. The FAA is proposing this action as the result of biennial airspace reviews. The name and geographic coordinates of various airports and navigational aids would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

This action proposes to amend the Class D airspace and Class E airspace at Carbondale, IL, and Marion, IL; revoke the Class E airspace area designated as an extension to Class D airspace at Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois, Marion, IL; and establish Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Southern Illinois Airport, Carbondale/Murphysboro, IL. The FAA is proposing this action as the result of airspace reviews caused by the decommissioning of the Marion very high frequency (VHF) omnidirectional range (VOR) as part of the VOR Minimal Operational Network (MON) Program. The names and geographic coordinates of the airports would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

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

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) Trent XWB-75, Trent XWB-79, Trent XWB-79B, and Trent XWB-84 model turbofan engines. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of cracks in the intermediate-pressure compressor (IPC) rotor 1 (R1) blades installed on certain Trent XWB model turbofan engines. This proposed AD would require initial and repetitive borescope inspections (BSIs) of the affected IPC R1 blades and, depending on the results of the inspections, replacement of all 34 IPC R1 blades. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the opportunity to apply for $10 million in competitive grants for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Public Transportation on Indian Reservations (Tribal Transit) Program. As required by Federal public transportation law, funds will be awarded competitively for any purpose eligible under FTA's Formula Grants for Rural Areas Program, 49 U.S.C. 5311, including planning, capital, and operating assistance for tribal public transit services in rural areas. FTA may award additional funding that is made available to the program prior to the announcement of project selections.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain MHI RJ Aviation ULC Model CL-600-2C10 (Regional Jet Series 700, 701 & 702), CL-600-2C11 (Regional Jet Series 550), CL-600-2D15 (Regional Jet Series 705), CL-600-2D24 (Regional Jet Series 900), and CL-600-2E25 (Regional Jet Series 1000) airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by a determination that new airworthiness limitations for structural inspections and safe life components are necessary. This proposed AD would require revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new airworthiness limitations. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2015-17- 08, which applied to certain Bombardier, Inc. Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes. AD 2015-17-08 required installing new cable assemblies with a pull-down resistor. This AD requires modifications to the nose wheel steering (NWS) system. This AD was prompted by a report indicating that several failure modes of the NWS system may cause the loss of feedback from both rotary variable differential transformers to the steering control unit. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH Model MBB-BK 117 C-2 and Model MBB- BK 117 D-2 helicopters. This AD was prompted by a determination that a life limit for the adapter forward (FWD) of the outboard load system, repetitive inspections of other components of that system, and for certain helicopters, a modification of the outboard load system, are necessary to address the unsafe condition. This AD requires a modification of the outboard load system for certain helicopters, repetitive inspections of the outboard load system and its components for any defect (including cracking, damage, corrosion, and incorrect installation) and applicable corrective actions, and implementation of a new life limit for the FWD adapter, as specified in a European Aviation Safety Agency (now European Union Aviation Safety Agency) (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below will be forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. This is a request for an extension of a currently-approved information collection. This document describes the collection of information for which NHTSA seeks OMB extension approval, titled ``Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety'' and identified by OMB Control Number 2127-0723, which is currently approved through May 31, 2021. The burden hour calculations have been adjusted to reflect a reduction in burden as well as a reduction in the frequency of response resulting in a total annual burden hour reduction from 86,100 hours to 12,000 hours. A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the information collection was published on March 9, 2021. NHTSA received three comments to this notice, two of which were generally supportive of the information collection. The third comment addressed accessibility of ADS-equipped vehicles. None of the comments addressed burden hours or cost estimates.

The FAA is considering a proposal to change 18.8 acres of airport land from aeronautical use to non-aeronautical use and to authorize the sale of airport property located at the West Michigan Regional Airport, Holland, Michigan. The aforementioned land is not needed for aeronautical use. The property is located near the southeast corner of 64th Street and CSX Transportation Railroad. It is currently vacant, undeveloped land with no future aeronautical use identified. The property is proposed to be sold for a future non-aeronautical airport compatible land use.

FMCSA announces its decision to exempt 17 individuals from the hearing requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate commerce. The exemptions enable these hard of hearing and deaf individuals to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

This amendment adopts miscellaneous amendments to the required IFR (instrument flight rules) altitudes and changeover points for certain Federal airways, jet routes, or direct routes for which a minimum or maximum en route authorized IFR altitude is prescribed. This regulatory action is needed because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System. These changes are designed to provide for the safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace under instrument conditions in the affected areas.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request, abstracted below, is being forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget for extension of currently approved reporting requirement. A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period was published on March 11, 2021 (86 FR 13967). No comments were received.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for extension of currently approved collections. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on March 11, 2021 (86 FR 13966). No comments were received.

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 an extension of a currently approved collection. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on March 11, 2021 (86 FR 13965). One comment was received from the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis strongly supporting the continued collection of this data.

PHMSA is publishing this notice to solicit public comments on a request for special permit received from Buckeye Partners, LP (Buckeye). 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 Leonardo S.p.a. Model AB139 and AW139 helicopters. This proposed AD was prompted by two events of uncommanded emergency flotation system (EFS) deployment during flight. This proposed AD would require replacing certain part-numbered EFS control panels and prohibit installing them. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

On January 20, 2021, President Biden signed the Executive Order, ``Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government'' (Equity E.O.). Through the implementation of this Administration priority, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT or Department) will assess whether, and to what extent, its programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved groups. These assessments will better equip the Department to develop policies and programs that deliver resources and benefits equitably to all. The Department solicits input from the public regarding available or potential data and assessment tools that could assist in the ongoing and continuous evaluation of Federal policies and programs concerning equitable services and safety in the transportation sector.

This action removes Colored Federal airway, R-50, and amends Alaskan VOR Federal airway, V-319, and United States Area Navigation (RNAV) Routes T-219 and T-269 in Alaska. The modifications are necessary due to the planned decommissioning of the Nanwak Non- Directional Beacon (NDB) and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) in Mekoryuk, AK, which provides navigation guidance for portions of the affected routes. The Nanwak NDB/DME (AIX) is to be decommissioned effective June 17, 2021 due to the high cost of maintenance.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as lead Federal agency, and the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro), as local project sponsor and joint lead agency, issue this notice to advise the public that they intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the Orange Line Project (the Project) in Austin, Texas. The Project is a proposed light rail transit (LRT) line that would extend approximately 20 miles from the Tech Ridge Park & Ride on the northern end of the corridor, through downtown Austin, to just north of Slaughter Lane on the southern end of the corridor. FTA has determined that the Project is sufficiently developed to allow for meaningful public comment and requires an EIS.