Department of Transportation 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action proposes to amend the Class D and Class E airspace at Janesville, WI. The FAA is proposing this action as the result of an airspace review caused by the decommissioning of the Rockford very high frequency (VHF) omnidirectional range (VOR) as part of the VOR Minimal Operational Network (MON) Program. The name and geographic coordinates of the airport would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

This action proposes to amend the Class D and Class E airspace at Rochester International Airport, Rochester, MN, and St. Cloud Regional Airport, St. Cloud, MN, and revoke Class E airspace at Rochester International Airport. The FAA is proposing this action as the result of biennial airspace reviews. The geographic coordinates of St. Cloud Regional Airport would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

This action proposes to amend the Class E airspace at Glass Ranch Airport, Carrizo Spring, TX. The FAA is proposing this action as the result of the cancellation of the instrument procedures and closure of the airport. The geographic coordinates of the Indio-Faith Airport, Carrizo Spring, TX, would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations, notice is hereby given that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety has received the application described herein. Each mode of transportation for which a particular special permit is requested is indicated by a number in the ``Nature of Application'' portion of the table below as follows: 1 Motor vehicle, 2Rail freight, 3Cargo vessel, 4Cargo aircraft only, 5Passenger-carrying aircraft.

In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations, notice is hereby given that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety has received the application described herein.

This notice announces a solicitation for nominations for membership on the Advanced Aviation Advisory Committee (AAAC) previously known as Drone Advisory Committee. This solicitation supersedes the previous Solicitation of Nominations for Appointment to the Drone Advisory Committee published June 18, 2020.

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.

FMCSA amends the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to include rear impact guards on the list of items that must be examined as part of the required annual inspection for each commercial motor vehicle (CMV). In addition, FMCSA amends the labeling requirements for rear impact guards, and excludes road construction controlled (RCC) horizontal discharge trailers from the rear impact guard requirements, consistent with changes made by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to the corresponding Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). This final rule responds to rulemaking petitions, as well as a recommendation from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

On October 29, 2021, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announced the availability of the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the SPOT Terminal Services LLC (SPOT) Deepwater port license application for the export of oil from the United States to nations abroad, announced a virtual public meeting for the SDEIS, and the October 29 notice began a 45-day comment period seeking public participation in the environmental impact review process, provided information on how to participate in the environmental impact review process, directed interested parties to a Notice of Application that summarized the SPOT Deepwater Port License Application published in the Federal Register on March 4, 2019, a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Notice of Public Meetings that were published in the Federal Register on March 7, 2019. This notice restates the same information and serves only to correct the email address Efrain.Lopez@dot.gov in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering a proposal and invites public comment to change a portion of the airport from aeronautical use to non-aeronautical use at Brown Field Municipal Airport, San Diego, San Diego County, California. The proposal consists of 51 parcels containing approximately 197.96 acres of airport land, located on the airfield.

The Surface Transportation Board (Board) invites public comments on a proposed procedural schedule for this proceeding. On September 15, 2021, Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (Canadian Pacific), Canadian Pacific Railway Company, and their U.S. rail carrier subsidiaries, Soo Line Railroad Company, Central Maine & Quebec Railway US Inc., Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation, and Delaware & Hudson Railway Company, Inc. (collectively, CP) and Kansas City Southern and its U.S. rail carrier subsidiaries, The Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCSR), Gateway Eastern Railway Company, and The Texas Mexican Railway Company (collectively, KCS) (CP and KCS collectively, Applicants) filed an amended notice of intent to file an application seeking authority for the acquisition of control by Canadian Pacific, through its indirect, wholly owned subsidiary Cygnus Merger Sub 2 Corporation, of Kansas City Southern, and through it, of KCSR and its railroad affiliates, and for the resulting common control by Canadian Pacific of its U.S. railroad subsidiaries, and KCSR and its railroad affiliates.

This action proposes to amend United States Area Navigation (RNAV) route T-215 in the central United States due to the decommissioning of the Holston Mountain, TN, (HMV) VHF Omnidirectional Range Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC), and the Hazard, KY, (AZQ) Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) in support of the VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Minimum Operational Network (MON) program. Additionally, this action would extend T-215 to the north and south of its current limits to expand the availability of RNAV in the National Airspace System (NAS).

This action proposes to amend 11 low altitude United States Area Navigation (RNAV) T-routes, and remove 1 T-route, in support of the South-Central FL Metroplex Project. The proposed route changes would expand the availability of RNAV routing in support of transitioning the National Airspace System (NAS) from ground-based to satellite-based navigation.

This action proposes to amend United States Area Navigation (RNAV) routes T-212, T-216, T-218, and T-221 in the eastern United States. The proposed route changes would add RNAV waypoints (WP) to replace VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) navigation aids (NAVAIDS) that are scheduled for decommissioning under the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) program.

PHMSA, in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), proposes to amend the Hazardous Materials Regulations to suspend authorization of liquefied natural gas (LNG) transportation in rail tank cars pursuant to a final rule published in July 2020, pending the earlier of either completion of a separate rulemaking under RIN 2137-AF54 evaluating potential modifications to requirements governing rail tank car transportation of LNG, or June 30, 2024.

FMCSA announces a meeting of MCSAC, which will take place via videoconference.

The Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to issue coastwise endorsement eligibility determinations for foreign-built vessels which will carry no more than twelve passengers for hire. A request for such a determination has been received by MARAD. By this notice, MARAD seeks comments from interested parties as to any effect this action may have on U.S. vessel builders or businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.-flag vessels. Information about the requestor's vessel, including a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

The Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to issue coastwise endorsement eligibility determinations for foreign-built vessels which will carry no more than twelve passengers for hire. A request for such a determination has been received by MARAD. By this notice, MARAD seeks comments from interested parties as to any effect this action may have on U.S. vessel builders or businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.-flag vessels. Information about the requestor's vessel, including a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

The Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to issue coastwise endorsement eligibility determinations for foreign-built vessels which will carry no more than twelve passengers for hire. A request for such a determination has been received by MARAD. By this notice, MARAD seeks comments from interested parties as to any effect this action may have on U.S. vessel builders or businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.-flag vessels. Information about the requestor's vessel, including a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering a proposal from the City of Wellington, KS, to release a 0.01 acre parcel of land from the federal obligation dedicating it to aeronautical use and to authorize this parcel to be used for revenue-producing, non- aeronautical purposes.

The Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to issue coastwise endorsement eligibility determinations for foreign-built vessels which will carry no more than twelve passengers for hire. A request for such a determination has been received by MARAD. By this notice, MARAD seeks comments from interested parties as to any effect this action may have on U.S. vessel builders or businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.-flag vessels. Information about the requestor's vessel, including a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

The FAA proposes to rule and invites public comment on the release of land at the Ankeny Regional Airport (IKV), Ankeny, Iowa, under the provisions of 49 U.S.C. 47107(h)(2).

Notice is hereby given of a meeting of the Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee (RETAC), pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2019-05- 06, which applied to certain Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH Model EC135P1, EC135P2, EC135P2+, EC135P3, EC135T1, EC135T2, EC135T2+, and EC135T3 helicopters. AD 2019-05-06 required replacing the retaining ring, inspecting the hoist cable hook assembly, and, if necessary, replacing the elastomeric energy absorber. This AD continues to require the actions specified in AD 2019-05-06, and also requires a modification or replacement of the hoist cable hook assembly that would terminate the repetitive inspections and retaining ring replacements, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. This AD was prompted by a report that a hook detached from the hoist cable. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.