Department of Transportation 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NHTSA received six requests to extend the comment period for a notice NHTSA published on July 21, 2022, seeking comment on NHTSA's receipt of a petition for temporary exemption from Ford Motor Company (Ford). Ford's petition seeks a temporary exemption from various requirements of the Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) for a vehicle equipped with an automated driving system (ADS). In accordance with statutory and administrative provisions, NHTSA published a notice announcing receipt of Ford's petition and seeking public comment. The comment period for the notice was scheduled to end on August 22, 2022. NHTSA is extending the comment period for the July 21, 2022 notice by 30 days.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), proposes to rename, update and reissue an existing system of records notice currently titled ``Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, DOT/FAA 807, Traffic Control at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center.'' The Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC) is located in Oklahoma City, OK and is home to more than 8,000 full[hyphen]time employees and receives 10,000 visitors per month. It encompasses approximately 1,100 acres and 133 buildings and conducts training for DOT/FAA employees and contractors, and other federal employees (including employees of federal agencies who are tenants at the MMAC). Tenants are federal agencies who pay to lease space on the MMAC campus. The Director for the Office of Facilities and Management (AMP-1), the Security and Investigations Division (AMC-700) and the MMAC Operations and Maintenance Division (AMP-300), are responsible for maintaining access control to the facility including the administration of policies, programs and activities related to access to the MMAC facilities, as well as managing tasks related to vehicle registrations, key issuance, visitors (members of the public, including federal employees attending training or special events, short-term vendors, and research participants), as well as tenants and DOT/FAA employees and contractors assigned to the MMAC campus. These functions ensure that only authorized personnel obtain access and entrance to facilities located at the MMAC campus and that pedestrian and vehicular traffic within the campus is controlled and orderly.

This action amends Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Greenwood County Airport, Greenwood, SC, due to the decommissioning of the Coronaca non-directional beacon (NDB) and cancellation of associated approaches, as well as updating the airport's geographic coordinates. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations in the area.

This action amends the Class E airspace at Fort Dodge, IA. The geographic coordinates of the airport are being updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database. This action does not change the airspace boundaries or operating requirements.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (Department or DOT) is proposing to codify its longstanding interpretation that it is an unfair business practice for a U.S. air carrier, a foreign air carrier, or a ticket agent to refuse to provide requested refunds to consumers when a carrier has cancelled or made a significant change to a scheduled flight to, from, or within the United States, and consumers found the alternative transportation offered by the carrier or the ticket agent to be unacceptable. The Department is also proposing to require that U.S. and foreign air carriers and ticket agents provide non-expiring travel vouchers or credits to consumers holding non- refundable tickets for scheduled flights to, from, or within the United States who are unable to travel as scheduled in certain circumstances related to a serious communicable disease. Furthermore, the Department is proposing to require U.S. and foreign air carriers and ticket agents provide refunds, in lieu of non-expiring travel vouchers or credits, if the carrier or ticket agent received significant financial assistance from the government as a result of a public health emergency. The NPRM proposes to allow carriers and ticket agents to require consumers provide evidence to support their assertion of entitlement to a travel voucher, credit, or refund.

This action amends the Class D and Class E airspace and establishes Class E airspace at Columbia, MO. This action is the result of a biennial airspace review. The geographic coordinates of the airport are also being updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

This action amends RNAV route T-227 in the vicinity of Fairbanks, AK, in support of a large and comprehensive T-route modernization project for the state of Alaska.

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 FHWA, on behalf of Caltrans, is issuing this notice to announce actions taken by Caltrans that are final. The actions relate to a proposed highway project, the State Route 84 Real McCoy Fenders and Ramps Replacement Project at post mile 2.49 in Solano County, State of California. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.

On November 5, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The BIL provides historic appropriations for the railroad transportation grant programs administered by FRA and authorizes new programs to enhance rail safety and to repair, restore, improve, and expand the nation's rail network. A new program established under the BIL is the Interstate Rail Compacts Grant Program (the Program), which provides financial assistance to existing interstate rail compacts (IRCs) to strengthen their capability to advance intercity passenger rail service within their regions. The BIL requires the Secretary of Transportation to establish the Program; this responsibility is delegated to FRA. In this RFI, FRA seeks comments on the Program.

FMCSA announces that Ronnie Brown III requests an exemption from the federal hours of service (HOS) and electronic logging device (ELD) regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations. The applicant requests the exemption for himself only for a 5-year period. FMCSA requests public comment on Mr. Brown's request for exemption.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the award of a total of $1,656,696,061, including $1,105,329,750 to projects under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Low or No Emission Grant Program (Low-No) and $551,366,311 to projects under the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program (Buses and Bus Facilities Program) and provides administrative guidance on project implementation.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below. Before submitting this ICR to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified in the ICR.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FMCSA announces its plan to submit the Information Collection Request (ICR) described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This notice invites comment on the information collection titled ``Acknowledgement of Use of COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Relief,'' which is currently approved on an emergency basis and allows FMCSA to collect information from motor carriers engaged in providing direct assistance in response to certain emergency declarations issued by the Agency to provide regulatory relief for such carriers in continued support of the Nation's coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recovery efforts. OMB approved this collection on an emergency basis and subsequently extended that emergency approval. The extension of the emergency approval expires on August 31, 2022. No comments were received in response to the 60-day Federal Register notice.

This action amends United States Area Navigation (RNAV) route T-233 in the vicinity of Kotzebue, AK, in support of a large and comprehensive T-route modernization project for the state of Alaska.

PHMSA is publishing this notice to solicit public comments on a request for special permit received from Columbia Gulf Transmission, LLC (CGT). The special permit request is seeking relief from compliance with certain requirements of 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.

PHMSA is publishing this notice to solicit public comments on a request for special permit received from Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC (TCO). The special permit request is seeking relief from compliance with certain requirements of 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.

This action amends Jet Routes J-82 and J-94, RNAV route Q-122, and VOR Federal airways V-100, V-138, V-456, and V-505; and removes VOR Federal airway V-462 and the Fort Dodge, IA, Domestic Low Altitude Reporting Point. This action is necessary due to the planned decommissioning of the VOR portion of the Fort Dodge, IA, VOR/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC), which provides navigation guidance to portions of the affected Air Traffic Service (ATS) routes. The Fort Dodge VOR is being decommissioned as part of the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (VOR MON) program.

This action proposes to amend the Class E airspace at Eagle Lake, TX. The FAA is proposing this action due to an airspace review conducted as part of the decommissioning of the Eagle Lake very high frequency (VHF) omnidirectional range (VOR) as part of the VOR Minimal Operational Network (MON) Program. The geographic coordinates of the airport would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew exemptions for 24 individuals from the hearing requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) for interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The exemptions enable these hard of hearing and deaf individuals to continue to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

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 Maritime Administration (MARAD) invites public comments on our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. The information to be collected are Affidavits of U.S. Citizenship filed with MARAD to determine if the applicants are eligible to participate in various benefit programs offered by the agency. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

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.