Department of Transportation May 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FRA proposes regulations for the certification of signal employees, pursuant to the authority granted in section 402 of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. (Pilatus) Model PC-12, PC-12/45, PC-12/ 47, and PC-12/47E airplanes. This AD is 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 identifies the unsafe condition as insufficient grounding of the vapor cycle cooling system (VCCS) compressor/condenser. This AD requires inspecting the power return and chassis grounding cable attachment points at frame 37, including the attachment parts, and depending on the inspection results, corrective action. This AD also requires modifying the installation of the VCCS compressor/condenser power return cables and installing an additional isolated VCCS chassis ground cable. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew exemptions for seven individuals from the requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) that interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers have ``no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of epilepsy or any other condition which is likely to cause loss of consciousness or any loss of ability to control a CMV.'' The exemptions enable these individuals who have had one or more seizures and are taking anti-seizure medication to continue to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

This notice grants the petition of Czinger Vehicles (Czinger) for a temporary exemption from windshield abrasion resistance requirements in Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) No. 205, Glazing materials. The basis for the exemption is that compliance with these requirements would cause substantial economic hardship to a low volume manufacturer that has tried in good faith to comply with the standard. This action follows our publication in the Federal Register of a document announcing receipt of Czinger's petition and soliciting public comments. We received no comments on the petition.

PHMSA is publishing this notice to solicit public comments on a request for a special permit received from Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC (FGT). 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 Federal Transit Administration (FTA) invites public comment on a proposed update to the National Public Transportation Safety Plan (National Safety Plan). The proposed National Safety Plan would rescind and replace the plan that FTA published in January 2017. This new version of the National Safety Plan, like the version before it, is intended to guide the national effort to manage safety risk in our nation's public transportation systems. It lays out a performance- based approach to reduce injuries and fatalities on transit systems under FTA's safety jurisdiction. This proposed update to the plan also supports the USDOT's long-term goal of reaching zero fatalities on America's roadways, as presented in the January 2022 National Roadway Safety Strategy, by adding safety performance criteria for vehicular collisions and providing voluntary standards for bus transit. Pursuant to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the proposed update to the plan also establishes performance measures for Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) risk reduction programs.

This final rule updates the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) manual requirements to reflect industry use of electronic and paper manuals. The amendments apply to fractional ownership operations; domestic, flag, and supplemental operations; rules governing the operations of U.S.-registered civil airplanes which have a seating configuration of 20 or more passengers or a maximum payload capacity of 6,000 pounds or more when common carriage is not involved; and commuter and on-demand operations. This action requires manuals accessed in paper format to display the date of last revision on each page, and it requires manuals accessed in electronic format to display the date of last revision in a manner in which a person can immediately ascertain it. This action also revises the requirement for program managers or certificate holders to carry appropriate parts of the manual aboard airplanes during operations. The FAA instead requires program managers or certificate holders to ensure the appropriate parts of the manual are accessible to flight, ground, and maintenance personnel when such personnel are performing their assigned duties. Lastly, this rule updates outdated language that refers to accessing information in manuals kept in microfiche. The FAA removes this outdated language and simply requires that all manual information and instructions be displayed clearly and be retrievable in the English language.

This action proposes to amend Very High Frequency (VHF) Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal airway V-233 and revoke VOR Federal airway V-320. The FAA is proposing this action due to the planned decommissioning of the VOR portion of the Mount Pleasant, MI (MOP), VOR/Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) navigational aid (NAVAID). The Mount Pleasant VOR is being decommissioned in support of the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) program.

This notice requests comment on a proposal to update the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) to provide consumers with information about crashworthiness pedestrian protection of new vehicles. The proposed updates to NCAP would provide valuable safety information to consumers about the ability of vehicles to protect pedestrians and could incentivize vehicle manufacturers to produce vehicles that provide better protection for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians. In addition, this proposal addresses several mandates set forth in section 24213 of the November 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

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.

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.

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.

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) requests applications from qualified candidates to enter into Maritime Security Program (MSP) Operating Agreements for the operation of two U.S.-registered merchant vessels in international trade, subject to the availability of appropriations. The MSP maintains a fleet of active, commercially viable, militarily useful, privately-owned U.S.-flagged vessels that are engaged in international trade and are capable of supporting both U.S. economic competitiveness in peacetime and national defense and security requirements in times of conflict or emergency. This request for applications provides, among other things, application criteria and a deadline for submitting applications for vessel enrollment into MSP.

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 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 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 is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2021-23- 12, which applied to all transport and commuter category airplanes equipped with a radio (also known as radar) altimeter. AD 2021-23-12 required revising the limitations section of the existing airplane/ aircraft flight manual (AFM) to incorporate limitations prohibiting certain operations requiring radio altimeter data when in the presence of 5G C-Band interference as identified by Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs). Since the FAA issued AD 2021-23-12, the FAA determined that additional limitations are needed due to the continued deployment of new 5G C-Band stations whose signals are expected to cover most of the contiguous United States at transmission frequencies between 3.7-3.98 GHz. For certain airplanes, this AD requires revising the limitations section of the existing AFM to incorporate limitations prohibiting certain operations requiring radio altimeter data, due to the presence of 5G C-Band interference. This AD also requires modifying certain airplanes to allow safe operations in the U.S. 5G C-Band radio frequency environment. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This action amends Very High Frequency (VHF) Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal airways V-169, V-170, and V-430, and Area Navigation (RNAV) route T-331; and establishes RNAV route T-475. The FAA is taking this action due to the planned decommissioning of the VOR portion of the Devils Lake, ND (DVL), VOR/Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) navigational aid (NAVAID). The Devils Lake VOR is being decommissioned in support of the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) program.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes, and certain Model 737-8 and -9 airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of uncommanded escape slide deployments in the passenger compartment, caused by too much tension in the inflation cable and the movement of the escape slide assembly in the escape slide compartment. This AD requires inspecting all escape slide assemblies to identify affected parts, and applicable on-condition actions. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.