Department of Transportation February 9, 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA proposes to remove Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2023- 13-07, which applies to certain Saab AB, Support and Services Model SAAB 340B airplanes. AD 2023-13-07 requires amending the applicable airplane flight manual (AFM) by incorporating a temporary revision (TR) to reduce the maximum take-off weight (MTOW). AD 2023-13-07 is no longer necessary, because of a determination that affected airplanes can be safely operated up to the initially published MTOW. Accordingly, the FAA proposes to remove AD 2023-13-07.

The Regulatory Agenda is a semiannual summary of all current and projected rulemakings, reviews of existing regulations, and completed rulemaking actions of the Department of Transportation (DOT). The Regulatory Agenda provides the public with information about DOT's planned regulatory activity for the next 12 months. This information enables the public to participate in the Department's regulatory process. The public is encouraged to submit comments on any aspect of this Regulatory Agenda.

The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2021-21-02, which applies to certain Airbus SAS Model A318, A319, A320, A321, A330-200, A330-200 Freighter, A330-300, A330-800, A330-900, A340- 200, A340-300, A340-500, A340-600, and A380-800 series airplanes. AD 2021-21-02 requires replacing certain parts manufacturer approval (PMA) Ni-Cd batteries with serviceable Ni-Cd batteries or maintaining the electrical storage capacity of those PMA Ni-Cd batteries during airplane storage or parking. Since the FAA issued AD 2021-21-02, it was determined that the on-wing preservation procedures originally provided in that AD did not ensure the expected preservation of the battery capacity. This proposed AD would add airplanes to the applicability and would require replacing each affected part with a serviceable part before release to service of an airplane after a storage or parking period, as applicable. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Department of Transportation (DOT) is forwarding the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the information collection and its expected burden. On September 6, 2023, DOT published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICR. DOT received no comments on this notice. This collection is necessary for administration of the Reconnecting Communities (RCP) and Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Discretionary Grant Programs and funding opportunities. Together, these programs are known as ``Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN)'' in the combined NOFO. RCN provides federal financial assistance for surface transportation infrastructure projects. Through RCP, this includes removing, retrofitting, or mitigating transportation facilities such as highways and rail lines that create barriers to community connectivity including to mobility, access, or economic development. Through NAE, this includes the RCP eligibilities and expands eligibility to activities that reduce the burdens to communities of existing transportation infrastructure, including air quality impacts and greenhouse gas emissions, urban heat islands, gaps in tree canopy coverage, and other natural environment concerns.

The Board will hold a hearing involving the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT), Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR), the Alabama State Port Authority and its rail carrier division, the Terminal Railway Alabama State Docks (collectively, the ``Port''; and with Amtrak, CSXT, and NSR, the ``Parties''), and the City of Mobile, Ala. (Mobile), if Mobile chooses to participate. The hearing will take place on February 14, 2024, at 11 a.m. EST in the hearing room of the Board's headquarters. The hearing will also be available for public viewing on YouTube.