Department of Transportation September 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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 adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier, Inc., Model BD-100-1A10 airplanes. This AD was prompted by the discovery of a single-point failure within the left- hand and right-hand heater current monitor (HCM) units. This AD requires installing a monitor circuit comprising relays external to the HCM units. This AD also requires revising the normal and non-normal procedure sections of the existing airplane flight manual (AFM) to add new procedures associated with revised crew alerting system (CAS) messages. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This notice provides amendments to the time, website information, dates, and other details of a notice published July 25, 2024, announcing a public workshop on risk modeling methodologies and tools for the evaluation of gas, carbon dioxide (CO2), and hazardous liquid pipelines.

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) announces that it has discontinued preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Airfield, Safety, and Terminal Improvement Project at West Virginia International Yeager Airport (CRW) in Charleston, West Virginia. The FAA's discontinued preparation of the EIS is based on the need for additional planning studies to support the proposed development following changes to operations at CRW. The FAA originally placed the EIS on pause on March 27, 2024 and is now cancelling the EIS due to the additional time needed to conduct the necessary studies.

Winnebago Industries, Inc., (Winnebago or petitioner), has determined that certain model year (MY) 2013-2023 Winnebago motorhomes do not fully comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment. Winnebago filed a noncompliance report dated November 11, 2022, and amended the report on December 2, 2022, and May 17, 2023. Winnebago petitioned NHTSA on December 2, 2022, and amended the petition on May 17, 2023, for a decision that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety. This document announces the denial of Winnebago's petition.

The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2020-26-16, which applies to certain Piper Aircraft, Inc. (Piper) Model PA-28-151, PA-28-161, PA-28-181, PA-28-235, PA-28R-180, PA-28R-200, PA- 28R-201, PA-28R-201T, PA-28RT-201, PA-28RT-201T, PA-32-260, PA-32-300, PA-32R-300, PA-32RT-300, and PA-32RT-300T airplanes. AD 2020-26-16 requires calculating the factored service hours (FSH) for each main wing spar to determine when an inspection is required, inspecting the lower main wing spar bolt holes for crack(s), and replacing any cracked main wing spar. Since the FAA issued AD 2020-26-16, the FAA evaluated the reports required by AD 2020-26-16 and determined that repetitive inspections of the lower main wing spar bolt holes for crack(s) and non-crack damage (including deep scratches, gouges, and thread marks) and replacement or modification of the main wing spar should be required, calculated service hours (CSH) should be used instead of FSH to determine times for required actions for each main wing spar, and that certain airplanes should be removed from the applicability and a new airplane model added to the applicability. This proposed AD would require calculating the CSH for each main wing spar; repetitively inspecting the lower main wing spar bolt holes for crack(s) and non- crack damage and taking corrective actions as needed; and replacing or modifying main wing spars at a specified time. This proposed AD would also revise the applicability by removing certain airplanes and adding a new airplane model. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This action amends the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, FL (FLL), Class C airspace by subdividing the southwest corner of Area E to reduce the lateral boundary of the FLL Class C airspace by creating a new "Area H" southwest of the existing Area E with a floor of 2,600 feet mean sea level (MSL) and a ceiling of 4,000 feet MSL. The FAA is making this amendment to enhance safety and enable more efficient operations for non-participating aircraft operations at North Perry Airport, FL (HWO). Additionally, this action makes multiple minor editorial amendments to the airspace description.

The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for reinstatement of an existing information collection that is summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

This action proposes to amend the Class D and Class E airspace and establish Class E airspace at Flagstaff Pullman Airport, Flagstaff, AZ. The FAA is proposing this action as the result of a biennial airspace review. This action will bring the airspace into compliance with FAA orders and to support instrument flight rule (IFR) operations.

The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2023-13-10 and AD 2024-04-03, which apply to certain Airbus SAS Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes. AD 2023-13-10 and AD 2024- 04-03 require revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations. Since the FAA issued AD 2023-13-10 and AD 2024-04-03, the FAA has determined that new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations are necessary. This proposed AD would continue to require certain actions in AD 2023-13-10 and all actions in AD 2024-04-03 and would require revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is proposed for incorporation by reference (IBR). The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's (U.S. DOT) Advanced Research Projects AgencyInfrastructure (ARPA-I) is seeking statements of qualifications from eligible entities, defined by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 as "an accredited university of higher education in the northeast United States that has experience leading a regional university transportation center [defined as a current or past U.S. DOT-funded Regional University Transportation Center (UTC) grantee] and a proven record of developing, patenting, deploying, and commercializing innovative composite materials and technologies for bridge and other transportation applications, as well as conducting research and developing prototypes using very large-scale polymer-based additive manufacturing". The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is for the U.S. DOT to determine the eligibility of entities seeking to perform research, development, and demonstration tasks on durability, resiliency, and sustainability of bridges and other infrastructure to be funded by ARPA-I as stated in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024. This request for information is not a request for proposals or a notice of funding opportunity. Subsequent to this RFI, ARPA-I intends to develop a Cooperative Agreement with a single institution of higher education if only one respondent is found to be eligible, or to issue a subsequent Request for Proposals to the multiple eligible institutions of higher education identified. Respondents are required to meet the legislative requirements detailed in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024.

This notice announces final environmental actions taken by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regarding the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor Project, Cities of Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park, Bell, Cudahy, South Gate, Downey, Paramount, Bellflower, Cerritos, and Artesia; County of Los Angeles, California. The corridor is also known as the Southeast Gateway Line. The purpose of this notice is to publicly announce FTA's environmental decisions on the subject project, and to activate the limitation on any claims that may challenge these final environmental actions.

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 ICR was previously approved under emergency procedures on April 4, 2024, and expires on September 30, 2024. The ICR is necessary for FMCSA to continue data collection under a pilot program which seeks to determine the safety impacts of allowing 18- to 20-year-old commercial driver's license (CDL) holders to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce. The ICR covers data collected on drivers and carriers participating in the pilot program. No comments were received in response to the 60-day Federal Register notice.

This final rule incorporates various changes required by the United States Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015. This final rule provides regulatory clarity to applicants seeking licenses for space flight operations involving government astronauts by adding two new subparts to the human space flight regulations containing requirements for operators with government astronauts with and without safety-critical roles on board vehicles.

This action corrects a final rule published in the Federal Register of August 30, 2024, that amends Jet Route J-133 and establishes Area Navigation Route (RNAV) Q-801 in the vicinity of Anchorage, AK. This action corrects a typographical error in the preamble and in the regulatory text for J-133.

The Board updates for 2024 the fees that the public must pay to file certain cases and pleadings with the Board. Pursuant to this update, 95 of the Board's 136 fees will increase, and 41 fees will remain at their current levels.

The FHWA has forwarded the information collection request described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a renewal an information collection. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. The collection involves operational data submissions by proponents who have been granted exemptions and operational and report submissions by State, local, Tribal, and territorial (SLTT) participants in the UAS BEYOND program. The information to be collected will be used to inform FAA policy and decision-making regarding integrating UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS).

The FHWA has forwarded the information collection request described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve a new information collection. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2009-25- 13, which applied to certain Bombardier, Inc., Model BD-100-1A10 (Challenger 300) airplanes. AD 2009-25-13 required the deactivation of the left-hand (LH) baggage bay heater mat. Since the FAA issued AD 2009-25-13, Bombardier developed a new design solution for the potential uncontrolled heating of the baggage bay sidewall heater mat. This AD retains the requirements of AD 2009-25-13 and requires modifying the baggage bay sidewall interior panel, heater mat, and water tank heater installation, and doing functional testing. Upon the completion of the new actions, the retained requirements of AD 2009-25- 13 will terminate. This AD also revises the applicability. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2021-17- 02, which applied to all ATR-GIE Avions de Transport R[eacute]gional Model ATR42-200, -300, and -320 airplanes. AD 2021-17-02 required a one-time inspection for discrepancies of the wire bundles between the left- and right-hand angle of attack (AOA) probes and the crew alerting computer, and, depending on findings, applicable corrective actions. AD 2021-17-02 also required, for certain airplanes, modifying the captain stick shaker wiring, and for all airplanes, revising the existing aircraft flight manual (AFM) and applicable corresponding operational procedures to incorporate procedures for the stick pusher/shaker. Since the FAA issued AD 2021-17-02, additional modification of the affected wiring for certain airplanes was developed. This AD retains all of the requirements of AD 2021-17-02 and requires installing a new AOA power supply unit and removing the AFM amendment; as specified in a 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.