Federal Railroad Administration June 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describe the nature of the information collections and their expected burdens. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collections of information was published on April 16, 2009 (74 FR 17762).

In this document FRA informs the public at large of the agency's interim position on certain interpretive questions arising out of the complex and important amendments enacted in 2008 to the Federal railroad safety laws that govern such matters as how long an employee in a certain category may remain on duty and how long the employee must be given off duty before the employee may go on duty again. In addition, FRA proposes an interpretation of one very significant provision of those amended laws that differs from FRA's existing interpretation of the laws before the 2008 amendments. Finally, FRA requests public comment on both the interim interpretations and the proposed interpretation.

On April 16, 2009, President Obama, together with Vice President Biden and Secretary of Transportation LaHood, announced a new vision for developing high-speed rail in America. They called for a collaborative effort among the Federal Government, States, railroads, and other key stakeholders to help transform America's transportation system through a national network of high-speed rail corridors. This notice builds on this ``Vision for High-Speed Rail'' (available on FRA's Web site) by detailing the application requirements and procedures for obtaining funding for high-speed rail projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and the Department of Transportation Appropriations Acts of 2008 and 2009 (FY 2008/2009 DOT Appropriations Acts), while laying the foundation for a longer-term program to establish a network of high-speed rail corridors.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describe the nature of the information collections and their expected burdens. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collections of information was published on April 6, 2009 (74 FR 15588).

FRA announces the thirty-ninth meeting of the RSAC, a Federal advisory committee that develops railroad safety regulations through a consensus process. The RSAC meeting topics will include opening remarks from the FRA Administrator and presentations on the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA) Hazardous Materials Personal Protective Equipment Initiative, RSIA Highway-Rail Grade Crossings and Trespass Initiatives, and RSIA forthcoming rulemaking regarding maintenance-of-way employees. Status reports will be provided by the Passenger Safety, Track Safety Standards, and Medical Standards Working Groups. Status updates will be provided on the RSIA Positive Train Control Task, Hours of Service Task, and the Railroad Bridge Task. The Committee may also be asked to accept another RSIA-mandated task concerning critical incident programs. This agenda is subject to change, including the possible addition of further proposed tasks under the RSIA.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describe the nature of the information collections and their expected burdens. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collections of information was published on March 24, 2009 (74 FR 12443).