Federal Railroad Administration December 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents
Results 1 - 19 of 19
Adjustment of Nationwide Significant Risk Threshold
In accordance with Appendix D to Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 222, Use of Locomotive Horns at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings, FRA is updating the Nationwide Significant Risk Threshold (NSRT). This action is needed to ensure that the public has the proper threshold of permissible risk for calculating quiet zones established in relationship to the NSRT. This is the fourth update to the NSRT, which has fallen from 18,775 to 14,007.
Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
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 describes 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 October 18, 2010 (75 FR 63889).
Alcohol and Drug Testing: Determination of Minimum Random Testing Rates for 2011
Using data from Management Information System annual reports, FRA has determined that the 2009 rail industry random testing positive rates were .037 percent for drugs and .014 percent for alcohol. Because the industry-wide random drug testing positive rate has remained below 1.0 percent for the last two years of data, the Federal Railroad Administrator (Administrator) has determined that the minimum annual random drug testing rate for the period January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2011, will remain at 25 percent of covered railroad employees. In addition, because the industry-wide random alcohol testing violation rate has remained below 0.5 percent for the last two years, the Administrator has determined that the minimum random alcohol testing rate will remain at 10 percent of covered railroad employees for the period January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2011.
Environmental Impact Statement for the Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee Intermodal Station) to Minneapolis, MN (Minneapolis Transportation Interchange) Rail Corridor
FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that a Tier I Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for the Milwaukee, WI to Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN (Milwaukee-Twin Cities) High- Speed Rail Corridor Program. The project includes passenger stations, maintenance facilities, and the construction of a high-speed rail line between Milwaukee and the Twin Cities. This corridor is part of a larger network of high-speed passenger rail corridors in the Midwest, with a hub in Chicago, IL. The effort to develop these high-speed rail corridors and expand the passenger rail system in the Midwest is known as the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative (MWRRI). FRA is issuing this notice to solicit public and agency input into the development of the scope of the EIS and to advise the public that outreach activities conducted by FRA will be considered in the preparation of the EIS. Alternatives under consideration include taking no action (No Build), as well as several build alternatives along a variety of corridors between Milwaukee and the Twin Cities.
Risk Reduction Program
The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 requires the development and implementation of railroad safety risk reduction programs. Risk reduction is a comprehensive, system-oriented approach to safety that determines an operation's level of risk by identifying and analyzing applicable hazards and develops plans to mitigate that risk. Each Risk Reduction Program (RRP) is statutorily required to be supported by a risk analysis and a Risk Reduction Program Plan (RRPP), which must include a Technology Implementation Plan and a Fatigue Management Plan. This ANPRM solicits public comment on a potential rulemaking that would require each Class I railroad, each railroad with an inadequate safety record, and each passenger railroad to submit an RRPP to FRA for its review and approval. Each of those railroads would ultimately be required to implement its approved RRP.
Adjustment of Monetary Threshold for Reporting Rail Equipment Accidents/Incidents for Calendar Year 2011
This rule increases the rail equipment accident/incident reporting threshold from $9,200 to $9,400 for certain railroad accidents/incidents involving property damage that occur during calendar year 2011. This action is needed to ensure that FRA's reporting requirements reflect cost increases that have occurred since the reporting threshold was last computed in December of 2009.
Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity Update
The FRA is updating its announcement of RSAC's Working Group activities to reflect its current status.
Revised Proposal for Revisions to the Schedules of Civil Penalties for a Violation of a Federal Railroad Safety Law or Federal Railroad Administration Safety Regulation or Order; Reopening and Extending the Comment Period
Due to comments received from the Association of American Railroads (AAR) during the initial comment period, FRA is reopening the comment period for its proposal published on September 21, 2010. The proposal, if adopted, would amend, line by line, FRA's schedules of civil penalties issued as appendices to FRA's rail safety regulations, as well as other guidance. AAR stated in its comments on the proposal that FRA did not give the railroad industry adequate time to review all the penalties listed in the proposal to determine if they match the severity-scale criteria, which are also listed in the proposal. Therefore, FRA is reopening and extending the comment period in order to allow AAR more time to review the penalties in the severity scale and to identify and comment more fully on which individual penalties do not in its opinion satisfy the severity-scale criteria. FRA also seeks further comments from other interested parties that were unable to comment during the initial comment period. The comment period is reopened until February 1, 2011.
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