Federal Railroad Administration July 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In response to Congress' mandate in the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA), FRA is proposing to expand the scope of its alcohol and drug regulations to cover employees who perform maintenance-of-way (MOW) activities. In addition, FRA is proposing certain substantive amendments that either respond to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations or update and clarify the alcohol and drug regulations based on a retrospective regulatory review (RRR) analysis.

FRA is issuing this notice to advise other Federal, state, and local agencies and the public that FRA and the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) are amending the existing 2007 Notice of Intent for the Palmdale to Los Angeles Section and will jointly prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Burbank to Los Angeles Section of the California High- Speed Rail (HSR) System in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). FRA is publishing this notice to solicit additional public and agency input into the development of the scope of the EIS and to advise the public that outreach activities conducted by the FRA and the Authority and their representatives will be considered in the preparation of the EIR/EIS. Federal cooperating agencies for the EIS are the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). In March 2007, FRA and the Authority respectively issued a Notice of Preparation and a Notice of Intent for the preparation of an EIR/EIS for the Palmdale to Los Angeles Section of the Authority's proposed California HSR System. Because the Palmdale to Los Angeles Section of the HSR System will be implemented in two parts consistent with Authority's Business Plan that prioritizes an Initial Operating Section (IOS) with a southern temporary terminus in the San Fernando Valley, the FRA and Authority have determined that there are two sections of the HSR System between Palmdale and Los Angeles and they will be better evaluated in two separate EIR/EISs: Palmdale to Burbank and Burbank to Los Angeles. Each of these sections has logical termini and independent utility, as discussed further below. This notice provides information regarding the Project EIR/EIS for the Burbank to Los Angeles Section of the California HSR System (proposed action). The Palmdale to Burbank Section of the California HSR System is the subject of a separate Notice of Intent, which is being published concurrently with this notice. The preparation of the Burbank to Los Angeles Section EIR/EIS will involve a robust public outreach process; the development of preliminary engineering designs; and the assessment of potential environmental effects associated with the construction, operation, and maintenance of the HSR System.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the renewal Information Collection Requests (ICRs) abstracted below are being 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 21, 2014 (79 FR 22178).

FRA is issuing this final rule as part of a paperwork reduction initiative. The final rule eliminates the regulatory requirement that each railroad carrier file a signal system status report with FRA every five years. FRA believes the report is no longer necessary because FRA receives more updated information regarding railroad signal systems through alternative sources. Separately, FRA is amending the criminal penalty provision in the Signal Systems Reporting Requirements by updating two outdated statutory citations.