Department of Transportation – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration announces a meeting of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) Board of Visitors (Board). During the meeting, the USMMA leadership will provide an update on programs and priorities, including governance, sexual assault and sexual harassment, academics, admissions, culture, and facilities and infrastructure.

This notice announces the public meeting of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation Advisory Board.

Through this document, NHTSA fulfills the statutory mandate in section 24204 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which directed the Secretary of Transportation to issue an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to update Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 207, "Seating systems." NHTSA also partially grants rulemaking petitions submitted by Kenneth J. Saczalski of Environmental Research and Safety Technologists (ERST) and by Alan Cantor of ARCCA, Inc. (ARCCA), which sought changes to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) petitioners stated would improve the safety of children during rear-end crashes. NHTSA denies a petition from the Center for Auto Safety (CAS), which sought to require additional warnings instructing adults regarding which rear seating position to place children.

On June 24, 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published the final rule entitled Removal of Check Pilot Medical Certificate Requirement. In that final rule, the FAA made two errors in the amendatory instructions. This correction corrects those errors.

This notice announces the Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Services (FICEMS) Post-crash Care Summit.

The Surface Transportation Board (Board) will hold a public hearing on September 16 and 17, 2024, to gather information about recent trends and strategies for growth in the freight rail industry. The Board requests the attendance of executive-level officials from the BNSF Railway Company, Canadian National Railway Company, Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, CSX Transportation, Inc., Norfolk Southern Railway Company, and Union Pacific Railroad Company (collectively, "Class I railroads"). The Board also invites and welcomes testimony from industry analysts, other rail carriers, rail customers, rail suppliers, labor organizations, and other interested parties who can contribute to the Board's understanding of how the industry has grown and intends to grow in the future.

The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2023-08-04, which applies to certain The Boeing Company Model 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10 airplanes. AD 2023-08-04 requires a detailed visual inspection of all door 1 and door 3 lavatory and galley potable water systems for any missing or incorrectly installed clamshell couplings, and applicable on-condition actions. Since the FAA issued AD 2023-08- 04, Boeing has discovered that some couplings did not have the required safety strap and has developed a design solution that replaces the couplings with couplings that have safety straps to address the unsafe condition. This proposed AD would retain the requirements of AD 2023- 08-04 and require a detailed inspection of all clamshell couplings for the presence and correct installation of safety straps at door 1 and door 3 lavatories and galleys with a potable water system, and applicable on-condition actions. The AD would also prohibit the installation of affected parts at inspection locations and remove Model 787-10 airplanes from the applicability. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA is correcting a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that was published in the Federal Register. The NPRM proposed to issue an airworthiness directive (AD) that would apply to all The Boeing Company Model 767-200, -300, and -300F series airplanes. As published, the docket number referenced throughout the NPRM is incorrect. This document corrects that error. In all other respects, the original document remains the same; however, for clarity, the FAA is publishing the entire proposed rule in the Federal Register.

This document denies a petition for rulemaking from Jerry and Marianne Karth, Eric Hein, and Lois Durso-Hawkins, requesting that NHTSA amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No. 223, "Rear impact guards," and FMVSS No. 224, "Rear impact protection," to include additional requirements. The agency is denying the petition because it does not provide new or different information that would warrant initiation of a rulemaking at this time. This document also discusses NHTSA's consideration of a similar petition from the same petitioners submitted to the docket of the July 15, 2022 final rule amending FMVSS Nos. 223 and 224.

This final rule amends the existing Tribal Transportation Program Bridge Program, formerly known as the Indian Reservation Road (IRR) Bridge Program, by renaming it the Tribal Transportation Facility Bridge Program (TTFBP) to comply with the changes made in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), carried on through the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, and the recent changes made by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). It also removes references to terms such as structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, and sufficiency rating. These updates aligned the TTFBP terminology for bridge conditions with the terminology used for State departments of transportation (State DOT) in the Federal-aid highway program. This change established consistent terminology for classifying and referring to bridge conditions.

The Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) announces the charter renewal of TTAC. The Secretary has determined that renewing TTAC charter is necessary and is in the public interest.

These special conditions are issued for the Gulfstream Model GVII-G400 airplane. This airplane will have a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport-category airplanes. This design feature is seating with inflatable lapbelts. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier, Inc., Model CL-600-2B16 (604 Variant) airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report of sparking due to damaged wire insulation in the fueling adapter. This AD requires inspecting the electrical wires attached to the airplane connector located behind the fuel scupper for damage, and all applicable related investigative and corrective actions. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This document provides the public with notice that, on July 1, 2024, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) submitted a request for amendment (RFA) to its FRA-approved Positive Train Control Safety Plan (PTCSP) to request approval for a planned positive train control (PTC) system outage of its Mixed System PTC system for maintenance purposes during the month of August 2024. As this RFA may involve a request for FRA's approval of proposed material modifications to an FRA-certified positive train control (PTC) system, FRA is publishing this notice and inviting public comment on Amtrak's RFA to its PTCSP.

The FAA invites public comment on the agency's draft policy statement PS-AIR-21.17-02, "Special Class Rotorcraft." This proposed policy would identify certain rotorcraft as special class.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model 737-8, 737-9, and 737-8200 airplanes and Model 737-700, -800, and -900ER series airplanes. This AD was prompted by multiple reports of passenger service unit (PSU) oxygen generators shifting out of position within their associated PSU assemblies because of a retention failure. This AD requires a general visual inspection of the PSU oxygen generator installation to determine the configuration of the thermal pads of the retention straps and applicable on-condition actions. This AD also prohibits the installation of affected parts. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all General Electric Company (GE) Model CF34-10E2A1, CF34-10E6, CF34-10E6A1, CF34-10E7, and CF34-10E7-B engines with certain part- numbered high-pressure turbine (HPT) shroud/low pressure turbine (LPT) nozzle assemblies installed. This proposed AD was prompted by a report of failed retention features of the inner and outer support air ducts (commonly referred to as spoolies) discovered during engine disassembly. This proposed AD would require a visual inspection of the combustion case for wear and gouges, repair if necessary, and rework of the affected HPT shroud/LPT nozzle assemblies. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This Notice details the application requirements and procedures to obtain grant funding for eligible projects under the Railroad Crossing Elimination Program for Fiscal Years (FY) 2023 and 2024. This Notice solicits applications for funds made available by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The opportunity described in this notice is made available under Assistance Listings Number 20.327, "Railroad Crossing Elimination."

FMCSA announces receipt of applications from nine individuals for an exemption from the hearing requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate commerce. If granted, the exemptions would enable these hard of hearing and deaf individuals to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

The FHWA, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), is issuing this notice to advise the public that we are rescinding the 1998 Record of Decision (ROD) and the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) that proposed various improvements along north-south corridors in La Crosse County, WI.

This document announces the availability of documents supplementing NHTSA's September 2023 notice of proposed rulemaking to amend NHTSA's regulations to include an advanced crash test dummy, the Test Device for Human Occupant Restraint 50th percentile adult male.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain CFE Company (CFE) Model CFE738-1-1B engines. This AD was prompted by a manufacturer investigation that revealed certain high- pressure turbine (HPT) stage 1 and stage 2 disks were manufactured from powder metal material suspected to contain iron inclusion. This AD requires replacement of affected HPT stage 1 and stage 2 disks with parts eligible for installation. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Leonardo S.p.a. Model AW189 helicopters. This AD was prompted by a report of abnormal oscillatory behavior during automated glide slope approaches, due to sealant on the glide slope (G/S) antenna coaxial connectors. This AD requires visually inspecting certain G/S antennas and G/S antenna coaxial connectors for the presence of any sealant; cleaning parts and removing any sealant; performing an external G/S acceptance test procedure (ATP); and taking corrective actions if necessary. This AD would also prohibit installing certain G/S antennas and G/S antenna coaxial connecters. These requirements are 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.