Proposed Rule2024-30596
Federal Railroad Administration's Procedures for Waivers and Safety-Related Proceedings
Primary source
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Published
December 23, 2024
Effective
October 29, 2024
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Railroad Administration
Abstract
On October 29, 2024, FRA published an NPRM proposing to update FRA's procedures for waivers and safety-related proceedings to define the two components of the statutory waiver and suspension standard, "in the public interest" and "consistent with railroad safety." By this notice, FRA is extending the NPRM's comment period by 15 days.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 246 (Monday, December 23, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 246 (Monday, December 23, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 104508-104509]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-30596]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
49 CFR Part 211
[Docket No. FRA-2024-0033, Notice No. 2]
RIN 2130-AC97
Federal Railroad Administration's Procedures for Waivers and
Safety-Related Proceedings
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment
period.
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SUMMARY: On October 29, 2024, FRA published an NPRM proposing to update
FRA's procedures for waivers and safety-related proceedings to define
the two components of the statutory waiver and suspension standard,
``in the public interest'' and ``consistent with railroad safety.'' By
this notice, FRA is extending the NPRM's comment period by 15 days.
DATES: The comment period for the NPRM published on October 29, 2024,
89 FR 85895, is extended until January 15, 2025.
ADDRESSES:
Comments: Comments related to Docket No. FRA-2024-0033 may be
submitted by going to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> and following the online
instructions for submitting comments.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and docket number or Regulatory Identification Number (RIN) for this
rulemaking. All comments received will be posted without change to
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>; this includes any personal information. Please see
the Privacy Act heading in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of
this document for Privacy Act information related to any submitted
comments or materials.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> and follow the online
instructions for accessing the docket.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Veronica Chittim, Senior Attorney,
Office of the Chief Counsel, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#225447504d4c4b41430c414a4b56564b4f62464d560c454d54"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="dcaab9aeb3b2b5bfbdf2bfb4b5a8a8b5b19cb8b3a8f2bbb3aa">[email protected]</span></a>, 202-480-3410;
or Lucinda Henriksen, Senior Advisor, Office of Railroad Safety, at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a9c5dccac0c7cdc887c1ccc7dbc0c2daccc7e9cdc6dd87cec6df"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="771b02141e191316591f1219051e1c0412193713180359101801">[email protected]</span></a>, 202-657-2842.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a November 13, 2024, letter, the American
Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) requested a 60-
day extension of the NPRM's comment period.\1\ ASLRRA stated it needs
additional time to thoroughly review the NPRM and ``consult with its
member railroads on the feasibility of the process changes proposed in
the NPRM for small businesses.''
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\1\ <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2024-0033-0002">https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2024-0033-0002</a>.
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In a November 25, 2024, letter, the Association of American
Railroads (AAR) petitioned for a 60-day extension of the NPRM's comment
period.\2\ AAR noted that it must ``address four proposed rules at the
same time while operating under resource constraints due to holiday
travel schedules that prevent them from giving any of the four NPRMs
the attention that they deserve.''
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\2\ <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2024-0033-0004">https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2024-0033-0004</a>.
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The comment period for this NPRM is scheduled to close on December
30, 2024.\3\ As FRA is granting an extension
[[Page 104509]]
for 15 days in response to ASLRRA's and AAR's requests, the comment
period is now extended to January 15, 2025.
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\3\ <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/10/29/2024-24586/federal-railroad-administrations-procedures-for-waivers-and-safety-related-proceedings">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/10/29/2024-24586/federal-railroad-administrations-procedures-for-waivers-and-safety-related-proceedings</a>.
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Privacy Act
In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the
public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts these
comments, without edit, to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, as described in the
system of records notice, DOT/ALL-14 FDMS, accessible through
<a href="http://www.dot.gov/privacy">www.dot.gov/privacy</a>. To facilitate comment tracking and response, we
encourage commenters to provide their name, or the name of their
organization; however, submission of names is completely optional.
Whether or not commenters identify themselves, all timely comments will
be fully considered. If you wish to provide comments containing
proprietary or confidential information, please contact the agency for
alternate submission instructions.
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 20103, 20107, 20114, 20306, 20502-20504,
and 49 CFR 1.89.
Issued in Washington, DC.
Allison Ishihara Fultz,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2024-30596 Filed 12-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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