[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 94 (Thursday, May 15, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 26894]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-12757]



[[Page 26893]]

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Part IV





Department of Transportation





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Federal Aviation Administration



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14 CFR Chapter I



Review of Existing Rules; Proposed Rule

  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 94 / Thursday, May 15, 1997 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 26894]]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Chapter I

[Docket No. 28910]


Review of Existing Rules

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Review of regulations; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice requests that the pubic identify those regulations 
currently in effect which it believes should be amended, eliminated, or 
simplified. This action is based on Presidential recommendations that 
the FAA perform regulatory reviews consistent with its statutory 
authority and public interest responsibilities. Comments will assist 
the agency in conducting these reviews and in determining the direction 
of resulting actions. Also, based upon recommendations stemming from 
the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security, the FAA 
requests the public to forward specific examples of where the agency 
should develop rules that are performance-based rather than 
prescriptive, and provide any suggestions on specific plain-English 
language that might be used to rewrite them.

DATES: Comments should be submitted on or before August 13, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be mailed in triplicate to: Federal Aviation 
Administration, Office of Chief Counsel, Attention: Rules docket (AGC-
200), Docket No. 28910 800 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC., 
20591, or faxed to (202) 267-5075. Comments also may be submitted via 
the Internet to [email protected]. Comments may be examined in 
room 915G weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. except on Federal 
holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gerri Robinson (ARM-24), Office of 
Rulemaking, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Ave. SW., 
Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-9678.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In recent years, the FAA conducted several 
regulatory reviews: In his 1992 State of the Union address, then-
President Bush called for a 90-day moratorium and review of federal 
regulations, and the FAA responded by soliciting public comments on its 
regulatory programs as part of an overall review (57 FR 4744, Feb. 7, 
1992). Based on comments received, the agency revised its regulatory 
agenda accordingly. In 1994, responding to recommendations from the 
National Commission to Ensure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry and 
the Vice President's National Performance Review, and acting on 
Department of Transportation (DOT) and FAA regulatory initiatives, the 
FAA initiated a regulatory review to reduce regulatory burdens and 
sought public comments (59 FR 1362, Jan. 10, 1994). As a result, the 
FAA revised its regulatory agenda and priorities accordingly, and 
proposed a Regulatory Review Program by seeking public input every 
three years (60 FR 44142, Aug. 24, 1995). The agency later published a 
disposition of the comments it received and made the determination to 
continue the 3-year review cycle (61 FR 53610, Oct. 15, 1996). In 
addition to the ongoing regulatory review program, the FAA is currently 
in the process of responding to recommendations from the White House 
Commission on Aviation Safety and Security that it simplify and, as 
appropriate, rewrite its regulations in performance-based, plain-
English formats.

Three-Year Regulatory Review Program; Request for Comments

    As part of its ongoing Regulatory Review Program, the FAA is 
requesting that the public identify three regulations, in priority 
order, that it believes should be amended or eliminated. The agency's 
goal is to identify regulations which impose undue regulatory burdens, 
are no longer necessary, or overlap, duplicate, or conflict with other 
federal regulations. In addition, the FAA is also requesting the public 
to identify unnecessary regulations that have a significant impact on 
small entities. In order to focus on areas of greatest interest, and to 
effectively manage agency resources, the FAA asks that commenters 
responding to the three-year Regulatory Review Program limit their 
input to three issues they consider most urgent, and to list them in 
priority order. The FAA will review the issues addressed by the 
Commenters against its regulatory agenda and rulemaking program efforts 
and adjust its regulatory priorities consistent with its statutory 
responsibilities. At the end of this process, the FAA will publish a 
summary and general disposition of comments and indicate, where 
appropriate, how its regulatory priorities will be adjusted.

White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security Recommendations; 
Request for Public Comments

    On February 12, 1997, the White House Commission on Aviation Safety 
and Security, chaired by Vice President Al Gore, issued its final 
report to President Clinton. One of the recommendations contained in 
that report states ``The Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) should be 
simplified and, as appropriate, rewritten as plain English, 
performance-based regulations.'' The Commission believes that 
government can achieve better regulatory compliance if its objectives 
are stated clearly and its focus is on goals, not process. The public 
is requested to provide any specific suggestions where rules could be 
developed as performance-based rather than prescriptive, any specific 
plain-English language that might be used, and provide suggested 
language on how those rules should be written. These comments will 
assist the agency in simplifying the FARs pursuant to recommendations 
from the Commission.

    Issued in Washington DC, on May 9, 1997.
Guy S. Gardner,
Associate Administration for Regulation and Certification, AVR-1.
[FR Doc. 97-12757 Filed 5-14-97; 8:45 am]
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