[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 208 (Monday, October 28, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 65833]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-27370]



[[Page 65833]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket NHTSA-99-5087]


Rulemaking Program Meeting

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of NHTSA Rulemaking Status Meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting at which NHTSA will 
answer questions from the public and the automobile industry regarding 
the agency's vehicle regulatory program.

DATES: The Agency's regular public meeting relating to its vehicle 
regulatory program will be held on Thursday, November 21, 2002, 
beginning at 9:45 a.m. and ending at approximately 12 p.m. at the Best 
Western Gateway International Hotel 9191 Wickham, Romulus, Michigan. 
Questions relating to the vehicle regulatory program must be submitted 
in writing with a diskette (Microsoft Word) by Wednesday, November 6, 
2002, to the address shown below or by e-mail. If sufficient time is 
available, questions received after November 6, may be answered at the 
meeting. The individual, group or company submitting a questions(s) 
does not have to be present for the questions(s) to be answered. A 
consolidated list of the questions submitted by November 6, 2002, and 
the issues to be discussed will be posted on NHTSA's Web site 
(www.nhtsa.dot.gov) by Wednesday, November 20, 2002, and also will be 
available at the meeting. The agency will hold a second public meeting 
on November 21, devoted exclusively to a presentation of research and 
development programs. This meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. and end at 
approximately 5 p.m. This meeting is described more fully in a separate 
announcement. The next NHTSA Public Meeting will take place on 
Thursday, April 3, 2003, at the Best Western Gateway International 
Hotel, Romulus, Michigan.

ADDRESSES: Questions for the November 21, NHTSA Rulemaking Status 
Meeting, relating to the agency's vehicle regulatory program, should be 
submitted to Delia Lopez, NVS-100, National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, Room 5401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20590, Fax Number (202) 366-4329, e-mail [email protected]. The 
meeting will be held at the Best Western Gateway International Hotel, 
Romulus, Michigan 48174, the telephone number is 734-728-2800.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Delia Lopez, (202) 366-1810.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NHTSA holds regular public meetings to 
answer questions from the public and the regulated industries regarding 
the agency's vehicle regulatory program. Questions on aspects of the 
agency's research and development activities that relate directly to 
ongoing regulatory actions should be submitted, as in the past, to the 
agency's Rulemaking Office. Transcripts of these meetings will be 
available for public inspection in the DOT Docket in Washington, DC, 
within four weeks after the meeting. Copies of the transcript will then 
be available at ten cents a page, (length has varied from 80 to 150 
pages) upon request to DOT Docket, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, 
SW., Washington, DC 20590. The DOT Docket is open to the public from 10 
a.m. to 5 p.m. The transcript may also be accessed electronically at 
http://dms.dot.gov, at docket NHTSA-99-5087. Questions to be answered 
at the public meeting should be organized by categories to help us 
process the questions into an agenda form more efficiently.
    Sample format:

I. Rulemaking

A. Crash avoidance

B. Crashworthiness

C. Other Rulemakings

II. Consumer Information

III. Miscellaneous

    We plan to conduct this meeting differently than past meetings in 
an effort to have a greater dialogue with the public on rulemaking 
issues. Instead of responding individually to questions asking when we 
plan to publish a particular rulemaking action, we will respond to all 
of those questions on a single piece of paper. That piece of paper will 
be posted on our Web site by Wednesday, November 20 and distributed at 
the public meeting on November 21. Our intention is to move these 
meetings away from focusing on NHTSA's schedule for its rulemaking 
actions to discussions about the substantive progress on rulemaking 
actions and the agency's substantive plans, to the extent those have 
been determined.
    For the November 21 meeting, NHTSA will begin by addressing any 
substantive issues raised in the questions submitted in response to 
this notice. We will then offer a presentation by Roger Kurrus on the 
research behind and reasons supporting the star ratings used in our New 
Car Assessment Program. NHTSA will then give a brief review of our 
plans for improving occupant protection in rear-end crashes. We expect 
this will form the basis for better dialogue with the attendees at 
these public meetings on rulemaking.
    NHTSA will provide auxiliary aids to participants as necessary. Any 
person desiring assistance of ``auxiliary aids'' (e.g., sign-language 
interpreter, telecommunications devices for deaf persons (TDDs), 
readers, taped texts, brailled materials, or large print materials and/
or a magnifying device), please contact Delia Lopez on (202) 366-1810, 
by COB Wednesday, November 20, 2002.

    Issued: October 23, 2002.
Stephen R. Kratzke,
Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 02-27370 Filed 10-25-02; 8:45 am]
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