[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 244 (Wednesday, December 20, 2006)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 76224-76226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21657]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Parts 1, 21, 43, and 45

[Docket Nos. FAA-2006-25877 and 25882; Notice No. 06-18]
RIN 2120-AI78


Production and Airworthiness Approvals; Extension of Comment 
Period

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment 
period.

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SUMMARY: This action extends by 30 days the comment period for an NPRM 
that was published on October 5, 2006. In that document, the FAA 
proposed changes to its certification procedures and identification 
requirements for aeronautical products and parts. This extension is a 
result of requests from the Aeronautical Repair Station Association, 
the Aerospace Industries Association, and the General Aviation 
Manufacturers Association.

DATES: Send your comments on or before February 5, 2007.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments identified by Docket Number FAA-2006-
25877 using any of the following methods:
     DOT Docket Web site: Go to http://dms.dot.gov and follow 
the instructions for sending your comments electronically.
     Government-wide rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for sending your 
comments electronically.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, Room PL-401, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
     Hand Delivery: Room PL-401 on the plaza level of the 
Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington,

[[Page 76225]]

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.
    For more information on the rulemaking process, see the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
    Privacy: We will post all comments we receive, without change, to 
http://dms.dot.gov, including any personal information you provide. For 
more information, see the Privacy Act discussion in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this document.
    Docket: To read background documents or comments received, go to 
http://dms.dot.gov at any time or to Room PL-401 on the plaza level of 
the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Capron, Production 
Certification Branch, AIR-220, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-
3343.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

    The FAA invites interested persons to participate in this 
rulemaking by submitting written comments, data, or views. We also 
invite comments relating to the economic, environmental, energy, or 
federalism impacts that might result from adopting the proposals in 
this document. The most helpful comments reference a specific portion 
of the proposal, explain the reason for any recommended change, and 
include supporting data. We ask that you send us two copies of written 
comments.
    We will file in the docket all comments we receive, as well as a 
report summarizing each substantive public contact with FAA personnel 
concerning this proposed rulemaking. The docket is available for public 
inspection before and after the comment closing date. If you wish to 
review the docket in person, go to the address in the ADDRESSES section 
of this preamble between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays. You may also review the docket using the 
Internet at the Web address in the ADDRESSES section.
    Privacy Act: Using the search function of our docket Web site, 
anyone can find and read the comments received into any of our dockets, 
including the name of the individual sending the comment (or signing 
the comment on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). 
You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal 
Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78) or you may visit 
http://dms.dot.gov.
    Before acting on this proposal, we will consider all comments we 
receive on or before the closing date for comments. We will consider 
comments filed late if it is possible to do so without incurring 
expense or delay. We may change this proposal in light of the comments 
we receive.
    If you want the FAA to acknowledge receipt of your comments on this 
proposal, include with your comments a pre-addressed, stamped postcard 
on which the docket number appears. We will stamp the date on the 
postcard and mail it to you.
    Readers should note that the FAA has posted on its Web site (http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs) four draft Advisory Circulars (ACs). 
These ACs describe ways to comply with the requirements of this NPRM. 
We are also extending by 30 days the comment period on the ACs. Send 
your comments to reach us by February 5, 2007 using any of the methods 
described in the ADDRESSES section of this NPRM. Note that the docket 
for AC comments (FAA-2006-25882) is different from the docket for NPRM 
comments.

Availability of Rulemaking Documents

    You can get an electronic copy using the Internet by:
    (1) Searching the Department of Transportation's electronic Docket 
Management System (DMS) Web page (http://dms.dot.gov/search);
    (2) Visiting the Office of Rulemaking's Web page at http://www.faa.gov/avr/arm/index.cfm; or
    (3) Accessing the Government Printing Office's Web page at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html.
    You can also get a copy by sending a request to the Federal 
Aviation Administration, Office of Rulemaking, ARM-1, 800 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591, or by calling (202) 267-9680. Make 
sure to identify the docket number, notice number, or amendment number 
of this rulemaking.

Proprietary or Confidential Business Information

    Do not file in the docket information that you consider to be 
proprietary or confidential business information. Send or deliver this 
information directly to the person identified in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document. You must mark the 
information that you consider proprietary or confidential. If you send 
the information on a disk or CD ROM, mark the outside of the disk or CD 
ROM and also identify electronically within the disk or CD ROM the 
specific information that is proprietary or confidential.
    Under 14 CFR 11.35(b), when we are aware of proprietary information 
filed with a comment, we do not place it in the docket. We hold it in a 
separate file to which the public does not have access, and place a 
note in the docket that we have received it. If we receive a request to 
examine or copy this information, we treat it as any other request 
under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). We process such a 
request under the DOT procedures found in 49 CFR part 7.

Background

    On October 5, 2006, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 
issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) entitled, Production and 
Airworthiness Approvals, Part Marking, and Miscellaneous Proposals (71 
FR 58915). Comments on that document were due on or before January 3, 
2007.
    By letter dated December 5, 2006, the Aeronautical Repair Station 
Association (ARSA) asked FAA to extend the comment period for 90 days. 
ARSA believes the need for an extended comment period arises from the 
scope and extent of the changes proposed in the NPRM, the timing of its 
release, and the impact it will have on small businesses. ARSA also 
asked that we extend the comment period on the draft ACs for 90 days.
    By letter dated December 6, 2006, the Aerospace Industries 
Association (AIA) and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association 
(GAMA) asked FAA to extend the comment period for 45 days. AIA and GAMA 
cited several factors that, in their view, necessitate the extension, 
including the length of time since the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory 
Committee recommendation was submitted to FAA, the scope and impact of 
the proposal, and the effective shortening of the comment period by 
observance of the holidays.
    While we concur with the petitioners' requests for an extension of 
the comment period, we believe that a 45-day or 90-day extension is not 
warranted. We have already provided a 90-day comment period. An 
additional 90 days would result in a comment period extending for six 
full months. Although we agree that additional time for comments may be 
needed, this need must be balanced against the need to proceed 
expeditiously with a rulemaking that first involved industry input 
through an Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee in 1993. We believe 
an additional 30 days allows

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adequate time for interested parties to provide meaningful comments. 
Absent unusual circumstances, we do not anticipate any further 
extension of the comment period for this rulemaking.

Extension of Comment Period

    In accordance with Sec.  11.47(c) of Title 14, Code of Federal 
Regulations, the FAA has reviewed the petitions made by ARSA, AIA, and 
GAMA for extension of the comment period on the Production and 
Airworthiness Approvals NPRM. The petitioners have shown a substantive 
interest in the proposed rule and good cause for the extension. The FAA 
also has determined that extension of the comment period is consistent 
with the public interest, and that good cause exists for taking this 
action.
    Accordingly, we are extending the comment period for 30 days until 
February 5, 2007.

    Issued in Washington, DC, December 13, 2006.
Dorenda D. Baker,
Acting Director, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. E6-21657 Filed 12-19-06; 8:45 am]
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